Tuesday, June 16, 2015

1883-1890 Autograph Album of Mary Gertrude Chase of Kittery, Maine


1883-1890 autograph album that belonged to Mary Gertrude Chase of Kittery, Maine.   Many inscribers were students at Miss Morgan's School at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Emerson College of Oratory at Boston, Massachusetts.  Two were students at the New England Conservatory.

The album was presented to Mary Gertrude on December 25, 1883, by her Aunt Christina Jones (Haley) Stimson, then divorced from her first husband John Woodbury Stimson.


A more contemporary note on the title page indicates that the album found during the demolition of Sparhawk Hall, which Mary Gertrude Chase and her new husband Horace Mitchell bought in 1902.    The person who signed the note was J. W. P. Frost, whom I believe to be local historian and philanthropist Joseph William Pepperrell Frost.   Sir William Pepperrell had Sparhawk Hall built in 1742 as a wedding present for his daughter and Nathaniel Sparhawk, Horace's ancestors.



The album measures approximately 8" by 7" and has thick velvet covers, with a floral design embroidered on the front.  It contains the sentiments of nearly 90 of Mary Gertrude Chase's relatives, friends, schoolmates and possibly instructors.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any school and personal information, appear at the end of this post.

Several inscribers also left artwork, the most notable being that of Mary B. Safford, who painted a spray of wild roses on February 21, 1885.


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

Mary Gertrude Chase was born about April 1870, the daughter of James and Alexina (Haley) Chase.  Mary Gertrude had at least three siblings:  Louise Ethelyn Chase; Edward Wilfred Chase; and Victor Haley Chase.

Judging from the inscriptions, I would guess that Mary Gertrude Chase attended Miss Morgan's School at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1887, operated by Arabella C. Morgan.  An advertisement for the school:


After Miss Morgan's School, it appears that Mary Gertrude Chase attended Emerson College of Oratory, now Emerson College, in the Class of 1890.

On December 25, 1901 at Kittery, Maine, Mary Gertrude became the second wife of Horace Mitchell, son of Reuben and Hannah (Sayward) Mitchell.  Horace was a newspaper publisher, hotel owner and a representative to the Maine State Legislature.  Horace who previously been married to Lucy A. Frost, daughter of Aaron and Emily Frost.  Lucy had died February 1, 1900 after having had one child, daughter Ethel May Mitchell, born in 1888.

Horace and Mary Gertrude had a son Horace Mitchell, Jr., born in 1904.  Horace Mitchell, Sr., died in 1922 and Mary Gertrude (Chase) Mitchell in 1941.

Several inscribers mentioned a family relationship:
  • Aunt Christine Jones (Haley) Stimson Higley, who presented the album to Mary Gertrude Chase as a Christmas present in 1883; she was a sister to Mary Gertrude's mother Alexina (Haley) Chase
  • Aunt Mellie, who was married to S. Frank Colby of Haverhill, Massachusetts
  • Cousin C. W. Jones, or O. W. Jones, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Cousin John L. Chase
If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the inscribers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Surnames in the Album


AAbrams [2]EEmersonMMansurSSafford
AckenFFollansbyMetcalfSafford
AldenFrostMorseSargent
BBartlett [2]GG ?MunsonSawyer
BlakeGilmanNNealScott
Blood [2]GrantNicholsStimson
Brooks [2]GrayNortonStimson
Butterfield [2]GrovenorNoyesStimson
CCarrollHHadleyOOtisStimson
ChamberlainHarperPPageStimson
ChandlerHillPaulTTaylor
Chase [2]HillPaulThomas
ClarkHoesPeirceTilton
CleavesHoveyPettigrewTooker
ColbyJJacksonPrattTowner
CoreyJonesRRevolverTrefethen
Cox [3]JonesRogersTuttle
CrossmanKKelleyRowellWWarren
DDamonKingsleyWatson
DubiaLLandersWhithed
DuncanLockeWilde
DunkleeWildes or Wilder
Wilson

Inscribers in the Album - Given names within a surname might not be in alphabetical order.

