Saturday, April 3, 2010

1800s Portrait of the White Family, Levant, Maine


UPDATE:  Scroll down to the comments where a reader has identified and placed the people in the photograph and identified the setting, which is still standing today - it's the Baptist Church on the Horseback Road in Levant, Maine.  The people include:  Ethel Bryant White; Zelma M. White; Charles F. White; Medora White; Harry White; Stanley White; Christy White.  Many thanks!

UPDATE of February 2018: Check the comments section where readers have provided conflicting identifications.


1800s photograph of the White family, taken outside the Baptist Church on Horseback Road, Levant, Maine.


The photographer's name was Frank Stoddard, Levant, Maine.  It looks as though he applied his fancy name by hand.




If you, like the reader in the first two comments below, have any additional information on the White family of Levant, Maine, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!



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25 comments:

  1. I know exactly who this family is! These are my ggranparents.I have other pics of them.Could not believe my eyes when I came across this photo.The lady in center holding child is Ethel Bryant White whom my mother Ethel 'Garland' Gray was named for. The child held is my grandmother Zelma M White.The gray haired elderly man behind on left is Charles F White, her father in law.Below him his wife Medora.Younger man behind on right, Ethel Bryant's husband Harry White.Boy child to Ethel's left is Stanley White.Christy White is the girl ctr. back.The woman to bottom right is most likely Ethel's "Bryant"sister or a sister in law "white" of Levant. They came from Parsonsfield Maine. Joseph White l of York,Me 1780 forefather. His son Joseph ll came to Levant later as part of the ecclesastic religious movement.The chid ctr.is Zelma, wed Andrew Garland of Otis, alais "Utah Kid" Prize winning boxer & friend of heavyweight Jack Dempsey. Zelma & Andrew also ran Restaurant top of Miller hill Hermon,later in life.They are buried Pine tree rd. Hermon. Whites are in Waung cematary, Levant. Note: Ethel Bryant later married a "Harvey". This picture brought a tear to my eye thanks, Jayne G. Gray

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    1. Hello there! How wonderful it is to see distant family members on here! I am so delighted to have found a photo of the White family as Christine is my great grandmother. I’d like to add that perhaps you have gotten Zelma and Christine mixed up as Zelma is 5 years older than Christine. Also, I have seen adult photos of each and would respectfully argue that Zelma is standing in the back center while Christine is sitting on the lap of Ethel up front. Thank you so much for naming the others. I have been keeping an ancestry tree for years and have never come across pictures of my great grandmother’s family. Further I have been looking for evidence that Stanley Fred White existed and found very little until this photo. Thank you so much! Best, Kara

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  2. PS: Also,this is the Baptist Church on the Horseback Rd, Levant Me.It is still standing.The Shutters are still visible today as is the layout of the stone foundation. It is across the street from the town cemetery. There were several notable persons buried their following services held at the church. Writers,poets,solider's & a child Naomi Mitchell who was murdered early 1900.The murder made national news with the two week manhunt that occurred in finding the killer William "Sherman" Gray, a farm worker from away helping with the haying nearby that summer.

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    1. From information and investigations I have done. Naomi Mitchell is buried at Highland Cemetery and the name of her convicted killer is J. Sherman Gray. Many believe he was not the murderer but a scapegoat.

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    2. Wow, quite the story there... Hopefully justice was served, but, if not, I hope you can clear the name of the innocent.

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  3. Hi, I'm researching the Bryant family. Was Ethel's father Charles A. Bryant, and her mother Ella Kimball? If so, Charles' first wife was a Doble and my first cousin 3x removed. I think this photo may have been taken about 1910 because Ethel married in 1903, Harry P. White.

