Logan Family, The

Logan Family, The. Playwright and comedian Cornelius A[mbrosius] Logan (1806–53) is generally believed to have been born in Baltimore and to have made his acting debut in Philadelphia in 1825. Noah Ludlow notes that Logan manifested ambitions to be a tragedian, but that his “unchangeable comic” face denied him success. Much of his acting career was spent in the Midwest (called the West in his day), where he specialized in Yankee roles. He was the author of several comedies in which such Yankee characters were pivotal figures: Yankee Land; or, The Foundling of the Apple Orchard (1834), The Vermont Wool Dealer (1840), and Chloroform; or, New York a Hundred Years Hence (1849). Logan's daughters were also prominent performers. The eldest, Eliza (1830–72), was given a careful education by her father in the hope that she would not follow in his wandering footsteps. However, he supported her final decision to become an actress. She made her debut as Young Norval in Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre when she was only eleven and her New York bow in 1850 as Pauline in The Lady of Lyons. Most of her career was spent performing as a major star in the South or Midwest. She is said to have possessed an attractive, expressive face, a fine figure, and a sweet, adaptable voice. The critic for the New York Herald described her acting as “impulsive, electric and at times singularly impressive from the power she throws into a few brief words.” She retired in 1859 when she married George Wood, who operated theatres in St. Louis and Cincinnati. Olive [Sykes] Logan (1839?–1909) made her debut as a child actress playing opposite her father. After his death she spent several seasons in important roles at Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre, then left to study in Europe, where she published her first novel and travel book. Returning to America she assumed the title role in her own play, Eveleen (1864), which she performed in New York and on tour. Other roles included Laura Roslyn opposite Frank Chanfrau in Sam, Lady Gay Spanker in London Assurance, and with a troupe of French actors who were appearing in New York in 500 Francs de Récompense. Thereafter she performed only on occasion, preferring to lecture on women's rights and other topics of interest to her, and to write. Among her other plays were Surf (1870), A Business Woman (1873), La Cigale (1878), and Newport; or, The Swimmer, the Singer, and the Cypher (1879); among her books was The Mimic World (1871).