 the biloxi boys jf meyer george e ohr jr and manual e jalanivich the biloxi boys jf meyer george e ohr jr and manual e jalanivich ray fri 4232010 1039  t his article was published in the ocean s prings record from september 5 2002 thru november 14 2002  ah the biloxi boys to some this nomenclature might rekindle one s past memory to a time and place when audacious lads from biloxi ventured across the biloxi bay bridge to capture the hearts of our local lovely lassies in dance halls like the mark seymour s anchor inn they were usually repulsed and sent scurrying home by the jealous and protective guardians of our fair maidens then one might fancy the biloxi boys as a rowdy group of young men from the point or back bay who on a saturday night in the spirit of bravado and machismo might venture into town and demonstrate their pugilistic talents to the locals well surprise in the next weeks we will investigate a more gentle and creative nature of biloxi boys a group of folk and studio potters all born in the 19 th century who claimed biloxi as home and whose lives transcended almost a hundred years these men have left their art works in the galleries private collections and halls of higher learning from new york to san francisco and biloxi to chicago their names from oldest to youngest are joseph fortune meyer 18481931 george edward ohr jr 18571918 and manuel eugene jalanivich 18971944 of the biloxi boys only george e ohr jr the freak potter has become more than a regional name in the ceramics world coincidentally in april 1909 ohr had to defend himself before a jury in the chancery court of harrison county to establish his sanity joseph f meyer won his fame as the potter in residence at the newcomb art school in new orleans while manuel e jalanivich reaped laurels for his wheel thrown and molded work in california  the biloxi daily herald april 3 1909 p 1    19 th century biloxi the lives of the biloxi boys ranged from antebellum time to near the end of ww ii an era in which biloxi developed from a small seasonal seaside resort into a major american seafoodpacking center these men all shared a peninsular environment defined by its geographic setting on the mexican gulf and biloxi bay and regionally known for its verdant flora and magnificent live oaks shell roads victorian architecture creole and other ethnic foods roman catholicism and the  joie de vivre  transported here by southern europeans primarily french and spanish immigrants such a semitropical haven also included heat humidity hurricanes ravaging insects and occasional outbreaks of tropical diseasesyellow and dengue fever joseph f meyer in addition to sharing biloxi mississippi as their home place  the biloxi boys  were blessed with artistic creativity joseph f meyer the senior of the trio was born of alsatian parents francois antoine meyer 18131870 and jeanne francoise begin 18171892 in the village of buthiers hautesaone france on february 19 1848   bragg and saward 2002 p 79  here in the franche comte in the shadow of the jura mountains of eastern france the meyer family had been potters for several generations francois a meyer left france alone and went to pittsburgh and then settled at biloxi mississippi circa 1851 his family joined him at biloxi in 1857 francois a meyer owned a home and store in the back bay section of biloxi here he also made pottery young joseph meyer attended school and learned to pot from his father the 1860 august hurricane destroyed the meyer store and pottery it was described in 1928 by an aging joseph meyer that   the hurricane just scattered our pottery through the whole beach and ruined us    ibid p 79 and the daily herald   january 4 1928 p 10   photo  joseph f meyer at the potter s wheel interestingly in september 1917 men excavating for the laying of a keel for a boat at the biloxi shipyard and box factory at elder s point on back bay found some art pottery shards mrs joseph f meyer read an account of their discovery in  the daily herald  and reported to the journal s staff that   her husband s father fashioned these  strange designs sixty odd years ago   the daily herald september 11 1917 and the daily herald    september 18 1917  it these broken pots were indeed the work of fa meyer it would place their family habitat near present day east bay view avenue and hiedenheim or several blocks east of the boomtown casino there is no evidence in the land deed records of harrison county mississippi that indicate that fa meyer possessed land here this does not preclude the fact that he could have been a renter or lessee after the 1860 august hurricane conditions worsened for the meyer family as francois developed rheumatism and couldn t work effectively then unfortunately the civil war came to the mississippi coast with its economically devastating sea blockade joseph meyer then a lad of fourteen supported the family by rowing deserters and unfortunate victims of the conflict to sanctuary on union held ship island twelve miles south of biloxi on one trip he earned fifty dollars the family also made salt by evaporating seawater when federal forces departed ship island in april 1862 for their assault on new orleans meyer happened to be there with a deserter the invading yankee armada under admiral david glasgow farragut 18011870 took him to the crescent city there young meyer after much difficulty located his father who had left biloxi seeking work earlier francois a meyer lived on st bernard avenue and worked as a potter in an old milk barn near city park the area was still wilderness joseph meyer stayed with his father at the pottery until his death in 1870  the daily herald   january 4 1928 p 10   on october 26 1872 joseph meyer married felicie laurance pineau 18471920 at new orleans they were childless but did adopt norma e lorrey who would marry james e walther 18841974 the walthers gave the meyer s two grandchildren norma walther kneale b 1926 who resides in the st martin community of west jackson county and james walther b 1931 a metairie louisiana resident meyerohr and the new orleans art pottery company george e ohr jr a childhood friend and biloxi blacksmith was invited to new orleans by meyer he arrived there in 1879 to learn the pottery trade and stayed until 1883 joseph f meyer closed down his kiln and sold shoes and dry goods at new orleans from 1883 until 1886  the daily herald    january 4 1928 p 10  in 1885 ellsworth woodward 18611939 and his brother william woodward 18571939 both creative and welltrained artists from massachusetts who had instructed young ladies in arts and crafts during the world s industrial and cotton centennial 18841885 which was situated in present day audubon park founded the ladies decorative art league after the cotton centennial had closed in june 1885 their young female students were eager to continue art classes the ladies decorative art league was chartered in 1885 as the vehicle to continue this style of education in order to offer a complete schooling to the young ladies the woodwards developed the new orleans art pottery company here pupils could understand the entire ceramic process including kilns and glazes this corporation had a capital stock of 1000 and was located on baronne street opposite the facility which housed the ladies decorative art league these institutions were vital in providing an uninterrupted period of art education to the young ladies at new orleans from the cotton centennial until newcomb college was established founded in september 1887 with ellsworth woodward as head of the art department  ormond and irvine 1976 pp 1113  since the woodward brothers were visual artists and not ceramicists they hired joseph f meyer to construct a kiln and throw the green ware for their baronne street operation meyer built a kiln similar to those used by french folk potters the sevres porcelain works near paris also employed this type of furnace  cox 1935 p 154   for assistance with his ceramic classes meyer summoned ge ohr his young biloxi protege to new orleans some of the clay for their operation was mined at harrison county mississippi on the tchoutacabouffa river probably at holley s bluff nw 4 nw 4 section 7 t7sr9w it is believed that our own peter anderson 19011984 also utilized argillaceous deposits from this prominent escarpment the clay was transported to the new basin by coastal schooner the terminal of the new basin canal conveniently was only four blocks from the new orleans art pottery company on baronne street  ormond and irvine 1976 p 13 and bellande 1995 p 19  return to biloxi by 1890 the new orleans art pottery was in decline and was reorganized as the new orleans art pottery club joseph f meyers and spouse returned to biloxi at biloxi in october 1890 joseph meyer bought lots 3 and 10 in square 3 of the summerville tract on point cadet for 1200 from ada c bailey in september 1901 the meyers acquired the west half of lot 4 and part of the west half of lot 9 in square 3 of summerville for 600 also from mrs bailey these tracts comprised one acre and were located on the water almost equidistant between pine and cedar streets the meyers maintained a residence at biloxi on this site overlooking deer island at biloxi joseph meyer boarded guests and did some ceramic work harrison county mississippi land deed book 25 p 514515 and harco ms land deed bk 49 p 52 and  the daily herald january 4 1928 p 10  deja vunola in 1894 joseph f meyer received an invitation from the woodward brothers to erect a catenary kiln for the newcomb art school and subsequently returned o the crescent city in 1896 he joined the staff at newcomb after the dismissal of potters jules gabry and george wasmuth while at new orleans creating pottery for the newcomb art school ladies to decorate the meyers also maintained their biloxi home mrs lucretia buzolich lee b 1912 a life long resident of point cadet remembers her mother telling her that she took care of mr meyer s chickens and got the eggs in return she also recalls that the meyers later moved to deer island in may 1913 joseph meyer sold his beach front property at biloxi to the seafood company for 4000 the grand casino biloxi occupies this site today harco ms land deed bk 104 pp 221222 and lucretia b lee february 1995 the seafood company had been incorporated in april 1913 by henry e gumbel of new orleans and biloxians isidore heidenheim 18571918 and ed glennan mr heidenheim had just retired as manager of the barataria canning company harco ms chattel deed bk 14 p 77 and  the daily herald september 19 1912 p 1  newcomb art school joseph f meyer remained as potter of the newcomb art school from 1896 until his retirement in 1927 his tenure at this institution was marked by the production of large volumes of high quality ceramic wares which generally conformed to standard pottery shapes although his miniature ali baba jars were considered unique meyer was not a decorator but seriously experimented with glazes and consistently studied the relationships between color heat and silicate chemistry another of his many assets was his ability to coordinate with the individual decorators on their designs in 1904 meyer lost the sight in an eye due to a cataract and needed an assistant from this time until he threw is last pot for student decoration in 1925  deer island on june 23 1916 joseph f meyer for 200 bought lot 1 of block no 10 from the deer island improvement company the lot was 51 feet wide and 150 feet deep it was located in section 2 t8sr10w on the north side of deer island here meyer built a summer home on piers approximately seven feet above the sand it was the most easterly of the four homes on the island at that time mr houston gollott of biloxi was the carpenter and the lumber was transported probably from pascagoula by schooner meyer built the exterior stairway from ships ballast harrison county mississippi deed book 116 p 294 and captain arthur baker february 1995 long time deer island resident captain arthur baker 19062000 of biloxi remembered uncle joe as meyer was affectionately known to the locals as jovial observant and interested in nature baker recalled that meyer once hauled some large concrete pillars relics of the old deer island improvement company in his metalwheeled wheelbarrow to build a bulkhead in front of his home hurricane camille in august 1969 destroyed the old meyer home but his rock and mortar stairs survived they were demolished later captain baker also recalled that uncle joe meyer once gave fellow artist ge ohr jr a small sailboat  arthur baker february 1995  last days mrs felicie meyer died on april 4 1920 at the age of seventythree she suffered from diabetes it is believed that her remains were interred at new orleans joseph meyer had permanently retired from the newcomb pottery in 1927 because of a heart condition and continued eyesight failure he spent the rest of his life with his adopted daughter mrs james e walther at 1202 felicity street uncle joe meyer died on march 16 1931 at new orleans his remains were interred at the old biloxi cemetery near life long friend and fellow artisan george e ohr  the daily herald   march 18 1931 p 2  professor william woodward of tulane and newcomb is also buried at biloxi where he died on november 17 1939 his corporal remains