Newspaper Reports

WELLS, MD. July 5, 1902:-

 Mary Wells, Daughter of "Father" Robert Wells, Passed Away. "Mary Wells, a gypsy princess, daughter of "Father" Robert Wells, the gypsy patriach who died near Warwick, this county, has departed this life. Her remains will be taken to Wilmington, Del., and Brandywine Cemetery for interment alongside of those of her father. The funeral sermon was preached by a Presbyterian minister. Tribal rites were held over the remains on Sunday and Monday

*

 Gypsy Funeral - : By Kenneth McCutchan

The burial of Elizabeth Harrison on April 1, 1896, brought out one of largest funeral gatherings ever seen in Evansville .

She was the was the queen of a tribe of Romany Gypsies that had emigrated from England in the mid-19th century. Mrs. Harrison died in November 1895, in Corinth, Miss., and her body was shipped to Evansville to be placed in the holding vault in Oak Hill Cemetery until her tribe could assemble from distant parts of the United States to attend the last rites.

As about 50 Gypsies began to arrive in their colorful wagons, they pitched their camp at Lake Park. A sort of picnic grove just off Harmony Way on Evansville’s West Side.

Early on the day of the funeral curious crowds began to gather to watch the caravan pass along the route from the campgrounds to the cemetery. A newspaper reported that inside Oak Hill Cemetery more than 6,000 people awaiting the arrival of a procession.

Strange stories had been circulating throughout the city concerning how the funeral would be conducted. One rumor persisted that there would be a ritual burning of her wagon at her gravesite. This did not happen. Actually the ceremony was quiet and dignified, probably much to the disappointment of the assembled sensation seekers.

Four and a half years later, on Christmas Eve, 1900, the body of Isaac Harrison, the Gypsy King, was buried beside his wife. Today , those graves are marked by a tall, impressive granite obelisk.

Harrison had been tragically killed at Martin Station Ala. by a misdirected bullet while trying to break up a fight between his two sons, Harry and Richard. People have asked , "Why did the Gypsies come to Evansville to bury their dead?"

At one time, Isaac Harrison and his bother-in-law owned a substantial piece of real estate north of Diamond Avenue on Evansville’s North Side, in the vicinity of Pigeon Creek and Stringtown Road. For a brief period the Harrisons lived in a large Victorian-style that once stood on the 500 block of Olmstead Avenue.

When that area was plotted off for a subdivision called the Stanley-Burbank Addition in the late 1920s. Stanley Avenue was named for the Gypsy Adam Stanley. He, too, lies buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Other members of the tribe have been buried here as recently as September 1967. The present generation no longer roams the country, as they did in the old days. Now they are all settled permanently in various parts of the South and longer call themselves Gypsies

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GYPSY QUEEN BURIED:=

BODY OF SADIE EVANS LAID BESIDE THAT OF HER HUSBAND

Elizabeth New Jersey : Feb 3rd the funeral of Sadie Evans the Gypsy woman took place this afternoon from the camp of her tribe on the Boulevard between Waverly and Elizabeth. She was reported to be 106 years old. The body of the Queen dressed in a rich robe of black lay in a handsome black cloth casket, candles burned during the night in a large candelabra at the head of the casket.

The interior of the tent was draped with black cloth over which smilax was festooned. The lid of the casket bore the inscription “ Sadie Evans died January 31st 1900 aged 106. ON the coffin were Smilax and roses and different floral arrangements sent by members of the Evans Tribe and other tribes from parts of the country. Notwithstanding the cold there were a large number of people in attendance many of whom had been attracted by motives of curiosity. The REV DR F B COBB conducted the services after which the Gypsy Queen's body was buried in EVERGREEN CEMETERY by the side of her husband ROBERT EVANS in 1897

Published February 4th 1900

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 A GYPSY QUEEN DEAD

THE MOST POWERFUL OF THE FORTUNETELLER'S OF THIS COUNTRY

In a little dome shaped tent near the railway station at EL MORA NEW JERSEY the body of the late ROSANNA LOVELL a Queen of the Gypsies lay in state yesterday ,from early afternoon until far into the night. Three wax candles stuck a upon three crooked sticks burning at her head, cast a mellow light a upon the glistening casket and upon the white muslin draperies of the weather stained tent.

