1870s/1880s Autograph Album of Odietta M. Rich of West Bath, Maine

1870s/1880s autograph album of Odietta M. Rich, "Odie", of West Bath, Maine.

The album is approximately 8" x 5" and contains the sentiments of over seventy of Odie's relatives, friends and schoolmates.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.

From online research, hopefully correct: [corrections and additions welcome!]

Odietta M. Rich was born about March 1863 at, I believe, West Bath, Maine, the daughter of Henry Raymond Rich and Ann Eliza (Mitchell) Rich.  They each signed pages in Odie's album; her mother signed two pages, including this one that ran over onto the reverse.

Later on in the album, Odie's parents signed facing pages; her brother Harry J. Rich, who was born about November 1871, signed his name in a childlike script on his mother's page.

Odie had an older sister, Anna Augusta Rich, who had married George Harrison Butler by the time she signed a page in Odie's album.

Several other people named Rich and Mitchell, including some who gave their relationship to Odie, signed pages in her album, as the list below shows.

I don't believe that Odie ever married.  She lived at Phippsburg for a time and then, at least in 1920, lived with her brother Harry and their widowed mother at West Bath, on the dairy farm.  The three of them were still in West Bath at the time of the 1930 Census.  By 1940, Ann Eliza (Mitchell) Rich had died, but Odie and Harry were still living in West Bath, on the Berry Mill Rd.

I found a newspaper record of the probating of Odie's father Henry Raymond Rich.

The digitized book "A Look into West Bath's Past", by William C. Purington, published in  includes this recollection of Odie's mother, Ann Eliza (Mitchell) Rich.  Sadly, the page containing the rest of her recollection is not shown.

Another reference to Ann Eliza (Mitchell) Rich is contained in the August 12, 1925 edition of the Lewiston Daily Sun, under the headline "Descendant John and Priscilla Alden is 91".  Scroll down the second column from the left to see the article.

The last signer in the album, Lena Rich, who signed on March 23, 1878, included the initials B.H.S.  I'm not sure whether the initials referred to Brunswick High School or Bath High School, and if Odie happened to have attended B.H.S. in the same class as Lena or at least the same school.

Harry J. Rich died in 1961, but I haven't yet found a death date for Odietta.

If you have corrections to the information above, or additional information to share on Odietta M. Rich and her family, or any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Alphabetical list of the signers: [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]

