Fanny Davidson

Fanny Davidson
Fanny Davidson, from a 1921 publication
Born
Frances Lucretia Davidson

(1866-04-04)April 4, 1866
Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMay 22, 1940(1940-05-22) (aged 74)
New York, U.S.
Other namesFannie Davidson, Fannie Noble
OccupationFigure skater
RelativesHarley Davidson (brother)

Frances "Fanny" Lucretia Davidson Noble (April 4, 1866[a] – May 22, 1940) was an American figure skater from Minnesota, described as "the champion lady skater of North America".[1] She toured the United States, Canada, and Europe in the 1890s, 1900s, and 1910s.

Early life and education

Davidson was from Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of John X. Davidson and Susan Havens Lamb Davidson. Her father was a newspaper editor[2] and a state legislator.[3] She and her siblings, Harley Davidson,[4] Mabel,[1][5] and John,[6] learned to skate as children, and became noted skaters.[7][8] Another brother, Albert, became a musical comedy star.[9]

Career

Davidson taught at St. Nicholas Rink in New York[10] and at the Winter Club of Montreal.[11] She toured the United States,[1][12] Canada,[13] and Europe[14][15] giving exhibitions with her brother John,[16][17] including an appearance at the International Skating Competition in Westminster in 1900.[18] She also gave skating exhibitions with Irving Brokaw.[19]

Personal life

Davidson married William Noble in 1884 and raised two children, William and Martha. She died in 1940, in New York City, in her seventies.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ Davidson's date of birth varies in sources. She was recorded as a four-year-old in her parents' household in the 1870 United States census. The 1880 United States census gives her birth year as 1866; her New York death certificate gives 1871 as her birth year; the 1900 United States census has her birth year as 1872, and her date of marriage as 1886; the Minnesota Marriage Index gives her marriage date as October 22, 1884; all via Ancestry.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pretty Tricks on the Ice; Miss Fannie Davdison Pleases Large Audience at the Rink". The Times. 1897-01-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "John X. Davidson Ill; Pioneer Settler Reported at Death's Door". Star Tribune. 1892-08-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Davidson, John X.; Legislator Record". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  4. ^ "Davidson is Open to Race". The Winnipeg Tribune. 1904-12-14. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Mabel Davidson, Skater, is Dead". The Spokesman-Review. 1898-11-25. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Skating Rink Notes". The Billboard: 43. September 7, 1907.
  7. ^ "Skating's history" St. Paul Pioneer Press (February 12, 1939): 45. via Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub.
  8. ^ McDaniel, Roy W. "Axel Paulsen and His Successors" Skating Magazine (1943), at US Figure Skating.
  9. ^ a b "Noble". The Minneapolis Star. 1940-05-31. p. 31. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Johnny Davidson, Still Skater, Exhibits Before Large Crowd". Rochester Daily Bulletin. 1925-01-19. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Cruikshank, James A. (1921). Figure skating for women. The Library of Congress. New York, American Sports Publishing Company.
  12. ^ "Fancy Skating at Como; John and Fanny Davidson Will Appear Holiday Week". The Saint Paul Globe. 1897-12-14. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "The Davidsons are Back". The Minneapolis Journal. 1897-12-14. p. 10. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "The Davidsons in Paris; Figure Skating Much in Vogue; the Rink is Fashionable". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1900-02-16. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Rink Season Ends To-night". New York Herald. 1913-03-27. p. 12. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Duquesne Garden". The Index. 12 (4): 3. January 28, 1905.
  17. ^ "The Davidsons, St. Paul Fancy Skaters, Who Are to Visit St. Louis Shortly". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1899-01-08. p. 18. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Skating Competition" London Evening Standard (February 22, 1900): 10; via British Newspaper Archive
  19. ^ "The Ice Carnival a Huge Success". Board of Trade Bulletin. 2 (10): 194. February 1912.
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