It appears that I've made some headway in learning the fate of our mystery girl,
Natacha Nattova, the celebrated dancer (model, poet, painter, inspiration). I have reason to believe that, by the mid-30s, Nattova, then known as
Nathalie (sometimes "Natalie")
Daks, made a splash suing her husband, the noted dancer Nicholas Daks, and accusing another Russian dancer of being a marriage-wrecking Jezebel. By the fifties, sporting the name Natalie Daks, she was living in California, where she commenced maintaining a low profile. She eventually died, in Pasadena, in 1988.
I'm pretty sure that's all correct. There remain huge gaps in her record, however.
So let me tell you what I've found:
First, I came across this odd
New York Times article (snippet):
New York Times: Natacha Nattova and Nicholas Daks Wed by City Clerk.
Natacha Nattova, Russian dancer, who has appeared in "The Greenwich Village Follies," night clubs and vaudeville, was married yesterday to Nicholas Daks, ...October 5, 1928
I had already come across references to Nattova's marriage to a dancer circa 1928. According to one source, this led to her firing one of her male colleagues to make room for hubby. It's nice to learn just who she married: Mr.
Nicholas Daks (b. 1899), an ethnic Russian (Russian Jew?), like herself, who arrived in the U.S. (from Constantinople!) in 1923. He likely was in her shadow as a member of her adagio company in the 20s, but, through the years, he seems to have become a well-known "Broadway" dancer and arranger in a career of some note that stretched at least into the 50s. (By the early 40s, he danced with a woman named Muriel. The two eventually married and retired to Florida.)
I next found this marriage index record:
| Name: | Nickolas Daks |
|---|
| Gender: | Male |
|---|
| Marriage Date: | 4 Oct 1928 |
|---|
| Marriage Place: | Manhattan, New York, USA |
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| Spouse: | Natcha Nattove |
|---|
| Certificate Number: | 24342 |
|---|
I'm guessing that "Natcha" is a garbling of "Natacha," though perhaps it is a variant of that name. The variation in the spelling of "Nattova" likely reflects indecision regarding how best to Anglicize the Russian (or Russian/Jewish?) original, whatever that was. (Hence, "Nattova," "Natova," "Nattove.")
But I also found this New York naturalization record (Oct 1931) for
Nicholas Daks:
This record indicates that Daks married "Nathalie" on October 4, 1928—the day before the Nattova/Daks wedding report in the Times. It also indicates that Nathalie was born in Petrograd, Russia, in 1907. Our girl Natacha was born in Petrograd, Russia, in 1905.
(Note to self: Recall that "Natacha" is a common nickname for Nathalie among Russians. See earlier discussion.)
The upshot: it is highly likely that the famous Nattova of the period of 1923-1931, is the same person as the low-profile Nathalie (or "Natalie") Daks, wife of increasingly prominent dancer Nicholas Daks.
Here's something else I came across: a border crossing record (U.S. to Canada) for Nathalie Daks, 1929:
| Name: | Nathalie Daks |
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| Age: | 24 |
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| Estimated Birth Year: | abt 1905 |
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| Arrival Port: | Windsor, Ontario |
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| Date of Arrival: | 22 Sep 1929 |
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| Birth Location: | St. Petersburg, Russia |
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| Gender: | Male |
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| Citizenship: | French |
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(I shall assume that the above gender factoid is simply an error.) Here, Nathalie's birth year—1905—is the same as the one Nattova gave on the manifest for her 1925 voyage to the U.S. Nathalie indicates that she is a "dance artist," that she is married to Nicholas Daks, and that she speaks French, Russian, and English. Further, she is French by nationality and was born in St. Petersburg (Petrograd is the same city as St. Petersburg)—all things true of Natacha Nattova.
This woman is Nattova. (Oddly, the record indicates that Nathalie was "rejected" by the Canadian authorities. See.)
I mention all this because it supports the notion that the woman known as "Nathalie Daks" in the 1930s is indeed the famous 1920s dancer and model (and poet and painter) Natacha Nattova. As we'll see, other factoids/records—to be revealed momentarily—might raise questions about the identity of the woman called "Nathalie Daks" in newspaper articles in 1934.
