Ethel May Earnist – The True Composer of Peanuts
©2007/2010/2016 by Bill Edwards

It has long been thought, and put forward as a conclusion in many ragtime texts, that Ethel Earnist was a pseudonym for Charles L. Johnson; therefore he was the composer of Peanuts: A Nutty Rag. Recent information to the contrary has been discovered by the author that indicates this information to be incorrect. Ethel Earnist was indeed a real person, and the composer of Peanuts, not Charles L. Johnson.
Current Background: In 1978, and again in 1988, Rags and Ragtime by Trebor Tichenor and David A. Jasen was published and revised, and in both editions, Peanuts is included in the timeline for Charles L. Johnson. It also appears in That American Rag (2000) by Jasen and Gene Jones, with Ethel Earnist shown in the index of Pseudonyms Used by Composers, with Charles L. Johnson as the person behind that pseudonym. There are good reasons to have made this assessment, and they have further been supported by Phil Stewart, Charles Johnson historian.
There are some issues that come up, however, especially in light of Fannie Bell Woods, composer of Sweetness, having been located and verified as another non-pseudonym for Johnson. This given, Peanuts would remain the only piano rag that Johnson wrote using a female pseudonym, much less any pseudonym other than Raymond Birch. Given that many other facets of Johnson’s otherwise consistent history do not point to something like this which could be perceived as, perhaps, erratic or out of place, the question also needs to be asked if Ethel Earnist may actually have existed.
One place to start is to examine the rags and other compositions composed by women that Johnson published under his own label, including Peanuts. One composer thought to be a woman, Zena A. Smith, was actually found to have been male. The remaining pieces are as follows, according to data collected by historian Nora Hulse:
Frizzles – Kate Myers Stith – 1907
Pine Needles Waltz – Kate Myers Stith – 1907
The Tickler – Frances Cox - 1908
Yes I Am Dreaming – Susan E. Wren - 1908
The Fraternity Waltz – Maddalena M. Herye - 1908
Slivers/Splinters – Maude Muller Gilmore - 1909
Peach Blossoms – Maude Muller Gilmore - 1910
Moonbeams – N.D. Taylor - 1911
My Loyal Kansas Girl – Mrs. A. E. Bingham - 1911
That Irresistible Rag – Lucy B. Phillips - 1912
Lorelie – Maude Muller Gilmore - 1910
Honey Girl – Enola Kempka & Elva Tarlton – 1918

Note that Sweetness was published by Johnson’s friend Fred Forster, and the reasons behind its mistaken parentage is noted in a separate essay by the author
 Of these pieces listed above, which all came from Johnson’s own company, as did Peanuts somewhere in the middle, none have been attributed to him. This becomes more prescient when one finds out that the definitive existence of Lucy Phillips, Frances Cox, or Enola Kempka and Elva Tarlton cannot be fully ascertained. So why not Ethel Earnist? The funny-sounding name perhaps?
Add to this some of the stylistic facets of Peanuts. The very issue of who wrote this rag was brought to my attention by historian Terry Parrish in 2006 when he and I were discussing Fannie B. Woods and uncovering of new information. He brought up the fact that Peanuts is very far removed from virtually every other Charles L. Johnson rag on many levels and proffered a suggestion not only that Johnson did not write it, but a possibility of who may have either written or influenced the piece - Theron C. Bennett. I said I would follow up on this.

Analysis of Differences: In a nutshell - forensically, there are so many variances between Peanuts and virtually any other Johnson piece that doubt CAN easily be cast on authorship. The consistent use of the A section pattern starting on the & of 1 and ending on 4 with no cross-bar syncopation for starters is not at all a characteristic Johnson pattern, and he was reliable for those. The octave and a half phrase at the end of the A section (which would be the alleged Bennett component Dr. Parrish was referencing) is also uncharacteristic. The only real syncopation in the A section occurs in ms. 8. The B section is way out there, and really too repetitive and/or static for Johnson works of that period. The lack of key change into the trio is another Johnson non-hallmark, as is the ascending pattern in that section, even given some similar attributes in Cum-Bac. Johnson trios are very predictable in a sense, more often than not following the circle of fifths or a similar pattern.
So put Peanuts head to head with any Johnson rag (I have done so), especially those composed from 1910 to 1913, and it is WAY out there. Perhaps it was a moment of inspiration to do something different, but something like is hard to verify. This same methodology of analysis worked for the identification of Silver Swan before a duplicate roll with Joplin's name on it actually appeared, and it worked well (with concurrence) when I was able to positively identify Al Marzian as Mark Janza (in league with Dick Zimmerman) by comparing Angel Food with Lion Tamer and Aviation Rag at many levels.

