Laura Slade Innis: Song composer

I have found very little information about Laura Slade Innis. According to this site, which reproduces data from the United States Census, she was born in 1894, was married to Clarance P. Innis, and had two children. The image of the original 1920 census form shows that Clarance (or Clarence) was a lawyer. I believe that his middle initial is R rather than P; Laura’s stationery is printed “Mrs. C.R. Innis,” and “C.R. Innis” is also listed in 1912 as a claim agent for the St. Joseph Railway, Light, Heat, & Power Co. The obituary of Innis’s daughter, Laura Virginia Innis Moseley and that of another daughter, Mary Innis Campbell, provide some additional information, indicating that the Innises moved to Seattle some time around 1925. Clarence can be found as a lawyer in some cases there in the 1930s. The 1940 census also shows the Innises in Seattle.   

Worldcat has Innis listed as “L.S. Innis,” and lists three compositions under this name, “Enchantment,” “A Tree at Dusk,” and “My Riches.” They are held only at the British Library at St. Pancras. “My Riches” is the Schmidt publication, which can be previewed here. A British Library staff member confirmed that the other two are also songs for voice with piano accompaniment, published by Boosey in 1925 (“Enchantment” by Laura Slade-Innis) and Schirmer in 1929 (“A Tree at Dusk” by Laura Slade Innis).

Although Innis published only “My Riches” with the Schmidt Company, her letters (dated from March 1922 to April 1924) refer to submissions of another thirteen pieces. Innis focused primarily on solo songs, as ten of her fourteen pieces are referred to as songs, two more as children’s songs specifically aimed at music appreciation lessons, and one as a hymn (“Evening Hymn,” the only other piece for which Innis names the title). One additional submission has its genre unspecified. The Schmidt Company’s replies to Innis refer only to “My Riches”; there are no letters about any of the other submitted pieces. This is anomalous; most other composers’ folders dating from this period contain letters in which the company rejects submissions.[1] I have found no reason why this might be different in Innis’s case, and will refrain from speculating at present.

---

[1] In earlier correspondence around the turn of the century, the Company’s replies are often not included in the folders, but they are included in bound letterbooks in many cases.