Vaudeville dancer Dora Ford, Photo by James Abbe, 1920.
Dora Ford was sister to Mabel Ford, Jonny Ford, Edwin Ford and Max Ford. Dora Ford made up 1/4 of the famous Vaudeville dance team The Four Fords. She was the mother of magician, Roy Benson, who was born in France in 1914 as Edward Emerson Ford McQuaid. Dora was married to Edward Emerson Mcquaid of the Juggling Team Emerson and Baldwin, Roy's father. She later married Gustave Schirmer whom she divorced in 1925. Original Copies of the marriage license and divorce decree are with Liane Curtis, her Grand Neice, in Los Angeles, California. Gus gave her $100,000, a $37,000 apartment and stocks in Schirmer Music. Not too shabby. Dora was born in October of 1885 and died in July of 1978 in Queens, New York.