While searching for information about my Mayo ancestors, I came across a composer named Oscar Mayo, adorning the pages of sheet music. He appears to have done much of his work in the 1870s and 1880s. With a little digging, I found out more about him.
There were eight men named Oscar Mayo counted on the census in 1880. After reviewing their occupations, I recognized him as a "Music Teacher". He was born in Germany around 1836 and was living in South Evanston, Cook County, Illinois, when the 1880 census was taken. His wife, Mary, and three sons lived in the home: Elgin Mayo was 12 years old, Oscar Mayo was 7 years old, and Emil Mayo was 3 years old. [1] His photo is available on Findagrave, stating that he was born Dec 1, 1832, in Germany, and died on February 12, 1915, in Modesto, California[3].
The sheet music can be found here, on the Library of Congress' site [2].
Sources
[1] "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXJH-DK9 : 15 September 2017), Oscar Mayo, South Evanston, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district ED 217, sheet 267A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0201; FHL microfilm 1,254,201.
[2] Mayo, Oscar. Allegretto. Brainard's Sons, S., Cleveland, monographic, 1873. Notated Music. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/item/sm1873.05406/>
[3] Findagrave MEMORIAL ID 57571754