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1921 Postcard

"Sept 29, 1884"

Genealogy

 


Additional Sutherland Image Collection


Sara N.

 
Possibly Sara, Sutherland Sisters on back


Isabel

 

 


Naomi

 


Naomi Sutherland

 Naomi


Grace

 

 


Dora "Kitty"

 


Mary

 

 

 



Victoria

 

 

 

 


The following photos and identity are not confirmed...

   


This image is not a Sutherland Sister, but possibly a Dora stand-in.


Historical Timeline
according to Clarence O. Lewis, author/researcher of the Niagara County Historical Society

  • 1800-10 Peter Sutherland, father of Andrew, Jane, Amey, and Susan Sutherland, along with their brother-in-law, Benjamin Cooley, moved out from Rutland, Vermont to Niagara County.

    •  Andrew Sutherland (about 30 yrs old) and his wife, Naomi Cooley Sutherland purchased 140 acres in Cambria, south side of Niagara Road or "Great Ridge Road," one mile west of Warren's Corners.

    • Andrew & Naomi built their log cabin.  Naomi gave birth to eight children: Naomi, Susan, Byron, Benjamin, Addison, Andrew, Carroll, and Fletcher.

  • 1812 Andrew Sutherland defended the Niagara Frontier in the War of 1812, and earned the title Colonel.

    • Colonel Andrew commanded the Cambria Company.

  • 1818 Rev. Fletcher Sutherland was born in Sutherland Falls, Vermont.  Naomi, his mother, had retreated to her parents home in Vermont during the War of 1812, and eventually returned to Cambria.

  • 1836, February 29 Colonel Andrew Sutherland died at the age of 56.

    • Naomi continued to live in the same log cabin, and became a teacher in District No. 16, Cambria.  She later died in 1870 in Michigan at 82 yrs.

  • c.1838 Fletcher attended school at Warren's Corners, and then studied for the ministry at the Genesse Wesleyan School in Lima, New York.

    • Fletcher served as minister of Methodist churches in Lyons, Geneseo, and Caledonia.

  • 1844 Fletcher married MaryMary's father, George Brink, met Fletcher in Lyons.  Mary was taking an advance course in music at the Lima Seminary.

  • 1846 Sarah was born in Lyons, Wayne County.

  • 1849 Victoria was born in in the Cambria log cabin.

  • By 1857 Isabella, Grace, Naomi, and Dora were born.

  • 1864 Mary was born.

  • 1867, September 24, Mary Brink Sutherland died.

  • 1868, January 5, Sarah, Victoria, Isabella, Grace, Naomi, and Charles were confirmed at the Grace Episcopal Church.

  • 1885, April 15, Naomi married Henry Bailey

 

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The Sutherland Sisters

Revised Wednesday September 24, 2008

 

Birthplace ~ Cambria, New York

The Sutherland sisters were born in the town of Cambria, on what is known as the Sutherland farm, near the city of Lockport, Niagara County, New York, a few miles east of Niagara Falls.

They are all members of the Protestant Episcopal Church, having been confirmed by Bishop Cox, of Buffalo, and when at home are under the pastoral care of Doctor Foster Eley, rector of Grace Church, Lockport City.


Lockport, New York

Lockport became a town during the construction of the Erie Canal and the Lockport Locks ( 1821-1825).  In 1865, Lockport became a boom town and had grown to over 20,000.

Lockport Locks 1879

Mules were used to tow
the canal barges

The first superhighway in the world !!!  The Lockport Locks scaled 60 feet above the Niagara escarpment connecting the Midwest & Lake Erie, across the Appalachians, to the Hudson River, to the east coast & New York City; a total of 350 miles.  The original cost of the Erie Canal (latter renamed as the Barge Canal) was $7 million dollars, equivalent to 4 billion in today's money.  The locks and the canal system was improved several times over the years, and was used commercially into the 1950s.


Vital Statistics

name birth death & age buried
Sarah Naomi 1845 Sept. 9, 1919
74 yrs
A
Victoria 1849 May 25, 1902
53 yrs
B
Isabella (or Isabel) Cooley 1852 Dec. 1, 1914
62 yrs
A
Grace 1854 Jan. 13, 1946
92 yrs
A
Naomi 1858 July 13, 1893
35 yrs
A
Dora "Kitty" 1858    
Mary Fletcher 1846 May 12, 1939 A
Charles Carrol
Sutherland
(Brother)
1852    
Rev. Fletcher Sutherland
(Father)

Son of Col. Andrew Sutherland & Naomi Cooley
March 1, 1816, in Cambria, New York 1888  
Mary Brink Sutherland
(Mother)
Married circa 1843
     
Col. Andrew
Sutherland
(Grandfather)
     

A- Glenwood Cemetery Lockport, Niagara County, New York, USA.

B- Forest Lawn Cemetery Buffalo, Erie County, New York, USA


Anna Roberts Cabinet Photo - 9 Foot Long HairNaomi Sutherland passed away in 1893; four years before the New York Hair Grower photo (below) was taken.  Miss Anna Roberts (right) took Naomi's place.