rest in the southern memorial park cemetery on the west beach george e ohr jr art historians and critics generally are in agreement that george e ohr jr 18571918 the much maligned and not so mad potter of biloxi was the greatest ceramic artist of his time and possibly ever ohr s life is fairly well documented in the literature by himself 1901 dolores bobbie davidson smith 1965 of ocean springs rw blasberg 1973 and 1986 garth clark et al 1989 and others this section will attempt to present a fairly comprehensive ohr family genealogy and other previously undisclosed facts about the renowned ohr family of biloxi george edward ohr jr was born at biloxi mississippi on july 12 1857 his parents george e ohr 18191904 and johanna wiedman ohr 18211905 were immigrants from alsace that interesting piece of geography between the rhine river and the vosges mountains and wurtemberg respectively wurtemberg a former constitutional monarchy is now integrated into the german state of badenwurtemberg in the southwest region of this western european nation while alsace is now a part of the french deparments of basrhin and hautrhin the senior ohr immigrated to america in 1850 from with his parents mr and mrs john george ohr who both expired at new orleans in 1852 at new orleans george e ohr met and married johanna wideman in 1853 clark et al 1989 p 177 and webster s 1989 p 39 and p 1353 by 1852 ge ohr and spouse had relocated to biloxi where he made his livelihood as a blacksmith while mrs ohr would by 1880 operate a grocery store mr ohr is believed to have been the first person to shoe horses in biloxi in this relaxed peninsular village on the mexican gulf george and johanna ohr brought into the world five children augustus ohr 18541927 george e ohr jr 18571918 emma ohr gruntz 18591909 louise ohr schultz 18631909 and mena ohr 18671893 but pre1900   the biloxi daily herald july 8 1904 p 5    biloxi la nds george e ohr began acquiring land in biloxi on pass christian road now howard avenue in august 1859 when he paid john and josephine scherer 300 for a tract with about 50 feet on pass christian road that ran south 300 feet to jackson avenue it is very probable that the original ohr blacksmith shop was situated on this parcel harco ms land deed bk 9 p 175 less than ten years later july 30 1868 george e ohr added to this tract by purchasing from francois arbeau caillavet 18151883 and euranie fayard caillavet 18181895 my greatgreat grandparents charles ferdinand quave 18111894 and rose desiree c quave 18141883 louise c lefaure 18171868 the widow of stephen lefaure and marie c bousquet 18251883 the widow of jeanbaptiste bousquet all the heirs of louis arbeau caillavet 17901860 a native of the opelousas post louisiana and marguerite fayard caillavet 17871863 of biloxi a parcel of ground adjacent to and west of their original holdings on pass christian road howard avenue this particular lot had a front of 50 feet on jackson avenue and ran north for 172 feet to the property of priscilla pebukst ritch 18161905 the grandmother of two of biloxi s most renown and beloved school teachers mary alma ritch 18901964 and priscilla ritch 18931972 who toiled for decades at the now demolished gorenflo public school on lameuse street in biloxi the ritch lot had 50 feet on pass christian road harco ms land deed bk10 p 604 it wasn t until late march 1873 that ge ohr would buy the lot that would be the site of the potohrree and domicile of his soon to be famous son ge ohr jr arne bernard and wife adele ladner delauney caillavet bernard 18121880 conveyed to mr ohr a large lot on the northwest corner of pass christian road and delauney street the ohr tract had 90 feet on pass christian road and 200 feet on delauney street john harkness 18271903 was to the north and the pineau property to the west the consideration was 650 harco ms land deed bk 13 pp 626627 it can be ascertained with some degree of certitude that george e ohr was not financially solvent from december 1875 until about 1890 he borrowed sums of money ranging from 150 to 500 from fellow biloxians such as joseph kuhn 1875 josephine scherer 1882 and john bradford 1886 and 1887 harco ms land deed bk 14 p 618 bk19 p 39 bk 21 p 458 and bk 22 p 45 as we shall see these biloxi lands the legacy of george and johanna w ohr would cause much grief in the family and contribute to some of the erratic behavior of the world s greatest potter in the first decade of the 20 th century george e ohr passed on july 8 1904 mrs ohr died on december 28 1905 at the residence of her son george e ohr jr their corporal remains were interred in section e lot 5 the george ohr family burial plot in the biloxi city cemetery  the biloxi daily herald july 8 1904 p 5 and december 28 1905 p 2 and the biloxi cemetery records bks ac 18411905  the four children of george e ohr and joanna w ohr who survived into the 20 th century found mates within their germanic culture and language as each married german natives or first generation germanamericans a brief biography of each ohr child follows  august ohr   august ohr  18541927 married lizzie hahn in may 1877 she may have been the daughter of elizabeth hahn 18121904 the proprietor of the magnolia hotel mrs hahn a native of hanover germany arrived at biloxi in 1847 harco ms mrb 6 p 476 and  the biloxi daily herald october 5 1904 p 5   lizzie and august ohr were the parents of two sons peter joseph ohr 18781953 and john ohr 18791879 peter j ohr became a local farmer in september 1912 he acquired the ne 4 of the se 4 of section 12 t7sr10w from john canaan for 800 peter was a resident of new orleans in june 1918 when he quitclaimed his tract to lizzie betz who held a deed of trust from him peter s nephew leo edgar ohr 18901970 immediately acquired these forty acres and it became his farm peter j ohr died at biloxi in midoctober 1953 his corporalremains were passed through the episcopal church and interred in the biloxi city cemetery  harco ms land deed bk 102 p 107 and trust deed bk 10 p 163 and the daily herald october 13 1953 p 8  august ohr made his livelihood as a laborer he worked for the texas pacific machine shop and also for the biloxi ice factory in his later life mr ohr was a night watchman in august 1892 lizzie and august ohr divorced in harrison county mississippi harco ms chancery court cause no 523august 1892 and  the daily herald april 11 1927 p 2  by 1906 lizzie hahn ohr was married again her new spouse was antoine muller or miller harco ms chancery court cause no 2200ocotber 1906 and cause no 2500october 1907 august ohr married the widow of william wachenfeld elizabeth montag wachenfeld 18421920 in may 1894 she was born at bodstadt hessen germany the daughter of joseph montag and katherine sour mrs ohr was the mother of charles w wachenfeld 18681936 philip wachenfeld 18711929 august wachenfeld and christina w harvey 18721931 the wife of louis harvey 18741913 before his demise louis harvey was foreman of the gorenflo packing company at biloxi several of his descendants philip i harvey b 1941 david harvey and elizabeth h joachim are prominent in insurance and real estate at ocean springs harco ms mrb 10 p 206  the daily herald august 29 1920 p 1 and the daily herald september 17 1913 p   1  mrs elizabeth w ohr died at biloxi on august 18 1920 august ohr expired on april 10 1927 both were passed through the episcopal church and interred in the biloxi city cemetery  the daily herald august 19 1920 p 1 and april 11 1927 p 2  george e ohr jr on september 15 1886 george edward ohr jr 18571918 married josephine gehring 18681930 a native of gretna louisiana like george s parents her father and mother were also german immigrants by the last year of the 19 th century josephine had given george seven children but only four survived leo e ohr 18901970 clo l ohr 18921989 otto t ohr 18951982 and lio i ohr 18931914 to see the federal census taker on delauney street in june 1900 ellen louise ohr 1887pre 1900 asa eugene ohr 18881893 and flo lucretia ohr 18971900 had expired before june 1900   harco ms mrb 8 p 217 and 1900 federal censusharrison county ms t623 roll 808 p 21b  post june 1900 zio i ohr 19001904 ojo j ohr 19031991 and george e ohr iii 19061986 were born but only the latter two survived to adulthood josephine gehring ohr expired on march 17 1930 in her home at 409 delauney street she had been a resident of biloxi since 1885 in addition to her children she was survived by two brothers george and louis gehring and three sisters mrs nick koenig mrs william hartley and mrs lg dauenhauer all of her siblings resided in the greater new orleans area mrs ohr s corporal remains were interred in the biloxi city cemetery  the daily herald march 17 1930 p 10  the world s greatest potter george e ohr jr had preceded josephine in death he passed at his delauney street residence on april 7 1918 after several years of declining health prior to his demise ohr had sought medical attention in the crescent city with no avail after his corporal remains had been blessed in the episcopal church of the redeemer they were interred in his burial lot designated as block 13 lot 173 of the 3 rd addition to the biloxi city cemetery in addition to george e ohr and josephine g ohr the graves of leo e ohr lio i ohr and marguerite kuljis ohr are marked in this family burial lot  the daily herald april 8 1918 p 1 and personal observation september 14 2002  the ohr children consistently with his creative and eccentric nature george e ohr jr derived the first name of his children from the first letter of their first middle and surname for example leo was created from leo edgar ohr clo came from clovinia lucinda ohr etc a brief biography of the children of george e ohr jr and josephine gehring ohr follows  ellen louisa ohr ellen l ohr 1887pre1900 was born on june 21 1887 she received the holy sacrament of baptism in the roman catholic church at the nativity bvm in biloxi on july 10 1887 ellen passed on before june 1900 no further information lepre 1991 p 243  asa eugene ohr asa e ohr 18881893 was born in 1888 and expired on december 7 1893 young asa must have been very special to his aunt mena ohr who published a poem in his memory in the local journal following his funeral services and burial his remains were passed through the nativity bvm roman catholic church prior to internment   lepre 1991 p 243 and the biloxi herald december 9 1893 p 8 and december 16 1893 p 8  leo edgar ohr leo e ohr 18901970 was born at biloxi on september 20 1890 his baptism took place in the nativity bvm roman catholic church on october 20 1890 on january 22 1926 leo married mamie catchot 18901961 a native of ocean springs and the daughter of antonio toy catchot 18681952 and adelia mon 18761948 lepre 1991 p 243 and harco ms mrb 37 p 522 as early as 1913 leo e ohr was in the automotive garage and machine business with otto t ohr he commenced the ohr boy s garage at 411 delauney street just north of their familial domicile and on the site of his father s famous potohre biloxi city directory 19131914 p 180 in april 1915 leo e ohr obtained the harleydavidson franchise on the mississippi gulf coast he rode the streets of biloxi on his new twin cylinder harleydavidson as a demonstrator for interested customers  the daily herald april 26 1915 p 2  by 1922 leo had changed the name of his business to the ohr garage and by 1927 added and machine works to this title as late as 1949 he remained the proprietor of the ohr machine shop in 1958 leo e ohr was renting rooms at 208 lameuse street biloxi city directory 19221923 p 162 ibid 1927 p 158 ibid 1949 p 480 ibid 1958 p 641  ohr farm in addition to being the proprietor of the ohr machine shop at 409 delauney street leo e ohr was a farmer in june 1918 he acquired fortyacres of land the ne 4 of the se 4 of section 12 t7sr10w from lizzie betz for 500 this land situated on the west side of cedar lake road between popps ferry road and us i10 is now very commercial and includes the cedar lake medical plaza and surroundings harco ms land deed bk 122 p 329 here in 1934 leo e ohr harvested the largest sugar cane crop ever grown in harrison county from his fifteenacres of seed grown sugar cane he made over three thousand gallons of cane syrup ohr sold over 1500 gallons to the state welfare board for its program to assist needy families in south mississippi as a result of the national economic depression leo was also in the process of erecting a plant to produce cane syrup which had the potential of being a profitable local agricultural industry  the daily herald january 15 1934 p 8  leo e ohr died on august 17 1970 at the time of his death he was possessed with his cedar lake farm and other biloxi real estate harco ms chancery court case no 1162may 1971l  clovinia lucinda ohr clovinia l ohr 18921989 called clo was born at biloxi on may 1 1892 she was baptized on june 5 1892 in the nativity bvm roman catholic church on april 15 1909 clo eloped and married fredric andrew moran 18881972 a wellknown boat builder and schooner racer of biloxi he was the son of ernest moran and catherine kornman 18541922 lepre 1991 p 243 harco ms mrb bk 21 p 188 and  the biloxi daily herald april 16 1909 p 1  clo and freddie moran were the parents of four children fredric elwood moran 19102001 