Famous Cousins: Edith Fellows

     A lot of people are interested in genealogy because they want to find connections to famous cousins: entertainers, politicians, historical figures, etc. Although this isn't a motivator for me, it is always interesting when I find them (I admit, it was cool to find out that Johnny Cash is my 3rd Cousin, 2x removed).

     I recently received some documents and photos of another famous cousin, though I admit I had never heard of her: Edith Fellows. She was a child actor in the 1930s and re-emerged in the 1980s. Our relationship is somewhat tenuous: she's my Great-Great Aunt Gladys Witt Fellows' step-daughter.  Edith sent letters and photos to her father and step-mother, a few of which have now come into my possession.

     Edith played Polly Pepper in the "Little Peppers" movies, worked with Bing Crosby in "Pennies from Heaven" and Gene Autry in "Heart of the Rio Grande." Here's a photo of her that is supposed to be from her movie with Gene Autry:

     I have three letters that she wrote. In them she mentions a role she's up for, as well as other things going on at the time, such as World War II.  I hesitate to post the letter because, although she has passed away and they don't contain private information, I don't feel like I have to right to share them with the world. 

     One interesting thing I do have and will post is a telegram that she sent to her father when her grandmother died. I find the concept of telegrams very interesting in an age of text messaging.