Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name (as used) | Edna Louise Scottron |
| Born | circa October 31, 1894 (records vary) |
| Died | circa 1976 (dates vary across family records) |
| Place associated | New York (Brooklyn / Kings County connections in records) |
| Occupation | Actress — touring Black theatre troupes, vaudeville-era performer |
| Parents | Cyrus L. Scottron; Louise (Ashton) Scottron |
| Known for | Mother of singer/actress Lena Horne; part of early 20th-century Black theatrical circles |
| Spouses / partners | Edwin Fletcher Horne Jr. (married 1915 — later divorced); later married Miguel Rodríguez (dates vary) |
| Children | Lena Horne (1917–2010) |
| Notable descendants | Grandchildren and great-grandchildren include Gail (Horne) Lumet Buckley, Jenny Lumet, Amy Lumet |
A portrait in motion — who Edna was
I like to picture Edna Louise Scottron as a woman on a train platform at dusk — a suitcase in one hand, a playbill folded in the other, an eye for the next town’s marquee. The records and family memory that surround her are patchwork: census entries, marriage dates, and the steady drumbeat of Lena Horne’s biography that keeps Edna in the frame. Born around 1894 in New York, she traveled the country as part of the Black theatrical circuit — an era when an actress’s life meant nights under gaslight, days spent navigating railroad schedules and segregated lodgings, and a steady hunger for the next applause.
Timeline: key dates and numbers
| Year / Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1894 (c.) | Birth of Edna Louise Scottron (date commonly cited: Oct 31) |
| 1915, Nov 17 | Marriage to Edwin Fletcher Horne Jr. (Kings County record) |
| 1917 | Birth of daughter Lena Horne |
| 1920s | Divorce from Edwin Horne (early 1920s, various accounts) |
| Mid-20th c. | Reported later marriage to Miguel Rodríguez |
| 1970s (c.) | Death recorded in family records around 1976 |
Numbers here are anchors — they help the line of a life, but the real story is the movement between them: the travel, the quiet decisions, the lipstick in a dressing room.
Family & personal relationships — meet the cast
Below I introduce each family member as if I were handing you a program.
| Name | Relationship to Edna | Short introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Cyrus L. Scottron | Father | The family surname ties Edna to a broader Scottron lineage — a name that appears in local genealogies and community histories. |
| Louise (Ashton) Scottron | Mother | The maternal figure listed in records; part of the Brooklyn/New York family roots. |
| Edwin Fletcher “Teddy” Horne Jr. (b. 1893) | Husband (married 1915) | Father of Lena Horne — described in family accounts as a complex figure who left the nuclear household during Lena’s childhood. |
| Lena Horne (1917–2010) | Daughter | The luminous star who took the stage name everyone remembers — singer, actress, activist — and the reason Edna’s story loops into the public imagination. |
| Miguel Rodríguez | Later spouse | Described in some family accounts as Edna’s later partner; details and dates vary across records. |
| Gail (Horne) Lumet Buckley (1937–2024) | Granddaughter | Journalist and author who chronicled family stories and thus helped preserve Edna’s place in the narrative. |
| Jenny Lumet; Amy Lumet | Great-granddaughters | Descendants who carried the family into modern film and theater circles — a reminder that Edna’s legacy moves forward through performance arts. |
Introduce them to a room and you’ll feel the hush of lineage — the way talent, temperament, and patience travel down generations.
Career: the theater as classroom and crucible
Edna’s professional life reads like an apprenticeship to possibility. She worked with Black theatre troupes — touring companies that kept Black performance alive during times when mainstream stages were closed to many artists of color. That work meant discipline: memorizing lines, doubling roles, learning choreography, and—crucially—teaching the younger generation how to carry themselves onstage. In the theater’s mirror, she saw Lena’s potential and nudged her toward chorus lines and club bookings; in a sense, she passed the torch from dressing-room whispers to center-stage spotlights. There’s no long list of film credits under Edna’s name — her theater credits were real but scattered across playbills, trains, and memory.
Money, estate, and public record — what isn’t in the ledger
If you’re hunting for a net worth figure, there isn’t one waiting in public directories. Edna is a historical presence recorded in genealogies, family trees, and Lena Horne biographies — not in financial rankings. That absence tells its own story: one of a working performer in an era before celebrity accounting and publicized estates for many Black artists. The ledger pages are thin; the living history is in descendants and anecdotes.
Mentions, rumors, and the social echo
Edna’s name drifts through biographies, family memoirs, and social recollections — often as the stabilizing, theatrical force behind Lena. Gossip, when it appears, focuses on the human elements: a marriage that fractured, a later companion from another country, the occasional rumor about life on the road. But the louder notes are the stories that connect: the coaching sessions before a big audition, the chorus line that became a launchpad, the grandmother who watched a granddaughter learn to be luminous.
A theatrical inheritance — how Edna’s life echoes today
Think of Edna as part director, part stagehand, part mapmaker — someone who handed down not just genes but a sensibility: how to hold a song, how to navigate a room, how to make a single line of text read like truth. Her descendants in journalism and film keep the thread taut, and through Lena’s vault of work, you can trace Edna’s fingerprints — in phrasing, in posture, in the insistence that performance is both art and armor.
FAQ
Who was Edna Louise Scottron?
Edna Louise Scottron was a New York–born actress who performed with Black theatre troupes and is best known as the mother of Lena Horne.
What were Edna’s most important relationships?
Her key relationships include her parents Cyrus and Louise Scottron, husband Edwin Fletcher Horne Jr., daughter Lena Horne, later partner Miguel Rodríguez, and notable descendants like Gail Lumet Buckley.
Did Edna have a formal acting career?
Yes — she worked as an actress in touring Black theatre companies and was involved in vaudeville-era performance, though formal film or long play lists under her name are scarce.
When did Edna marry Edwin Horne?
She married Edwin Fletcher Horne Jr. on November 17, 1915, according to family records.
Is there a public net worth for Edna?
No reliable public record lists a net worth for Edna; her life is documented through family and theatrical records rather than financial filings.
How did Edna influence Lena Horne?
Edna mentored and encouraged Lena’s early stage work, guiding her into chorus lines and club opportunities that launched Lena’s career.
