Presents
Volume 1195
From the Bill Hillman News Clippings Archive
Collected from 20th Century North American Newspaper Files
BURROUGHS PASSAGES

 
 
Trenton Evening Times ~  Trenton, New Jersey
Saturday, July 01, 1916
Helene Rosson and Ashton Dearholt,
popular screen artists have been married.

 
 
PICKS HUBBY
Indiana Evening Gazette 
Tuesday, July 31, 1928 Indiana, Pennsylvania
Ironwood Daily Globe 
Thursday, August 02, 1928 Ironwood, Michigan 

Joan Burroughs, daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, was assigned to find somebody who could play "Tarzan" in a screen production of one of her father's books.

She picked James Pierce, film "heavy," and work on the picture began. 

Now she has picked Pierce for herself. They'll be married this summer.


 
JOAN BURROUGHS TO WED A GRID COACH
Helena Independent  ~ Helena, Montana
July 03, 1928
Glendale, Cal., July 2 -- (AP) -- The engagement of Joan Burroughs, stage actress, and the daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, to James Pierce of this city, was made known here today. Pierce was formerly a football star at the University of Indiana and now coaches the University of Arizona grid team.

 
"TARZAN" AND HIS BRIDE
Helena Independent  Thursday, August 09, 1928 Helena, Montana
Los Angeles, Aug. 8 -- (AP) -- James Pierce, film star who played the title role in the screen production of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan," was married to the author's daughter, Joan Burroughs, at the Burroughs' suburban home tonight. Pierce is a former University of Indiana football star.  He is 27 years old and his birde 20.

TARZAN AND BRIDE
Edwardsville Intelligencer ~  Edwardsville, Illinois
Tuesday, August 14, 1928
George Pearce, former All-American football star, who played the title role in the movie version of "Tarzan of the Apes," Edgar Rice Burroughs ' noted book, chose as his bride the author's daughter, Mis Joan Burroughs.  They are shown here on the lawn of the Burroughs' home in los Angeles, the place chosen for the wedding. Their romance began when they met at a garden party and Miss Burroughs suggested that Pearce should become a movie actor and take the leading part in her father's story.

 

Football and fiction are united in this marriage 
at Los Angeles, Cal, of 
James Pierce, former University of Indiana football star, 
and 
Joan Burroughs, daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs, 
creator of Tarzan and Mars stories. 
The bridal party, left to right:
Rev. Edwin Pratt, who officiated; Edgar Rice Burroughs, 
Mrs. Burroughs, Hulbert Burrouighs, the best man; 
the bride and the bridegroom. 
Chronicle Telegram Thursday, August 16, 1928 Elyria, Ohio
Tuesday, July 03, 1928 
 Helena Independent, Montana

Bee~  Danville, Virginia

Glendale, Calif., July 3 -- (AP)
The engagement of Joan Burroughs stage actress and daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs the author, to James Pierce of this city, was made known here yesterday. Pierce was formerly a football star at the university of Indiana and now coaches the University of Arizona grid team.


 
Novelist Will Wed Divorcee in Spring
Ironwood Daily Globe ~ Ironwood, Michigan 
 Thursday, December 13, 1934
Hollywood, Calif. Dec. 13 - (AP) - Only a final decree of divorce today separated Edgar Rice Burroughs, the novelist, and Mrs. Florence Dearhold, jr., from matrimony.

Burroughs and Mrs. Dearholt, who is awaiting her final decree from Ashton Dearholt, jr., producer of Burroughs' motion pictures, announced last night they will be married next spring, probably immediately after the decree becomes final March.

Burroughs recently obtained a Las Vegas, Nevada, divorce decree, which was immediately final, from his wife of 34 years. 


 
Novelist Will Wed Divorcee in Spring
Ironwood Daily Globe ~ Ironwood, Michigan ~ Thursday, Dec. 13, 1934

Hollywood, Calif., Dec. 13, 1934 ~ (AP)
Only a final decree of divorce today separated Edgar Rice Burroughs, the novelist, and Mrs. Florence Dearholt, jr. from matrimony. Burroughs and Mrs. Dearholt, who is awaiting her final decree from Ashton Dearholt. jr., producer of Burroughs' motion pictures, announced last night they will be married next spring, probably immediately after the decree becomes final in March. Burroughs recently obtained a Las Vegas. Nevada, divorce decree, which
was immediately final, from his wife of 34 years. 


 
AUTHOR SUES
Burroughs, Creator of Tarzan Stories, Asks Divorce
Thursday, December 06, 1934
Mansfield News Journal ~  Mansfield, Ohio
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Edgar Rice Burroughs, Hollywood author of Tarzan stories, today had filed suit here for divorce from his wife. Emma Hulbert Burroughs on charges of extreme cruelty.  The suit set forth they were married in Chicago, Jan. 21, 1900, and that a property settlement had been effected out of couirt. Burroughs came to Las Vegas six weeks ago. 

