Caroline Miskel-Hoyt
Encyclopedia
Caroline Miskel-Hoyt was an American stage actress who became the second wife of playwright Charles Hale Hoyt
.
side of the Ohio River
at Covington
on September 15, 1873. Her parents, Christopher Columbus and Mary Menzies Scales, moved to Toronto, in 1875, where at some point she became a student of the Canadian elocutionist, Jessie Alexander.
Over the years Caroline’s father was known as a merchant, Kentucky state legislator, Tobacco Journal editor and inventor.
at the age eighteen where she soon made her professional stage début touring with Augustin Daly
’s famed repertory
company that by season's end saw her playing Phebe, the shepherdess in Shakespeare As You Like It
. She later portrayed Marguerite in Charles Osborne
’s The Face in the Moonlight opposite Robert B. Mantell
and the following season as Ruth Hardman, in Charles Hale Hoyt's
.’s satiric comedy A Temperance Town, that opened on the 17th of September, 1893 at Hoyt’s Madison Square Theatre and ran for 125 performances. Though by then Caroline was known as a promising young actress with a flare for comedy, she chose to retire from the stage to support her husband not long after they married on March 4, 1894. She returned to the theater in 1897 to star in Hoyt's new play A Contented Woman, that's Broadway
premier was anticipated for the next season after a brief shakedown tour of several northeastern cities.
While in Hartford, Connecticut
early the following year, at a ceremony following the last curtain call
of the opening night's performance of A Contented Woman, Caroline received an award from the publishers of The Dramatic News. She had been voted by its the reader's as "most popular actress" in a contest the magazine had conducted over the previous few weeks. As her reward, she received a full nickel coated Columbia bicycle from the American Bicycle Company along with an ornate tool storage pouch, a solid silver cyclometer from The Standard Watch Company and a silver search lamp from the Bridgeport Brass Company.
.
Charles Hale Hoyt
Charles Hale Hoyt was an American dramatist.-Biography:Hoyt was born in Concord, New Hampshire. He had a difficult childhood, as his mother died when he was nine years old. He graduated at the Boston Latin School and, after being engaged in the cattle business in Colorado for a time, took up...
.
Early life
Caroline Scales (professionally known as Caroline Miskell), was born in the shadow of Cincinnati along the KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
side of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
at Covington
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
on September 15, 1873. Her parents, Christopher Columbus and Mary Menzies Scales, moved to Toronto, in 1875, where at some point she became a student of the Canadian elocutionist, Jessie Alexander.
Over the years Caroline’s father was known as a merchant, Kentucky state legislator, Tobacco Journal editor and inventor.
Career
Caroline moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the age eighteen where she soon made her professional stage début touring with Augustin Daly
Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va...
’s famed repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
company that by season's end saw her playing Phebe, the shepherdess in Shakespeare As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
. She later portrayed Marguerite in Charles Osborne
Charles Osborne
Charles Osborne hiccupped continuously for 68 years .Osborne was from Anthon, Iowa, U.S., and he was entered in Guinness World Records as the man with the Longest Attack of Hiccups. The hiccups started in 1923 and persisted for a total of 68 years...
’s The Face in the Moonlight opposite Robert B. Mantell
Robert B. Mantell
Robert Bruce Mantell was a heralded Shakespearean stage actor who made several silent films. His mother was Elizabeth Bruce Mantell who objected to her son becoming an actor so he used the name 'Robert Hudson' early in his career. Mantell first came to the United States in 1874 and stayed two...
and the following season as Ruth Hardman, in Charles Hale Hoyt's
Charles Hale Hoyt
Charles Hale Hoyt was an American dramatist.-Biography:Hoyt was born in Concord, New Hampshire. He had a difficult childhood, as his mother died when he was nine years old. He graduated at the Boston Latin School and, after being engaged in the cattle business in Colorado for a time, took up...
.’s satiric comedy A Temperance Town, that opened on the 17th of September, 1893 at Hoyt’s Madison Square Theatre and ran for 125 performances. Though by then Caroline was known as a promising young actress with a flare for comedy, she chose to retire from the stage to support her husband not long after they married on March 4, 1894. She returned to the theater in 1897 to star in Hoyt's new play A Contented Woman, that's Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
premier was anticipated for the next season after a brief shakedown tour of several northeastern cities.
While in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
early the following year, at a ceremony following the last curtain call
Curtain call
A curtain call occurs at the end of a performance when individuals return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for their performance. In musical theater, the performers typically recognize the orchestra and its conductor at the end of the curtain call...
of the opening night's performance of A Contented Woman, Caroline received an award from the publishers of The Dramatic News. She had been voted by its the reader's as "most popular actress" in a contest the magazine had conducted over the previous few weeks. As her reward, she received a full nickel coated Columbia bicycle from the American Bicycle Company along with an ornate tool storage pouch, a solid silver cyclometer from The Standard Watch Company and a silver search lamp from the Bridgeport Brass Company.
Death
On October 1, 1898 Caroline Miskel-Hoyt, who had not been well, became gravely ill following the birth of her baby son and died the next day. Her baby perished as well and mother and son were later interned together at the Hoyt family plot in Charlestown, New HampshireCharlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation Association....
.