Thursday, September 29, 2011

c1870s IDed CDVs of the Withington Family of Boston, Massachusetts


Individual CDVs of four Withington brothers of Boston, Massachusetts and two of their paternal aunt Harriet Louisa Withington:

  • Herbert Lincoln Withington, taken by the A. N. Hardy studio of 22 Winter St., Boston
  • Henry Albert Withington, also taken by the A. N. Hardy studio 
  • Roland Coolidge Withington, also taken by the A. N. Hardy studio
  • Howard Pierce Withington  (shown above), taken by the Partridge studio at 2832 Washington St., Boston
  • Harriet Louisa Withington, two CDVS, one dated February 1874, by L. W. Cook of the Warren Photographic Studio of 145 Tremont Street; the other by the Frank Rowell studio of 25 Winter Street, Boston
From online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested: 

The siblings' parents were Henry Herbert Withington and wife Clara Emma (Lincoln) Withington, born in Brookline, Massachusetts and Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts respectively.  


The first-born of the four siblings was Herbert Lincoln Withington, born 25 July 1872 at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; sadly he drowned off Heron Island in Maine on 23 July 1895.  I couldn't find any information on the circumstances of his death.

Herbert L. Withington at 2 yrs, 4 months



The next child, Henry Albert Withington, whom I'm assuming is the Harry in the below photo, was born 27 November 1873 at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.  He married Elizabeth Gertrude Cotton, daughter of William Wallace Cotton and wife Anna Melissa (Moses) Cotton.

Henry Albert Withington in 1875 at 2 yrs



The next child, Roland Coolidge Withington, was born 26 December 1874 at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.  He married Edith Herman Barry, daughter of Charles Thomas Barry and wife Elizabeth (Chandler) Barry.  

Roland Coolidge Withington, at one year



[Though his photograph was unfortunately missing from this group, I should point out that the next child born in this family was Frank Clapp Withington (1877-1947).  He married Edith Warren Nelson, daughter of Eugene B. and Frances Allen (Whittier) Nelson.]

The last child was Howard Pierce Withington, who was born 22 May 1879 at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.  He married Ruth Winslow Eddy, daughter of Caleb Francis Eddy and wife Georgianna (Winslow) Eddy.

Howard P. Withington



Finally, two CDVs of Harriet Louisa Withington, sister of the boys' father Henry Herbert Withington.  I don't believe she married.  Although her middle initial might appear to be "D", it's actually an "L".

Harriet Louisa Withington



A map of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts:


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1914 Log Drive on Pleasant and Piscataquis Rivers, Maine: carbon copy of roster & expenses



Carbon copies of papers relating to Jordan Lumber Company's 1914 Piscataquis Log Drive down the Pleasant River and Piscataquis River in Maine.  


The Pleasant River, well known today by visitors to Gulf Hagas, Katahdin Iron Works and the Appalachian Trail, flows into the Piscataquis River at Medford.  Not far downstream, at Howland,  the Piscataquis flows into the storied Penobscot River.  The Jordan Mills were downstream on the Penobscot at Old Town and Milford.


There are three pages listing the laborers employed, their days worked, rate of pay and final pay tally.  I've included an alphabetized list, but be aware that many of the names, particularly the French names, are spelled phonetically or struck-over.  Be prepared to scan the roster carefully, if you're looking for a family member.


There's a page listing the phenomenal amount and variety of foodstuffs needed.  These men worked extremely hard and depended on hearty meals to get through a long day on the river.  The cook would have been the linchpin of the operation.  I'll bet word spread fast about a particular company's or cook's miserly or generous chow.















