[Dixielandjazz] Re: Billie Holday's birth details (was Trivia bits)

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Fred,
An informative reply (as usual), but are we about to open up another
can-of-worms on the DJML?
Why not?
I don't have the Stuart Nicholson book 'Billie Holiday (Boston, Northeastern
University Press, 1995) so hope that his "tangled web of Billie Holiday's
ancestry and birth on page 17" provides a positive result.
What I have at the moment is:
*'Lady Sings The Blues'. 1956 - Billy Holiday with William Dufty.
Born: Eleanora Fagan. Baltimore, Maryland, 7 April 1915.

*'Billie's Blues'. 1975. John Chilton.
Born: Eleanora Fagan. Baltimore, 17 April 1915 (allegedly quoting Billie,
but seemingly a typing error).

*Who's Who of Jazz'. 1978 ed. John Chilton.
Born: Eleanora [no surname]. Baltimore, 7 April 1915.

*'Billie Holiday'. 1987. John White.
I have no details of this book.

*The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'. 1988 edited by Barry Kernfield.
Billie Holiday entry by James Lincoln Collier.
Born: Eleanora Fagan. Baltimore, 7 April 1915.

*Who's Who of Jazz'. 1989 ed. John Chilton.
Born: Eleanora [no surname]. Baltimore, 7 April 1915.

*Wishing On The Moon'. 1994 Donald Clarke.
Born: Elinore (Elinoir, Eleanor) Harris. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 7 April
1915.

*'Billie Holiday'.  1995. Stuart Nicholson.
Born: Eleanora (Elinore) Harris. Philadelphia, 7 April 1915.

*'Jazz And Death'. 2002 Frederick J Spencer, MD.
Born: Eleanora Harris. Philadelphia, 7 April 1915. (Quoting Stuart
Nicholson.)

John Chilton maintains that it was impossible to obtain birth or wedding
certificates from Maryland's Division of Vital Records, as sight of these is
reserved only for close relatives. As Billie's close relatives pre-deceased
her the documents would remain unseen by researchers until legislation is
altered. 
It now seems that my friend John was searching in the wrong State.
Donald Clarke seems to have seen the birth certificate and quotes from it.
He also provides a lot of information about her mother, Sadie Harris (Fagan)
including the fact that although living in Baltimore, she went to
Philadelphia to give birth to Elinore. He also reveals that the putative
father, given on the birth certificate, in a Frank DeViese!
However, later facts have established that musician Clarence Holiday was
Billie's real father.
Stuart Nicholson apparently quotes from a "certified copy" of her birth
certificate, courtesy of  City of Philadelphia, Department of Records, City
Archives".
Wow! I didn't expect this to take so long.
Much more information than Billie apparently had when she died on 17 July
1959.
Kind regards,
Bill.