Eight year old Edith Laura Mahler died at the 1903 Chicago theater fire

Website with 681+ pages devoted to 1903 Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago

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Edith Laura Mahler and nanny Annie Anderson died at Iroquois Theater fire

Edith was a third-grader at the Sumner elementary school, enjoying Christmas vacation. Going to see Mr. Bluebeard at the beautiful new Iroquois Theater would be a fun adventure to tell her schoolmates about when school started back up after the New Years' holiday. Eight-year-old Edith Laura Mahler (b. 1895) and her twenty-nine-year-old babysitter, Annie Anderson (b. 1874), never returned to the Mahler family home at 2141 Jackson Blvd. Nothing was reported about the locations of their seats at the Iroquois or how they died, but both perished. A stage fire spread to the auditorium and within minutes nearly six hundred were dead in America's worst theater disaster.

Edith's parents

Robert Martin Mahler (1866–1938) was the treasurer at the Henry Wichert Company, a producer of catsup, salad dressings, mustard, horseradish, pickles, and vinegar. The parents of Anna Laura Coates Mahler (1871–1952) were from England; Robert's parents were from Germany.

Edith's little sister, two-year-old Adele Irene Mahler (1902–2005) was too young for the theater.

Robert identified Edith's body at Rolston's Funeral Home, and a Nils A. Larson identified Annie's body at Jordan's Funeral Home. Edith's funeral was held on January 2, 1904, at 1:30 pm. Nothing is known about Annie's funeral.

Annie Anderson

Annie usually helped out with Adele and housework but, for this special outing, Edith was probably pleased to have her full attention, like having a big sister. Annie must remain a mystery for the time being. The 1900 census reports several hundred women named Annie Anderson living in Chicago, most from Scandinavia, and many working as household servants. She did not work for the Mahler family then and did not live with any of the three Chicagoans named Nils Larson, who identified her body after the fire. 1903 newspapers gave her address as that of the Mahler family, indicated she lived in their home, but that isn't a certainty. In general, newspapers gave minimal attention to servants among Iroquois Theater victims, reflecting their socioeconomic status.

In the years after the fire

Robert and Anna remained in their home on Jackson Blvd where two more daughters were born, Alice in 1906 and Helen in 1911. In 1914 Robert served as president of the Iroquois Memorial Association.

Around 1914 the Mahlers moved to Alabama, where Robert became a community leader.

In addition to real estate, Robert Mahler's business activities included the operation of an azalea nursery, Azalea Glen. Anna became active in the Eastern Star and the church. At the end of her life, living in California, Anna had six grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and two of her daughters were still living. Edith was not mentioned in her obituary.

In 1933 tragedy struck again when Helen, a recent high school teacher, died in a gunshot accident at her parents home. She tripped over a shotgun (some obituaries just said she fell) and it discharged as she fell down a set of stairs, killing her instantly. If it's a story swept under a rug, it will probably remain there.

2 of 4 in party survived the Iroquois Theater

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Brother and sister Emil and Rosie Espen

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Story 1171

A note about sourcing. When this project began, I failed to anticipate the day might come when a more scholarly approach would be called for. When my mistake was recognized I faced a decision: go back and spend years creating source lists for every page, or go forward and try to cover more of the people and circumstances involved in the disaster. Were I twenty years younger, I'd have gone back, but in recognition that this project will end when I do, I chose to go forward. These pages will provide enough information, it is hoped, to provide subsequent researchers with additional information.

I would like to hear from you if you have additional info about an Iroquois victim, or find an error, and you're invited to visit the comments page to share stories and observations about the Iroquois Theater fire.

Judy Cooke 2024 All rights reserved ©