Names of Laborers
Adams, Hawthorne
Arbo, William
Arnold, John S.
Baker, George
Baker, Steve
Belideau, Arthur
Bellevieu Daniel
Blair, Archie
Blanchard, Paul
Blanchard, William
Bolier, Lawrence
Boober, Harry
Boynton, Percy
Brown, Ed
Burns, Thomas
Bushaw, Charles
Bushaw, Francis
Butters, George
Campbell, Hector
Claukins, Jack
Collier, Phil
Comeau, Stanley
Cormier, Albert
Cota, Frank
Cota, Mike
Cota, Peter
Creemer, Lester
Crocker, Kermit
Crowley, Jack
Cyr, Florent
Cyr, Phil
Cyr, Ted
Cyr, Thomas
Damien, Osborn
Day, Albert
Demont, Dennis
Devoe, Fred
Dewitt, Linwood
Doyle, Benjamin
Doyle, Ed
Doyle, Joseph
Dubay, Charles
Dubay, David
Dubay, George
Dubay, Jerry
Dugie, Joseph
Dunn, Albert
Dunn, Ray
Dwyer, Israel
Emery, David
Emery, John
Fitzpatrick, Gil
French, Ned
Gardner, George
Gesso, Emil
Glossian, Peter
Goodwin, Albert
Grant, Henry
Harris, William
Havilock, Joe
Havilock, Peter
Haynes, Bert
Hayward, A. B.
Hayward, Lowell
Heald, Guy
Henry, Alex
Herbert, George
Herbert, John
Hogan, J. W.
Howard, E. S.
Hudlin, Ernest
Huntington, Guy
Hush, Lewis
Jones, E.
Jones, Frank
Kelley, Corney
Kennear, Edgar
Kenney, Joe
Legassa, Paul
Livingston, Guy
Livingston, Mel
Livingston, William
Long, Lewis
Lutz, George
Marble, Charles
Marble, William
Mason, Horace
Mayo, Charles
McCarty, Frank
McCray, William
McInnis, Charles
McKenney, Fred
McKenzie, Joe
McMullen, Wallace
Melanson, John
Michaud, Allie
Michaud, Paul
Midlett, George
Mogan, John H.
Morin, Lewis
Mossa, Thomas
Murphy, John
Mushrall, Joseph
Nadeau, Fred
Nadeau, Joe
Nephims, Peter
O'Coin, Lawrence
Parady, Paul
Parry, Reuben
Perkins, E.
Pvelson, John
Ranco, Peter
Richards, Alex
Rogers, William
Shattock, Leon
Smart, Gilbert
Sprue, William
Stewart, William
Sullivan, Ray
Sullivan, Warren
Tebo, Arthur
Thobadeau, Alex
Thobadeau, Eli
Thobadeau, Paul
Trayer, William
Vague, Charles
Violette, William
Weldon, Horace
White, George
White, Joseph
Willett, Frank X.
Willett, Peter
Witham, Percy



The Maine Memory Network has many online images of log drives.


A map of the Piscataquis River and its tributary,the Pleasant River, showing its west and east branches:



This same region in a satellite map: [zoom out a couple clicks]




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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

c1910 Postcard, Getting Ready for Sideshow, Eastport, Maine - addressed to Laura B. Hutchinson, Bethel, Maine


Real photo postcard of a scene most likely at Eastport, Maine. Someone wrote on the reverse "Getting Ready for Sideshow".

The card was addressed by Uncle Fred to Miss Laura B. Hutchinson at Bethel, Maine but was not sent through the mails.



From online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested:

Laura Beatrice Hutchinson was born 8 June 1901 at Mason, Maine, the daughter of Ervin L. and Charlotte Augusta "Lottie" (Mills) Hutchinson.   Mason, near Bethel, Maine, was dissolved in 1935 and is now called Mason Township.

On 26 May 1939, Laura married Harland J. Shaw of Paris, Maine. He was born about 1905, the son of Mark and Lois H. (Knight) Shaw.   Harland died in 1969, and Laura 1987.   They're buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Bethel, Maine.

I've been unable to find the identity of Uncle Fred. I've checked for siblings of parents and grandparents but am not sure I've found all of them. And there's a possibility that "Uncle" was an honorific.

If you have any corrections, additions or insights to the information presented here, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Sources
Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 - birth of Laura Beatrice Hutchinson  
Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 - birth of a Shaw boy on January 27, 1906
Maine, Marriage Index, 1892-1966, 1977-1996 - marriage of Laura Beatrice Hutchinson and Harland J. Shaw

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

1888 Annual Report of Unity, Maine



"1888 Annual Report of the Selectmen of the Town of Unity for the Year Ending March 10, A.D. 1888"
Printed at Belfast, Maine by George W. Burgess, Printer, 1888.

See other posts that feature Unity annual reports from 1890, 1892, 18951897, 1898 and 1900.

Unity is a town in Waldo County in Central Maine.  It's the home of Unity College and the Common Ground Fair, put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.


