Ira Erastus Davenport

Background

Ira Erastus Davenport, was born on September 17, 1839; the son of Ira and Virtue (Honeysett) Davenport, and the elder brother of William Henry Harrison Davenport, who was born on February 1, 1841.

Career

During the excitement caused in 1848 by the so-called “spirit rappings” of Margaret and Kate Fox, a number of children became the flattered objects of attention of parents alert for supernatural phenomena. Among these were the Davenport boys, in Buffalo.

While tied with heavy sash-ropes in intricate knots—known later as the “Davenport ties”—they could produce sounds from musical instruments hung near them in a darkened room. Their reputation spread and they were brought to New York in 1855 but were soon exposed as mere sleight-of-hand performers and sent home. They then worked out a more elaborate program in which they were tied hand and foot at opposite ends of a large boxlike affair with doors.

When the doors were closed, instruments hung in the cabinet were played, bells sounded, and “spirit hands” appeared in the small opening in one of the doors.

The brothers were immediately successful in attracting public interest and in 1864 went to Europe where they became the center of excited controversy in which many prominent people took part. William M. Fay acted as their manager and sometimes substituted for William whose health was poor.

J. B. Fergeson joined them as a lecturer, and later his place was taken by T. L. Nichols, both firm believers in the supernatural character of the Davenports’ performance. At one time Harry Kellar traveled with them. The first tour abroad lasted four years.

The brothers then toured America until 1874 when they started on a world tour that ended with the death of William in Australia, July 1, 1877.

Ira was much broken by the death of his brother and retired to a farm near Mayville, New York. He made one brief attempt to “come back” with Fay in 1895, but it was without success and he returned to Mayville, where he died July 8, 1911. No statements, however, have shaken the faith of certain groups who still consider the Davenports to have been possessed of supernatural powers.

Achievements

• Davenport's cabinets and rope-ties were the fathers of many vaudeville acts thereafter.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Spiritual Experiences, Including Seven Months with the Brothers Davenport

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • A biography of the brothers Davenport (The Occult)

Views

Quotations: “We never in public affirmed our belief in spiritualism, that we regarded as no business of the public, nor did we offer our entertainments as the results of sleight of hand, nor on the other hand as spiritualism, we let our friends and foes settle that as best they could between themselves. ”

Personality

Davenport was handsome men of medium height, with mustaches and goatees.

Connections

In the spring of 1866, Ira married his second wife, Louise Toulet, having previously been married in February 1862 to Augusta Green who died soon after.

The next year William was married, according to his father, to Matilda May in Königsberg, and, according to Houdini, to Adah Isaacs Menken, “the Bengal Tiger Woman, ” in Paris.

Father:

Ira Davenport

Mother:

Virtue (Honeysett) Davenport

Brother:

William Henry Davenport

Second wife:

Louise Toulet

First wife:

Augusta Green