The Brickwall Thread

[Vico2]

There is a great facebook page called AUSSIE & UK ANGELS - reuniting lost relatives and friends. If your on facebook join the group, give them as much info up front as you have (saves a lot of going back and forward with questions) and if the inf is there they will help you. They helped me within 12 hours and another whom I recommended to the site within 9 hours reconnect with relatives missing since 1960's. Good luck.

I hope you can find the information you want Milkman. The hospital is still in Rochestown Avenue, it is now a rehabilitation centre. My dad was there after a serious stroke years ago. It might be no harm to get in touch as they may have an archivist with some historical information. Best of luck with it

[KatieMorag]

I was aware of that Katie, but I have seen it with both spelling in old documents. R M's first cousin was Eliza Victoria Levey, her parents were John Levey and Mary Ann Lavender. So I'm going with that, but thanks for getting in touch on that

that's okay, thought you probably knew anyway.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Ok part two coming up.

In 1832 (I don't have the exact date) Richard Michael married Eleanor Evans in St Andrew's Church in Westland Row. Then on 2nd March 1833 he married her again in the Pro Cathedral. I don't know the exact reason for this but I am assuming that at the time of his first marriage he had not actually legally changed his name, but married in the name of Levey. If so, the marriage would not have been valid, so they had to do it all again. Ellen, his wife was a very accomplished singer. She sang mostly opera and was well known and respected for her performance.

Ellen was born in Dublin and baptised on 7th July 1809 in St Catherine's Church, Meath Street. Unfortunately I don't have her birth date or information on her family except that he father was Joseph Evans and her mother was Jane Mullen. The Leveys had quite a few children, very difficult to track as some of them were born outside of Ireland.

The Leveys were friendly with Michael Balfe (of I dreamt I dwelt in Marble Halls fame) and his wife Lina who was a Hungarian opera singer. She was godmother for a few of the Levey children. Many people don't know that Balfe was a singer as well as a composer, and sang in his own operas.


The Freeman's Journal reported the birth of the first Levey child in 1833. The wording is a hoot by our standards "the lady of Mr Richard Levey, of the Theatre Royal, ok a daughter". Mary may have died as a baby as no further information could be found on her at all.

The following year, their first son was born, Richard Michael junior, christened in St Andrew's church, Westland Row. Unfortunately the child died in 1835, the year after his birth.

On 25th April 1837 William Charles Levey was born. He was a twin, the other twin was called after his father and dead brother, Richard Michael. That practice was quite common in those days.

William Charles studied violin with his father and then in Paris. He was, for some years, musical director the Drury Lane, Covent Garden and Adelphi Theatres. His operettas Franchette and Punchinello were performed in Covent Garden in 1864. He also wrote music for the production of Anthony and Cleopatra, a Triumphant March composed for the Dublin International Exhibition of 1865 The Man of War and many others.

In 1866 William Charles was living in 12 Waltham Terrace, Blackrock, probably with his sister Emma. He and Emma performed together quite a lot. Here is where it gets more interesting. Emma was married to Henry Cruise, who in turn was a brother of Julia Cruise, R M Senior's second wife. So R M senior, was Henry's father in law and brother in law all at the same time.

That is all for tonight, more tomorrow if people are still interested.

Brilliant....im intrigued as the plot thickens.......Hurry up with Pt3 then.

[Vico2]

Brilliant....im intrigued as the plot thickens.......Hurry up with Pt3 then.

DTW you will have to control yourself until tomorrow. I thought you might the father in law brother in law bit!!!

I won't list all the children it would take too long, just the more well known ones. They were all musicians, girls and boys.

I have now had time to contact the very kind gentleman who did so much research for me on the Leveys and have his permission to put up his name. It is John Doran, thank you again John.

Next lot tomorrow night.

[KatieMorag]

DTW you will have to control yourself until tomorrow. I thought you might the father in law brother in law bit!!!

I won't list all the children it would take too long, just the more well known ones. They were all musicians, girls and boys.

I have now had time to contact the very kind gentleman who did so much research for me on the Leveys and have his permission to put up his name. It is John Doran, thank you again John.

Next lot tomorrow night.

JD certainly knows his stuff on this kind of thing.......

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

DTW you will have to control yourself until tomorrow. I thought you might the father in law brother in law bit!!!

I won't list all the children it would take too long, just the more well known ones. They were all musicians, girls and boys.

I have now had time to contact the very kind gentleman who did so much research for me on the Leveys and have his permission to put up his name. It is John Doran, thank you again John.

Next lot tomorrow night.

okie dokes :-)
Good oul JD a man after me own heart:-)

[KatieMorag]

okie dokes :-)
Good oul JD a man after me own heart:-)

as long as he's not the JD Sports guy........

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

as long as he's not the JD Sports guy........

I woz tinkin Jack Daniels Ony yolkin....wots wrong with the sports JD...did they rip ye off.?

[KatieMorag]

I woz tinkin Jack Daniels Ony yolkin....wots wrong with the sports JD...did they rip ye off.?

Controversy a couple of years back about working conditions.........

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Controversy a couple of years back about working conditions.........

oh...are they one and same as Sports Direct then ?

[KatieMorag]

oh...are they one and same as Sports Direct then ?

oh, naybe I got them mixed up......if so sorry JD Sports.....pease don't sue.....

no, i was right, there was accusations against conditions at its distribution centre in 2016.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

oh, naybe I got them mixed up......if so sorry JD Sports.....pease don't sue.....

no, i was right, there was accusations against conditions at its distribution centre in 2016.

Dor all at it so.....feckin robbers.

