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BERNARD FAMILY PAPERS RG5300
The records in this series document to some extent the lengthy circus and vaudeville careers of the Bernard family, a high wire, acrobatic, and tumbling act, whose members made their home for many years in Lakeland, Florida. Included are correspondence, certificates of achievement, newspaper clippings, posters, and programs relating to the nearly seventy year career of three generations of the Bernard family. The posters and programs are particularly interesting in that they trace the various stage names under which the family performed, reveal which family members were involved in which act and when, and the type of act featured. The family performed under a variety of names, including the Bernard's, the Four Bernadino's, the Merrill Brothers and Sister, the Merrill Brothers, and the Four Merrill's. Merrill was the maiden name of the mother of family patriarch, Floyd Bernard, who himself performed under the stage names of Floyd Merrill and Don Bernardo. The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by name, subject, or type of record and chronologically within folders. Oversize items are housed in a folio box at the end of the collection.
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