 
Robert D. Lay
Dead; Funeral
This Afternoon
January 3, 1940
Hydrox Company Official
Succumbs at 64


Funeral services for Robert Dwight Lay, an executive of the Hydrox comapny and former president of the National Life INsurance company, will be donducted at 2:30 p.m. today in the Graceland cemetery chapel. Mr. Lay died Monday night in the Passavant hospital. He was 64 years old.

Mr. Lay was born in Chicago. he was graduated from the Michigan Military academy in 1894 and started his business career as an office boy for the Knickerbocker Ice company. (ERB worked as a bill collector for this company in the summer of 1895) 

Four years later he became manager of E.A. Shgedd & Co. real estate dealers. In 1902 he became associated with the life insurance company as assistant to the treasurer. He was elected president in 1926 and resigned in 1933. Since then he had been vice president, secretary, and director of the Hyrdrox company.

Mr. Lay was president of the Chicago Athletic association in 1937-38 and had been a member of the board of directors since 1932. 

His widow, the former Fidele Broughton of Berwyn, with whom he lived at 230 East Delaware place survives.

Clipping from the personal scrapbook
of Edgar Rice Burroughs

 
LaSelle Gilman's
"Port and Off Port" 
Honolulu Advertiser 
April 30, 1940 
(Monterey Arrived Apr.29)
 TARZAN'S CREATOR

Last week Mrs. Edgar Rice Burroughs and two children arrived in Honolulu for the summer, and Mr. Burroughs arrived yesterday, stating that while here he'll continue writing. "Another book?" he was asked, 

"Another!" he retorted, "I'll write a series of books in Hawaii -- though not about Hawaii." The creator of Tarzan comes from Tarzana, Cal., his extensive estate, and the family has taken a house at Kalama.  Mr. Burroughs will make a special broadcast over KGU tonight at 6:30 o'clock introducing a new series of transcribed Tarzan dramatizations, the first of which will be heard over KGU tomorrow evening.
"Tarzan is on the radio now," he said. Asked if his Mars stories had been dramatized for radio, he said they would be soon, adding that they would be guaranteed not to scare the listening public into believing Mars was attacking the Earth as Orson Welles once unintentionally convinced thousands of listeners. 

Mr. Burroughs was last here two years ago  He said yesterday his 52 books (not counting scenarios, comic strips, short stories, etc.) have sold 25,000,000 copies and have been translated into 57 languages in the last 20 years. 

From Lost Words of ERB: Letters VIII  ERBzine 0946

 
BURROUGHS TO BE DIVORCED
Indiana Evening Gazette ~ Indiana, Pennsylvania 
Thursday, July 24, 1941

LOS ANGELES, July 24 -- (AP) -- Edgar Rice Burroughs, 67, creator of Tarzan and author of many books and magazine stories, is being sued for divorce by his 36-year-old wife, the former Florence Gilbert of the screen. 

Her complaint charges Burroughs has assigned all his assets to Burroughs, Inc., and has conveyed half the stock to his former wilfe. Emma Centennia Hulbert Burroughs, the mother of his three children.


 
Tarzan's Creator Dies at 74
Made Millions From Movies
Monday, March 20, 1950 Mansfield, Ohio
ENCINO, Calif. (AP) Edgar Rice Burroughs, who dug a literary gold mine in the African jungle with Tarzan, is dead.

Author Burroughs died yesterday, but the ape-man he created will live on to delight other generations of youngsters the world over. Fifteen novels were awaiting publication when Burroughs died of a heart attack in bed yesterday morning,  A movie producer said he had contracted to make 15 more Tarzan films.

A tradition born in 1912, when Burroughs sold his first Tarzan book, apparently will continue for years to come. The  34-year-old multimillionaire writer became ill three months ago but up to that time had kept busy. turning out new stories about his jungle hero. "Tarzan of the Apes" brought Burroughs only $700. After its phenomenal success, he retained control over his literaryworks and the royalties reached fabulous proportions. From movie rights alone he is reported to have realized $5,000,000. Almost 40,000,000 Tarzan books have been sold. Some have been translated into as many as 56 languages. The ape-man, portrayed by such actors as Johnny Weissmuller, Buster Crabbe and currently Lex Barker, has appeared in 27 movies.

Burroughs never set foot in Africa, the locale of his jungle stories. He used to recall with delight, however, that world travelers frequently  complimented him on the authenticity of his settings. Shortly after the sale of his first books, Burroughs bought the nearby Gen. Harrison Gray Otis estate in the suburbs of Los Angeles and built a home, Tarzana, in its center. He subdivided the property and the city of Tarzana grew up around his home. Surviving are three children, Joan, John and Hulbert by his first marriage.


Death Claims Noted Author
"Tarzan" Novelist Victim of Illness
Van Nuys News  Monday, March 20, 1950 Van Nuys, California

Author Edgar Rice Burroughs, 74, creator of the noted fictional figure Tarzan, which has brought him millions in publication and film rights, died yesterday morning at 8:55 a.m. in his Encino home at 5565 Zelzah Ave. 

Dr. Herman Seal, the personal physician who was present on a regular morning call at the time of Mr. Burroughs' passing, attributed his death to a heart condition and arteriosclerosis. He had been ill about three months, and for the last six weeks confined to bed and a wheel chair. 

