ANNIE "LITTLE SURE SHOT" OAKLEY - ANNOTATED CHECK SIGNED 06/15/1923 - HFSID 300025

ANNIE OAKLEY
Check signed with her married name, Annie Butler, filled out by her to her grand-daughter (by adoption), with an additional note in Annie's hand on verso.
Check signed: "Annie Butler", 6½x2¾. Newark, New Jersey, 1923 June 15. Check #135, drawn on the Newark & Essex Banking Co. payable to Elizabeth Hall for $50. Endorsed ""Elizabeth Hall". Handwritten note in Oakley's hand on verso: "Board to F. E. Butlers Grand Daughter. 22 Weikel Ave. Merchantville, N. J. Known as Niece". Annie Oakley (1860-1926, born Phoebe Anne Moses in Darke County, Ohio), was born to a Quaker family and began to shoot rabbits and quail at age nine. Within five years, she was a breadwinner for her family as a markswoman, and, at age 15, she saved her family's farm with income she had earned from shooting game. On August 23, 1876, at age 16, Annie married Frank Butler, a vaudeville performer who became her partner. Annie's self-effacing personality (on and off stage) made her a popular performer. In 1885, the Butlers joined Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, where Annie was a star for 17 years. The five-foot-tall Oakley got her name "Little Sure Shot" from Sitting Bull and used it in her promotional materials. In 1901, she and her husband decided to retire from public life. Frank and Annie were childless, but Annie supported 18 orphan girls. Shooting was in her blood, and the Butlers continued to make appearances around the country. Age did not appear to diminish her skills, but Oakley was seriously injured in an automobile accident in 1921. Although she did not think she had long to live at that time, by 1924 she was again performing. This check is from the collection of Edward Robert Goodman (1868-1949), the son of Buffalo Bill's older sister Julia Cody Goodman. In 1886, Uncle Will invited 18-year old Goodman to join the Wild West Show, which he did for a summer season in New York and for the Show's 1887 trip to London for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Oakley was on these trips, although she left the Show temporarily in 1888. Though entrusted with a managerial role by 1888, Goodman also left the show that year to strike out on his own, carrying a glowing letter of recommendation. He maintained a lifelong friendship with Buffalo Bill and other members of the Show, and was present at Cody's death in Denver in 1917. Goodman spent a lifetime collecting photos and other mementos of Cody's show and the American West. This meticulously preserved and documented collection remained in the family until now, never before offered for sale. Bank cancellation holes and processing stamps (not affecting signature). Slightly creased. Slightly worn. Otherwise, fine condition.