There's doodling on the covers and several of the pages inside.   The name Rosland, Charles W. Crosby, Frank Crosby, Fred S. Knowles, Joseph Farwell, Amander Rackliff, Cornforth, G. B. Blanchard, Clara Ward, Clara Webb and Selden and the names of the towns of Unity, Thorndike and Belfast are scribbled or written here and there.


Printed names mentioned on the page above:
Joseph Farwell [received $100 as a preset to to town, to aid in building the Farwell bridge]
D. P. Clark [school money]
J. Thompson [for use of Bull]


Printed names mentioned on the page above:
D. Flye [for breaking road in 1886]
J. Small [labor on Town Farm 1886-1887]
Pilley Post G.A.R.
J. Craig [for medical attendance on R. Penney; . McColloff; Ezra Roberts]
Lydia Davis [burial expenses]
J. Hall [support]
J. Libby [for professional services]
Benny Childs [expense for taking him to Baldwin Home, Massachusetts]
Baldwin Place Home
G. Varney [attendance with hearse]
E. A. Hussey [part payment for collection of taxes for 1887]
Mrs. J. Mitchell [cleaning house at Town Farm]
G. Penney [support of Robert Penney and Mrs. Luther Davis]
O. J. Farwell [for plow point for town in 1886]
W. H. Fogler
Thompson and Dunton in suit Hollis vs. Unity
Benton [town of] [for support of Flora Childs and child in 1886]
Montville [town of] [support of J. Eells


Printed names mentioned on the page above:
Sonedburg [for labor on road]
A. J. Clifford [for labor on road]


Printed names on the page above:
Taylor & Mitchell [family supplies furnished at Farm}
J. R. Taber [family supplies furnished at Farm]
A. R. Myrick [family supplies furnished at Farm]


Printed names on the page above:
L. H. Mosher [family supplies furnished at Farm]
L. B. Harding [family supplies furnished at Farm]
E. M. Jones [family supplies furnished at Farm]
E. M. Moody [family supplies furnished at Farm]
R. M. Berry [stock feed]
H. B. Rice [repairs on harness]
W. M. Gerrish [smith work]
N. C. Knight [hardware]
A. W. Fletcher [repairs for mowing machine]
A. H. Clark [fertilizer]


Printed names on the page above:
Flora Childs
Bennie Childs
J. Collier, M.D. [for J. Hamlin]
J. Craig, M.D. [for Mrs. T. Reynolds]
J. Eels and family
W. H. Fogler
J. Hamlin [burial expenses]



Printed names on the page above:
J. J. Varney [care of Town House]
E. A. Hussey
Jefferson Hall [bill from Montville for his support]
Ezra Roberts [bill from Brooks for medical attendance]
Johnny McColliff [bill from Winterport for medical attendance]
Mrs. Luther Davis [bill from Freedom for her support]

Selectmen:
Amander Rackliff
Edwin Rand
Otis Cornforth


Printed names on the page above:
George Jones, Agent
Mrs. Jones, Teacher
George Varney, Teacher
W. G. Fuller, Agent
Miss Dina Merrill of Newport, Teacher
Miss Maria Mitchell of Freedom, Teacher
Miss Nellie Moulton of Unity, Teacher


Printed names on the page above:
Mr. Otis Conforth [Cornforth?]
R. R. Spinny, Agent
Miss May Jones, Teacher
George Worth, Teacher
Rufus Danforth, Agent
Miss Linnie Thompson of Albion, Teacher
B. J. Woods, Agent
Miss Mattie Webb of Unity, Teacher
Clara E. Webb, Teacher


Printed names on the page above:
A. Harding, Agent
Mrs. Harding, Teacher
Miss Bell C. Gordon, Teacher
George Flye, Agent
Miss Lettie Poland of Montville, Teacher
Miss McLaughlin, Teacher
G. B. Blanchard, Agent
Miss Clara Ward of Thorndike, Teacher
Mr. C. B. Keen of Freedom, Teacher
W. C. Crosby, Agent
Miss Minnie Conforth, Teacher


Printed names on the page above:
S. W. Bither, Agent
Miss Holmes, Teacher
Mr. Everett Myrick, Teacher
M. L. Pendleton, Agent
Mrs. M. L. Pendleton, Teacher
George Pillsbury, Agent
Miss Nellie Libby


Printed names on the page above:
S.S. Committee, Unity, Maine
W. G. Fuller
James Libby, Jr.
Clara E. Webb


Thanks for stopping by!