But first: here's something interesting. I came across a 1934 New York Times article indicating that Natalie (Nathalie?) sought an "alimony plea" re hubby Nicholas Daks:
Dancer Loses Alimony Plea. (New York Times)
Temporary alimony and counsel fees sought by Natalie Daks, I dancer, in a divorce action against her husband, Nicholas Daks, also a dancer, were denied ...
November 18, 1934
The larger story, here, is mighty lurid. It is laid out (to some degree) in this article in the
LA Times, also dated Nov. 18, 1934:
And here's something from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published on the same day:
 |
| The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 18, 1934 |
 |
| Variety, Nov 1934 |
Before proceeding, I want to show you this travel record for "Nathalie Daks" for late 1933. Her DOB, birthplace, and other facts (in this record) strongly suggest that this Nathalie Daks is Nattova. In this record, Nathalie (who is Nattova) also indicates that she is married—presumably, to a Mr. Daks.
| NAME: | Nathalie Daks |
| ARRIVAL DATE: | 2 Sep 1933 |
| BIRTH DATE: | 1905 |
| BIRTH LOCATION: | Russia |
| BIRTH LOCATION OTHER: | petrograd |
| AGE: | 28 |
| GENDER: | Female |
| ETHNICITY/ NATIONALITY: | Russian |
| PORT OF DEPARTURE: | Boulogne sur Mer, France |
| PORT OF ARRIVAL: | New York, New York |
| SHIP NAME: | Statendam |
So Natalie Daks (aka Natacha Natova), on her return from France (Sept 1933), does not return home to Nicholas but lives in another apartment, though she later rejoins Nicholas. About a year after her arrival, however, she brings a lawsuit against
Tatiana Tuttle, a Russian dancer married to a Hollywood director, for "alienating the affections of Natalie's husband, Nicholas Daks." Naturally, she is litigating against her husband, too, demanding alimony payments, though that effort fails. (Does this mean that divorce proceedings had begun? That the divorce had already been granted?)
Given Nattova's celebrity up through at least 1929 (and likely into the 30s), it is odd that none of these articles mentions that Natalie Daks is in fact none other than
the celebrated Nattova. If reporters knew only that she was bringing suits against Tuttle and her hubby (or ex-hubby), a known but not famous dancer, there is no reason that they would suspect that she, Mrs. Daks, is Nattova. Perhaps Nattova had reason to distance herself from her past and failed to point out to reporters exactly who she was.
Could it be that this litigious Natalie Daks of 1934 is
not Nattova? I raise this question because there are 1932 marriage records indicating that Nicholas Daks (or, at any rate,
a Nicholas Daks) married
another Natalie, a younger one born in New York.
Here's something (else) peculiar: near as I can tell, our girl Nattova was still married (or at least continued to claim to be married) to Daks as of the census of
1940.
1940 U.S. census:
It is clear that, eventually (perhaps in the 40s), Nicholas Daks married dancer
Muriel Gray, who eventually died in Florida in 2009. Newspaper records indicate that Muriel and Nicholas danced together at least by 1941. (Daks himself died in 1978, also in Florida. I believe that he was still married to Muriel when he died.
Puzzling, ain't it?
BUT WHO IS NATALIE SCHMIT?
In a record I found at Ancestry.com, this fact is recorded: that, in 1932, Nicholas Daks marries "Natalie Schmit." That's pretty confusing (unless there's more than one Nicholas Daks in New York at the time, which would seem unlikely).
Here it is:
Name:
|
Nicholas Daks
|
Gender:
|
Male
|
Marriage Date:
|
7 Jan 1932
|
Marriage Place:
|
Manhattan, New York, USA
|
Spouse:
|
Natalie Schmit
|
Who on Earth is Natalie Schmit?