julia m sutton 19141996 josephine m morykwas 19151997 and joseph joe moran 19151999 joe moran like his father also built boats and in his later life became a nationally acclaimed painter several of mr moran s works are in the smithsonian institute and two american presidents have acquired his art  the sun herald december 1 1989 p b2 and the sun herald march 24 1999    lio irwin ohr  18931914  lio i ohr was born at biloxi on july 26 1893 his arrival was announced by the local journal as   another potter arrived at the art pottery of geo ohr last wednesday of course it s a boy the biloxi herald july 29 1893 p 8  lio i ohr was baptized in the catholic faith at the nativity bvm on august 27 1893 his godfather was joseph f meyer 18481931 the newcomb art school potter lio expired at his parent s home on delauney street on december 12 1914 from a tumor lio had worked for dr jason j harry 18541950 of handsboro as his chauffeur until struck down with his fatal malady in november 1914   lepre 1991 p 242 and  the daily herald december 13 1914 p 4  otto theodore ohr otto t ohr  18951982 called pie was born september 11 1895 on october 6 1895 he received the sacrament of baptism at the nativity bvm otto t ohr married rosalie elder 18901970 the daughter of robert e lee elder 18641931 called lee and nellie catherine williams 18751926 at pascagoula mississippi in november 1913 lepre 1991 p 243  the daily herald november 20 1913 p 8 and jxco ms mrb 9 p 553    elderforetich otto t ohr s fatherinlaw mr lee elder was a prominent ice manufacturer in biloxi elder s early career was as a licensed steamboat engineer he commenced ice making as an engineer with the biloxi artesian ice manufacturing company in 1887 by 1895 elder was chief engineer of their plant with a capacity of making twentytwo tons of ice each day he was also a stockholder with john walker president tp dulion treasurer and wkm dukate 18521916 general manager and secretary dyer 1895 p 19 lee elder married nellie c williams at biloxi on may 11 1889 they were the parents of rosalie e foretich ohr 18901970 ethel e entrekin 18941931 hw will elder 18961931 ruth e vancourt 18991931 mrs je collins and mrs g rossini  harco ms mrb 8 p 476 and the daily herald september 28 1931 p 1  in february 1907 rosalie elder had married lawrence foretich 18841966 in the methodist church at gulfport they had two sons elliott l foretich 19081992 and kenneth lee foretich 19111933 lee foretich was murdered at new orleans during mardi gras madness in late february 1933 he had recently moved to the crescent city from biloxi where he had been at the us coast guard base on point cadet  the biloxi daily herald february 25 1907 p 1 and february 27 1933 p 2  in late january 1914 lawrence foretich married maud kleyle of new orleans at the hotel brielmeire they initially were domiciled in biloxi but eventually relocated to new orleans he expired there in 1966  the daily herald january 29 1914 p 2    otto s life as a young man otto t ohr began making a living as one of the ohr boy s garage owners with his brother leo e ohr by 1922 he as his grandmother johanna w ohr had done in the late 19 th century became a grocer the ohr store was situated at 742 lameuse street circa 1925 otto t ohr was sent to chicago by lee elder to study refrigeration and ammonia returning to biloxi he organized the peoples ice company which commenced his long association with ice manufacturing in biloxi and later at bayou labatre alabama where he was employed by the alabama ice company    biloxi city directory 19131914 p 180 ibid  19221923 p 162 and thelma o palmer september 23 2002   when the otto t ohr family returned to biloxi from bayou labatre in the early 1930s otto worked as an engineer for the anticich ice company and by 1936 had become the manager of the gulf service ice company by 1958 otto t ohr was the engineer for the biloxi freezing company at the time of his death in april 1982 he was an engineer with the biloxi port commission biloxi city directory 1927 p 158 ibid 1931 p 148 ibid 1936 p 193 ibid 1958 p 641 and  the sun    april 21 1982  the children of otto t ohr and rosalie elder ohr were  carl otto ohr  19221996 dorothy ohr 19231999 married willis page 19151973   carroll ruth ohr  19241982 married edgar l allen ii marian elizabeth betty ohr b 1925 married thomas r o neil shirley lola ohr 19271986 married charles f kitzmiller 19191997 thelma ohr b 1929 married robert palmer and mary ohr b 1934 married harry lockwood  the sun april 21 1982 p a4 and thelma o palmer september 23 2002  thelma ohr palmer a resident of semmes alabama remember vividly from her childhood that her father would take all of his children to get ice cream in downtown mobile the proprietor of the dairy parlor would invariably comment facetiously   here comes mr and mrs ohr with their little paddles  george ohr jr s only grandson carol otto ohr married helen marie anderson their children were paula maria ohr rutland b 1948 married don wayne rutland mena dianne ohr wentzell b 1950 married bobby ray wentzell  carl monroe ohr  19521986 married rosella ann mccaleb and sarah ohr murphy  the sun herald march 5 1996 p b2  carl m ohr married rosella mccaleb the daughter of joseph ellsworth mccaleb and dolores l lemmler mr ohr was a biloxi fireman and served as president of the ml michel middle school pta they were the parents of rachel ann ohr sharp b 1975 and brian ohr the great greatgrandson of biloxi s mad potter mrs ohr s maternal grandfather henry p lemmler 19041953 had once owned a grocery store in biloxi  the sun herald october 22 1986 p a2 and the daily herald october 13 1953 p 6  flo lucretia ohr flo l ohr  18971900 was born on december 17 1897 she was baptized january 16 1898 in the nativity bvm roman catholic church at biloxi she expired on march 21 1900 flo was just over two years old and had reached that stage of her young life when her personality was developing her corporal remains were interred in the ohr family burial lot in the biloxi city cemetery lepre 1991 p 243 and  the biloxi daily herald march 23 1900 p 8    zio ignatius ohr zio i ohr  19001904 was born at biloxi circa september 20 1900 he expired on april 20 1904 from blood poisoning burial was in the biloxi city cemetery in the ge ohr sr family burial lot  the biloxi daily herald april 21 1904 p 1  ojo julius ohr ojo j ohr  19031991 was born january 25 1903 at the ohr home on delauney street he came into the world as a healthy twelvepound baby boy  the biloxi daily news january 26 1903 p 6  ojo j ohr married mae miguez 19001968 the daughter of numa miguez and homelia miguez at pascagoula mississippi on september 12 1924 two of her sisters mrs ralph mattina and mrs armond broussard had also married biloxi men mae was born at new iberia louisiana on may 12 1900 her father numa miguez was killed in late november 1931 in st martin parish louisiana when his car driven by son was struck by a train jxco ms mrb 15 p 418 and  the daily herald november 24 1931 p 2  in january 1945 mae and ojo j ohr divorced in harrison county mississippi without having offspring ojo had to pay the exmrs ohr 2000 assign his interest in three lots located in section 15 t7sr9w jackson county mississippi and convey a lot to her on benachi avenue in biloxi harco ms chancery court case no 21563january 1945 later in her life mae miguez married forrest l churchill 18991968 a native of stoughton massachusetts he was a master sergeant in the usaf and had served in ww ii the churchills resided at 705 dorries street in biloxi mae m churchill expired at biloxi on october 15 1968 her corporal remains were interred in the southern memorial park cemetery at biloxi mr churchill followed her closely in death passing on december 12 1968 his remains were sent to virginia for internment in the arlington national cemetery  the daily herald october 16 1968 p 2 and december 13 1968 p 2  in july 1955 at pascagoula ojo j ohr married marguerite kuljis 19131986 the daughter of luka kuljis 18861965 and tadika pitalo kuljis 18841978 he made his livelihood as the proprietor of ojo s junk yard and machine shop situated at 811 benachi avenue his residence was nearby ojo passed on march 23 1991 mrs ohr died july 24 1986 their corporal remains were interred in the biloxi city cemetery  the sun herald july 25 1986 p a2 and march 24 1991 p b2 jxco ms mrb 82 p 158  ohr legacy in addition to the ohr patriarchal family home on delauney street and about sixthousand of his incredible mud babies george e ohr jr left his wife and children a tract of land on the west side of benachi avenue situated north of division street and south of bay terrace he acquired this approximately 22acre parcel in september 1890 from charles fayard the consideration was 130 harco ms land deed bk 25 p 440 the benachi avenue tract was subdivided by the mrs josephine ohr and her children between 1928 and 1930 in october 1930 ojo j ohr acquired a 115foot lot fronting on benachi between geo e ohr and leo e ohr he bought another lot on benachi from leo e ohr in february 1933 this lot became the property of mae miguez ohr after their 1945 divorce harco ms land deed bk 187 p 163 and bk 196 p 587 it was here on benachi avenue that ojo j ohr would found his infamous junkyard on the south and east side of bay terrace a development that was considered as one of biloxi s most fashionable subdivisions of the post ww ii era both ojo and younger brother geo e ohr iii lived in this sylvan setting surrounded by a visual cacophony of abandoned household appliances automobiles buses and other miscellaneous objects of no particular description or value in 1959 the ohr boys relocated their father s remaining pots from the delauney street garage to a brick block building situated within ojoville on the west side of benachi avenue north of division street the no twoalike world s greatest art pottery had been crated for nearly sixty years when a peripatetic picker from new jersey came to town looking for antique automobile parts james w carpenter james w jim carpenter grew up in a dairy farming community in the kittatinny mountains of rural northwestern new jersey light years from the art world of the east coast conurbation stretching from washington dc to boston as a young man he tested milk and eventually owned his own milk truck collecting the raw product from local dairy farmers as the milking business declined carpenter learned to barber but also relied on his avocation collecting antiques to make his livelihood even in the sleepy hollow of montague new jersey with its paucity of fine art carpenter s artistic father had introduced him to an aesthetic culture and a deep appreciation of exceptional art and antiques his experience as an antiquer had brought him in contact with rookwood weller roseville and newcomb pottery some of which collected others he wished that he had as their worth has risen geometrically in recent times with his natural talent for recognizing value and a ready market jim carpenter literally put his barber chair in the corner and with his loving wife miriam affectionately called mim became a full time antiques merchant opening a store in their delaware river valley domicile in addition to regional auctions he traveled the hinterlands in search of treasures florida was a favorite site to seek respite from the harsh new jersey winter and pick for antiques primarily antiquated motorcar components and accessories biloxi in 1966 jim carpenter wandered into new orleans with antique auto parts on his most wanted list he found a dealer and before his transactions were completed asked the man for additional references in order to continue his acquisitions of automotive paraphernalia the ohr boys in biloxi chimed the old junk man how will i find them questioned carpenter oh no problem everyone there knows them do you imbibe a little the august aged gentleman of junk smiled and added i ll tell you this the ohr boys won t do business with you unless you take a nip with them iw harper was their whisky of choice armed with this valuable knowledge carpenter traveled east to the mississippi gulf coast with a bottle of bourbon in hand he entered ojo ohr s junkyard on benachi avenue north of division street mr carpenter soon discovered that the ohrs had a peculiar sense of bartering firstly they would insist that all have drinks until the bottle was empty when jim carpenter found antique auto parts of his liking they would not give him their selling price but insist that he make them an offer the yankee antique seeker soon learned that his offering price was accepted only when tripled by the ohrs who obviously knew the value of a shrimp nickel during this novel visit with the ohr boys carpenter was asked if he would like to see some of their father s pottery when he agreed ojo ohr placed some of george s glazed pieces on a table for him to inspect mr carpenter was surprised as he had never seen art pottery of this style he wasn t knowledgeable in this field of art and decided to consult others before making an offer to the ohr family robert w bob blasberg a wellrespected scholar and new jersey friend of carpenter was conferred with and sight unseen he recommended that carpenter acquire the eclectic ceramic collection hidden at biloxi the