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  4. SIMON EATON WHITE WAS BORN IN MAINE TO JOB LORING (Loren)
    White. I can't find any thing about JLW. Can you help me?
    Lynn

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  5. I looked on FamilySearch.org for a Job Loring White and saw several possibilities. There was one in the 1880 Census of Westfield, Iowa. He was born in Maine about 1814. Could this be the one you're seeking, or perhaps his son by the same name, if he had one? He married Eliza Nason in Wiscasset, Maine on 26 May 1842. Sadly their marriage record is a copy and doesn't have info on the parents. I found his name at the Maine Masonry site, as involved in the Masons at Wiscasset: http://www.mainemasonrytoday.com/history/Proceedings/proc1855_4.htm?zoom_highlight=job+l+white. Perhaps they have more info? Also I found reference to a Job White who was a selectman at Wiscasset in 1812, perhaps your Job's father or uncle?? Wiscasset "Job White" He might have been the Job White who married Mary Polly Sloman on 24 Oct 1795 at Pownalborough. Mary Polly was from Woolwich. But I didn't find that they had a son named Job, not that there wasn't one. There was a Simon Eaton White born about 1866 in Iowa, living in Oklahoma in the 1930 Census. Interesting family - you might find some missing facts by checking probate and land records in Maine and Iowa. Good luck!

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  6. Wonder if this White family and the family of Sara Hannah White were related. Both are from Maine, but in different cities or towns.

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  7. Pretty cool! Zelma is my great grandmother - I only met her once when I was a child, but by all accounts she was a lovely person and a great cook! So cool to see this photo of her family...thanks for posting!

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    1. So glad you chanced upon this! Nice to hear something personal about her - her character and her cooking skills.

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    2. I stumbled upon this article while searching for my grandparents restaurant, zelma (white) and Andrew Garland, in Hermon Maine. Notable is the fact that zelma stood only 4' 10, yet Was a strong minded and savvy business woman before her time. Andrew at 6'+ was a navy man and formidable boxer by the name of The Utah kid. Some of my (and 5 siblings) favorite memories are of spending time with them at their restaurant in Hermon Maine on route 2. Witnessing their hard labor and dedication to both community and family Made a positive lasting impression. I am not sure how some of us may be connected, but I am happy to continue the historical journey with you. Best, Joanne Garland Gray Webber

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  8. Pretty cool! Zelma is my great grandmother - I only met her once when I was a child, but by all accounts she was a lovely person and a great cook! So cool to see this photo of her family...thanks for posting!

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  9. Wow! I am the great granddaughter of Christine White and granddaughter of Gretta Francis Scott. Thank you so much for sharing. I have not seen a White family photo. Thank you, Kara.

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  10. Hello,

    Zelma is my great grandmother as well. Thanks so much for sharing this photo!

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  11. Zelma Maude White Garland was my paternal grandmother. I remember and long for the days spent with her at the Hilltop Restaurant in Hermon, Maine. Her eldest son, Lawrence Andrew Garland, (my father) actually helped to design and build the family restaurant. There was a long counter, several tables and booths. The kitchen was open so there was lots of cross-talking. Once a week Zelma would make her famous home-made donuts and there would be line out the door to snatch up these goodies. Several of her recipes were published locally, including in the cookbook sponsored by the Bangor Daily News. I spent lots of time with my grandmother (and grandfather, Andrew Baker Garland, Sr.). On the few nights she had off, we went to lots of Bingo games, which were her passion and the Bangor drive-in theater. Zelma was a loving, kind, strong woman who always had time for her family and friends. She is still missed greatly to this day.

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    1. What a wonderful tribute to your grandmother and family! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Would love to have one of your grandmother's donuts fresh from the fryer...

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  12. So nice to see the photo and the comments. Andrew and Zelma were my grandparents, and I spent many hours at the Hilltop Restaurant. They are certainly missed by many.

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  13. Andrew and Zelma were also my maternal grandparents (they had many!) and Ethel, their daughter, was my mother. As with previous comments, had wonderful memories growing up in Hermon and visiting and working at their well know restaurant. They were both very hard-working people. Miss them all so much!

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  14. Zelma was my great grandmother and her daughter Ethel was my father's mother. Currently raising my five kids in Hermon just down the road. Actually stumbled upon this looking for old pictures of her restaurant.

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  15. Zelma was my great grandmother and her daughter Ethel was my father's mother. Currently raising my five kids just down the road in Hermon. Actually stumbled upon this website looking for pictures of her restaurant.

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