Jean Schroeder papers

Jeanie Schroeder (Married names:Boston, [McCoy], [Shearer??] was born in 1921 to Theophil R. Schroeder (1898-1973) and Goldie Margaret Halliday Schroeder (1893-1959) and graduated from NorthWestern University. She also worked as a personnel manager for the Billy Wright Orchestra (known as a pre-cursor to the famous musician Little Richard-- William Wright (1918-1991) was an African American singer who was openly Gay. He is considered one of Little Richard's greatest influences in his formative years.) Jeanie's boyfriend and secret husband was a musician named Kenny Leighton. She had many friends who were musicians in Chicago and in the United States Navy Band. When she became pregnant, her mother wanted her to marry someone (not Kenny Leighton) just to obtain what Mrs. Schroeder considered acceptable married status. Mrs. Schroeder wanted to take care of her daughter and Miss Schroeder showed much courage in exploring an interacial marriage with Kenny "Tiny" Leighton and raising her son on her own while trying to earn money and attend college. Her grandmother was Mary Halliday (1874-1969) and she had many aunts including, Opal Wycoff, Edith Blackhurst, Elsie Chowning, Clara Falk, and a [great] aunt Eva Viola Halliday Mapletoft. From them she received many letters with advice, most of it to follow the wishes of her parents, but her Aunt Elsie wanted her to follow Jeanie's own dreams and encouraged her writing abilities.Miss Schroeder also had letters from some close girl friends (Doris Reiman Gorman who became a doctor in California) and many boy friends who were very fond of her. She also had a brother, Frank Schroeder, who lived with his parents, was not well and who died in 1943. Her parents felt that they could not leave him alone because he was frequently in pain (possibly from Rheumatoid Arthitis).