final trip after several years of frustrating and futile negotiations with the ohr family jim carpenter gave up two silent years passed and surprisingly one morning he received a missive from ojo ohr inquiring of carpenter s desire to still acquire george s pots ojo was ready to make a deal somewhat bewildered but pregnant with hope jim carpenter returned to biloxi in the winter of 1972 or early 1973 with a cashier s check arriving at the ohr s benachi avenue site he spent the next three days inspecting and crudely inventorying the approximately 6000 glazed bisque and ceramic trinkets and molds that had survived from george s potting years the ohr family finally accepted what will be carpenter s legacy to the curious a large number of green dollars whose value is speculated to range between 50000 and 100000 for their father s mud babies  promoting george after battling through several ice storms in a rental truck jim carpenter arrived safely back in new jersey with his cache of ge ohr s pots he generously gave his neighbors each an ohr vessel for assisting him and mim in unloading the truck carpenter had just completed a new store building and although he placed some ohr on the shelves his first year sales proved barrensorry george but no sales a familiar mantra for ohr the initial ohr season wasn t an entire bust as carpenter s collection did increase by two ohr pots as he acquired them through ads that he had seen in trade journals not fazed by ohr s lack of sales jim carpenter decided that now was the time for him and bob blasberg to educate america about the genius of george e ohr in 1973 blasberg published george e ohr and his biloxi art pottery which sold for 300 this was followed by an exhibit of ohr s works ten of which were selected for a juried american art pottery show at the renwick gallery of the smithsonian institute in washington dc carpenter sold about half of the three hundred ohr pots that he brought to the smithsonian exhibit after the show he gave the smithsonian the ten juried pots one of which a combination coffee and tea pot only about seven inches high carpenter considers as ohr s greatest work from his wheel it was from the renwick gallery exhibit that george was discovered by ceramic collectors especially those of gotham  sales sales and more sales once george became known and loved jim carpenter chose an interesting marketing strategy each year he limited the number of pots that he would vend some years it took only two months to sell his year s quota this scheme only wetted the appetites of collectors and drove the price up annually by the 1980s new york city was really hot for ohr and carpenter was making excellent sales there once nyc painter jasper johns offered to trade was of his paintings for an exceptional ohr pot carpenter refused and now regrets it as some of john s work now sells for seven figure prices thanks jim biloxi and the art world owe james w carpenter much kudos for his ambitious speculation into a subject of which he was no expert mortgaging his new jersey farm allowed mr carpenter the necessary cash to acquire the art treasures of biloxi s mad potter  george e ohr iii george e ohr iii  19061974 called geo or g was born on august 8 1906 his birth was simply noted in the local journal as   born to mr and mrs geo e ohr a boy   the biloxi daily herald august 10 1906 p 2  at pascagoula mississippi on november 10 1927 geo married iola giadrosich 19061986 the daughter of paul giadrosich and edna apperson she had four brothers edward giadrosich 18981968 rudolph giadrosich 18991978 orville giadrosich and paul giadrosich jr 19161983 and a sister lottie g richards jxco ms mrb land deed bk18 p 51 and  the daily herald october 16 1968 p 2  geo e ohr iii had a wiry physique and the arm and hand strength of his blacksmith father witnesses aver that he could do a pullup using the power generated in his thumb and index finger considered by many as a mechanical genius geo lived on benachi avenue near his brother ojo j ohr he owned three classic cars an original 1903 cadillac a 1908 culver racer and a 1900 mcintyre geo gave the culver racer to frank j duggan 19122000 a longtime employee of ojo geo retired from the biloxi fire department having worked their as a mechanic a design engineer from americanlafrance of elmira new york a fire engine manufacturer came to biloxi to inspect one of its fire trucks that geo had repaired the crankshaft he was amazed at this feat and brought back technology to his company that mr ohr had used to redesign the cooling system for the crankshaft  frank j duggan jr october 8 2002  george e ohr iii passed on february 23 1974 mrs ohr expired on july 13 1986 their corporal remains were interred in the biloxi city cemetery  the sun herald july 15 1986 p a2    emma ohr  in 1890 emily emma ohr 18601909 was born at biloxi in december 1860 circa 1890 she married louis gruntz 18641909 a native of germany who had come to america in 1880 louis made his livelihood as a grocer they had two children born in new orleans louis gruntz ii 18921900 and emily gruntz 18941900 in june 1900 the gruntz family were residents of the 3 rd ward 16 th precinct of nola no further information 1900 federal census orleans ph la roll 571 book 1 p 309  louise ohr louise ohr 18651909 was born at biloxi in april 1865 circa 1886 she married rupert l schultz 18551909 an 1869 immigrant from germany they were the parents of j rupert schultz 18871900 pearl schultz 18901900 and annie schultz 18921900 mr schultz was a machinist and the family lived at mcdonoughville jefferson parish louisiana no further information 1900 federal census jefferson parish louisiana p 105a  mena ohr mena ohr  18671893 never married she died before 1900 and her body buried in the ohr family burial plot in the biloxi city cemetery mena had a good heart as she remembered the demise of her young nephew asa eugene ohr in december 1893 no further information ohr family time line the following chronological events from 1893 to 1910 demonstrate the trials tribulations and triumphs of the ohr family leading to the insanity trial of ge ohr jr in april 1909   1893 george and josephine g ohr s eldest son asa e ohr 18881893 expired on december 7 1893  lepre 1991 p 242  george e ohr jr traveled to chicago to demonstrate his ceramic wares at the world s columbian exposition which was held between may and november 1893 1894 the october fire destroyed the potohre and ohr residence on delauney street george e ohr sr had uninsured losses of 5000 while ge ohr jr estimated his loss at 3000 in a short period of time   the toil and work of ohr the artistic potter was reduced to ashes   the biloxi herald october 13 1894 p 8    1895 ge ohr jr traveled to atlanta with his art and novelty pottery to exhibit at the cotton states international exposition which commenced in midseptember 1895 ohr s work was not selected for an award but  the atlanta constitution  remarked of ohr s presence at the event     ohr is the comical genius with the long whiskers who makes all sorts of pottery in machinery hall where he is always surrounded by an admiring crowd the biloxi daily herald january 4 1896 p 8    1896 the wonderful wheel   a novel which was inspired by the image projected by biloxi s mad potter was written by mary tracy earle 18641955 and published by the century company of new york miss earle was the daughter of parker earle 18311917 and melanie tracy 18371889 and resided at ocean springs for several years some other published works by mary tracy earle are  the  man who worked   for collister   1898    through old rose glasses    1900   and  the flag on the hilltop    1902    1897 on august 18 1897 jules gabry 18291897 a native of france and the first potter at the newcomb pottery committed suicide by drowning himself in the mississippi sound monsieur gabry was a friend of ohr and left his kick wheel at the potohre  the biloxi daily herald august 21 1897 p 8    1899 in december 1899 ohr s work was lauded at the natural arts club in new york city as follows   among the potters unknown to new york is geo e ohr of biloxi miss whose exhibit is interesting attaining in some pieces a great richness of color and in one a remarkable effect of dull metal the biloxi daily herald december 3 1899 p 8  1900 flo l ohr 18971900 the daughter of george e ohr jr and josephine g ohr expired on march 21 1900  the biloxi daily herald march 23 1900 p 8   george e ohr jr sent some of his art pottery to paris france to be exhibited at the paris exposition universelle of 1900 his work was not chosen for an award 1901 george e ohr jr exhibited his work at the providence art club of rhode island in the spring of 1901 and at the pan american exposition at buffalo new york between maynovember 1901 he did not win an award at either event  1904 zio i ohr 19001904 the son of george e ohr jr and josephine g ohr died on april 20 1904 while his father george e ohr sr 18191904 passed on july 8 1904 george e ohr jr attended and exhibited his art pottery at the louisiana purchase international exposition at st louis missouri he was awarded a silver medal for his ceramic skills  1905 johanna wiedman ohr 18211905 the mother of george e ohr jr died on december 28 1905 she legated her estate to august ohr 25 emma ohr gruntz 25 louise ohr schultz 25 and josephine g ohr 25 ge ohr jr was to receive 500 from the sale of the estate and his residence and art pottery at 409 delauney street and 411 delauney street respectively mrs johanna w ohr also requested that her property not be sold for ten years unless all legatees agreed to vend it sooner rupert schultz her soninlaw was named executor of her estate harco ms chancery court cause no 2108  1906 in march 1906 the smithsonian institution of washington dc accepted a small red vase from the works submitted by george e ohr jr to the united states potters association at its annual convention in march 1906 august ohr filed a forced heirship suit in the chancery court of harrison county mississippi to sell the estate property of johanna w ohr on the north side of howard avenue this litigation was ceased by august ohr harrison county mississippi chancery court cause no 2151 in october 1906 august ohr filed another forced heirship cause against the heirs of johanna w ohr in addition to the ohr estate lands and improvements north of howard avenue it included those properties south of howard avenue in depositions the ohr estate properties were valued at 17000 by jw swetman 18631937 a local druggist and between 15000 and 16000 by charles tanner a biloxi realtor harrison county mississippi chancery court cause no 2281  1907 in june 1907 rupert and louise ohr schultz louis and emma ohr gruntz and august and elizabeth w ohr sold their right title and interest as heirs of george e ohr and johanna w ohr to charles c redding and joseph lawrence for 12000 harco ms land deed bk 81 pp 388389  charles c redding 18571926 was born at bay st louis mississippi the son of walter redding an englishman and elodie necaise redding came to biloxi about 1870 as a poor teen his work ethic and frugality propelled him to the forefront of biloxi s commercial leaders redding owned a mercantile business on west howard avenue a dozen schooners and interests and stock in the biloxi canning company biloxi box factory cowart sawmill the traction company and the peoples bank of which he was an organizer and director he also served three terms an alderman on the biloxi city council  the daily herald january 7 1907 p 1   in november 1886 charles c redding married ann minerva pittman 18681917 a native of tennessee and the daughter of william pittman and esther reice they reared a family of four daughters and two sons in their large victorian home situated on the northeast corner of jackson street and delauney ge ohr street the redding house is utilized today to host wedding receptions and other special celebratory events p 265  joseph lawrence 18671952 was the son of spanish immigrants in september 1890 he married catherine tucei 18661939 a native of naples italy and the daughter of vincent tucei and seraphine griese they were the parents of five children of which two survived into adulthood mary l coleman 18951952 and joseph v lawrence 19021975 mr lawrence was a city laborer before he commenced repairing and selling shoes and doing business as the guarantee shoe store on west howard avenue the french cafe later occupied this site and was also a lawrence family enterprise in 1902 joseph lawrence became a stockholder in the people bank and was elected to the board of directors in 1911 he assumed the positionof vicepresident of the peoples bank in 1932  guice p 51 the daily herald january 13 1939 p 6 and october 9 1952 p 1  in may 1929 joseph lawrence let a contract to manuel wetzel to refurbish the lawrence building on the northwest corner of west howard and delauney street the gabriel jewelry company managed by jr beggs planned to move here in july they had recently acquired the merchandise of edward brady  the daily herald may 28 1929 p 2  ohr heirs commercial rentals 19071909 between july 15 1907 and september 15 1909 charles w redding collected rents from the commercial properties of the ohr heirs on west howard avenue as agent for rupert