Bowes ’s father died when he was six years old , and young Bowes worked as he could to augment the family income . After leaving grammar school he worked as an office boy and then went into the real estate business , until the cataclysmic 1906 San Francisco earthquake wiped out his fortune . He then went to New York City in search of other opportunities . He soon realized that the theatrical world was lucrative , and he worked busily in New York as a musical conductor , composer , and arranger . He also produced Broadway shows , such as '' Kindling '' in 1911 &ndash; 12 and '' The Bridal Path '' in 1913 . He was married to '' Kindling '' star Margaret Illington , from 1910 until her death in 1934 ; her portrait by Adolfo Müller-Ury had been painted in 1906 for her first husband , the theatre manager , Daniel Frohman
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Major Bowes