I found this record in the 1940 census for "Natalie Schmit." Given her birth date and location (and address), it is clear that this gal isn't Nattova:
| Name: | Natalie Schmit |
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| Age: | 25 |
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| Estimated Birth Year: | abt 1915 |
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| Gender: | Female |
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| Race: | White |
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| Birthplace: | New York |
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| Marital Status: | Single |
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| Relation to Head of House: | Sister-in-law |
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| Home in 1940: | New York, Kings, New York |
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| Map of Home in 1940: | View Map |
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| Street: | Montauk Avenue |
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| Inferred Residence in 1935: | New York, Kings, New York |
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| Residence in 1935: | Same Place |
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| Resident on farm in 1935: | No |
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| Sheet Number: | 7B |
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| Father's Birthplace: | Austria |
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| Mother's Birthplace: | Austria |
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| Occupation: | Stenographer |
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| Attended School or College: | No |
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| Highest Grade Completed: | Elementary school, 8th grade |
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| Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: | 40 |
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| Class of Worker: | Wage or salary worker in Government work |
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| Weeks Worked in 1939: | 52 |
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| Income: | 936 |
|---|
| Native Language: | English |
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| Social Security Number: | Yes |
|---|
| Usual Occupation: | Stenographer |
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| Usual Industry: | Public Works |
|---|
| Usual Class of Worker: | Wage or salary worker in Government work |
|---|
| Neighbors: | View others on page |
|---|
| Household Members: |
|
|---|
If this Natalie Schmit was 25 years old in 1940, then she would have been 17 in 1932--not someone likely to marry a 33-year-old man (Nicholas).
In the above record, Natalie Schmit is listed as Sam Eisen's sister-in-law. Sam's birthplace is listed as: Russia. Sam is a house painter and Natalie is a stenographer. Despite the "connection" to Russia, I don't think this woman has any connection to Nicholas.
So who is this Natalie Schmit that married Nicholas Daks in 1932? I'm beginning to think that the Daks who married in 1932 is not our Nicholas Daks.
Here's another factoid: I did find some U.S. Census records for 1940 that indicate that the Natalie who lived under the same roof as Nicholas Daks in New York was Nicholas' wife (she is thus described) and that she was born in Russia, not New York. So I'm thinking that, despite the messy business circa 1934, Nicholas and Nathalie/Natacha stayed married, at least on paper (or for the sake of census), through 1940, and this Natalie Schmit has nothing to do with our saga.
Maybe these people had a reason to list Natalie/Natacha as Nicholas' wife (in 1940) even though they had long been divorced (i.e, since the mid-30s). Perhaps, further, Natalie/Natacha wasn't really living in that building. (Maybe she was in Canada. Who knows.)
I'm trying to nail down the date of Murial Gray's marriage to Nicholas. I know that Nicholas and Murial were performing together as of 1941. It would be odd to discover that these two married as of 1940 when records indicate that Nicholas and Natalie are married and living under the same roof in New York.
There is a woman named "Natalie Schmidt" (note thd "d") listed in the 1940 U.S. census, but she's living at another house than Nicholas'. I am disinclined to pursue this person.
One might suppose that Nicholas Daks divorced our girl Nathalie/Natacha some time before 1932 and then married "Natalie Schmit" (in 1932). The problem is that there are fairly compelling reasons to suppose that the litigious Natalie of 1934 is our girl Nattova--those reasons being that the Litigious One had just been in France, Nattova's original home (after escaping Russia). Surely, that gal was our Nattova, not a new "Natalie."
For what it's worth, we have some reason to suppose that Nattova was litigious or at least that she was legally "careful." You'll recall that she went out of her way to register (copyright?) her dance routine and to announce to other entertainers her intention of suing anyone who copied her routine. Sheesh. One wonders how common that sort of thing was.
NATACHA/NATALIE IN CALIFORNIA:
Then there's this California naturalization record from 1955:
Note the date of birth: 1905 (that's our Natacha's DOB). She indicates that her name was "formerly" Nathalie (she's lost the "h").
I'm thinking this Californian is
our girl Natache Nattova--formerly Mrs. Nicholas Daks. I'm also beginning to think that she had some kind of peculiar arrangement with Daks up through at least 1940, and that she had little to do with the Mr. Daks.
