Alice Caldonia (Harris) Bilbrew (1891 - 1972)

Born 12 Mar 1891 in Washington, Arkansas, United States

Wife of Robert V. Edwards — married about 1905 (to before 1915) in Texas, United States

Wife of Ralph Richard Bilbrew — married 20 Sep 1915 (to before 1940) in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 4 Jun 1972 at age 81 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Alice (Harris) Bilbrew is Notable.

A. C. Bilbrew was a poet, musician, composer, playwright, clubwoman, and radio personality known as Madame A. C. Bilbrew. She lived in South Los Angeles. In 1923, she became the first black soloist to sing on a Los Angeles radio program. The A. C. Bilbrew branch of the Los Angeles Public Library in Willowbrook was named in her honor.

Alice was the daughter of Samuel L. Harris and Rebecca Price.

She was the mother of a daughter, Roberta U. Scott.

Alice was divorced at the time she married Ralph R. Bilbrew 20 Sep 1915 in Los Angeles.^[1]

She was the mother of a son, Ralph Harris Bilbrew.

She was the mother of twin daughters in 1923. Kitty Jean Bilbrew was born 10:15 pm 23 July 1923^[2] and Maudie Jeanette Bilbrew was born at 10:30 p.m.^[3] Their father Ralph at that time was a musician and singer.

In 1930 A. C. Bilbrew and Ralph Bilbrew were living in Los Angeles with their twin daughters, aged 6, and A. C.'s sisters Clara Simpson age 47 b Mississippi and Amy Harris age 42 b Arkansas. Ralph Bilbrew was a janitor in a public school.^[4]

By 1940 Alice Bilbrew and Ralph Bilbrew were divorced. Alice was living with her twin daughters Kitty and Maudie, aged 16, and her daughter Roberta U Scott, aged 25 b Texas, in Los Angeles.^[5]

She passed away in California in 1972^[6] and is buried in Lincoln Memorial park, Carson, California.^[7]

A link to her Wikipedia page is here:^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ "California Marriages, 1850-1945", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:41ZH-J8ZM : 24 March 2020), A.c. Edwards in entry for Ralph R. Bilbrew, 1915.
2. ↑ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPHG-4TDS : 1 March 2021), A C Harris in entry for Kitty Gean Bilbrew, 7 Jul 1923; citing Birth, Los Angeles, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.
3. ↑ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPHG-4T81 : 1 March 2021), A C Harris in entry for Maudie Jeanette Bilbrew, 7 Jul 1923; citing Birth, Los Angeles, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCVF-H9N : accessed 7 December 2021), A C Bilbrew in household of Ralph R Bilbrew, Los Angeles (Districts 0251-0500), Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 298, sheet 11A, line 8, family 140, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 144; FHL microfilm 2,339,879.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9C1-V6Y : 6 January 2021), Alice C Bilbrew, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 60-474, sheet 8B, line 48, family 212, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 413.
6. ↑ "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPJ7-5Y2 : 26 November 2014), A C Bilbrew, 04 Jun 1972; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
7. ↑ A. C. Harris Bilbrew, ; Burial, Carson, Los Angeles, California, United States of America, Lincoln Memorial Park; Find A Grave: Memorial #228563422
8. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._C._Bilbrew