A career on stage cut short in the New York subway

Marvel (Best) Hamlin, age 29 and at rest in the Chariton Cemetery with her mother, Mabel, just to the north of this giant and somewhat enigmatic granite sphere, has the dubious distinction (most likely) of being the only person interred here whose death resulted from an encounter with a New York City subway train.

The story that accompanied her remains home to Lucas County during late March, 1924, was that while heading to her apartment in Manhattan on Tuesday, March 18, she disembarked from one subway car in order to catch another, but became dizzy and fell onto the tracks instead. The engineer saw her, but could not stop in time. She died at a New York City hospital on March 20, never having regained consciousness.

Whatever the circumstances, this fatal encounter cut short the career of a young woman and accomplished musician whose aspiration since her late teen years had been to become a star of stage --- and screen.

+++

Marvel was born in Chariton on July 17, 1894, to Mabel (Myers) and Harvey E. Best --- Mabel a daughter of Dennis and Anna Myers (of a Myers family unrelated to mine); Harvey, a son of one of Lucas County's pioneer families and by trade a professional photographer.

They had married in 1888, but parted soon after Marvel's birth. He seems to have had no hand in her upbringing, high-tailing it to Detroit about 1897 where he continued to work as a photographer. Although very much alive in 1924, he was not listed among the survivors.

Following their divorce, Harvey married Ida Risk in Michigan during 1899; Mabel wed Harvey E. Means, of Russell and a real estate agent turned printer by profession, during 1901.

+++

During 1905, Harvey, Mabel and Marvel moved to Des Moines where he accepted the position of superintendent at a printing firm. After graduating high school there, Marvel studied music at Drake University and then, during 1909, graduated from the Kroeger School of Music in St. Louis.

During the next few years, Marvel seems to have made a modest name for herself as a professional pianist, composer and entertainer --- touring under contract to the Redpath Lyceum Bureau, a provider of chautauqua speakers and entertainers nationwide.

During 1913, for example, sheet music for the "Oak Leaf Shuffle," a ragtime piece composed by Marvel, was advertised for sale at Combs & Clouse Music on the west side of the Chariton square. During September of that year, Chariton newspapers reported that Marvel had signed a contract with Redpath for the 40-week 1914 chautauqua season.

During 1915, Harvey Means found a printing job in New York City and the small family moved there from Des Moines, perhaps mostly in the interests of furthering Marvel's career. Chariton newspapers reported during 1916 that Marvel was working as "a movie actress for a company in New York City." She also seems to have performed on the vaudeville stage --- at one point with an ensemble of six young women who played a variety of instruments, sang and danced.

During July of 1919, Marvel married in New York City a young salesman named Thomas M. Hamlin and they moved in with her parents at 601 West 164th Street, just off Broadway in Washington Heights.

The next reports regarding Marvel in the hometown press were published upon her death during 1924. Thomas Hamlin and Mabel and Harvey Means accompanied the remains to Chariton for burial. Thomas and his mother-in-law, Mabel, returned to Chariton a year later to observe Memorial Day. By that time he was living in Pittsburgh and I've not tracked him after that.

+++

At some point after Marvel's death, Harvey Means accepted a position with the Princeton University Press and the couple moved to New Jersey. They were living there, in Franklin Park, when Mabel died on July 29, 1931, of cancer. It apparently was Mabel's wish to be buried with her daughter in Chariton and her husband accompanied her remains to Lucas County to accomplish that task. He returned to New Jersey to live, but I've not tracked him beyond determining that he is not buried with his wife and stepdaughter in Chariton.

Mabel and Marvel have matching stones of the same red granite used for the massive sphere and it would be interesting to know the thought process that led to its selection and placement. That, however, is beyond us. There is no inscription on either the sphere or its base.

+++

Marvel's father, Harvey Best, seems to have been the longest lived of the bunch, and his career took the most interesting twist.

After selling his photography business in Michigan, Harvey and his second wife, Ida, eventually relocated to Kansas City and became affiliated with Unity, headquartered at nearby Unity Village. Eventually, they were licensed as Unity ministers and moved back to Michigan during the late 1920s to found the the Unity Church of Lansing, which they served until retirement in 1950. Harvey died in Lansing during 1955 and both he and Ida are buried there.