[Vico2]

Sorry folks logging in a bit late tonight. I was at the cinema.

William Charles Levey died on 18th August 1894 in London. Unfortunately William Charles appears to have fallen on hard times towards the end of his life. After his death, a number of well known musicians put a letter into a local newspaper making an appeal for money as William's family had been left unprovided for. Any donations were to be sent to his brother Haydn H Levey at 7 Haycroft Road, Brixton Hill. I have no idea what the response was like.

William Charles's twin was Richard Michael Levey. He became a virtuoso violinist who appeared at Musard's concerts in Paris He later devised an act in which he posed as "Paganni Redivivus", having it was said, a Svengali like appearance which could be made to resemble Paganini's ghost.

Richard Michael was married twice. On his 25th December 1865 marriage certificate his occupation is recorded as a violinist and hers is recorded as a singer. I don't know much about Emma Raymond except that she died.

The other Emma, his second wife, was Emma Mueller, born in Berlin. According to the UK census of 1891


I think he had quite a few children between his two marriages. Unfortunately I don't have information on all of them, except that three of his daughters became performers and were known as "The Sisters Levey".

The following are the children I was able to locate:
Nelly born in February 1864. She went on to teach singing and guitar
Adeline born in 1870 in Paris. She became an actress
Mary Lillian born in 1873 was a talented elocutionist and actress
Charlotta was born in 1874
Charles was born in 1876
Joachim was born in 1878
Emma born in Paris in 1880
Helen born in Liverpool in 1884
Elizabeth born in Paris 1888

There was another son called Richard B. Unfortunately I have no information on his birth.

Th details I have of his children are incomplete as they were born in the UK. I am not a member of any of the UK sites myself. Any information I have in that department has been kindly supplied by John Doran.

In 1870 Richard Michael Levey as Paganini Redivivus toured counties Cork, Waterford and Wexford with Mrs Cruise, (his widowed sister, Emma), Pauline O’Neill and his daughter, Nelly Levey (born in February 1864). Nelly sang with him while only five years of age on tour in Cork, Waterford and Wexford in early 1870.

He too appears to have fallen on hard times. Sadly he made an appeal to other members of his profession for financial assistance on 17th April 1895, explaining that he had not earned for eight months due to the fact that he was suffering from rheumatic gout, also his daughter of six years of age had died. Here again I have no idea what the response to his appeal was. He died on 17th April 1911 at 9 All Saints Road, Landport, Portsmouth in the home of his son, Richard B.


In 1838 John Levey (son of R M senior and Ellen) was baptised in St Andrew's church in Westland Row, Dublin. My record does not show the exact date. He became a dramatist, author and comedian. He died at Seaforth, Liverpool on 17th September 1891.

More tomorrow folks

[KatieMorag]

Very distinguished lineage, Vico

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Sorry folks logging in a bit late tonight. I was at the cinema.

William Charles Levey died on 18th August 1894 in London. Unfortunately William Charles appears to have fallen on hard times towards the end of his life. After his death, a number of well known musicians put a letter into a local newspaper making an appeal for money as William's family had been left unprovided for. Any donations were to be sent to his brother Haydn H Levey at 7 Haycroft Road, Brixton Hill. I have no idea what the response was like.

William Charles's twin was Richard Michael Levey. He became a virtuoso violinist who appeared at Musard's concerts in Paris He later devised an act in which he posed as "Paganni Redivivus", having it was said, a Svengali like appearance which could be made to resemble Paganini's ghost.

Richard Michael was married twice. On his 25th December 1865 marriage certificate his occupation is recorded as a violinist and hers is recorded as a singer. I don't know much about Emma Raymond except that she died.

The other Emma, his second wife, was Emma Mueller, born in Berlin. According to the UK census of 1891


I think he had quite a few children between his two marriages. Unfortunately I don't have information on all of them, except that three of his daughters became performers and were known as "The Sisters Levey".

The following are the children I was able to locate:
Nelly born in February 1864. She went on to teach singing and guitar
Adeline born in 1870 in Paris. She became an actress
Mary Lillian born in 1873 was a talented elocutionist and actress
Charlotta was born in 1874
Charles was born in 1876
Joachim was born in 1878
Emma born in Paris in 1880
Helen born in Liverpool in 1884
Elizabeth born in Paris 1888

There was another son called Richard B. Unfortunately I have no information on his birth.

Th details I have of his children are incomplete as they were born in the UK. I am not a member of any of the UK sites myself. Any information I have in that department has been kindly supplied by John Doran.

In 1870 Richard Michael Levey as Paganini Redivivus toured counties Cork, Waterford and Wexford with Mrs Cruise, (his widowed sister, Emma), Pauline O’Neill and his daughter, Nelly Levey (born in February 1864). Nelly sang with him while only five years of age on tour in Cork, Waterford and Wexford in early 1870.

He too appears to have fallen on hard times. Sadly he made an appeal to other members of his profession for financial assistance on 17th April 1895, explaining that he had not earned for eight months due to the fact that he was suffering from rheumatic gout, also his daughter of six years of age had died. Here again I have no idea what the response to his appeal was. He died on 17th April 1911 at 9 All Saints Road, Landport, Portsmouth in the home of his son, Richard B.


In 1838 John Levey (son of R M senior and Ellen) was baptised in St Andrew's church in Westland Row, Dublin. My record does not show the exact date. He became a dramatist, author and comedian. He died at Seaforth, Liverpool on 17th September 1891.

More tomorrow folks

Hey.... great job there V2....what a story....and so much info.....I'll be tuning in tmorra night again.