Home > United States of America > South Carolina > Oconee County > Seneca > Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery > William L Dodson

William L Dodson

View larger map

1 / 3

2 / 3

3 / 3

❮ ❯

William L Dodson

Birth	:	1876 California, USA
Death	:	18 Aug 1914 California, USA
Burial	:	Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery, Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate	:	34.6611530, -82.9358500
Description	:	Los Angeles Times January 13, 1907 Billie's Way Is Feminine Man-Milliner of El Monte a "Perfect Lady" Brings Suit for a Divorce from an Actress Sews and Cooks and Talks like a Woman Every girl between Los Angeles and San Bernardino has a new and thrilling interest in hats. Billie Dodson -- the man-milliner of El Monte, who manufactures chapeaus that are sought even by fashionable women of Pasadena -- is about to be divorced. The suit to free him from an unhappy marriage with an actress will be tried in the Superior Court within the next few days. Billie Dodson is one of the most singular characters... Read More	Los Angeles Times January 13, 1907 Billie's Way Is Feminine Man-Milliner of El Monte a "Perfect Lady" Brings Suit for a Divorce from an Actress Sews and Cooks and Talks like a Woman Every girl between Los Angeles and San Bernardino has a new and thrilling interest in hats. Billie Dodson -- the man-milliner of El Monte, who manufactures chapeaus that are sought even by fashionable women of Pasadena -- is about to be divorced. The suit to free him from an unhappy marriage with an actress will be tried in the Superior Court within the next few days. Billie Dodson is one of the most singular characters in this queer old world of ours. Frankly and avowedly, he is what the world unkindly calls a "sissy." He lives practically the life of a woman. His friends are all girls. He walks like a girl. He talks like a girl. He cooks and sews like a girl. For profession he trims gorgeous hats; designs gowns and sews them himself. His embroideries are sought far and wide. That might be common enough. Men with feminine natures are not lacking. The strange part is that Billie Dodson has the respect of every man in that little town whose people are direct descendants of the rough old Forty-niners. In a way Billie Dodson is pathetic. His sissy ways are due to a life of self-sacrifice. He is the one of one of the old Southern families who were California pioneers. HIS SACRIFICES From the time of his birth, his mother was an invalid. In his devotion to her, he spent all his little-boy life by her side, sewing and knitting and crocheting, instead of playing baseball. When she died, he stayed with his father, doing the cooking and mending and keeping house. He tended to the smaller children. In fact, Billie played the part of a dutiful daughter. The rest was perfectly inevitable. Billie Dodson grew to manhood as a very refined young lady. When it came the time of his life when young men fret to be away and out into the big world, Billie dod not go the way of the other boys. He was not attracted to the law courts or the bank or the newspaper life. He left little old El Monte which was a sleepy little frontier town then. He went into vaudeville as a female impersonator and made a famous success. He didn't have to learn to walk and talk like a girl, he did that already. "Always did," he says with a girlish vivacity. Then he felt it to be his duty to come back to El Monte to look after his father and step-mother. HIS FEMININE WAYS One day, two years ago, this particular sign when tup in the front street of the little town. "BILLIE DODSON, MILLINER" In his front window are displays of dainty hats, intermingled with silk girdle corsets, garters, embroidery, lace -- well, you know those lace things. The feminine life of the valley rotates around the little hack room where sits Billie with a little gold thimble on his finger and his needle and his hat trimmings. No woman ever went downtown without stopping at Billie's. They all sit there and discuss the things that girls talk about together when no men are by. One dear old lady comes down once every week of her life and spends the entire day at Billie's; they sit there, each either their sewing, and talk and talk and drink tea and have a delicate little luncheon of Billie's making. One of these girl soirees was in full blast yesterday when a Times man called on Billie. From the back of the room of the little hat-adorned shop came the sounds of busy talk and laughter. NERVOUS WITH MEN As the door banged shut, came a mincing little man with spectacles and in a dressing jacket. In one hand he bore a crumptious Easter bonnet with a long ostrich feather plume -- Billie!! The girls hushed their laughter and stole away. They could not longer talk their talk. "Will you come over?" called one of the gials. "Well I just will," said Billie, like an overly effusive girl. "You will excuse me if I keep right on working," said Billie as he ushered the Times man into his back room. "You see, I am getting ready for my Easter opening." To tell the truth, the talk rather dragged at first. Billie was conscious of it himself. "The truth is," he said, "I always feel more or less under restraint when I am talking to a man. If you were only a girl, we would be talking about all kinds of things." "To me?" he said with a little shrill note of surprise, "Oh dear, yes." "Billie paused an instant while he deftly caught the end of a long white plume and made it fast to the edge of the felt. "Oh dear, yes; we talk just like girls. You know, things you wouldn't like to say before a man." "Love!" Billie paused to quickly thread the needle and said reproachfully, "Oh no, just pals. The girls come in every afternoon to see me. They say, 'I'm going down to Bill's' and everyone understands." He got up and shook lint off his clothes and picked up a long piece of black velvet, pinned over a welt, and snipped down the welt with a pair of shiny little scissors. "I'm just feminine in my nature -- that's all," he said resignedly. "I always did walk and talk like a girl. And I never did like to do boys' things. "Do you know, when I go to see my cousins in the city, it's funny. When I go in the boys always come and shake hands with me and talk a little while and then go out to their games and leave me with the girls. It seems to be the commonly accepted thing." CAN COOK ANYTHING One of the funniest things about Billie Dodson is his mothering of a gang of young college boys who are down near El Monte with a surveyor's gang helping to build the Huntington trolley line. "They are real nice boys," he says, "I have them in here every night. You know it keeps them out of the pool rooms. Yes, they come in here and I make chocolate for them and we play the piano. "Cook? Of course I can cook. My dear fellow, I tell you I can do anything on earth that a woman can do. I can cook any dish ever manufactured. I can sew anything; I can make any kind of dress, I can embroider anything. Here....wait..." Billie came tripping out of the room and came back with two exquisite lunch cloths draped over his arm. A PERFECT DREAM "You think they are pretty? Why, thank you," he said, pleased. He says he will never go back to the stage in spite of his success. "I had enough of the life," he said. Suddenly he brightened, his eyes danced with animation. "You should have seen some of the gowns that I made for myself on the stage. There was one embroidered all down the front." He dropped his needle and exclaimed fervently, "Honestly, that was a perfect DREAM." And Billie's eyes grew vacant and he had to give himself a little shake to get back to earth again -- from thinking of his wonderful gown. The odd thing about Billie Dodson is that he lacks the offensive and wholesome suggestion that usually lingers about an effeminate man. He is more like a kind-hearted, sensible, cheery woman. He was married to an actress who wearied of quiet El Monte and went away. He has a younger brother whom he supports and sends to school, and who voluntarily chooses to live with him rather than his own father. He thinks Billie is the best brother that ever lived. The delicate, tasty little milliner has the respect of every man in the town. ------------------------------------- Los Angeles Times August 20, 1914 pg. I-12 Was Female Impersonator William L. Dodson, a milliner, 40 years of age, died Tuesday evening at the family residence, No. 683 East Firty-first street. He was a native son, born and reared in El Monte. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Dodson, were pioneers of Los Angeles county. Mr. Dodson formerly was an impersonator of female characters, closing a two-year engagement on the Pantages circuit last October in Los Angeles. He was a prominent Mason and he and Mrs. Dodson were members of the Eastern Star No. 168. Funeral services will be held at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon at the Presbyterian Church in El Monte. Burial will be in the El Monte Cemetery.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is William L Dodson's memorial?
William L Dodson's memorial is located at: Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery, Seneca, Oconee County, USA.
When did William L Dodson death?
William L Dodson death on 18 Aug 1914 in California, USA
Where are the coordinates of the William L Dodson's memorial?
Latitude: 34.6611530
Longitude: -82.9358500