• "Votre cousine, Ida".  I'm not sure how Ida is related to Odie.
• Charlotte A. Bowker, signed at Bath, Maine, on February 8, 1880; I think her middle initial is A
• Sarah Brown, signed at West Bath, Maine, in 1877.  Middle initial might be W.
• Annie J. Brown of Georgetown, Maine
• Martha Brown, signed on February 12, 1882
• W. H. Brown of West Bath, Maine, signed on June 25, 1883.
• Mattie Brown of West Bath, Maine, signed on February 12, 1882
• Sadie S. Bryant of Portland, Maine, signed on January 30, 1881
• H. O. Buker of Bowdoin, Maine, signed at West Bath, Maine, on December 3, 1881
• A. A. Butler, Odietta's older sister Annie A. (Rich) Butler, wife of George Harrison Butler.  She filled the page with sentiments and dated reminders of fun times past
• Abbie Butler, signed August 9, 1900.  Abbie M. Butler was born 9 Sep 1888, daughter of Odie's older's sister Annie Augusta (Rich) Butler and her husband George H. Butler.
• Sidney B. Coffee, signed at West Bath, Maine, in 1883
• Emma Conant of Brunswick, Maine, signed on January 18, 1883
• J. J. Conant of Brunswick, Maine, signed on January 18, 1883
• Ida J. Donnell of Bath, Maine, signed on November 30, 1881; I think the middle initial is J
• Henry Dorr of Gardiner, Maine
• O. C. Dunning, signed December 20, 1878; not sure of surname
• Alice G. Frye, signed at West Bath, Maine, on September 20, 1877
• Lizzie N. Higgins, signed at West Bath, Maine, on September 14, 1877
• Edward E. Hobart of New Gloucester, Maine, signed at Milford [presumably Milford, Massachusetts, where other signers lived], on November 27. 1881
• Margie P. Johnson, signed at Phippsburg, Maine, on July 16, 1881 [or 1887]
• Fred W. Larrabee of Brunswick, Maine, signed on January 28, 1888
• Maximilla C. Larrabee, signed at Brunswick, Maine, on January 29, 1883
• Rose F. Larrabee of Harding, Maine, signed on January 28, 1883.  Harding is a village on the New Meadows River at Brunswick, Maine.
• Nellie M. Larrabee of Harding, Maine, signed on January 27, 1883.  Harding is a village on the New Meadows River at Brunswick, Maine.
• Martha E. Lewis of West Bath, Maine, signed on February 15, 1880
• L. M. Lombard, signed at Brunswick, Maine, on August 14, Class '83
• Carrie V. Malcolm of Bath, Maine, signed on June 6, 1884
• Zina B. Malcolm of West Bath, Maine, signed there on February 11, 1880
• Nellie M. Malcolm of West Bath, Maine, signed on June 6, 1884
• William E. Marr of West Bath, Maine, signed February 6, 1882
• Edith G. Mayo of West Bath, Maine, signed on April 18, 1884
• Mabel C. Mayo of West Bath, Maine, signed on August 20, 1883
• Hattie S. Mitchell of Bath, Maine, signed on March 23, 1878; perhaps the Hattie S. Mitchell who signed a page in 1884
• Charles N. Mitchell of North Scarborough, Maine [he wrote Scarboro], signed on 10-1-1884
• Mrs. C. H. Mitchell of North Scarborough, Maine [she wrote Scarboro], signed on October 1, 1884
• Hattie S. Mitchell of West Bath, Maine, signed a page on July 13, 1884.  She called herself Odie's cousin;  perhaps same Hattie S. Mitchell who signed a page in 1878
• A. A. Mitchell, signed at West Bath, Maine, in 1884.  Not sure of first initials.  Odie's maternal grandmother was Abigail Alden (Clifford) Mitchell, but I didn't find a namesake daughter for her, and I didn't find a brother of Odie's mother married to an A. A.
• Lucretia A. Mitchell of West Bath, Maine, signed on 8 February 1880
• Jennie Mitchell of West Bath, Maine, signed on February 8, 1880
• Uncle Jenks.  This was Josiah Jenks Mitchell, older brother of Odie's mother Ann Eliza (Mitchell) Rich.
• E. C. Murphy of Brunswick, Maine, signed on January 21, 1883
• Clara A. Nichols of Bath, Maine, signed on 26, July 1880
• Odietta M. Rich of West Bath, Maine - album owner
• Affie Euna Rich, signed on January 31, 1882; she was Affienna E. (Richardson) Rich, the wife of George W. Rich, who was the younger brother of Odie's father Henry Raymond Rich.
• Elmer J. Rich of Bath, Maine, signed at West Bath, Maine, on June 24, 1883
• H. R. Rich of West Bath, Maine; presumably Odie's father, Henry Raymond Rich.  His wife wrote on the facing page, which also contains the name of Odie's brother Harry J. Rich in a childlike script
• Harry J. Rich.  Harry wrote his name in childlike script on a page that his mother signed, facing a page that his father signed.
• Chester H. Rich of Milford, Massachusetts, signed on November 30, 1881
• Emma F. Rich of Milford, Massachusetts, signed on November 30, 1881
• Lena Rich, signed at B.H.S., presumably Bath or Brunswick High School, on March 23, 1878
• Mrs. Ann Eliza (Mitchell) Rich, Odietta's mother - she wrote on both sides of a leaf, at West Bath, Maine, on June 6, 1880.  She signed a page near the middle of the book, facing a page signed by her husband.  Her son Harry J. Rich wrote his name on her page.
• Clara P. Riggs of Bath, Maine, signed at West Bath, Maine, on February 18, 1883
• Rosa E. Ring of West Bath, Maine, signed on February 10, 1880
• Rosa E. Ring of West Bath, Maine, signed on September 15, 1883
• Annie M. Sanford of Bath, Maine, signed on June 27, 1879
• Clara Sheldon of Milford, Massachusetts, signed on November 27, 1881
• M. J. Sheldon of Milford, Massachusetts, signed on November 27, 1881
• Cilla A. Smith of Milford, Massachusetts, signed on November 30, 1881
• Lizzie Varney, signed at West Bath, Maine, on 7-16-84
• Howard E. Varney of Bath, Maine, signed on September 16, 1884
• Belle L. Webber of West Bath, Maine, signed there on June 12, 1881
• Gertie E. White of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, signed on November 4, 1880
• Annie M. Williams of West Bath, Maine, signed on April 26, presumably 1882, as the facing page was signed by A. B. Williams on that date
• A. B. Williams of West Bath, Maine, signed on April 26, 1882
• Frederick D. Winter of West Bath, Maine
• Lottie Winter, signed on August 11, 1877.  Called herself Odie's cousin, I think she was Charlotte Winter, daughter of Alden Winter and Mary (Pettingill) Winter, related to Odie through the Alden line.  Lottie wrote upside down.
• Nellie Work, signed on December 13, 1880
• Almena E. Work of West Bath, Maine, signed on February 22, 1882
• Malvina F. Wylie of West Bath, Maine, signed on April 26, 1882
• David R. Wylie of West Bath, Maine, signed on April 26, 1882
• Annie E. Wylie of West Bath, Maine, signed on April 26, 1882

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