Louisa Drew Mendum

Louisa Drew Mendum (December 7, 1851 - May 17, 1889) was an American socialite. She was a member of the prominent Drew acting family that still continues today.^[1]

Louisa Eliza Drew was born on December 7, 1851, in Albany, New York.^[2] She was the oldest child to actors John Drew Sr. and Louisa Lane. The entirety of her family were a part of an acting dynasty.^[3] Her maternal grandparents were Frederick Lane, an actor and theatre manager, and Eliza Trentner (1796–1887), a singer and actress. Her aunt, Georgiana Kinlock, was also a stage actress. While her younger siblings, John Jr. Georgie, and Sidney were all popular stage and film actors, as were their children.^[4] It is believed Drew had one more sister, Adine, from an affair between her father and Aunt Georgiana - this sister was also an actress.^[5]

Her father died in 1862 when she was just 10 years old.^[6]

In 1872, Drew married Charles Albert Mendum, the manager of her mother's theatre The Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia, before he was fired.^[7][8][9] He also served as manager to actress and socialite Lillie Langtry.^[10] They then moved to Boston where Mendum worked as a banker.^[11] They had three children - John Albert, Edmund, and Georgie Drew Mendum. Edmund would become an author, while Georgie became a stage actress.^[12] John died on July 27, 1874, at eight months old due to cholera infantum.^[13]

In 1888, Drew became paralyzed. She died on May 17, 1889, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her cause of death was cited as a result from Bright's disease.^[14] Her funeral was two days later at St. Anne's Church and she was buried in the family lot at Forrest Hills.^[2]

• Barrymore, Ethel (1955). Memories: An Autobiography. Harper. ISBN 978-1299688919. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Kelly, Rivka (2014). THE DUCHESS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF LOUISA LANE DREW (PDF). Scholarworks: University of Vermont.
• Lane Drew, Louisa; Taylor, Douglas (1899). Autobiographical sketch of Mrs. John Drew. New York, New York: C. Scribner's Sons.