 

Exhibit of the Most Beautiful Hair in the World produced by the use of the

SUTHERLAND SISTERS HAIR GROWER AND SCALP CLEANER,

in New York, May 24th, 1897.

 

Photo taken in NY, by Siegel Cooper Co.  The girl's parents are at right.


"The Seven Wonder Sisters"

In New York City, the beginning of December, 1880, the Wonder Sisters launched their career showing off their long tresses and vocal talents.  The following summer the Sisters toured the Southern States as far south as Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans.  Their popularity grew... no pun attended :-)


Pennsylvania | Indiana | Indiana Weekly Messenger, The | 1883-11-14


Mary Fletcher Sutherland

 

Now this is strange, I received the following about Mary.  How can Mary spend her time locked up in her room and at the same time operate a business with her sister?  Maybe it will make sense later on. -Webmaster

. . . . . . . .

 

Mary was the youngest and she was considered mentally ill.  She would have "spells" and the family would lock her in her bedroom.  Mary lived in the Sutherland Mansion most of her adult life.  She and her sister Grace then lived with their nephew, Harry Bailey in Buffalo, where Mary's condition worsened.  She was committed to the State Institution for the insane in Buffalo, NY where she died on May 12, 1939.  She is buried at the Glenwood Cemetery near the Castlemaine Mausoleum in Lockport, NY.

 


Newspaper Articles


Texas | San Antonio | San Antonio Light, The | 1947-11-16



Pennsylvania | Titusville | Titusville Herald | 1966-07-22


Pennsylvania | Titusville | Titusville Herald | 1973-10-12

Lethbridge Herald, The, May 13, 1939


"Sept 29, 1884"During the late 1800's and early 20th century, the Seven Sutherland Sisters, of Lockport, New York, were a illustrious act of singing sisters with the Barnum & Bailey Circus (c. 1892-1907.)  The Sisters were more known for their exceptionally long hair than for their musical talents. 

The Sister's collective length of hair reached thirty seven feet!  Apart from stepping on each other's hair, they were also successful in selling their HAIR GROWER and SCALP CLEANER, until the bob style become vogue after World War I.

Signs of the times... to bad, so sad :-(

Caption reads...
 Oh! Where is your hair? When the barber bobbed your hair, did your sentiment cause you to treasure the shorn locks? If so, just imitate Estelle Clark and make a wonderful braided belt. The fad is spreading like wild-fire.

 


Below, is an envelope locally mailed and canceled on April 30, 1936, Toronto 2, Ontario, Canada.  The advertisement is on the backside.


SEVEN SUTHERLAND SISTERS
193-195 SPADINA AVE.
TORONTO 2    -    CANADA

Is the Sister's Hair Grower Tonic Valid?

NOT INHERITED

Sutherland Sisters' Beautiful hair produced by using tonics


Massachusetts | North Adams | North Adams Transcript, The | 1899-06-05

I have found many websites which tag the Sister's tonic as "snake oil" and nothing more than hair quackery, all without supporting evidence or rationale.

 

At this time, I cannot find the the Sister's Hair Grower tonic recipe.  Some say the recipe was lost when a fire destroyed their home in 1938.  I have searched the US Patent Office filings and found nothing in the Sister's, business or Bailey's name.

 

But, I did find a common ingredient in most tonic formulas--  boiling of roots and/or vegetables, and the use of alcohol.  I make soap, and most books I use tell about a process called "infusion."  Infusion is a very old method of extracting nutrients and from plants into a broth, or into an alcohol (or oil) tincture.  The method is similar to steeping leaves into a tea.

 

There are conflicting opinions about the loss of vitamins using boiling type infusion.  In any case, whatever nutrients do survive remain in the broth.  Alcohol acts as a preservative.  But I also found that alcohol also acts a transdermal carrier, like DMSO.  For example, alcohol is used in skin patches to help transport drugs through the skin into the blood stream.

 

I found a few articles that touch base with the ingredients of the Sister's Hair Grower.  The Sister's tonic is made mostly of "vegetable preparations" and "alcohol."   Which make sense, because it is something that can be grown in the garden and mixed together, simply at home.  Before the Hair Grower business, Sisters used a hair ointment, and the kids at school would complain about the smell (The Seven Sutherland Sisters by Clarence O. Lewis, 1991, pg.10.)

 


Gleaner, The
Thursday, August 07, 1947 Kingston, Kingston


Winnipeg Free Press Saturday, July 20, 1968 Winnipeg, Manitoba

 


"Emu oil is used topically on the scalp.  Studies and clinical experience show that it helps prevent hair loss and stimulates hair growth and hair follicles."