Family Members:

Parent

PVT William Riley Dodson

(1839 - 1921)

Claramond “Carrie” Jones Dodson

(1848 - 1902)

Spouse

Jessie Vernon Dunham Dodson

(1872 - 1935)

Siblings

John Wilkes Booth Dodson

(1866 - 1925)

Mae Dodson Mings

(1869 - 1939)

Elbert Jones Dodson

(1872 - 1935)

Foster Dodson

(1890 - 1948)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6611530, -82.9358500

2. Wildwood Memorial Park
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6547012, -82.9289017

3. Patterson Family Cemetery
Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6767950, -82.9256860

4. Oak Grove Cemetery
Utica, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6805992, -82.9372025

5. Reedy Fork Baptist Church Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6474110, -82.9556220

6. Trinity Baptist Church Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6770460, -82.9562720

7. Seneca Presbyterian Church
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6831972, -82.9556111

8. Mountain View Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6890984, -82.9552002

9. Mount Nebo Baptist Church Cemetery #2
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6658290, -82.8969600

10. Hepsibah Baptist Church Cemetery #2
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6263750, -82.9185180

11. Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6650410, -82.8898770

12. Eternal Sheppard Lutheran Church Columbari
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6985660, -82.9248210

13. Hunt Family Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6890340, -82.9695090

14. Ozion Baptist Church
Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6185250, -82.9360090

15. Episcopal Church of the Ascension Columbarium
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.7007640, -82.9551000

16. Friendship United Methodist Church Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6272400, -82.9036900

17. Old Kilpatrick Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6153600, -82.9573300

18. Old Kilpatrick Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6141300, -82.9577000

19. Sims Family Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.7111940, -82.9189550

20. Davis Family Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.7018670, -82.8926520

21. Return Baptist Church Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6390230, -82.9972650

22. Stribbling Cemetery
Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.7168999, -82.9411011

23. Hall Family Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.7124800, -82.9635500

24. Baldwin-Yow-Caradine Cemetery
Seneca, Oconee County, USA
Coordinate: 34.6188990, -82.8896850