Children At Side
Also at the bedside were his three children, Mrs. Joan Pierce and Hulbert Burroughs of Sherman Oaks, and John Coleman Burroughs of Tarzana, the Ventura Blvd community named after the family's former estate built in 1918 on a hill overlooking the Valley situated just south of the town which built up along the highway. Also named after the famous figure created by Burroughs is the town of Tarzan, Texas. 

"Tarzan of the Apes," was written and published in 1912, starting the road to success for the soon-to-be-famous author. Almost 40,000,000 Tarzan books have been sold, in addition to motion picture rights, cartoon strips, games, radio serials, a candy bar and toys, all adding to Mr. Burroughs' royalties.

He was living in Honolulu daring the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and thereafter joined the Red Cross and subsequently followed action in the Pacific theater  as an accredited war correspondent. 

Hold Private Services
Headquarters of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. is located in Tarzana, under management of C. Ralph Rothmund in charge of the author's financial empire. 

Pierce Bros. Valley Mortuary is in charge of private funeral arrangements now being made, with cremation to follow. It was Mr. Burroughs' last wish that friends give to the Crippled Children's Fund rather than send flowers to his services.


 
EDGAR BURROUGHS, TARZAN CREATOR TAKEN BY DEATH
Reno Evening Gazette   Reno, Nevada 
Tuesday, March 21, 1950
ENCINO, Calif., March 21.(AP)  - Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose own twist on the theory of evolution -- Tarzan -- brought riches that Darwin never dreamed of, is dead. 

Burroughs, author, died Sunday, but the ape-man he created will live on to delight other generations of youngsters the world over. 

Fifteen novels were awaiting publication when Burroughs died of a heart attack in bed yesterday morning. A movie producer said he had contracted to make 15 more Tarzan films. A tradition born in 1912, when Burroughs sold his first Tarzan book, apparently will continue for years to come.

The 74-year-old multimillionaire writer became ill three months ago but up to that time had kept busy turning out new stories about his jungle hero. 

"Tarzan of the Apes" brought Burroughs only $700. After its phenomenal success, he retained control over his literary works and the royalties reached fabulous proportions. From movie rights alone he is reported to have realized $3,000,000. 

Almost 40,000,000 Tarzan books have been sold. Some have been translated into as many as 56 languages. The ape-man, portrayed by such actors as Johnny Wcissmuller, Buster Crabbe and currently Lex Barker, has appeared in 27 movies.

Burroughs never set foot in Africa, the locale of his jungle stories. He used to recall with delight, however, that world travelers frequently complimerted him on the authenticity of his settings. 

Shortly after the sale of his first books, Burroughs bought the nearby Gen. Harrison Gray Otis estate in the suburbs of Los Angeles and built a home, "Tarzana," in its center. He subdivided the property and the City of Tarzana grew up around his home. He sold the house after he and tho former Emma  Hulbert, whom he had married in 1900, were divorced in 1934. A year later he married Florence Dearholt. That marriage ended in divorce in 1941. He had three children, Joan, John and Hulbert by his first marriage. They were at his bedside when he died.


 
 
Private Funeral Rites To Be Held
Middletown Journal  ~ Middletown, Ohio ~ Tuesday, March 21, 1950
TARZANA, Cal. (AP) ~ Business establishments in this San Fernando Valley community will close for one hour today during the funeral of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the town's founder and creator of the fabulous fictional character, Tarzan.

The millionaire author died peacefully at his home Sunday. He was 74. A private funeral will be conducted today at the Tarzana hom eof a son, John Coleman Burroughs. Cremation will follow.


 
Tarzan's Creator Stricken at Home
March 21, 1950
Nevada State Journal  Tuesday, March 21, 1950 Reno, Nevada
TARZANA, Calif., March 20 (UP) -- Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of modern fiction's most famed characdter -- Tarzan the Ape-man -- died quietly while reading in bed.

The 74-year-old Burroughs made Tarzan an international legend. The apeman's tree-swinging antics were known to millions everywhere and only the Bible exceeded Tarzan stories in sales. 


 

Children Principal Beneficiaries of Burroughs Estate
Monday, April 03, 1950
Van Nuys News ~ Van Nuys, California
Most of the estate of the late Edgar Rice Burroughs, famed author of Tarzan novels and short strips, is bequeathed to his three children by terms of his will, with petition for probate filed last week in Superior Court.

Burroughs died at his Tarzana home last March 19 at the age of 74, leaving a will signed May 10, 1945. Much of the author's literary interests were held by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and his will left all his stock in this enterprise to the corporation. Other stock was believed owned by hias three children.

Though the probate  petition estimated value of the estate only in the excess of $10,000, those close to Burroughs were of opinion the estate would would represent several hundred thousand dollars.

Apart from the corporation stock, all other property is designated for equal division among Hulbert Burroughs, John Coleman Burroughs, and Joan Burroughs Pierce, his children.

Burroughs' will named his two sons and his business manager, G. Ralph Rothmund, as executors.

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