Camp fires surrounded by groups of men women and children in whispered conversation sent long lines of smoke trailing across fields and in the early twilight shoe dimly like beacons far at sea, causal visitors came and went, the horses stamped uneasily and dogs like skulking shadows prowled from tent to wagon with hungry restlessness, horse trading was stopped fortune telling ceased for a day the Queen was dead. Strictly speaking ROSANNA was not a Queen at the same time it maybe said there are no Gypsy Queens in this country although many claim the title. Rosanna never claimed to be a Queen although in point of age influence and worldly prosperity she ranked above all strolling fortune tellers in America. She was born in England about 102 years ago until 1870 she roamed over England telling fortunes in villages in the suburbs of the cities and at country fairs.

In 1870 she came to America and continued the same nomadic life. Her husband WALTER LOVELL to whom she was married very many years ago accompanied her and did profitable business Horse trading with venturesome strangers. He is now about 76 years of age and is hale and hearty as though he was scarcely 50 He is BOSS of the LOVELL & SMITH band. Rosanna was his wife there was no Queen except in the imaginations of romantic minded people in the provinces, the Band in number of about 30 with 16 wagons came from near Oakdale Park Philadelphia about a week ago, at that time ROSANNA was taken ill , A physician who was called in said she was dying of old age.

On Wednesday night she died, She will be buried today in EVERGREEN CEMETERY Two years ago ROSANNA and her band performed in the ROMANY RYE at Booths Theatre in this city She liked the experience very much, WALTER LOVELL and others of the band own houses and lots near Elizabeth. Published May 30th 1884

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GYPSY PRINCE BURIED

THE FUNERAL SERVICE ATTENDED BY REPRESENTIVES OF TRIBES IN MANY TOWNS AND CITIES ELIZABETH NEW JERSY :=

Oct 18th The body of SETH LOVELL who died in west Philadelphia Monday which has lain in state in a new tent of the LOVELL tribe in a Newark Road was buried today in EVERGREEN CEMETERY .

The REV E B Cobb officiated, The coffin was covered with Floral offerings from the many members of the tribes present who came from Chicago Wrightstown N J Fall river Massachusetts Brooklyn Boston Madison Chatham N J Conshohocken Pennsylvania Providence and Philadelphia'

A gypsy with uncovered head stood at each end of the coffin as a guard of honor while another gypsy stood at each flap of the tent During the ceremony no sound except an occasional wail from some of the women present. When the service was over the body was borne on the shoulders of gypsies to EVERGREEN CEMETERY across the field from a point where the tribe was encamped and interred, there were no wild scenes and no excitement.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  AMONG THE GYPSIES (30/10/1884) USA

“The presence of a colony of Gypsies in the vicinity of Fredrick during the past week lends peculiar interest to the subject of the history and habits of this singular people” So at least thought a Newspaper reporter who being editorially interrogated on the subject of a special weekly, suggested that the Gypsies would fill the bill Go Ahead said the editor curtly and the matter was settled.

Of course the first piece of information the scribe could gather was that the little colony had broken up their camp that very morning and gone no one knew whither, It was necessary to trace and follow them , Inquiry at length showed that the caravan had taken Harper's Ferry road moving southward. Ordering a buggy to be gotten ready in half an hour the man of specials sat down to concoct a preliminary gossip on Gypsies generally.

 The prevailing idea that the gypsies came originally from the land of Egypt is supported by the common name and by the fact that they entered Europe from that country in 14th century. The Spanish name Gitano- also supports that theory at the time nothing clearer than that gypsies were mere sojourners in the land of Pharaohs as the Israelites before them and that like the Israelites the wanderers were pure Asiatics.

That this is the correct view is demonstrated by three indisputable arguments, there is not the slightest tinge of African blood in a Gypsy, he is Caucasian to the backbone. Secondly the Gypsy language contains not one but hundreds of Sanskrit words Sanskrit being the vernacular of Eastern Persia and the Northwest provinces of Hindustan.

Thirdly that it is on record that a wholesale emigration of Hindus flowed in an westerly direction early in the 14th century, finally that the root Zend or Ind appears unmistakably in the title ZINGARI by which the Gypsies are known in Italy and with slight modification in Russia Austria Turkey Asia Minor. We conclude then that these people are scarcely altered descendants of low caste Hindus.

Fate has willed the expatriation of the Roma's or Gypsies as it has that of the Jews,both are Oriental races exiled by Persecution, both have characteristic features and an element of vigorous independence which distinguish them in every land and every clime, but here all resemblance ends, The Jew wherever he goes settles down acquires real estate and becomes rich. The Roma wanders and dies poor. The Jew is learned the gypsy profoundly ignorant. The religion of the Jew is beautiful in ritual and minute in detail; at once a code of morals a ground of faith a law and history. The Gypsies have no religions belief whatever and only the vaguest conception of man's mortality.

