Brief history of May Smith Robbins & her son Hughie Cannon using clippings from newspaper articles.
The Roanoke Times 10 January 1892
Fort Scott Daily Monitor 17 Dec 1893
Allentown Leader 26 December 1895
Alexandria Gazette 28 Dec 1896
Delphos Daily Herald
25 March 1896
Boston Post – 27 September 1896
Boston Post – 27 September 1896
Elwood Daily Press 31 March 1896
The Daily Republican – 24 December 1897
The Topeka Daily Capital 20 November 1898
The Galena Evening Times 17 December 1898
The Galena Evening Times – 27 December 1898
Oshkosh Daily Northwestern – 18 May 1901
The Daily Courier – 31 August 1916
The Daily Courier 21 April 1932
Hughie Cannon represents a tragic story of tortured talent who, in the end, was not able to overcome his demons and let his potential be fully realized. Just the same, he did leave us with a few gems, and only a few clues on who he actually was or where he came from. Responsible for one of the most sung ragtime songs of the 20th Century, he was not only a friend of the prototype Bill Bailey, but shared some of his more unfortunate traits. Hugo Cannon was born in Detroit, Michigan, to actors John S. Cannon and May Brown on April 9, 1877, some seven months after their Illinois marriage. The 1880 and 1900 censuses both suggest a birth year of 1878, as do some accounts of his death. However, his official birth record in Detroit clearly shows 1877 as the year. May and John were likely on the outs around that time, and by June 1880, when the census was taken, she had remarried to William H. Smith. They were rooming with May's widowed mother, Rose Brown, in Detroit. Neither listed an occupation, and were instead put down as boarders. Hugo's birth name of Cannon was not included, as he was listed under his stepfather's name of Smith.
The Indianapolis Star – 26 December 1903 Hughie Cannon – Son of May Smith Robbins
Brazil Daily Times (Brazil, Indiana) 20 July 1908
New Castle Herald 25 January 1910
Willard Bailey, the real inspiration for Hughie's famous song, with his wife Sarah around 1900.
Bristol Banner – 05 July 1912
The Washington Post – 20 June 1912
The Daily Courier – 09 April 1965
The Daily Courier – 09 April 1965