Dates

• Existence: 1914-2010

Biography

Etrulia (Truly) Trousdale Latchaw was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1914 to Winn Trousdale and Roxa Gaylord Trousdale. In 1935 she received her B. A. from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. She received her M. A. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1948. She worked as an educator in theatre. Truly Trousdale Latchaw died May 2, 2010, at age 96. Latchaw's father, Merle, and his three brothers, were from Estherville, Iowa. Merle Mortimer was the oldest brother, followed in descending age by Earle Eugene, Winn Walton, and Boyd Buckmaster. The four men established the vaudeville act, The Trousdale Brothers in 1896 and also performed in opera houses and tents as The Trousdale Family Swiss Bell and Concert Company. In addition to bells, they played several musical instruments, including a glassophone, which is a glass xylophone. The brothers sang solo as well as quartet numbers. Boyd performed female impersonations in plays, and the older brothers performed as Irish characters or in blackface. The wives and friends of the Trousdale men performed with them. Trained dogs, ponies, and goats were part of the act as they traveled throughout the Midwest. According to Truly Trousdale Latchaw in her Master's thesis, they performed in 26 states and 232 towns, as well as Canada, from 1896 to 1915. With the advent of radio entertainment, live performances by handbell players lost popularity. Boyd, however, continued performances until 1930 with the Boyd B. Trousdale Players, initially based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After five years, the company moved to North Carolina, then back to Iowa, on to Montana, Wyoming, and finally returned to cities in Iowa: Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and eventually Sioux City. It was Boyd's troupe that promoted the Cherry Sisters.

Citation:

Author: Denise Anderson, June 2009

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