His first known child presents a sad example. After nearly five and a half years of marriage, Fred's first wife Emily divorced him on February 5, 1906. About time—Fred had deserted Emily for the New York stage nearly three years previously. A primary reason for Fred’s desertion, Emily said, was that “he got another girl in trouble and had to get away in a hurry, I guess.”
Who was that other girl? Emily Warrington claimed the girl lived on Third Street in Detroit, Michigan. I haven’t found any other clues to her identity. But in birth records from Wayne County, Michigan, I found a possible trace of the child she bore. Is this Fred’s first offspring?
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| Birth record in question. Click to enlarge. |
On April 4, 1902, a child with the surname of Warrington was born in Detriot. The surname of the parents, both Canadian, is also Warrington, suggesting that the mother was Fred’s first wife Emily. But Emily was pregnant at the time of this birth, so I strongly doubt this child is hers.
The child’s gender and skin color are unrecorded. Also unrecorded is the possibility that it was “illegitimate.” Other births recorded on the same page bear the notation “Ill” (illegitimate), but not this birth. If this child’s mother hid her own real name, she likely would have withheld the child's illegitimate status.
Did the child survive? Nearly five months later, Fred's wife Emily gave birth to his second child, a daughter Ethel, but weeks after being born, Ethel died of starvation. Could Fred's first child have died quickly, too? Or did it grow up to have offspring of its own? Does Hank the Mule have unidentified descendants living today?
Read all about Fred Woodward's life, career, and his problematic relationships with his other children in All Wound Up: The Making of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. Here's the link to buy a copy.
Notes
Hector Alliot, “For Children’s Joy; Gentle Art of Beast Portrayal,” Los Angeles (CA) Times, 8 April 1913, III 1. “Canada, Ontario, Marriages, 1869-1927,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZBC-F51 : Sun Mar 10 23:39:53 UTC 2024), Entry for Fred J Warrington and Fred Warrington, 23 Oct 1900. “Likes Tin Woodman,” Detroit (MI) Free Press, 6 February 1906, 10. "Wayne, Michigan, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QYS-GS?view=index : Jan 10, 2025), image 73 of 432; Michigan. Department of Vital Records; Film Number/Image Group Number: 004208780.
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