schultz the executor of the estate of johanna w ohr and spouse of louise ohr from harrison county mississippi chancery court cause no 2473 the sanborn insurance maps and city directories of biloxi one can ascertain with a high degree of certitude the lessees of the ohr heirs whose six rental buildings and ancillary outbuildings were situated delauney street north of west howard avenue and on the north and south side of west howard avenue between delauney street and magnolia street the north side addresses were 401405 delauney 202208 west howard and 205209 west howard 1909 sanborn mapbiloxi ms sheet 5 it is interesting to note that several of the ohr heir tenants were italian immigrants or first generation italianamericans who were born in biloxi or new orleans some of these italian families who worked and lived in this section of biloxi were corso esposito fallo martino olivari randazzo seroolini solari taranto tedesco and tucei a brief chronology of the ohr heir tenants between 1907 and 1909 follows  moseley devitt this partnership was a grocery business founded by john moseley and thomas kirkland devitt 18821946 tk devitt was born at harbor springs michigan in august 1907 he married lily rose bourdon 18841951 the daughter of french immigrant ao bourdon sr 18451901 and marie virgets 18471901 of new orleans the devitts resided on lower lameuse street here they reared their three children thomas k devitt jr matthew devitt slidell louisiana and lily d stuart baltimore   the biloxi daily herald   august 16 1907 p and the daily herald    december 16 1946 p 5   in addition to his grocery business mr devitt was seriously involved in the seafood packing industry at biloxi ocean springs and in southeastern louisiana with patrick henry clark 18701927 a new orleanian he chartered devitt clark at new orleans on june 10 1914 they commenced operations in the canning business on point cadet at biloxi in august 1913 when it leased the plant of the bourdoncastanera packing company for the 19131914 shrimp and oyster season devitt took the interest of louis harvey 18741913 their cannery which was modern and wellequiped was situated between the dunbar lopez dukate factory and the barataria canning company  the daily herald august 26 1913 p 8  circa 1926 tk devitt became active in the seafood industry at louisiana he was involved in packing operations at braithwaite wyclosky golden meadow and cutoff he sons were also in the seafood business at louisiana clark expired at new orleans his remain were interred the biloxi cemetery  the daily herald    december 16 1946 p 5    lawrence romeo lawrence romeo 18701932 was a grocer and fruit vendor prior to entering commerce at biloxi in 1896 he was a boat captain mr romeo was the son of antonio romeo 18231898 and angela romeo 18341910 the romeo family came to america in 1889 from riposto an italian city on the east coast of sicily his siblings were louis romeo d 1896 and mrs grazzo d ca 1927   the daily herald april 7 1932 p 2  in 1896 lawrence romeo married josephine taranto 18761967 they were the parents of louis romeo 18981899 anthony romeo 19001900 lawrence romeo jr 19011968 juliet r marchoni 19031932 joseph romeo 19061976 mrs edward hilton b post 1910 and julius d romeo 191619191910 federal census harrison county ms t624 roll 740 p 268 lawrence romeo paid the ohr heirs 30 rent each month   francis m dillinger francis m dillinger 18551910 was a native of indiana he operated a candy store and paid mr redding 1800 each month for rent 1910 federal census harrison county ms t624 roll 740 p 268    post son post son occupied this building from july 1907 to 1908 they were jewelers and opticians and sold musical instruments their monthly rent was 18001905 biloxi city directory p 27    abbley dancer abbley dancer was partnership composed of frederick p abbley 18821941 and r anderson dancer 18781915 frederick p fred abbley 18821941 was born in north biloxi the son of captain fritz abbley 18461905 a swiss immigrant and margaret harvey 18471886 the youngest daughter of french immigrant sailor pierre harvey 18101883 and zeline moran 18111883 in march 1905 fred abbley married viola caillavet 18841968 the daughter of francis arbeau caillavet 18561909 and marie dodart 18581942 they were the parents of three children francis abbley 19051905 eunice a brocato 19081996 and bernice a emile b 1909 in 1909 fred abbley was the manager of an  en plein air  movie theater the airdome the airdome was situated at 413 renoir street and occupied a large lot which extended to fayard street with a frontage on west howard avenue in late august 1909 mr abbley was brought to the court of judge elmer and adjudicated innocent of violating a city ordinance for showing a movie on sunday another trial was held in september in the court of judge zt champlin abbley pleaded guilty and was fined 10 and court costs which judge champlin suspended the people of biloxi were generally apathetic to the socalled blue laws  the biloxi daily herald aaugust 30 1909 p 4 and september 10 1909 pp 12  mr abbley s associate r anderson dancer 18781915 was born at buenavista chickasaw county mississippi the son of john w dancer and carolina e bean he arrived at biloxi circa 1900 and was the brother of jessie dancer cousins 18741957 the spouse of joseph h cousins 18741917 in november 1911 r anderson dancer married carrie engbarth 18891967 a native of rodney jefferson county mississippi and the daughter of emile engbarth 1855ca 1905 and magalene jeanette arndt 18561938 at the time the engbarth family resided on porter street in ocean springs dr chipman of the pascagoula episcopal church officiated  the daily herald   december 1 1911 p 4 and the ocean springs news    april 15 1915 p 1   circa 1909 mr dancer had come to ocean springs and opened a movie theater on washington avenue called the vaudette he sold it to ew illing 18701947 in september 1909 in november 1909 mr dancer went to lumberton mississippi with willie engbarth 18821957 his future brotherinlaw to open a movie house apparently things did not work as the ocean springs news  reported that ra dancer sold his movie house and returned to ocean springs in december 1909 with charles engbarth 18931967 after their marriage carrie and anderson dancer ran a store at ocean springs probably on the southeast corner of porter and washington mr dancer expired on april 9 1915 he was buried in the evergreen cemetery ocean springs carrie e dancer remarried fred meyers and was residing at pass christian mississippi in 1962 she was at ocean springs in 1967 no further information abbley and dancer paid 3000 rent each month to charles redding   joseph lawrence joseph a lawrence 18671952 the biloxi shoe man owner of guarantee shoe and hat company located at 205 west howard avenue his rent was 1500 each month   pearson brothers the pearson brothers grocers operated two stores at biloxi the downtown store was situated at 407 east howard avenue on the corner of main street and howard avenue and called the people s cash grocery the pearson brothers were john p pearson and hw pearson their father clinton patton pearson 18431920 was a native of missouri and was the spouse of e catherine pearson 18481910 a kentuckian he made his livelihood as a traveling salesman their sister may r pearson 18891914 was the store s cashier their rent was 1500 per month they moved out of their building in october 19081910 federal census harrison county ms t624 roll 740 p 227 in january 1907 the pearson brothers advertised as having a   complete stock of fancy and staple groceries    one could purchase 18 pounds of granulated sugar for 100 red cross tomatoes at 10 per can and 2 pounds of butter for 75  the biloxi daily herald january 9 1907 p 4    nikola martino nikola martino 18601942 constructed and repaired shoes for his livelihood he and his spouse lena genusa 18681910 and son joseph martino 18861941 emigrated from italy to new orleans in 1886 three martino children were born in new orleans leanora m stassi 18891973 anthony j martino 18921956 and camille m tedesco 18951942 while peter martino 18971937 and nickola martino jr 19061942 were biloxi natives 1910 federal census harrison county ms t624 roll 740 p 266 after the death of lena g martino nikola married jennie coci capuana 18731941 the daughter of phillip and rose coci she was a widow and the mother of philip capuana 19061968 mrs chris tucei and mrs sidney manuel  the daily herald january 5 1942 p 2   nikola martino s rent was 1000 each month in addition the ohr heirs collected rents from two other lessees during the period 19071907 they were dr hm folkes 18711926 and ld byrd dr folkes rent was 3000 while byrd paid the same amount to charles redding  1907  it is interesting to note that in early 1907 john harry portman 18781917 the able assistant of ge ohr jr was in the plumbing business with wl via this and the fact that the few if any ohr pots have been discovered with dates post1906 indicate that the world s greatest potter had greatly reduced his ceramic productivity  the biloxi daily herald january 7 1907 p 3 and  clark et al 1989 p 36 jh portman was a native of biloxi and had been reared in the ohr family home on delauney street apparently his career as a plumber was short lived as in 1907 portman left biloxi for employment with the us lighthouse board which became the us lighthouse service in 1910 his first assignment was at the sand island light at the entrance to mobile bay in 1915 jh portman transferred to round island where he was employed until he became ill and expired in june 1917 his corporal remains were interred in the biloxi city cemetery  the daily herald  june 14 1917 p 3   wl via was apparently a man of wealth he and his wife wintered at the el sutter home on west beach in 1913 they were residents of alabama at the time mr via arrived at biloxi aboard his motor yacht while mrs via came by rail  the daily herald december 17 1913 p 8    1909 in april 1909 lemuel h doty jr an attorney who represented joseph lawrence and charles c redding filed a request in the chancery court of harrison county for a non compos mentis hearing for ge ohr jr a jury of his peers met at gulfport and after reviewing the facts immediately declared george e ohr jr sane ohr represented himself during the inquiry mr doty was from an honorable family in lexington mississippi where his father lemuel h doty 18441929 was active in civic and educational affairs his brother am doty was a physician  the biloxi daily herald april 3 1909 p 1 and the daily herald january 11 1929 p 1  it is interesting to note that one of ohr s adjudicators was caspar vahle 18691922 a former resident of ocean springs he had been in the livery and hotel business while domiciled here his mother katherine vahle 18381914 of german ancestry was a principal in the vahle house a hostel situated on the northwest corner of washington and calhoun in the period from 1900 to 1916 casper vahle s sister was married to druggist herman nill 18631904 the vahlenill family left ocean springs and resettled in gulfport shortly after the turn of the 20 th century as they were victims of local arsonists in early september 1909 fs hewes clerk of the harrison county chancery court while attempting at public outcry to sell the ohr estate property on delauney street and west howard avenue was struck in the face by ge ohr jr ohr was vehemently opposed to this partition sale of his family s commercial properties and had protested both verbally and in written letters against it he was particularly displeased with the chancery court not observing a clause in his mother s last will and testament which specifically stated    that   my estate   be kept and administered   a period of ten years before being sold divided or disposed of unless all and everyone of my heirs should want to have it divided and dispose of  for his blow against hewes ohr was jailed at biloxi police chief louis staehling 18661938 a witness to this minor pugilistic encounter averred that he saw mr ohr strike the chancery clerk with his hand and then attempt to hit him again with that of his spouse josephine g ohr  the daily herald september 6 1909 p 1 and harrison county ms chancery court case no 2108  in spite of ge ohr jr s displeasure a commissioner s deed was issued to charles redding and joseph lawrence for the ohr estate property by fs hewes special commissioner in october 1909 the consideration was 12000 george and josephine ohr retained their domicile and art pottery at 409 and 411 delauney street respectively harco ms land deed bk 92 pp 4243 and harrison county ms chancery court cause no 2473  1910  in october 1910 ge ohr jr was again incarcerated in the biloxi city jail in which he described to a local reporter interviewing him as a shameful place to lock a man up in and one of vile sanitary conditions he had been adjudicated guilty of trespassing and fined 10 by the court ohr s failure to pay the fine resulted in his short stay in the local calaboose upon release he wrote a letter published in  the daily herald  further condemning the biloxi jail as   a filthy pen a dirty brick walled jail where a nauseating unsanitary dirt receptaclea dirty and rotten excelsior torn straw mattress is strewn on the floor that never gets