pop kramer rides unicycle on ballfield

Harry “Pop” Kramer: A Voice for Community

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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The following family history was written by Joshua Salmans of Greenville, SC.

If given the opportunity to meet anyone from the American past, some may be attracted to the likes of Presidents George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Though I do not deny the extravagant appeal of being present as Washington crossed the Delaware River or Lincoln recited the Gettysburg Address, my desire to meet my great-great grandfather Harry “Pop” Kramer overshadows all others from history.

Harry 'Pop' Kramer balances atop an 1890s bicycle wheel

He was a vaudeville trick-cyclist who performed along the Appalachian mountains. He designed and fabricated his own trick bicycles and unicycles. He could ride his bicycle while standing on his head or jump rope while riding on a buggy wheel. Pop also built a bicycle on which the front wheel could be detached from the rear while in motion. But most importantly, he could hold the attention of an audience. My cousin Cheri boasts, “Pop dazzled people with his dare devil antics.”

In Spring 2010, my professor of American Folklore at North Greenville University assigned a family-research project that gave me the opportunity to meet my great-great grandfather. As I perused old photographs of Pop Kramer, I realized that I had his smile, his face and beard.

On a small family farm in Alexandria, VA, Frederick and Joanna Kramer gave birth to Harry Henry Kramer on January 1, 1875. Frederick was a hard-working farmer and maintained a strict discipline with all of his children.

At the age of twelve, Harry became intrigued by the trick cycling he saw at a circus in town. When he obtained his first bicycle, he anticipated his father’s disapproval and hid it from his father. He learned various tricks from a circus friend over a period of a few years and set out on his own without his father’s knowledge in 1892.

He perfected his stunts and traveled from town to town performing a forty-five minute routine. Frederick only forgave his son after learning how much income Harry had earned during his travels. Harry performed for various circuses, theaters, carnivals, street fairs and county fairs. By the time he was married and had his first child, he had performed routines in every state east of the Mississippi River.

Pop Kramer performs on the streets of Traveler's Rest, SC in 1941.
Pop Kramer performs on the streets of Traveler’s Rest, SC in 1941.

Before the days of radio and television, performances like Pop’s were the predominant form of entertainment among the town folk along the Appalachian mountains. Pop participated in a popular form of entertainment called vaudeville. The term vaudeville became a commonly used coinage for American variety entertainment after the “Sargent’s Great Vaudeville Company” formed in 1871.

Vaudeville entertainment was extremely popular after the Civil War because of the increase of leisure time and white-collar jobs. It included acrobatics, comedy, dance routines, and circuses that travelled from city to city. Entertainers performed in circuses, music halls, riverboats, town halls, amusement parks, and burlesque halls.

Industrialization and new technologies allowed vaudeville entertainers to standardize and professionalize American popular entertainment. This type of entertainment became big business during the late nineteenth century.

When Pop’s first wife Jennie Toye died in 1910 because of an unknown illness, he was left with four children in his care. Shortly after his wife’s death, he moved to Asheville, NC because it had a better climate for his youngest child, who had asthmatic problems. Pop moved to Hendersonville and set up an automobile and bicycle repair garage to earn money while he was not performing.

He remarried in 1917 to Adell Thompson from Hendersonville. He and Adell also had four children together. They later moved to Chick Springs, SC, to start a travel lodge in 1923. Adell was murdered by a disgruntled renter on December 5, 1930. Though he was fifty-five years old, Pop continued to perform on the road in order to afford his children’s education.

After the children were grown, he moved to Travellers Rest, SC to settle down. He continued to do performances during the summer months until he had an accident on a bicycle in 1959. The accident effectively ended his performing career. He never regained his health and died of pneumonia later that year.

Pop Kramer’s performances made entertainment a community effort. Pop was a skilled showman and knew how to draw audiences out from their mundane life to experience a good show in their own neighborhood. In his older years, he lamented the idea that radio and television could take us away from socializing together. Often, while watching a movie or perusing websites I’ll think about my Pop. I can see him outside my window beckoning me to set the modern day distractions aside, and join him.

Sources: “The Life of Harry Kramer,” by William Kramer, n.p., n.d.
“Vaudeville! A Dazzling Display of Heterogeneous Splendor,” Vaudeville! University of Virginia, 2002, online at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA02/easton/vaudeville/vaudevillemain.html

12 comments

  1. This is my grandfather, Harry Henry Kramer, who I knew as a child. He often rode his bike to our house to visit always bring big bags of candy for us kids. He died at 84 years when I was 11. He was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1875. He was riding his bike four miles out to State Park Rd. where I lived in 1958 when he was forced off the road by a black car and crashed on his bike, breaking his leg. The leg healed but he contracted pneumonia. My mother Lillian Leona Kramer Horn tried to care for him but being pregnant with my sister Suzanne, was unable to lift him.Elmer Kramer and Mae his wife took him to Aiken, S.C.. Mae was a wonderful person and tried to nurse him back to health.From there he ended up in the hospital. I went to see him there. He was buried in Mud Creek Cemetery in Hendersonville, Henderson, North Carolina.I attended the funeral. He is greatly missed by our family.

  2. Lani,
    It’s nice to see that you found this article. I just happened upon the site today: I haven’t checked back here in a long time. Thank you for adding some more background to the article.

    With warm appreciation,
    Josh

  3. I am the grandson of Grant Kramer, son of Harry Jr. I live in St Petersburg. Would like to meet some of my relatives.

  4. Daniel,

    I’m so sorry that I missed your comment, and I’m the great, great grandson of Harry as the article I wrote depicts. I would love to connect with you some time. You can find contact information through my webite: joshuasbluebrary.com.

  5. I wonder how many cousins we have out there? My grandmother Leona was daughter to Pop and Adell. I too grew up hearing many of these stories. Mom would tell us how Pop built a bike for her when she was old enough to ride. Also built her and Grandma a house on his property. He loved family and would always bring sweets for the kids. Mom said the sugared orange jelly slices were a favorite. Thanks Josh for posting this story!

  6. I am the great great granddaughter of Harry. Lani, my grandmother, has told me much about Henry. It is so cool to see all these pictures and videos, if you can find them, of my great great grandfather.

  7. I know it’s been a long time since anyone has left a reply here. I am Laura Kramer salmons pops great grandchild and Travis rest South Carolina. Please contact me for anything. Appreciate it.

  8. I am Suzanne one of his granddaughters from his youngest daughter Lillan Kramer. My mother told me many stories about her dad.

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