The Gypsy has the same instinctive affinity for trade in horseflesh that the Jew exhibits for Jewelery and ready made clothing. In addition to their skill in horse- dealing the Gypsies excel in many branches of light mechanical work particularly chair mending basket making and tin smithing, Their open air life and constant vigorous exercise impart a rare hardiness to their frames and a sick gypsy is as rare a spectacle as a white elephant or the traditional black swan

It is supposed that there are about a thousand bona fide gypsies in this country They are all or nearly all generations of English Gypsies who came over before the Mexican War, the English gypsies are divided into families, which again

 have some sort of misty feudal relation to the tribes. The leading Gypsy tribes of the old country are the COOPERS of South- West ( Devonshire & Cornwall) The Smiths of Berkshire & Wiltshire, the SMITHS of Nottingham and Leicestershire, the HERNES of Yorkshire and the LEES of Hampshire, the last gypsy Queen who belonged to the tribe of LEES died in the New Forest a few years ago.

 The gypsies have had their share of persecution even in the Century which is so swiftly drawing to a close , In the eyes of municipal authorities the gypsy is a vagrant a poacher a horse- thief a N'ee-do-weel. He has been charged with stealing a horse and so skillfully altering the animals appearance as to succeed in selling him again to the original owner. The word Hocus meaning to administer drugs for fraudulent or felonious purposes is really of Gypsy origin, although lexicographers do not favor this etymology, It is well known that the secrets of the herbs of the Forest have been familiar to the gypsy form time immemorial and that their knowledge has been applied to the compounding of love potions or philtres and mixtures for stupefying of cattle and swine. In the last named case the use of drug or Drow is thus alluded to an old English ballad :

“ By gypsy Drow” the porker died

We saw him lying at eventide

But we found not when the morning shone

 For the Gypsies had eaten him flesh and bone

 By the time the scribe had got thus far with his task the buggy stood at the door and a 2.30 trotter was soon speeding him over to Harper's Ferry road to his bourne Gypsy- land.

 Omn went the trotter and by and by the welcome intelligence was received that a caravan had halted for the night in the woods above Jefferson, there they were sure enough encamped with true Gypsy instinct on the side of a hill which protected them from the biting North- west wind It wanted about half- an- hour of sunset when the newspaper man pulled up the buggy and stepped forward over the falling leaves in the direction of the camp, he had some little hesitation at first for he recalled that this was the family in which matrimonial escapade had so recently occurred and the motive of his visit might be unpleasantly misconstrued, as soon as he advanced 2 powerful men with dogs at their heels hastily stepped up to inquire his pleasure. Being immediately satisfied that there was no second elopement or abduction in ontemplation, the honors of the forest were seceded in the most frank and manly way.

The government of a Gypsy family is strictly patriarchal and the visitor was introduced to a fine ruddy faced old man of sixty or there abouts who sat at the camp fire with an erect carriage and rugged dignity which became him exceedingly well, taking a seat on the ground by the patriarch side the guest was at leisure to survey the sons, sons wives, daughters and daughters, husbands who made up the family of some fifteen people, 3 girls with willowy figures eyes like sloes altogether too pretty for their humble surroundings made a picture fair to look on.

 As for the sons one of them was conspicuously handsome and well mannered . He had evidently been fairly educated a circumstance which he explained he had lived some years in Jersey city learning a trade and educating in his spare time, but said he “ I could not stay away from the woods or the old people” It was no use fighting against nature and here I am. His keen dark eyes twinkled as he spoke.

 The old time tripod or Chitty box was not there, but the universal cauldron or stew pot suspended from an Iron hook bubbled and steamed over the fire, the old gentle- man explained between puffs of his pipe that the party were returning to Washington, he had been in this country 43 years and belonged to the well known BOSWELL family, his birth place( if a gypsy had one) was Bradford Yorkshire England.

 He had been visiting Fredrick fair trading horses his sons were skilled mechanic's and his daughters told fortunes, asked whether the different states troubled them about Licenses the old man said it had been so during the war but not since.

 Biding the party farewell the scribe returned to the buggy accompanied by the watchful eye of the young gypsy referred to before. It was a forlorn hope but the question was hazarded Where is the Queen we have heard of in Westminster and Fredrick?

 She is gone to live with her husband in Baltimore said the gypsy coldly and with evident dis-relish for the subject, you have a nice animal there, Good night. With which the wanderer returned to the woods and the trotter sprang forward to where the lights of Fredrick Town glimmered in the gloaming.