Person:John Sargent (28)

Occupation

Every census in which John William Sargent appeared reported his occupation as traveling furniture salesman, but in fact he was a renowned magician, closely associated with Harry Houdini. Maybe he sold furniture too. Or maybe he was just practicing the magician's technique of misdirection. At any rate, the magician's obituary shows that he was the same man as the furniture salesman, for both were married to Bertha Lord Sargent and both lived in Manhattan at 728 West 181st Street.

After-Death Compact with Houdini

Quoted from A Magician Among the Spirits by Harry Houdini.

I have made compacts with fourteen different persons that whichever of us died first would communicate with the other if possible, but I have never received a word.... One compact was made with my private secretary, the late John W. Sargent, a man of mature years. We were very much attached to each other. The day before he underwent an operation he said to me:

"Houdini, this may be the end. If it is, I am coming back to you no matter what happens on the other side provided there is any way I can reach you. And if I can come, you will know it is I because I am going to will it so strong that you cannot be mistaken."

He died the next day. That was more than three years ago and there has been no sign. I have waited and watched believing that if any man ever could have sent back word he would have been the man. And I know that our minds were so close to each other that I would have received the signal that my friend wanted to call me. No one could accuse me of being unwilling to receive such a sign because it would have been the greatest enlightenment I could possibly have had in this world.^[8]

Books by John William Sargent

Smoke and bubbles. Publisher: New York ; Akron, Oh. : Saalfield, [1906]

Toasts for the times in pictures and rhymes. Publisher: New York, Consolidated retail booksellers, 1904.

The patter of the magician. Publisher: New York : Society of American Magicians, 1906.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 New York, New York, United States. 1900 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   p. 3A, household 65, ED 600, NARA publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241107, Image 636 [1].

   Address: 313 120th Street
   Household:
   Sergent, John. Head. Born July 1852 in Maine. Age 47. Married 21 yrs. Traveller.
   Sergent, Bertha. Wife. Born April 1853 in Maine. Age 46. Married 21 yrs.
   Sergent, Grace. Daughter. Born Aug 1881 in Maine. Age 18. Single. At school.

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 John William Sargent, in Find A Grave
   Find A Grave: Mount Hope Cemetery.

   Birth: unknown
   Death: Sep. 24, 1920
   Richmond County, New York, USA

3. ↑ Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration Publication T9)
   p. 355B, ED 488, NARA publication T9-0546, reel 546 [2].

   Address: 137 Pearl Street
   Household:
   Sargent John W. Age 27. Furniture Dealer.
   Sargent Bertha. Age 27. Wife. Keeping house.

4. ↑ Family Number: 2362, Page: 17, Reference ID: 41, GS Film number: 1433099, Digital Folder Number: 4518320, Image Number: 00245 [3], in New York, United States. 1905 State Census.

   Address: 2362 Seventh Ave
   Household:
   Sargent John H. Head. Age 53. Salesman Furn.
   Sargent Bertha. Wife. Age 52. Housework.
   Sargent Grace. Daughter. Age 23. Teacher school
   Stone Howard G. Nephew. Age 25. Clerk Pumps.
   Dusinberry May A. Boarder. Age 60. Clerk Dry Goods
   Dusinberry Ella. Boarder. Age 30. Stenography.
   Kelly Charles. Boarder. Age 26. Clerk ?
   Stokly Robt. Boarder. Clerk ?
   Gallager Mary. Servant. Age 34.
   Hearn Kate. Servant. Age 20.
   Roach Kate Servant. Age 16.

5. ↑ New York, New York, United States. 1910 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   p. 5A, family 99, ED 533, NARA microfilm publication M1283, roll 1022 [4].

   Address: 243 135 Street
   Household:
   Sargent John W. Head. Age 57. Married 30 yrs. Born in Maine. Traveller, Furniture.
   Sargent Bertha L. Wife. Age 57. Married 30 yrs. Mother of 1 child, living. Born in Maine.
   Sargent Grace. Daughter. Age 27. Single. Born in Maine. Teacher, Kindergarten.
   Saywood Carl O. Lodger. Age 22. Single. Born in N. York. Cashier, Broker.
   Galligan Annie. Servant. Age 25. Single. Born in Ireland. Servant, private family.

6. ↑ New York, United States. 1915 New York State Census.

   Address: 728 West 181st Street
   Household:
   Sargent John W. Head. Age 62. Salesman, Furniture.
   Sargent Bertha L. Wife. Age 62. Housework.
   Sargent Grace. Daughter. Age 34. School Teacher.
   Sayward Carl O. Roomer. Age 28. Salesman.

7. ↑ October 2, 1920 [5], in The Billboard, A Weekly Theatrical Digest and Review of the Show World.
8. ↑ A Magician Among the Spirits by Harry Houdini
   12-13 [6].
9. ↑ Sunday, October 9, 1904, in New York Herald.

   Mr. and Mrs. John William Sargent, of No. 2,362 Seventh avenue, celebrated the silver anniversary of their wedding on Thursday evening last by a reception to four hundred of their friends. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent were married in Bangor, Me., but have lived in this city for the last fifteen years.

10.   Sunday Morning, July 14, 1912, in The New York Press.

    JOHN W. SARGENT HONORED.
    Hungry Club at Dinner Gives Birthday Book to Him.
    The Hungry Club held it 309th dinner in Reisenweber's last night, with John William Sargent, its treasurer, as special guest, because he became sixty years old yesterday. An interesting birthday book was presented to Sargent. It consisted of 300 pages, each one bearing the work of a poet, painter, cartoonist or the simple expression of friendship from an old friend. The book was the gift eight associations with which Sargent is affiliated. Besides the Hungry Club, members of the Masonic Veterans, Howard Lodge No. 35, the Society of American Magicians, the Friars, the Maine Society of New York and others sent contributions for the volume.
    The front cover of the book, which is bound in suede, bore the inscription, "John William Sargent, His Book, 1912," worked in gold by B. B. Kirtland. Chaucey M. Depew and Hudson Maxim were contributors.