So Who Is The Composer? If not Johnson or Bennett, is the name Earnist contrived? My initial research found several Earnists still living in the United States, including in Virginia and Iowa, but none in Illinois or Kansas or Missouri where I might have expected. It is a real last name, however, so perhaps not so comical to them. Note that researcher Sue Attalla discovered that Webb Oungst, the lyricist listed for They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Aroun', was a real person in spite of how weird THAT name is. So some searching for the REAL Ethel Earnist uncovered the following confirmable candidate:
Ethel May Earnist was born in eastern Nebraska in July 1888. Her father, William H. Earnist (sometimes listed as Earnest), was listed usually as a manual laborer in official records, and later as a night watchman. Her mother, Belle (La Gourgue) Earnist, was a homemaker. Ethel was the only surviving child of three and had no children, so it was hard to determine any history from relatives since none could be found. There was a chance William had been a farmer and abandoned that for the more reliable labor work force. The family is listed in Omaha in the 1900 census, and again in 1910. In the latter, Ethel at 21 is a pianist working in a department store in Omaha, which was a short day’s ride from Kansas City if she wanted to pursue the music business there or submit a publication. William is listed this time as a painter with his own shop.
It is interesting to note that the family is listed in the 1911 Omaha directory and the 1912 Kansas City, Kansas directory, which means that they moved at some point in mid-1911. This would readily coincide with the publication of Peanuts in mid-to-late 1911, initially copyrighted under her name on July 17. William is listed as a laborer, again likely with his own shop, but no other family members at that time. He is listed consistently in the directories through 1916. The family shows up in Independence, Missouri, in 1918. Ethel is shown as in sheet music retail and living with her parents. The same goes for 1919 and 1920. In the 1920 Federal census she is shown as working in the music department of a variety or drug store, which may be a slightly skewed description. The 1922 through 1924 Independence records have her employer as publisher J.W. Jenkins Sons Company, likely the same thing she had been doing since 1918 as a local agent. The 1924 listing was moot, since it was given in 1923 just before her wedding.
Ethel married Obe (or Ober) G. Hamilton (1/23/1888) in late 1923 in Wichita, Kansas. In the late 1910s he was a coffee salesman for the Paddock Coffee & Spice Company of Kansas City. As of the early 1920s he worked in sales of extermination chemicals for farmers. They are seen in S.E. Kansas in 1926, but back in Kansas City, Missouri, by the 1930 census. In the 1920 census, William was listed as a night watchman in a hospital, and in 1930 as the same for a bank patrol. In 1940 the couple was still living with Mr. Earnist. Ober died in 1948 from a heart attack. Ethel died of lung cancer in 1957 in Kansas City. Her death certificate showed her as a musician. Research found no descendants of the couple on either side.

Conclusion: The likelihood of this Ethel Earnist, who worked in music for much of her adult life and directly with a Kansas City publisher, being the composer of Peanuts is almost certain given the demographics cited. Add to this that Johnson had published rags by other composers of both sexes and no credit has been given to him for their work, the odds increase. As with Fannie B. Woods, the impact of this discovery is hardly earthshaking, but it does add one more female composer to the compendium, and removes one more pseudonym from the Johnson repertoire, giving more consistency to what he was known for as a composer.
Information derived from Ancestry.com, Mormon genealogy database, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Federal census records, Omaha Nebraska, Kansas City Kansas, Kansas City Missouri and Independence Missouri  city directories, with assistance from historian Nora Hulse and enthusiast John Dawson.

Father William H. Earnist born October 1862 in Iowa
Mother Belle Earnist born. July 1859 in Ohio

1900 Federal Census listing:
Head: William H. Earnist, age 37, Profession hard to discern; may be painter or laborer Married 10 years.
Address: 2719 North 24th Street, Omaha. Owned home
Wife: Belle., age 41. (interestingly, her mother was from Canada but her father from French Jamaica)
Daughter: Ethel May, age 11, born July, 1888 (year is inconsistent here and should be 1889)

1910 Federal Census listing:
Head: William H. Earnest, age 49 [should be 48], Painter – own shop, married 20 years
2218 South 21st Street, Omaha. Renting home.
Wife: Belle., Age 51,
Daughter: Ethel May, age 21, Occupation: Pianist – Department Store.

1920 Federal Census listing:
Head: William H. Earnist, age 57, Night watchman - Hospital
Address: 3828 Brooklyn Avenue, Independence, Missouri. Owned home (not rented)
Wife: Belle, age 61, No occupation.
Daughter: Ethel May, age 30, Occupation: Music department – Drug store (may be Dept Store)

1930 Federal Census listing:
Head: William H. Earnist, age 67, Watchman, bankers patrol
Address: 3828 Brooklyn Avenue, Independence, Missouri. Owned home, Valued at $6,000
Wife: Belle, age 71
Son-in-law: Ober G. Hamilton, age 43, Occupation: Exterminator – Manufacturer.
Daughter/Wife: Ethel M Hamilton, age 41. Occupation: none.

1940 Federal Census listing:
Head: Billy Earnist, age 81, widowed, no occupation
Address: 3828 Brooklyn Avenue, Independence, Missouri. Owned home, Valued at $4,500
Son-in-law: Ober G. Hamilton, age 53, Occupation: Traveling salesman - wholesale drug concern.
Daughter/Wife: Ethel M Hamilton, age 51. Occupation: none.

1942 Draft record:
Obe Gentry Hamilson, 3828 Brooklyn, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, 55, 1/23/1887, Ethel May Hamilton, K.C. Park Department (Edwin Jacobson) @ 17th and Woodlan

Directories:
1912 – 1916  -  Kansas City, KS
Earnest, William H. - laborer

1918 - Independence, MO
Earnest, William 3618 Woodland Ave
Earnest, Belle, r., same address
Ethel, sheet music, same address

1919 - Independence
Earnist, Wm. H, painter, same address
Earnist, Ethel, sales, same address

1920 - Independence
Earnist, Wm. H., watch, 3828 Brooklyn Ave.
Earnest, Ethel, music, r., same address

1921 - Independence
Earnist, Wm. H, watch, same address
Earnist, Ethel, nurse, same address
(Nurse is likely a mistake. The word music could have looked like nurse to the person who transcribed it).

1922, 1923, 1924 - Independence
Earnist, Ethel, clerk, - either J. W. Jenkins Sons Co, or in music, same address

1930 - Independence
Hamilton, Obe G., exterminator (Ethel M.), 621 Grand Ave

1931, 1932 - Independence
Hamilton, Obe G., traveling salesman (Ethel M.), 3828 Brooklyn Ave

1955 - Independence
Hamilton, Ethel M., no occupation (widow Ove G.), 3828 Brooklyn Ave

Death Record: