Author:
JARVIS---Chicago (Delighted)
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Date Posted: Thu, December 20 2018, 9:36:07
http://www.lordheath.com/Don_Ferrando.html
born: 22 October 1890.
New Orleans, Louisiana,
United States of America.
died: 05 December 1961
Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia,
United States of America.
(age 71).
Real name: Walter Donald Ferrandou.
Alternates: Ferrand, Ferrando, Ferrandow, Farrandou.
Height: 5' 9 1/2"
He was born to Paul Auguste' Ferrandou and Louise S. Piton
who owned a dressmaking shop in New Orleans. By 1909, he was performing professionally as Walter Ferrandou, a baritone singer, to poor reviews. In 1910, he was listed in the City Directory as "actor" but receiving critical praise. In 1911, he was one of the lead performers (as Don Ferrandou) in Lew Dockstader's Minstrels performing to sell-out crowds throughout the South, East, and Southwest for over 2 years and then went solo. In 1913, a theater owner, who had booked him, said he was "one of the highest priced performers on the vaudeville stage".
In 1914, when working for the Lubin Studio in Jacksonville FL, he married (twice or thrice divorced) Mrs. Katherine Gotthold Varty Grayson Millis (c.1885-1930). Kate was born in Jacksonville but had "roots" in NYC and they moved there where he performed for a few years as the principal performer at the exclusive Ritz Restaurant.
In 1919 he signed as a replacement principal performer with the huge, elaborate hit show, "Chu Chi Chow". For 3 years he toured the Eastern US and Canada. Before 1924, he and Kate settled into an expensive home in Jacksonville, FL where he was listed as "actor" in the City Directory. For reasons unknown (to me), in the 1925 Directory, he is listed as VP and secretary of a company and as a successful insurance salesman and agent thereafter until 1940. Tragically, his wife, Kate, died of a stroke in Feb.1930 (about) age 41.
In 1944, Don is working at a radio station in Jacksonville as a "news commentator" and works his way up to editor and news director at other radio stations. By 1947, he is married and divorced and working in radio in Albany, GA at station WALB. He moved over to their TV station (WALB-TV) as news director and was working there as late as 1956.
He died in Albany in 1961 and is buried there.
Sources:
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=6587&h=169267&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6482 birth record at Ancestry.com.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS5J-XGQ 1900 Census New Orleans.
http://www.archive.org/stream/variety15-1909-08#page/n32/mode/1up/search/ferrandou 1909 poor review Walter Ferrandou.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/15429357?pid=989715863&treeid=&personid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=IKU314&_phstart=successSource#?imageId=15429357 1910 City Dir.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/165687166/?terms=%22walter%2BFerrandou%22 1910 receives much applause.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/64759599/?terms=%22DON%2BFerrandou%22&match=2 1912 full description of Dockstader show.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/313503489/?terms=%22don%2Bferrandou%22&match=2 1913 highest priced performer.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/466712243/?terms=%22don%2Bferrandou%22 1913 Photo Don Ferrandou.
http://www.archive.org/stream/variety36-1914-09#page/n183/mode/1up/search/ferrandou 1914 works at Lubin; marries Katherine.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/325652044/?terms=GOTTHOLD 1908 Photo Katherine (first marriage).
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXY4-WMD 1918 WWI Draft;height; Ritz Restaurant.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/33865675/?terms=%22DON%2BFerrandou%22 1919 big production of "Chu Chi Chow".
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=2469&h=667344430&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1506 1924 City Dir actor.
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=2469&h=668816865&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1506 1925 City Dir VP.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FPC5-F1N 1930 wife Katherine's Death Certificate.
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=8837&h=337792&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=5426 1947 Divorce.
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=mBs3&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&db=usdirectories&gsfn=don&gsln=ferrandou&gsln_x=1&_83004003-n_xcl=f&new=1&rank=1&redir=false&uidh=1c2&gss=angs-d&pcat=37&fh=2&h=692877793&recoff=&ml_rpos=3 1956 TV news.
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=75&query=%2Bsurname%3AFERRANDOU~&collection_id=1937238
1961 Death Record.
https://billiongraves.com/grave/Don-W-Ferrandou/27799448 1961 Grave at Billiongraves.com.
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DON FERRANDO height 5' 9 1/2"; ANM Exclusive
