It’s the 139th anniversary of my great-grandmother Islea’s birth! In honor of the occasion, I thought I’d post some photos of her as a child and a young woman.

Islea Graham was born Dec. 23, 1874 in Aledo, Illinois. Her father, William N. Graham, had five children from a previous marriage; after his first wife, Sarah, died, he married Flora Bassett. He and Flora had two daughters together, Islea and Ethel.

Islea pursued music from an early age, and by the time she reached high school she already was an accomplished pianist.

Islea graduated as the valedictorian of her class at Aledo High School in 1892 and then studied piano in Chicago under Emil Liebling, a pupil of the great Franz Liszt.
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I am excited to report that I channeled my inner Encyclopedia Brown recently and put together a few more pieces of the G. Oliver Riggs career puzzle. It gets a little complicated, so please bear with me as I explain A Tale of Two Thorsons:

Thorson No. 1: T.W. Thorson

This is Theodore “Ted” Thorson, who became known as Crookston’s “Music Man” in its post-G. Oliver Riggs days.
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