San Jose, California anyone? I need information.

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Hi. I am trying to find anyone here that either lives in or near San Jose, California (or familiar with it) that can help me with a piece of historical information. It concerns a section known as San Carlos Street or West San Carlos Street. Is there anyone familiar enough with this section of San Jose that might be able to help me? If so, I can fill you in on the information I am trying to find. Thank you.

I live there, but I'm not sure how much I could help.

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My nephew Coke needs to eat! Obviously we're related.

Thank you for replying Sempiternal. I have been researching sideshow personalities of the 19th Century and have found reference to a personality in San Jose in the period of 1890. His name was Lewie, The Original Tattooed Boy, and was listed as 15 years old in 1890. It was said the other kids hated him because he was allowed to get tattoos and they weren't. This information accompanied a picture of him dated 1890 and can be found on the internet by searching under Lewie the original tattooed boy. I have been unable to contact the author of the site, nor have I been unable to contact anyone else associated with the website. It is generally easy to find information on other such personalities and sideshow entertainers, but Lewie seems to be quite difficult to find anything on. As the internet shows him in reference to the tattoo shops of San Carlos Street or West San Carlos Street, I am assuming that more information might lie there, but again, I have been unable to get any emails answered from any shop I have emailed. My next line of action is to find someone who lives in San Jose and possibly have them locate where this picture and information of Lewie came from. If you feel you can help me locate information on Lewie, I would be most grateful, but if you are not interested---trust me, it is most understandable and I will not be disappointed. Thank you for replying to my OP.

http://www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbel ... atoos.html

I'll see what I can do. I don't quite recall being on that street before. I don't think I most likely can do much for you, depending on the specifics of how you want the information to be obtained or what kind of information you want.

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My nephew Coke needs to eat! Obviously we're related.

Thank you for getting back to me.

What I am trying to find out is (the basic things one would find when reading about sideshow personalities):

His full name and possible birth and death dates.
If he worked in the sideshows or other kind of carnival exhibits---with what company.
What occupation(s) he was involved in.
Where all he may have lived.
Any interesting facts about him.
Actually---just anything that can be found.

Basically what has me interested is the absence of material there is on him. Nearly every sideshow or unique individual from that time period is relatively easily researched. But not Lewie. Perhaps he was not involved in sideshows---but given the time period (1890) and the large amounts of tattoos he had---it is assumed that he did do some kind of carnival work in sideshows---and by the fact that the website I linked to lists him as "The Original Tattooed Boy." That seems like a sideshow name. Whenever I try to email the guy who has the website that has his picture, the email is returned as undeliverable. I contacted thru email some tattoo shops on West San Carlos Street (because I feel like the website author got the picture from one of those shops---just a hunch). But I have not received any replies back from them.

So many of the sideshow personalities I have researched were from the East Coast---especially places like Coney Island. And---the most likely place for sideshows to exhibit were with the traveling circuses like Ringling Brothers. There were also several traveling sideshow companies that had a great many performers over the years. My primary interest is in the 19th Century and early 20th Century performers---which is where Lewie fits.

One of the most fascinating acts I ever researched were two brothers who went by the name of The Eddy Brothers. They had entire groups of people convinced in their skill of mediumship and shows of displaying ghosts thru seances. Trumpets and other objects floated over the spectators while ghostly apparitions rose out of the spirit cabinet nearby.

Anyway, thank you for your help.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsHwVRL06R8[/youtube]

I couldn't resist.

Hi. I really don't think there is anything you can do. The goal would be to find the place (possibly tattoo shop) that the picture came from. Then see if they knew anything about the subject of the picture---Lewie. This would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. What I am hoping will happen is that someone will read my post and say that they know of the story of Lewie.

Since Lewie was 15 in 1890, he more than likely died sometime around 1930-1950. There is a possibility that there are older people alive who remember Lewie as an older man---assuming he did live that long.

Let me tell you how I found out information on a story my grandfather told me before he died. He said that he had had a little sister that died in a fire when he was himself very young (back in the era of 1920). He had no dates for her nor any name. But I found her by researching the census records and death records for Kentucky during that time. I located a death record for her and knew it was her because it listed my grandfather's parents as the parents of the girl.

But...

It appears the census records for California during the period of 1890 were themselves destroyed in a fire---a fire which destroyed the census records for states beginning with the letter "A" thru half of the records of the letter "K".

As death records can still be traced, how does one search off of a first name only along with a birth year of either 1874 or 1875---assuming the date of the picture and Lewie's age were accurately listed? I have tried, and I have run into cold leads.

I might email the historical society of San Jose (if there is one) and see if they have records for deaths that I can research according to first names with an approximate birth date.

Anyway, thank you for showing interest in this little piece of research I am doing. But don't feel bad for not being able to find anything because it would definitely be luck to find anything on a subject with so few pieces of information.

Well...seems I have misunderstood something for a long time. I just found out that West San Carlos appears in two California cities (at least)---San Jose and Burbank. It turns out that the street I am referring to is in Burbank and not San Jose like I thought. What is confusing is that the street goes through a section of Burbank referred to as a San Jose---but of course not the city of San Jose. Gee---talk about confusing. Anyway, my apology for leading you down the wrong path---I was misled too.

Burbank anyone???

Ahh... I see. It's quite alright then.

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My nephew Coke needs to eat! Obviously we're related.

Well, I messed up again. Wow I got confused. Ok...I found one of the possible tattoo shops and it shows it on West San Carlos Street in Burbank. The only Burbank I know is in LA. It turns out the street is in Burbank---which happens to be another Burbank, this one in San Jose. So it is in your city afterall. Wow, am I feeling silly. I have a couple leads through some census reports. I will keep you posted on this thread---hopefully I am clear on the location now.

The one tattoo shop is in Burbank, San Jose, CA called David's Tattoo. I will try to email them to see if this 1890 picture of Lewie is something they know about. All I want to know is a little background on him along with his full name. I am also trying to find where that picture came from---it must have been out of one of the tattoo shops on West San Carlos Street.

Thank you for putting up with me.

It's alright. And good luck!

_________________
My nephew Coke needs to eat! Obviously we're related.