Here's yet another border crossing [immediately below]--this one from
1932. It pretty much clinches the fact that Natache is the "divorce" Natalie of 1934:
Note that this 1932 "border crossing" record suggests that Natalie's move to Canada is "
permanent." (See below.)
On the other hand, it's clear that there's lots of fudging about biographical facts on manifests and travel records. E.g., birth dates are all over the place, even for men.
| Name: | Kathalie Gakkel Daks |
|---|
| Arrival Date: | 14 May 1932 |
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| Port of Arrival: | Blaine, Washington, USA |
|---|
| Residence Place: | New York City NY |
|---|
| Age: | 23 |
|---|
| Birth Date: | abt 1909 |
|---|
| Birth Place: | Petrograd, Russia |
|---|
| Birth Country: | Russia |
|---|
| Gender: | Female |
|---|
| Race/Nationality: | Russia (Russian) |
|---|
| Record Type: | Cards |
|---|
Here's the actual May '32 record:
This Nathalie Gakkel Daks indicates that she was born in Petrograd, Russia, that she is a professional dancer, that she is a Frenchwoman who is Russian and that she is married to Nicholas Daks of New York. She indicates that she arrived in New York in 1925 (which is also correct about Natache).
(Incidentally, she indicates that she is 5 foot 4 inches tall. I recall reading a comment from a former student to the effect that Nathalie von Hoyer was "tall.")
There is a California "death index" record according to which Natalie died in the LA area in 1988!
| Name: | Natalie Daks |
|
|---|
| Gender: | Female |
|---|
| Birth Date: | 8 Aug 1910 |
|---|
| Death Date: | 7 Mar 1988 |
|---|
| Death Place: | Los Angeles |
|---|
Could this be our girl? Yep.
Heres a corresponding Social Security death index record:
| Name: | Natalie Daks |
|
|---|
| SSN: | 551-54-0547 |
|---|
| Last Residence: |
91109 Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, USA
|
|---|
| BORN: | 8 Aug 1905 |
|---|
| Died: | Mar 1988 |
|---|
| State (Year) SSN issued: | California (1956) |
|---|
Curiously, the birthdays are the same—August 8—but on different years. (Pretty typical. I've seen DOBs for Natacha ranging from 1900 to 1911, and she seems to be behind some of this obfuscation.) The first indicates 1910 but the second indicates 1905 (which matches Natache's stated birth year on the manifest of her passage to New York in 1925; see).
The death dates seem to match.
These two records are of the same woman; and I'm pretty sure that woman is Natacha Nattova.
THE MISSING YEARS (1934 - 1955):
But what was our girl doing from 1934 until 1956 (see above)? Was she living in Canada? Why did she move to California (Pasadena?)? What did she do there? (She would have been 51 years old in 1956. That's still pretty young.)
Was she really living in New York in 1940 or was that some sort of useful fiction?
In the 1932 travel manifest, Natalie/Natacha indicates that she lived in the U.S. from 1925 until May 7, 1932. Then, on May 14, she travels to Canada. Where was she during that week? A week is not enough time to travel to Europe. And, again, on these papers, she indicates that her move to Canada is permanent, though she indicates that she has no relatives in that country.
Nicholas Daks’ residences:
1927 – April - 353 West 118th
1931 – Oct - 9 West 69th
1932 – Feb - 9 West 69th
1934 - Daks: ?; Nattavo: 24 West 71st in Manhattan; Daks & Tuttle?: 53 W. 73rd
1940 (Nicholas Daks, 43 and Natalie Daks, 29)
- West 53rd Street #40
The two are married, living here
This Natalie is likely Nattova
1942 - Directory: NICH. DAKS
1307 6Av CI rele 7-3739, Manhattan
1944 - Directory: NICH. DAKS
1307 6Av CI rele 7-3739, Manhattan
[?] - NICH. DAKS, RESIDENCENicholas Daks (same b date)
- 2780 Eastern Blvd, Baldwin, NY, 11510-4107
P.s.: Gary Chapman (here) seems to suppose that Nattova's real name was "Natalie Schmit."
