Tuesday, August 21, 2012

1880s Autograph Album of Pluma A. (Dean) Watson Mower of Piscataquis County, Maine, and Dexter, Maine


1880s autograph album of Pluma A. (Dean) Watson Mower of Piscataquis County, Maine, and later, Dexter, Maine, in Penobscot County.

The album is approximately 7" x 4-1/2" and contains 35 autographs of relatives and friends.



From online research, hopefully correct: [corrections welcome]

Pluma A. Dean was born 6 February 1854 at Barnard, Maine, daughter of Elias and Louise (possibly Green or Randall or another name) Dean.

Pluma's paternal grandparents were Elias and Ruth (Head) Dean. 

As for Pluma's mother's line, many online trees have Pluma's mother's name as Louisa Willard, but her name was given as Louise Green in her husband Elias' obituary of 1923, which I would imagine that Pluma had a hand in writing, since Elias was living with her at the time of his death.

In the 1870 Census of Wellington, Maine, Elias and Louise(Louisa) were living in the household of James and Ruth Randall.  Perhaps James was Louisa's father; perhaps Ruth was her mother, and James a subsequent husband.  Or perhaps there was no relationship.

Hopefully a reader will leave a comment that clears up the maiden name and parents of Pluma's mother, Louise/Louisa.

On 19 January 1873 at Parkman, Maine, Pluma A. Dean married Willard G. Watson, son of Charles and Maranda (Austin) Watson.  He was born 22 November 1846 at Parkman, Maine.

I don't know if Pluma and Willard had any children, but there were none shown with them in the 1880 Census of Sebec, Maine, when they were shown living with Louisa Floyd and a young man and girl who may have been Louisa's children.  As far as I can tell, this was a different Louisa from Pluma's mother.

Willard died at Dexter, Maine, in 1882.  On 3 March 1884, Pluma married Henry Mower, son of Loring and Elvina S. (Morse) Mower.  Henry was born 10 April 1846 at Dexter, Maine.  Henry's first wife was Mary M. Field, who died in 1880.

Henry's mother Elvira signed a page in Pluma's album in 1884.



Another person with the Mower surname, F. L. Mower of Dover, Maine, signed a page in 1888.



Henry Mower died 25 February 1922 at Dexter,  Maine.  Pluma died 3 September 1931.

In the 1920 Census of Dexter, Pluma is listed in the household of Stanley Moore.  I'm wondering if Stanley was Henry Mower's middle name, and that Moore was a misspelling of Mower.  Or was Stanley a third husband?

In Pluma's father's obituary, there are four grandchildren noted.  One of them was Miss Pluma Mower of Millinocket, Maine.  I haven't found another record of her to figure out how she ties in to the Dean and Mower families.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Pluma's cousin, Nellie Wyman of West Great Works, Maine, signed a page in 1882.  



Complete list of signers, in alphabetical order:


Villa E. Bigelow of Corinna, Maine, 1883; "Flavilla E. Bigelow"?
Ina G. Brett of Lewiston, Maine, 1884
Pluma Dean, owner
Dora C. Dodge of Milo, Maine, at Sebec, Maine, 1882
Florence Farnsworth of Dexter, Maine, 1883
Alice E. Farrar of Dexter, Maine, 1883
Adniram H. Fassett of Abbot Village, Maine, 1884
Calvin Fassett of Abbot Village, Maine, 1884
Lottie E. Fogg of Dexter, Maine, 1884
Nellie L. Goff of Dexter, Maine, 1884
George W. Goff of Dexter, Maine, 1884
Sarah A. Goff of Dexter, Maine, 1884
Mynia A. Johnston of Sebec, Maine, 1881
Lizzie V. Levensalor of Sebec, Maine, 1881
Mrs. Fannie L. Moore of Dexter, Maine, 1883
Mrs. Emma Morrison of Dexter, Maine, 1883
Mr. John Morrison, Jr. of Dexter, Maine, 1883
Lizzie Moulton of Sebec, Maine, 1882
F. L. Mower of Dover, Maine, 1888
Elvira Mower of Dexter, Maine, 1884; middle initial possibly S; if so, then mother of Pluma's 2nd husband Henry Mower
W. M. Nason of Veazie, Maine, 1882
Cora Parker of Sebec, Maine, 1881
Nellie M. Plummer of Dover, Maine, 1888
Alden P. Sampson of Sebec, Maine, 1882
Mary A. Sears of Dexter, Maine, 1881
Ina A. Stevens of West Great Works, Maine, 1881
Etta S. Thompson of Dexter, Maine, 1883
Silas B. Watson of Athens, Maine, 1883
Mrs. Marie P. Watson of Athens, Maine1881
Nancy Watson of Wellington, Maine, 1882
Marie P. Watson of Sierra Madre, California, at Dexter, Maine, 1923
F. C. Webster of Bangor, Maine, at Dexter, Maine, 1884
Luther A, Weymouth of Abbot Village, Maine, 1884
Jennie Whittemore of East Dover, Maine, 1883
Emma J. Wyman of West Great Works, Maine, 1887
Nellie Wyman of West Great Works, Maine, 1882; cousin

Dexter, Maine


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