Monday, September 26, 2011

Cabinet Photo of Isaac Wallace Cate, New England pastor and missionary to Japan


Note: This post has been amended with additional information provided by readers.

Cabinet photograph of a man identified on reverse as "Mr. Cate, our Minister".  The photograph was taken by the Anderson Studio of 60 Merrimack Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts.



From comparing photographs, I believe this is Isaac Wallace Cate, a minister at various New England parishes and a missionary to Japan, who, along with his wife Ella Gertrude (Stimson) Cate, became a noted authority on Japanese culture.

Here is a printed photograph I found of him, when he was perhaps ten years older than in the photograph above.



From online research, hopefully correct: [and hopefully a reader will provide corrections, if necessary - as one reader has already done]

Isaac Wallace Cate, who went professionally by the name I. Wallace Cate, was born 30 July 1862 at Calais, Vermont, the son of Lemuel McKnight Cate and Jerusha (Pitkin) Cate.  

I. Wallace  married Ella Gertrude Stimson in 1892.  She was born in Boston in September of 1865, the daughter of Royal D. and Annie (possibly Mareen or Richardson) Stimson.  

Note from a descendant: Ella Gertrude (Stimson) Cate was a woman of accomplishment herself, having acquired a Master's Degree during the 1880s; she was able to converse in a variety of languages and held salons in Japan, attended by the intellectual, industrial and political elite.

From what I could find, the couple had five children:
  • Esther Safford Cate, born in July of 1892 in Japan; a teacher in Vermont and Connecticut; died 1982 in Meriden, Connecticut.  She was a social activist; was convicted of sedition for advocating for the Japanese internees during World War II.
  • Weston Attwood Cate, born 27 February 1894 in Japan; Universalist pastor in Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont; married Arlene May Jeffords; their son Weston Attwood Cate, Jr., was a prominent Vermont educator; Weston Sr. died in 1962 in Vermont.
  • Paul Stimson Cate, born 9 March 1900 at Machias, Maine, where his father was a pastor for a time, between his trips to Japan.  Paul married Masuko Hirai in Japan where they lived; they divorced when relations soured between the United States and Japan, and Paul returned to the United States in 1939.  In 1940, he married his stenographer, Dorothy Edna Olmstead.  They both worked for the U.S. government, Paul on a team that decoded Japanese messages.  Paul died from illness in 1942; his widow went on to work for Generals Eisenhower and Bradley.
  • Philip Harding Cate, born 25 August 1902, in Japan; worked in the Oriental Shop in Nashua, New Hampshire with his mother and was involved in the exhibition of Japanese art; he married twice, possibly three times; he died in Hawaii in 1997.  During World War II, he worked for Naval Intelligence, though a relative relates that it pained him to do so as he had grown up in Japan and had many childhood friends there.
  • Ione Chidzuko Cate, born 18 November 1906 in Tokyo, Japan; was a teacher in Turkey; m. Clarence Nelson; died in 1995 in California or Colorado.
At least two of the children graduated from Goddard Seminary in Vermont, their father's alma mater.

Isaac Wallace Cate developed an illness in Japan and was on his way home to the United States when he died on board a ship off the  west coast of New Zealand, on 11 May 1908.  

His widow Ella returned to Japan where she taught until her retirement in 1928.  She and her son Philip operated the Oriental Store at Nashua, New Hampshire.  She died in 1938.

If you have any corrections and/or additions to the infomration above, please leave a comment or contact me directly, so that I change or add information for the benefit of future readers.  Thanks!

An archive of the papers of Isaac Wallace Cate and some of those of his wife and children are held at the Andover-Harvard Theological Library of Harvard Divinity School.  

A Vermont history site has brief biographies of Isaac Wallace Cate, his wife and children.

It's amazing how a photograph purchased at an antique mall can lead to such an interesting family.  

1832-1932 Jonesport Centennial, Jonesport, Maine, Supplement to Union-Republican paper of Machias


1832-1932 Jonesport Centennial, a Supplement to the 1 September 1932 edition of The Union Republican of Machias, Maine.


It's is ragged condition, and probably not all of the scans are perfectly legible.  Because it was a bit musty, I scanned it outside on a sunny day of slight breezes and used weights to keep the pages still.


