(I apologize in advance if this isn't the right place to ask this sort of thing, but after browsing similar subs I can't find one that seems like a better fit. I'd try genealogy subs, but I feel my research is different because my great grandparents were celebrities. Feel free to suggest any alternative subs. Thanks! Also, sorry about the length of this post... I'm pretty passionate about this and tend to rant.)

Dear historians, I'm researching my family tree (specifically my great grandparents) as a present for my grandmother's 80th birthday. I'm an amateur historian and love learning more about my ancestors; I've had luck and a lot of fun researching my great grandparents specifically because they were semi-famous Vaudeville performers and there is a wealth of public information about them. At the same time, I feel like I've exhausted most of my internet resources. I'm a dedicated researcher and have spent hours scouring Google and at this point I'm looking to advance my research further. (I've also taken a look at the resources section of this sub.)

So I guess my question is really a few questions:

Do any historians here know anything about my great grandparents Bert Walton and Doll Purcell?

I'll give you a summary of what I know with some links to interesting sources in case that helps. (All of this has info been as verified as possible.) My great grandparents were known as Bert Walton and Doll Purcell; those were their stage names, but they were also billed as Bert Walton & Co. My great grandfather was a "noted comedian", emcee, and musician. Early in his career he worked with the musician Al Piantadosi. They toured together as "Piantadosi and Walton". My great grandmother was a chorus girl that he fell in love with and incorporated into his act. [Here is a photo of them performing together in their later years.] FYI it's a very weird feeling to find people selling photos of your ancestors on Ebay.

My great grandparents are not well remembered today, but according to my grandmother and the news clippings I've read, they were quite famous in their day. They worked with and were close friends with famous performers such as Fatty Arbuckle and the original Three Stooges in their early careers before film. (I have a signed photo of Fatty Arbuckle with a note to my great grandparents thanking them for being such loyal friends about 5 years after his infamous fall from grace.) My grandmother claims that she used to have a large photo of the Three Stooges with similar signatures/notes, but that she lost it at some point. My grandmother also remembers knowing Bill Robinson; she told me a story that when she was little, Bill would say that she was his #2 girl, but only because Shirley Temple was #1.

For whatever reason (possibly my great grandfather's advancing age and health), my great grandparents never made the transition from stage to film. They traveled and performed well into the 40s, but seem to have retired after losing the majority of their wealth in a stock market crash some time after WWII. My grandmother grew up surrounded by adult performers and traveled the world with my great grandparents as a child--she was wealthy and never realized the Great Depression was happening and even though this seems like a fascinating life, she remains bitter to this day that she never really had a "childhood". Her parents sent her to boarding school when she was young and she did not see them often after that because they continued to tour and travel. I'd love to be able to surprise her with photos and information about her parents that she doesn't even know; maybe filling in the gaps from when they were separated will help resolve some emotional turmoil.

Where would I find a Vaudeville expert?

Are there any Vaudeville historians in this sub-Reddit? I've tried searching for experts to contact, but it doesn't seem that Vaudeville is a popular topic for historians. I've tried contacting a few people I've found at museums and curators who are experts in film/theater, but haven't gotten any responses. Any ideas on how to get in contact with an expert in this area would be appreciated. I'd also love to speak to actual ex-Vaudeville performers who are still alive, but I'm not sure how to go about finding them either.

Do historians here have any suggestions of other resources or research tactics I can use?

I've already e-mailed a few libraries and museums for copies of articles and photos that aren't available online. Do you guys have any ideas on how to find info on them besides searching their names? I've found a ton of news clippings and random info about them, but I'm having a tough time finding primary source documents such as birth announcements or obituaries because they used stage names. I know their birth names, but haven't been able to find many verifiable documents relating to them under either name. (The only thing I have found is a census report from when my great-grandfather was married to his first wife before meeting my great grandmother.) I know they were both performers during WWII for soldiers over seas (in Germany), but I don't think they were actually in the armed forces, so I'm not sure if I can find any info about them that way. (They brought back some Nazi propaganda telegrams I have in my possession. Linking it for any WWII enthusiasts here that may find them interesting.)

Again thank you soooooo much for any help! This search has become a slight obsession and I'm going crazy trying to find more info. I'm also considering donating a few of the items I have to museums/collections, so if you can suggest someone I might contact in reference to Vaudeville/theater history, I'd appreciate that too!