a scrubbing the daily herald october 7 1910 p 1    1918  george edgar ohr jr expired at his residence 409 delauney street on the quiet sunday morning of april 7 1918 his health had declined to a state where he sought medical treatment in new orleans his corporal remains were interred in the biloxi cemetery after funeral rites in the episcopal church of the redeemer  the daily herald april 8 1918 p 1    1919  in april 1919  the daily herald  suggested that biloxi organize a local museum to preserve its culture and heritage contemporaneously colonel ww mccleland a regular winter tourist from denver colorado commented more specifically in that he lauded the art pottery of george e ohr jr mcclellan boldly and confidently stated the following     one hundred years from now when the names of some of your great men are forgotten people will be hunting for a piece of mississippi mud with the name of george orr sic on it his pottery is wonderful and worthy to be preserved by the city in which he lived and produced this pottery certainly one specimen of each kind of articles he manufactured should be collected at any cost and placed in proper cases where the public may view them now and in time to come   some seventy odd years later after much of ohr s valuable ceramic works had left biloxi primarily for art aficionados on the eastern seaboard a museum was founded to honor and display his art in the biloxi public library in recent years with the o keefe family leading the charge a world class ohr museum is planned for the biloxi waterfront overlooking deer island once the homestead of ohr s friend and mentor joseph fortune myer  manuel e jalanivich  18971944 the last of the biloxi boys was manuel eugene jalanivich who was born at biloxi mississippi on june 24 1897 the son of  luca gevenilovich genovish givulinovich  or giovulnovich   18611902 anglicized to jalanivich and manuella morrano 18581929 often spelled morano he was baptized  emmanuel genovish  sic in the roman catholic church of the nativity of the blessed virgin mary at biloxi on december 25 1897 lepre 1991 p 131 in the 1900 federal census of harrison county mississippi luca jalanivich listed austria as his country of origin which indicates that he was probably a croatian immigrant family lore relates that luca may have come from trieste jalanivich had been in the united states for ten years mrs jalanivich was born at new orleans louisiana of louisiana born parents although in the 1910 federal census they are listed as being french in 1900 the jalanivich family resided on croesus street in biloxi mississippi 1900 federal census harrison county ms p 46 and gertrude jalanivich medlock january 11 2002 luca and manuella jalanivich married at the nativity of the blessed virgin mary mother roman catholic church in biloxi mississippi on october 13 1894 they were also the parents of john matthew jalanivich 18951967 and mary amelia louise j sablich 19001991 lepre 1991 p 132 and harco ms mrb 10 p 264 in 1902 luca jalanivich was employed as a cook he expired from a heat stroke on august 20 1902 his corporal remains were interred in the biloxi cemetery  the biloxi daily herald august 22 1902 p 6       photo  credit gertrude jalanivich medlock a young manuel e jalanivich   francisco mueso on november 18 1905 mrs manuella m jalanivich married francisco mueso 18601940 at biloxi frank mueso was a native of spain at biloxi he made his livelihood as a fisherman at an oyster factory in 1914 the muesos were living at 519 lameuse street  the biloxi herald november 20 1905 p 4  the biloxi city directory 1914 p 155 and 1910 federal census harrison county ms p 266  early art training at an early age manuel e jalanivich demonstrated an artistic ability which was observed in his biloxi public school classroom by mary ethel dismukes 18701952 miss dismukes the daughter of george dismukes d 1909 and adella mcdonald 18461924 was a native of pulaski tennessee she came to biloxi in 1897 with her family mary ethel called ethel was an artist and photographer she made her livelihood as the supervisor of arts for the biloxi public schools until her retirement in may 1914 as early as 1910 ethel dismukes taught art classes on a private basis as late as may 1949 she was having public displays in biloxi of her student s work in pencil wax crayons oil and watercolor     the daily herald may 30 1910 may 22 1914 p 2 and may 31 1949 p 5     photo  jalanivich at the potter s wheel miss dismukes worked in oil watercolor and ceramics her art education was with john henry twachtman 18531902 and kenyon cox 18561919 of new york city louis loeb 18661909 and clifford carlton she was an active member of the gulf coast art association new orleans art association nashville art association among others ethel dismukes had art studios at pulaski tennessee san antonio texas and new york city sutton 1929 pp 168169 it is apparent that manuel jalanivich was enrolled as a private art pupil of miss dismukes prior to may 1913 at this time she held a display of her students works in china painting charcoal and watercolor it was described as   one of the most attractive and artistic exhibits that has ever been arranged in biloxi  of miss dismukes twenty pupils nineteen were female young jalanivich being the lone male he was described as   biloxi s talented little bootblack artist   the daily herald may 21 1913 p 8    biloxi school days  manuel jalanivich began to win recognition and awards for his artwork in the biloxi central school as early as the seventh grade the thanksgiving holiday of 1913 was celebrated in the public school with songs recitations and dances jalanivich s contribution to the program which was well lauded was a series of illustrations depicting scenes from the daily regimen of the pilgrims as each picture was shown to the student audience an appropriate paragraph was read describing the action  the daily herald april 11 1914 p 8 and december 4 1913 p 6   in midmay 1914 miss dismukes of biloxi public school art department held an exhibition of student arts and crafts in the central school art room pupils from both the high school and primary schools of the city had their art on review for their family and friends a highlight of the student exhibition was a threemasted vessel built by manuel jalanivich the model ship was about 1 ½ feet in length during the past winter jalanivich had sold more than 30 of his sketches and paintings  the daily herald may 22 1914 pp 12    souvenir pamphlet  in the spring of 1914 manual jalanivich was preparing a small book on biloxi his marvelous watercolor illustrations were of biloxi landmarks and scenes beauvoir the biloxi lighthouse the new biloxi high school the elks club the us post office the back bay bridge the biloxi yacht club the country club the biloxi hotel benachi avenue east beach west beach back bay beach piers large watermelons piney woods and a private yacht jalanivich s narrative of biloxi was excellently illustrated in calligraphy  the daily herald april 11 1914 p 8    george e ohr jr joseph fortune meyer  in addition to miss dismukes another artistic neighbor of the jalanivich family was george e ohr jr 18571918 the mad potter of biloxi ohr s art pottery was situated on delauney street only 500 feet as the crow flies from the jalanivich residence at 519 lameuse street here on the west side of lameuse street near the corner of mcelroy street the muesojalanivich family resided in a double shotgun house sanborn mapbiloxi 1914 sheet6 a young manuel jalanivich was taken in by ohr the retired genius potter and taught to use the potter s wheel manuel worked as a shoeshine boy on the streets of biloxi possibly to succor his family or buy art supplies joseph fortune meyer 18481931 the tutor and sponsor of george e ohr and master potter at newcomb college also resided at biloxi during jalanivich s adolescent years  evans  1973 p 24 and  the biloxi news february 13 1927 p 11    niloak in arkansas  circa 1917 manuel jalanivich left biloxi to study at the niloak pottery which was situated at benton arkansas about fifteen miles southwest of little rock niloak is a palindrome of kaolin the arkansas pottery was named for the fine deposits of very pale white clay found here post civil war john hyten began potting here making utilitarian items for local farmers and families such as jugs crocks and butter churns his sons paul charles and lee hyten continued the business  the biloxi news february 13 1927 p 11 and hhtp  wwwgeocitiescom niloakpottery   ww i 19181919   after a year in arkansas manuel jalanivich enlisted in the us navy on march 28 1918 at new orleans he trained for military duty at newport rhode island while there he made the acquaintance of a wealthy patron who was enamored with his artistic creativity and exceptional ceramic forms unfortunately she expired during his tenure in rhode island but her correspondence to the bedford village pottery in new york where he later found employment in march 1919 jalanivich was discharged from the us navy at newport with the rating of seaman 2 nd class national archives and records administrationmilitary record and  the biloxi news february 13 1927 p 11    durant kilns 19191920   the durant kilns were located at bedford village new york mrs jean durant rice the wife of a wealthy ophthalmologist sponsored this westchester county pottery lead by american master potter leon volkmar 18791959 volkmar came from a family of artisans his father charles volkmar ii was a renowned painter and potter while leon volmar s grandfather known as carl volkmar specialized in portraiture cloutier and schmid 1985 pp 34 it was at the durant kilns that manuel jalanivich s would met the two men ingvardt olsen 18881959 and leon volkmar who would most deeply influence his personal as well as creative life with ingvardt olsen jalanivich formed a life long bond that would result in their harmonious enterprise the jalan pottery at san francisco and belmont california arguably leon volkmar was the dominant artistic influence in manuel s jalanivich s brief but prolific ceramic career it was from volkmar that he adopted his interest in the ancient pottery styles of the orient and mediterranean basin like volmar jalanivich would also flourish as a teacher of ceramics  the biloxi news  reported that while employed at the durant kilns manuel e jalanivich worked on a 3000 pottery project for a vanderbilt dinner this is corroborated as table and art ware were significant products of durant from its conception until the demise of mrs rice in 1919 after her death leon volkmar s work at the durant kilns became more like studio pottery as with george no two alike e ohr jr duplication was not volkmar s modus operandi  the biloxi new february 13 1927 p 11 and  cloutier and schmid 1985 p 4  ingvardt olsen  while at the durant kilns in eastern new york manuel jalanivich met ingvardt olsen 18881959 olsen was a native of copenhagen denmark and had studied at the royal danish copenhagen chinese kilns he came to the united states in 1908 jalanivich and olsen became close friends and eventually settled together at san francisco where olsen had been an interior decorator  the biloxi news february 13 1927 p 11    hawaii1925  manuel e jalanivich took a steamship from the west coast to hawaii and taught ceramics for several weeks at the national academy of design  the biloxi news february 13 1927 p 1    1927 gulf coast art association exhibit  the gulf coast art association which was led by professor william woodward 18591939 and mary ethel dismukes 18701952 held its first exhibit at the biloxi public library from february 4 th until february 20 th 1927 the show which was composed of oil paintings water colors pastels lithographic drawings block prints sculpture photography pottery metal work and embroidery was juried by will h stevens of newcomb college at new orleans sarah k smith of gulf park college at gulfport mississippi and edmund c decelle of mobile  the daily herald february 3 1927 p 2   those exhibiting at the biloxi show were  peter anderson  19011984 ocean springs  gertrude burton  ocean springs grace cheeseman gulfport alethia b clemens biloxi edmund c decelle mobile  mary ethel dismukes  18701952 biloxi camille j ehrenfels nola  robert h holmes  18691949 ocean springs dorothy hopkins biloxi charles w hutson biloxi charles e hultberg biloxi  manuel e jalanivich  18981944 biloxi california  louise mallard  19001975 biloxi william h muir gulfport anne wells munger pass christian christine northrop pass christian mrs granville osoinach gulfport sarah k smith gulfport miss cr tibb biloxi clara tucker biloxi alice walsh gulfport  louise giesen woodward  18621937 biloxi and  william woodward  18591939 biloxi  the daily herald february 5 1927 p 5   on opening night of the juried exhibition the winning artists selected by the three jurors were as follows gold medal sponsored by the peoples bank for the best oil painting   a western scene  by charles e hultberg gold medal given by the biloxi city commissioners for the best mississippi coast scene   our street   by william woodward and ribbon for honorable mention was won by edmund c decille for   mardi gras     the daily herald february 5 1927 p 5   on february 8 1927 three pieces