Edna Louise Scottron: A Quiet Stage in Black American Theater and Family Legacy

Basic Information

Early Life and Heritage

Edna Louise Scottron was born on October 31, 1894, in Brooklyn, with some records presenting minor variations in place and year—typical of genealogical trails from the early 20th century. She grew up within a family whose name carried the quiet prestige of invention and civic engagement. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Raymond Scottron, held patents for adjustable mirrors and curtain rods and stood as an activist in African American communities. Those inventions were more than hardware; they were instruments of visibility, metaphors for seeing oneself clearly in a world that often refused clarity.

Her father, Cyrus L. Scottron, and mother, Louise Ashton Logan, formed the immediate circle of Edna’s childhood. Various accounts suggest that Louise’s lineage may include Senegalese roots through Amelie Louise Ashton, a thread woven into the family’s broader tapestry of African American and European ancestries. Records from the 1900s place the Scottrons in Brooklyn’s neighborhoods, finding stability even as social conditions narrowed opportunities for Black families.

Marriage, Motherhood, and Movement

On November 17, 1915, Edna married Edwin Fletcher “Teddy” Horne Jr., a businessman with a gambler’s bent, in Kings County, New York. Two years later, on June 30, 1917, she gave birth to Lena Mary Calhoun Horne—destined to become one of America’s defining singers and actors. The marriage, intense but brief, ended in divorce on July 12, 1921, in Norfolk, Virginia, when Edna was 26.

Post-divorce, Edna’s life followed the road. Work in traveling Black theater troupes drew her across states, a performer living out of trunks and stage doors, chasing paychecks and applause in a segregated nation. During these years, Lena spent significant time with her paternal grandparents, Cora Calhoun Horne and Edwin Horne Sr., in Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. Edna remained tethered to her daughter, encouraging her early auditions; at 16, Lena aimed for the Cotton Club, a step that would launch a career and claim the limelight that eluded her mother.

Career on the Road: Acting in Black Troupes

Edna’s acting career speaks to a generation of performers whose names rarely made marquee lights yet kept the lights on for audiences hungry for music, comedy, and drama. The early 1920s through the 1930s were boom years for touring ensembles—vaudeville circuits, tent shows, and community theaters—especially for Black troupes working within strict boundaries of Jim Crow. Her roles may not have been documented in playbills preserved by history, but her presence mattered: she was part of the living architecture of performance that gave the next generation permission to dream bigger.

Financial fortunes in such itinerant work were almost always modest, and Edna’s were no exception. Still, her currency was influence. She set the stage for Lena Horne, shaping an ethos of artistry and resilience. If Lena became a comet, Edna was the gravitational force—quiet, steady, essential.

The Horne–Scottron Family Tree

Timeline of Key Milestones

Later Years and Passing

The trail of Edna’s later years grows faint—privacy and distance were common companions to women whose lives skirted the edges of fame. Records point to Las Vegas, Nevada, as the place of her passing in November 1976, with some accounts suggesting an alternate year of 1985. If the desert held her final act, it did so quietly, without press releases or carefully posed photographs. She exits the historical stage as she occupied it—firmly present, rarely spotlighted.

Mentions in Recent Media

In 2024–2025, Edna’s name appears sparingly, mostly tethered to Lena Horne’s origin stories and family histories. Archival interviews and retrospectives sometimes trace a brief line to Edna, acknowledging her encouragement of Lena’s teenage auditions and the family structures that supported a rising star. Direct features on Edna remain rare, a reminder of how many Black performers of her era were documented only in fragments and footnotes.

FAQ

Who was Edna Louise Scottron?

She was an early 20th-century actress associated with traveling Black theater troupes and the mother of entertainer Lena Horne.

When and where was she born?

She was born on October 31, 1894, in Brooklyn, New York, though some records vary slightly.

How is she connected to inventor Samuel R. Scottron?

Samuel Raymond Scottron was her paternal grandfather, known for several patents and community activism.

Who did she marry?

She married Edwin Fletcher Horne Jr. in 1915 and divorced him in 1921.

Did she have children?

Yes, her daughter was Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, born in 1917.

What was her career like?

Edna worked in touring Black theater troupes, with limited documentation of specific roles or productions.

Where did she live during her life?

She grew up in Brooklyn, traveled extensively for work, and is recorded as passing in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When did she die?

Most records indicate November 1976; a minority of sources cite 1985.

Did she have grandchildren or great-grandchildren?

Yes—grandchildren Gail Lumet Buckley and Edwin “Teddy” Jones, and great-grandchildren Jenny and Amy Lumet.

Is she frequently mentioned in recent media?

No; recent mentions are sparse and usually occur in historical discussions about Lena Horne.