Even though it's in rough shape, I thought a reader might appreciate knowing that it existed.   I'm sure it exists in better condition in another respository.  A few places to check:


Jonesport Historical Society
Machias Historical Society
Maine State Library


You may find that the scans zoom larger here at the Maine and Maritime Canada Genealogy network.

























A map of Jonesport, Maine:



View Larger Map



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Friday, September 23, 2011

Snapshot of Percy Richard Potter at the Potter gravesite, Northborough, Massachusetts



I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that this is a photograph of Percy Richard Potter and his wife Emma Delia (Derosia) Potter, perhaps in their eighties, standing at the gravestone that will be their final resting place.  


There's nothing written on the reverse of the photograph.


Olive Frances Potter is buried there and perhaps others.  Sadly, the entire stone is not shown.


Since Richard died in 1964, this photograph might have been taken shortly before his death.


From online research, hopefully correct [and please weigh in if you feel differently]:


A birth record for a Percy Richard Potter gives a birth date of 2 August 1888 at Northborough, Massachusetts.  The record shows his parents as James Burns and Olive Frances Potter.  


I don't have any information on James Burns.  From reading the actual document, rather than the index, I wonder if James' surname was perhaps Barnes or Burnes.


Olive Frances Potter's birth year, according to the gravestone, was 1867.   Her parents were Merrick Potter and Elizabeth Twitchell.  According to her death record, she died at age 37 on 28 February 1905 at Northborough, Massachusetts and was buried there on March 3, 1905.  


The setting of the photograph, therefore, must be Northborough, Massachusetts.


On the record of his marriage to Emma Delia Derosia on 2 April 1910 in Orange County, New York, Percy Richard Potter indicated that his parents were  Merrick Potter and Elizabeth (Twitchell) Potter, so it appears that his maternal grandparents raised him.


Percy and Emma lived at various times in New York, Massachusetts and Maine.  The 1930 Census found them at Sanford, Maine.  A daughter was living with them.  The writing is a bit hard to read, but appears to show that Percy was working as the foreman at a shoe shop.


His World War II Draft Registration card, dated 27 April 1942, shows the family back in Massachusetts, at  Worcester.  Interestingly, by this time he had formally or informally changed his name to Richard Percy Potter.  He indicated he was working at the Daly Brothers Shoe Factory.


According to the Social Security Death index, he died in May of 1964.


If you have any corrections, additions or insights regarding the information presented here, please leave a comment or contact me directly. 


If you're certain that the photograph shows a couple other than Percy Richard Potter and his wife Emma, I'd definitely want to know that.


A map of Northborough, Massachusetts, in Worcester County:



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Oval Photo of a young woman IDed as Susie Hubbard



Approx. 2" x 2-3/4" photo in an approx. 5-1/4" x 3-3/4" mat.  The reverse shows the young woman's name as Susie Hubbard, with a middle name that is perhaps Harding.  Was her maiden name Hubbard or Harding [assuming I've deciphered Harding correctly]?

Please weigh in if you have a different take on Susie's middle name.


Sadly, there's no studio imprint to lend a clue to locale.  The photograph was purchased in an antique mall in central Maine but Maine may not necessarily factor into her identity.

The photo was in a plastic bag accompanied by two other photographs, each of an unidentified person, which may or may not be related.

Just in case there is a relationship, one of the accompanying photographs is of a young child, with a studio imprint of The Tribune Studio of South Framingham, Massachusetts.




If you recognize Susie's name or image from your family research or if you have an alternate name for her, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Thanks for stopping by!


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Catholic's Pocket Manual containing card showing death of Thomas T. Riley, who died 23 Dec 1915



The above card was found in a Catholic's Pocket Manual, published by Catholic Stores in 1905.  It shows that Thomas T. Riley died on 23 December 1915.  


Note: see reader's comment below for more information on Thomas T. Riley




The little book also contained three other cards, one of which, also dated 1915, names the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Everett, Massachusetts.  


That clue sent me to the 1910 Census for Everett, Massachusetts, where I found a listing for a Thomas Riley, who was born about 1855 in Ireland and was then a widower with four daughters living in his household: Mary, Bridget, Elizabeth and Ella.


Whether or not, this is the Thomas T. Riley mentioned on the card above, I don't know.





Front cover and title page of the book:






If you have an insight into the identity of the Thomas T. Riley who died on 23 December 1915, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks


A map of Everett, Massachusetts:



View Larger Map





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