of  jalan pottery  for the biloxi exhibit arrived from california they consisted of a large jardiniere worth 15000 and two pieces a light blue bowl and a small jar valued at 2000 apiece these works of manuel jalanivich were lauded for their form color and glazing the ceramic art of peter anderson of the shearwater pottery at ocean springs was also praised  the daily herald february 9 1927 p 2   the final award for the first gulf coast art association exhibit was given by the first national bank on the basis of votes placed by visitors to the show the gold medal for the most popular picture was won by miss mary ethel dismukes for    the burden bearer   professor woodward s large oil painting of potters joseph meyer and george ohr placed second miss dismukes photograph titled   sunshine and shadow  was third in popularity woodward s painting of two of the biloxi boys hangs in the ohro keefe museum at biloxi on loan from the biloxi library  the daily herald february 21 1927 p 2    mother s death  mrs manuella m j mueso expired at the residence of her daughter mary l sablich on july 1 1929 mrs julius sablich lived at 629 lameuse street manuella was a roman catholic and member of the woman s benefit association her survivors were francisco mueso john jalanivich of biloxi manuel jalanivich of san francisco and mary l sablich manuel jalanivich was touring in mexico at the time of his mother s demise  the daily herald july 2 1929 p 12    jalan pottery jalan pottery was the name chosen by jalanivich and olsen to produce commercial ceramic ware in california it was identified by its large scale simple form color style and crackled glaze jalanivich created wheelthrown forms and also did extensive clay modeling while ingvardt olsen specialized in glazing olsen s persian or faience blue and eggplant glazes were well accepted wf dietrich in 1928 described the jalan pottery as jalanivich and olsen are making an attractive line of glazed pottery using a buffburning body and lead glazes their output is handmolded on a potter s wheel it is fired in a round kiln approximately 3 feet inside diameter of their own design and built by the gas company city gas being used for fuel the clay from california sources is fired to 2000 f and the glaze to 15001700 f jalanivich and olsen marketed their ceramics well in addition to their bay area patronage gumps department store in san francisco vended jalan pottery jalan s adaptation to a chinesestyle form met with great success in san francisco as many affluent citizens were decorating their domiciles with teak furniture coromandel screens lacquered chests and middle eastern of oriental rugs  bray 1980 p 43    19291939 depression years  jalanivich and olsen were kind spirited gentlemen as they believed that they had the responsibility to share their experience and knowledge with others for this and financial reasons they taught private studio lessons on one day or evening each week from 1929 to 1938 students worked in clay modeling utilizing slab and coil techniques as well as molds bray 1980 p 43  san francisco art institute  manuel jalanivich taught at the california school of fine arts now the san francisco art institute from 1937 to 1939 in 1937 he and ingvardt olsen commenced a ceramics school for women at their baker street home in san francisco their students ranged from socialites to schoolgirls jalanivich said of his pupils   most find a deep joy in working with their hands school teachers weary of tussles with youngsters come and find a curious peace in attempting to express some kind of beauty   evans 1973 p 25 and the san francisco chronicle november 1 1937    vivika t heino vivika timeriasieff heino 19101995 who would later marry otto heino was a student of jalanivich at the california school of fine arts vivika also took private classes with him she went on to study with glen lukens 18871967 at usc and was awarded the second mfa degree from the new york state college of ceramics at alfred university in 1944 vivika and her husband otto heino b 1915 were honored in october 1995 with an exhibit the vivika and otto heino retrospective which was held at alfred university she had taught pottery to otto heino b 1915 and they eventually married and settled at ojai ventura county california today in california otto continues his highly praised ceramic work   bray 1980 p 43 and wwwottospotterycom  and http nysccalfrededu mus heino   belmont california  in 1939 olsen and jalanivich closed their san francisco ceramic operation and relocated to the sleepy peninsula town of belmont san mateo county california with a population of only three thousand here they built a modest home in 1940 at 901 holly road their domicile is extant and situated in a quasirural hillside environment surrounded by over twentyfive thousand people with a view of san francisco bay  san mateo county auditor s records and joan m levy january 9 2002   a review of the telephone books of belmont california from 1938 until 1946 reveal that the names of jalanivich and olsen first appeared in the white pages there in september 1941 the listing is jalanivich olsen pottery on holly road phone number 1264 in march 1943 their listing was manuel e jalanivich holly road phone number 1264 and ingvardt olsen same phone number after june 1945 there is no listing for either men  joan m levy january 9 2002    ww ii  manuel e  jalanivich and ingvardt olsen taught art and pottery to recovering wounded american veterans of the south pacific theatre at the letterman hospital in the presidio at san francisco  evans 1973 p 25    deaths  manuel jalanivich expired at belmont california on june 15 1944 there are inconsistencies in the reporting of the cause and place of his death  the courier bulletin  a local journal related that he expired   in a belmont sanitarium after a long illness    while  the san francisco chronicle  wrote that his death was   at his belmont home following a brief illness     in biloxi mississippi jalanivich s demise was reported by  the daily herald  as a sudden heart attack at his home in belmont california  the courier bulletin   june 23 1944    the san francisco chronicle june 21 1944 and the daily herald june 19 1944 p 6   on june 15 1944 manuel jalanivich s corporal remains were interred in section n of the woodlawn memorial park cemetery at colma california private funeral services preceded his burial in the chapel of crosbyn gray company at burlingame   the courier bulletin june 23 1944 p 3   ingvardt olsen passed on july 9 1959 at san francisco he was survived by a cousin edward w neison of san francisco olsen s corporal remains were interred at woodland memorial park colma california next to those of manuel eugene jalanivich  san francisco examiner july 14 1959    jalanivich s estate in march 1945 ingvardt olsen the executor and only heir of the estate of manuel e jalanivich filed for probate in the superior court of california of san mateo county california jalanivich s estate consisted of real property in san francisco california probably baker street appraised at 8500 a 1938 chevrolet town sedan appraised at 540 and 83464 in cash in a commercial account on deposit in the redwood city branch of the bank of america the market value of jalanivich s estate for tax purposes was established at 1137346 of which mr olsen paid 79264 in inheritance taxes the superior court of california san mateo county case no 11473 march 1945    sablich remembers uncle manuel  james e sablich sr b 1921 was interviewed by ray l bellande in may 2002 at his home on 440 porter avenue in biloxi mississippi present at the meeting were his wife shannon randazzo sablich and gertrude jalanivich medlock b 1924 a niece of manuel jalanivich  bellandejim give us your early recollections of your uncle manuel jalanivich in biloxi  sablich  the earliest recollection that i have is that he came down to visit biloxi and his sister jim s mother and brother johnny jalanivich with his friend ingvardt olsen that was when we lived on 626 lameuse street and that wasn t yesterday that was quite a few years ago   bellandehow old were you then  sablichi was in the fifth or sixth gradeabout ten eleven or twelve years old about 1931 he manuel came down to visit us and stayed with mother and daddy in the house with us he took over my bedroom and my brother s bedroom before he left biloxi to go back he had to sit down to make chalk crayon pictures of me and my brother  bellande were they pastels or colored chalks  sablich  colored chalk i was so proud of that  bellande were they a good likeness  sablich  very good  bellande did he jalanivich ever talk about ethel dismukes  sablich oh all the time she lived and had her studio on lameuse street one block from the beach i visited that place many times too   bellandedid she dismukes recognize his early art talent in the biloxi public school system  sablich well this is something that i don t know anything about   bellandewhen manuel came here biloxi did he ever visit her miss dismukes  sablich every time he came to biloxi he visited miss dismukes and he would go to ocean springs to see mr peter anderson because they came up together and he would go down and watch him do his work   bellandedid he jalanivich ever talk about his early life in biloxi  sablich no but my mother mary jalanivich sablich did my mother told me that when he was just a little tot that he would always go around mr ohr s pottery shop on delauney street mr ohr took a liking to him and gave him a broom to clean up his shop after him as the years went by he taught my uncle manuel to do this pottery work as far as i know he stayed here long enough to learn enough to go to california to start his own pottery   bellandedid jalanivich have his own pottery shop on lameuse street in biloxi  sablich  i don t know anything about that bellandedid manuel make any pottery when he visited biloxi sablich  to my knowledge no bellandedo you know anything about him jalanivich going off to the navy  sablich   yeah i don t know if whether it was the navy or army but that s where he made the little statue that i got while he was in camp in louisiana the war ended before he got any further and he came back to biloxi bellandedo you know anything about him jalanivich meeting a wealthy woman in virginia  sablich  i don t know anything about that bellandeis there anything else about his visits to biloxi  sablichhe always visited friends involved in pottery and art   bellandewas there anyone besides miss dismukes or peter anderson or ohr  sablichi knew somebody else in those days my daddy cut her hair  jesse smiler  i think she was involved with miss dismukes she was a real estate agent   bellandedid you know miss dismukes sisterinlaw  sablichwell i met her every time i went to see miss dismukes   bellandedid you ever go anywhere with him jalanivich in biloxi  sablich we always went to the beachwachenfeld s pier and hagan s pier or the riviera pier   bellandehow long would he jalanivich stay in biloxi  sablich  maybe two weeks  bellande  do you have anything to add gertrude medlock  medlock  the time that i remember him coming to see us he had a convertible touring car that s about all that i can remember about him  sablich  he had a big big buick i remember uncle manuel and ingvardt both made an extended trip to africa and stayed there a year or better he made some pottery over there and as i told you earlier i have a statue made of a native and she had a big to do or bonnet or something when my mother and daddy moved out there over on the beach i had it outside to load in the car   and i forgot it i d give every damn thing in the world if i could find it   bellandedid he jalanivich make several trips to biloxi  sablich yes i bet he made about three trips to biloxi he brought ingvardt when he made my picture   jalanivicholsen exhibitions   the following are some of the known dates and locations of which the ceramics of the jalan pottery have been on public display    1927 gulf coast art association exhibit biloxi mississippi 1935californiapacific international exhibition san diego california 1936 national ceramic exhibition museum of fine art syracuse new york also known as the fifth national ceramic exhibition robineau memorial and named for american art potter adelaide alsop robineau 18651929 of syracuse new york the amberghirth gallery san francisco california 1937contemporary crafts exhibition philadelphia pennsylvania and oakland art gallery s exhibition of sculpture where work received an honorable mention 1939decorative arts exhibition of the golden gate international exposition at san francisco 1948 ingvardt olsen and charles nye 7 th annual pacific coast ceramic exhibition rotunda gallery san francisco california 1978oakland museum oakland california 1978  lang gallery of scripps college claremont california 1993oakland museum oakland california 1994renwick gallery of the national museum of american art smithsonian institution washington dc 1994cincinnati art museumcincinnati ohio   future exhibits  2003 the ohro keefe museumbiloxi mississippi will present the works of the biloxi boys commencing in february 2003 this extended show will feature the museum s new acquisitions of ceramics by joseph fortune meyer george e ohr