There is a new science/study called Nutrigenomics.  The study explores the relationship between genetics and nutrition.  If this is true.  If genetics can be modified by nutrition, then the Sister's tonic is valid.  What are the odds of having six out of seven Sisters with floor length hair?  And, one of the six is likely adopted? (1865 Census reported Isabella was adopted, Id. at pg.32)

 

Emu oil is also a transdermal carrier, a transporter.  Emu oil is very effective, has no side-effects, and helps improve circulation.  So far I have not found any specific information using Emu oil, mixed with a wide spectrum, cellular ready, liquid vitamin and ionic mineral supplement, as a  topical hair grower.

 

There are products that contain Emu oil with other ingredients to help arthritis and skin problems.  There are Emu oil shampoos and scalp creams.  Emu oil alone can help stimulate hair growth.  But I believe, used topically as a transdermal carrier for vitamins/ionic minerals will far exceed expectations.

 

 

 


First as singing amateurs ~ before their claim to fame

Before the Sisters showed off their hair, they were well known in their local area as the "Sutherland Concert of Seven Sisters, and one Brother" 


Opinions of the press....

"Naomi's voice was extraordinary."  At 13 years old she sang low bass, solo:

  • Who Treads the Path of Duty

Sarah sang Scotch and English songs as high soprano, solo:

  • On the Rhine, That Ancient River

Victoria, Isabella, and Grace sang as trio:

  • The Shades of Night
sister/brother sang as hair
Sarah N.
solo single

jet black hair


"long massive hair"

Victoria
mezzo-soprano "seven feet"

Isabella C.
High soprano "six feet"
Grace
tenor & piano accompanist "between five and six feet"
Naomi
bass "envelopes her whole body as with a garment"
Dora "Kitty"
alto "five feet"
Mary
soprano "the yongest... most wonderful growth of hair"
Charles Carroll Sutherland   "same tendency to long hair and music"

Sutherland Pets

This is an unusual portrait of the sisters.  Yes, they are the Sisters.  On the backside is the list of their names.  Anyhow, you can see a dog sitting at the bottom right of this image.  The Sutherland Sisters had many pets.  They were so heartbroken when one of their dogs passed away.  They spent $500 for their dog's funeral.  The dog in this image appears to be a pug.


 

 

 

Rising star
The Observer - UK
Mika Rottenberg, artist
Emma Love
Sunday October 8, 2006

Rottenberg, 29, won the inaugural Cartier Award at this year's Frieze Art Fair for a film piece - a movie trailer based on the true story of seven American sisters with record-breaking long hair who made a fortune with an anti-baldness cure....

Frieze Art Fair, featuring the Frieze Projects in association with Cartier, is held in Regent's Park, London, 12-15 October
And don't forget Alyssa, Mika's assistant.

 


Sutherland Hair Grower Sales

Continued Through April 30, 1936

Mary and Grace were still alive and in business selling their hair "fertilizer" through '36.  Dora ran the Canadian branch in the 20s out of Buffalo, New York

Dora's Hair Fertilizer Mailer & Advertisement  Contributed by Robert Coutts

 



1886



Hannah Terry Corwin & Friends Collection
Hannah
did assignments for the Seven Sutherland Sisters Co. selling and demonstrating Sister's hair tonic

Sutherland Sisters


Sarah

 


Victoria

 


Naomi

 


Mary

 


Isabella

 


Grace

Unknown


Ade Sperry

Mrs Flynes or Hynes

Miss Wallace
 

Lillian Mott


Mabel James

Miss L Boom
 
Miss Dextor

 

Photos of Hannah

Seven Sutherland Sister's Hair Grower & Scalp Cleaner Advertisements & Product Labels

The Sister's father started the hair grower business in 1882.  Not until one of the Sisters married Henry Bailey of the Barnum & Bailey Circus did their father's business really take-off.  The Sisters continued the business after their father's death in 1888.

" It's The Hair - not the Hat "

That makes a woman attractive


1901

1904


1902


1903


1904

1904 1904


1905


No date

  1901  1906 1912 1906

Demonstrations, Consultations, Engagements & Tours

 

demonstration AND "7 sutherland"

Alberta

Lethbridge Daily Herald, The
April 3, 1918

     

 

California

Oakland Tribune
Tuesday, May 30, 1899 Oakland, California

San Mateo Times
Friday, October 20, 1961 San Mateo, California

Oakland Tribune
Sunday, August 10, 1924 Oakland, California

Oakland Tribune
Saturday, May 20, 1899 Oakland, California

Fresno Morning Republican, The
Monday, October 03, 1910 Fresno, California

Oakland Tribune
Sunday, February 06, 1916 Oakland, California

Fresno Morning Republican, The
Thursday, October 14, 1915 Fresno, California

Consultation by Grace Sutherland

Fresno Morning Republican, The
Friday, October 22, 1915 Fresno, California

Demonstration by Grace Sutherland

Oakland Tribune
Sunday, October 27, 1912 Oakland, California
 

Oakland Tribune
Sunday, October 31, 1915 Oakland, California

Consultation by Grace Sutherland


Colorado

Greeley Daily Tribune, The Tuesday, August 17, 1920 Greeley, Colorado

Naomi Sutherland

Greeley Daily Tribune, The
Friday, July 02, 1920 Greeley, Colorado