jr and manuel e jalanivich s works from the private collection of ray l bellande  epilogue   the biloxi boys jf meyer ge ohr jr and me jalanivich were among the most notable american potters of the late 19 th and 20 th century being reared at biloxi on the mexican gulf they experienced the humid subtropical climate tropical cyclones or hurricanes and shared the joie de vivre provided by the unique southern european culture which proliferated here until postww ii while meyer and ohr were instrumental in the art scene at new orleans being instructors in the early years of the newcomb college art program instituted by william woodward 18591939 manuel e jalanivich shared his ceramic knowledge with eager students at the california school of fine arts in san francisco today each of these native biloxi art potters is remembered for his uniqueness meyer for his glazes simple forms and affiliation with newcomb pottery ohr for his skill on the potter s wheel exciting glazes and marketing schemes and jalanivich for his large forms and moulds all are collectible in recent years the value of ohr pottery has risen geometrically meyer s newcomb pottery has also become very valuable jalanivich s works are located primarily on the west coast and are still reasonably priced if they can be located ebay is an excellent place to commence a search for the works of these artists  references   books and periodicals the arts and crafts movement in california  oakland museum and abbeville press new york1993 ray l bellande  mississippi coast historical genealogical society   holley s bluffwhere george e ohr dug clay   volume 31 no 1 march 1995  biloxi city directory 19131914  piedmont directory company ashville north carolina1914 robert w blasberg    george edward ohr and his biloxi art pottery    jw carpenter port jervis new york1973 robert w blasberg  the unknown ohr  peaceable press milford pennsylvania1986 jean moore bragg and dr susan saward  the newcomb style newcomb college arts crafts and art pottery  jean bragg gallery new orleans louisiana2002 hazel v bray  the potter s art in california 1885 to 1955  oakland museum art department oakland california1980 garth clark robert a ellison jr and eugene hecht  the mad potter of biloxi  abbeville press new york1989 dane cloutier and bob schmid  journal of the american art pottery association   leon volkmar the master potter who made history    vol 1 no 3 mayjune 1985 paul e cox  potteries of the gulf coast  iowa state college iowa1935 charles l dyer  along the gulf    biloxi miss   women of the trinity episcopal church pass christian1971 originally published 1895   paul evans spinning wheel jalan transitional pottery of san francisco april 1937   david e gifford   a brief history of arkansas art potteryouachita niloak and camark    the national society of art pottery collectors  vol 1 no 1 spring summer 1996 julia cook guice  harrison county marriages 18411899   city of biloxi mississippi 1968  the history of jackson county mississippi    shearwater pottery and the andersons   jackson county genealogical society pascagoula1989 ralph and terry kovel  kovel s american art pottery  crown publishing company new york1993 jerome lepre  catholic church records diocese of biloxi mississippi  volume i catholic dioceses of biloxi biloxi mississippi1991 pp 242243 lois lehner  lechner s encyclopedia of us marks on pottery porcelain clay  collector books padukah kentucky1988 p 226 suzanne ormond and mary e irvine  louisiana s art nouveau the crafts of the newcomb style  pelican publishing company gretna louisiana1976 pp 145146 cantey venable sutton  history of art in mississippi  the dixie press gulfport mississippi1929    chancery court harrison county mississippi will book 5   will of felicie l meyer    chancery court cases harco ms chancery court case no 523   lizzie ohr v august ohr    august 1892 harco ms chancery court case no 2108   estate of johanna ohr    harco ms chancery court case no 2151   august ohr v louise ohr schultz at al   march 1906 harco ms chancery court case no 2200   charles mccormack v lizzie and antoine muller  october 1906 harco ms chancery court case no 2281   august ohr v emma ohr gruntz et al    october 1906 harco ms chancery court case no 2473   charles rushing v joseph lawrence et al  june 1907 harco ms chancery court case no 2500   lizzie muller v pj ohr    october 1907 harco ms chancery court case no 2507  charles rushing and joseph lawrence v josephine ohr harco ms chancery court case no 2990   insanity of ge ohr    1909 harco ms chancery court case no 4162   rosalie e foretich v lawrence foretich   julbe 1913 harco ms chancery court case no 21563   mae migues ohr v ojo ohr  january 1945 harco ms chancery court case no  2 nd judicial district harco ms chancery court case no 1162   estate of leo edgar ohr   may 1971 annie faye chase or annie faye campbell harco ms chancery court case no 8188   guardianship of marguerite kuljis ohr    september 1978 harco ms chancery court case no p804b   estate of iola g ohr  august 1986 harco ms chancery court case no p827b   estate of marguerite k ohr   september 1986 harco ms chancery court case no 12296   estate of george e ohr   july 1982 harco ms chancery court case no p864b   estate of carl monroe ohr   sealed harco ms chancery court case no p1518b   guardianship of rachel ann ohr   may 1989 harco ms chancery court case no p1519b   guardianship of brian christopher ohr   may 1989 harco ms chancery court case no p1957b   estate of oj ohr  april 1991  circuit court harco ms circuit court marriage record book 10  giurilinovichmorano  october 13 1894 p 264  superior court of california san mateo county california case no 11473   in the matter of the estate of manuel e jalanivich    march 1945 internet hhtp  wwwgeocitiescom niloakpottery  niloak pottery company    journals the biloxi herald  april 9 1892 the biloxi herald   local happenings   july 29 1893 the biloxi herald   local happenings   december 9 1893 the biloxi herald   in memoriam   december 16 1893 the biloxi herald   the flames   october 13 1894 the biloxi daily herald   latest city news   january 4 1896 p 8 the biloxi daily herald   tired of life   august 21 1897 the biloxi daily herald   local and personal   december 3 1899 p 8 the biloxi daily herald   local and personal   march 23 1900 the biloxi daily herald   funeral of luka giovulnovich   august 22 1902 the biloxi daily herald   city news   january 26 1903 the biloxi daily herald   zio ignantz ohr   april 21 1904 the biloxi daily herald   george ohr sr   july 8 1904 the biloxi daily herald   mrs elizabeth hahn   october 5 1904 the biloxi daily herald   mrs joanna ohr   december 28 1905 the biloxi daily herald   locals   august 10 1906 the biloxi daily herald   moseley devitt   january 7 1907 the biloxi daily herald   wl via co   january 7 1907 the biloxi daily herald   biloxi s new administration   january 7 1907 the biloxi daily herald   pearson brothers   january 9 1907 the biloxi daily herald   foretichelder   february 25 1907 the biloxi daily herald    bourdondevitt   august 16 1907 p 1 the biloxi daily herald   george ohr declared sane   april 3 1909 the biloxi daily herald   moranohr   april 16 1909 the biloxi daily herald   abbley not guilty says state jury   august 30 1909 the biloxi daily herald   barber assumes roll of reformer   september 10 1909 the daily herald   biloxi youth makes pottery   march 15 1915 the courier bulletin   jalanovich   june 23 1944 the courier bulletin   well known ceramic artist dies in belmont   june 23 1944 the daily herald   george ohr makes trouble   september 6 1909 the daily herald   biloxi news paragraphs   may 30 1910 the daily herald   geo e ohr released from durance vile  october 7 1910 the daily herald    dancerengbarth   december 1 1911 the daily herald    heidenheim resigns as manager of barataria canning company   september 19 1912 the daily herald   to show friends their art work   may 21 1913 the daily herald   devitt and clark have lease on bourdoncastanera co s plant   august 26 1913 the daily herald   louis harvey died this am   september 17 1913 the daily herald   biloxi high doings   december 4 1913 the daily herald   local news paragraphs of interest   december 17 1913 the daily herald   ohrelder   november 20 1913 the daily herald   foretichkleyle   january 29 1914 the daily herald   biloxi youth is talented artist   april 11 1914 the daily herald   art exhibit at central school   may 22 1914 the daily herald   lio ohr passes away saturday at noon after several weeks illness   december 13 1914 the daily herald   leo ohr has agency   april 26 1915 the daily herald   harry portman dead   june 14 1917 the daily herald    excavaters find buried pottery   september 11 1917 the daily herald     pottery is made by a biloxi man   september 18 1917 the daily herald   pottery wizard dies in biloxi   april 8 1918 the daily herald   biloxi museum finds favor   april 14 1919 the daily herald   sablichjalanivich   june 6 1918 p 3 the daily herald   mcclellan honored   august 21 1919 the daily herald   colonel mcllellan hear mullet   september 2 1919 the daily herald   biloxi resident died yesterday   august 19 1920 the daily herald   opening of art exhibit at library   february 3 1927 the daily herald   award made by jury of gifted and competent artists for gulf coast art association exhibition at biloxi february 4   february 5 1927 the daily herald   jalan pottery arrives   february 9 1927 the daily herald   art exhibits closes   february 21 1927 the daily herald    joseph meyer lived in biloxi   january 4 1928 the daily herald   father of lh doty dies at lexington   january 11 1929 the daily herald   renovating lawrence building   may 28 1929 the daily herald   mrs frank mueso dies   july 2 1929 the daily herald   mrs ohr died last night   march 17 1930 the daily herald    joseph meyer buried   march 18 1931 the daily herald   return from funeral   november 24 1931 the daily herald   lawrence romeo sr dies   april 7 1932 the daily herald   lee foretich killed   february 27 1933 the daily herald   leo ohr completes manufacture syrup   january 15 1934 the daily herald   manuel jalanovich sic in california    the daily herald   jalanivichweems   march 31 1936 the daily herald   mcgrawjalanivich   february 8 1937 the daily herald   jos w swetman taken by death   may 31 1937 the daily herald   mrs joseph lawrence dies at biloxi home   january 13 1939 the daily herald   mueso funeral   february 29 1940 the daily herald   jalanavich sic gaining fame as potter    the daily herald  fred abbley dies   september 30 1941 the daily herald   n martino dies   january 5 1942 the daily herald   manuel jalanivich dies in california june 19 1944 the daily herald   tk devitt sr dies   december 16 1946 p 5 the daily herald   visit art exhibit   may 31 1949 the daily herald   miss dismukes dies   february 18 1952 the daily herald   jos v lawrence vicepresident biloxi bank dies   october 9 1952 the daily herald   jm jalanivich   october 9 1967 the daily herald   mrs mae churchill   october 16 1968 the daily herald   edward giadrosich   october 16 1968 the daily herald   fl churchill   december 13 1968 the daily herald   frederic a moran   july 11 1972 the daily herald   gd   sic   ohr  february 25 1974 the daily herald   david w jalanivich sr   november 10 1980 the ocean springs news     ra dancer passes away   april 15 1915 p 1 the san francisco chronicle   sf potters rise to fame   may 8 1919 or 1935  the san francisco chronicle   clever potters bring art to this city   december 17 1922 the san francisco chronicle   sf women reviving old art of ceramics   november 1 1937 the san francisco chronicle   death splits famed team of artists   june 21 1944 the san francisco chronicle   funeral notices   july 14 1959 the san francisco examiner   funeral notices   july 14 1959 the sun   otto t ohr   april 21 1982 the sun herald   mrs marguerite ohr   july 25 1986 the sun herald   carl ohr   october 22 1986 the sun herald   mrs clo l ohr moran   december 1 1989 the sun herald   mrs mary louise sablich   february 14 1991 the sun herald   ojo ohr   march 24 1991 the sun herald   carl otto ohr   march 5 1996 the sun herald   gertrude trosclair jalanivich   june 5 1996 the sun herald   moran leaves mark on coast   march 24 1999  personal communication  dolores kneale smith biloxi january 1995 james anderson shearwater pottery january 1995 lucretia buzolich lee biloxi january 1995 captain arthur baker biloxi february 1995 gertrude jalanivich medlockconversation at 13809 plano road gulf hills january 1112 2001 mark jawgiel email january 31 2002 joan m levy san mateo county historical museum email of her search of the belmont california telephone books from 19381946 on january 9 2002 jeff gundersonemail from the san francisco art institute january 15 2002  jgunderson sfaiedu  james e sablichtaped interview in may 2002 maxine mcgraw palmerconversation at byram mississippi on june 22 2002 thelma ohr palmertelephone conversation on september 23 2002 frank duggan jr telephone conversation on october 8 2002  oral history tape interview september 4 1990 murella hebert powell history and genealogy librarian biloxi public library with lucretia buzolich lee 723 views  