A
  • Manda Abrams of Kittery, Maine
  • Edith B. Abrams of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on June 30, 1885
  • Gussie Acken of New Brunswick, New Jersey.  Shared the page with Grace Chamberlain and Fordyce Cleaves
  • Mary Alden of Boston, Massachusetts, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory; member of the Class of 1888
B
  • Hiram Bartlett; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • C. C. Bartlett of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on April 21, 1886. Not positive of initials, but presumably Charles C. Bartlett; sketch
  • Marian E. Blake.  Page inscribed by "The Three Witches" of the Class of 1890: Marian E. Blake; L. Estella Dubia; and Josephine Gilman
  • Hattie M. Blood of Hollis, New Hampshire; Class of 1890.  Shared the page with Maude A. Scott and Nellie Gertrude Nichols.
  • Mary A. Blood, inscribed on May 5, 1890
  • Pauline Brooks of New York, inscribed on November 28, 1887, at Miss Morgan's, Portsmouth, New Hampshire; schoolmate.
  • Channie M. Brooks of Kittery, Maine. Chandler?
  • L. A. Butterfield
  • Mrs. L. A. Butterfield of Boston, Massachusetts
C
  • Emma L. Carroll of Boston, Massachusetts, inscribed on May 3, 1890 at Emerson College of Oratory. Presumably Emma L. Carroll (1868-1892)
  • Grace Chamberlain of Bangor, Maine; O. B. or C. B.  Shared the page with Gussie Acken and Fordyce Cleaves
  • May H. Chandler of Nashua, New Hampshire; inscribed at Miss Morgan's at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1887.
  • Mary Gertrude Chase of Kittery, Maine; album owner; before her marriage to Horace Mitchell
  • John L. Chase, "Your Cousin"
  • Florence Clark of Cedar Rapids Iowa, inscribed at Miss Morgan's at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1887
  • Fordyce P. Cleaves of Kennebunkport, Maine [thanks to a reader for verifying the middle initial and noting that Cleaves was an 1887 graduate of Phillips Academy and an 1887 graduate of Dartmouth College] - Fordyce Perkins Cleaves; shared the page with Grace Chamberlain and Gussie Acken
  • Mrs. S. Frank Colby of Haverhill, Massachusetts, inscribed on May 19, 1884. Aunt Mellie L. (Chase) Colby.
  • Lottie M. Corey of Bedford, Massachusetts; inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory in 1890.  Shared the page with Grace E. Dunklee
  • Josie E. Cox; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Ralph E. Cox; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Josie E. Cox, inscribed at Kittery, Maine, on October 11, 1886
  • Antoinette E. Crossman, O. B., of Needham, Massachusetts, inscribed on May 5, 1890.  Shared the page with Saidee L. Tower; L. Jean Landers; and Emma Cushman
D
  • Millie A. Damon of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on January 7, 1884
  • L. Estella Dubia.  Page inscribed by "The Three Witches" of the Class of 1890: Marian E. Blake; L. Estella Dubia; and Josephine Gilman
  • Hattie E. Duncan of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on January 5, 1885
  • Grace E. Dunklee of West Somerville, Massachusetts; inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory on May 3, 1890.  Shared the page with Lottie M. Corey
E
  • Susie R. Emerson, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory on May 3, 1890
F
  • Kate C. Follansby of Guildhall, Vermont, inscribed at Boston, Massachusetts in 1890 at the New England Conservatory.  Shared the page with Florence Morse Wilson.
  • J. W. P. Frost of Kittery Point, Maine; rescued the album during a demolition of Sparhawk Hall.  Presumably Joseph William Pepperrell Frost, local historian
G
  • E. H. G., inscribed at Kittery, Maine, on January 15, 1885
  • Josephine Gilman.  Page inscribed by "The Three Witches" of the Class of 1890: Marian E. Blake; L. Estella Dubia; and Josephine Gilman
  • Maud C. Grant of Dover, New Hampshire, inscribed on May 19, 1884
  • Charles W. Gray of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; sketch
  • Will E. Grovenor of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on July 2, 1886
H
  • Fannie B. Hadley of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory, member of the Class of 1889.  Shared the page with Evalina M. Hill
  • Cecil Harper, inscribed at E. C. O., Boston, on May 3, 1890. Emerson College of Oratory
  • Evalina M. Hill of Williamsburg, Massachusetts, inscribed on May 3, 1890 at Emerson College of Oratory.  Shared the page with Fannie B. Hadley
  • Helen M. Hill of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on March 14, 1884
  • William F. Hoes of Brooklyn, New York
  • Sallie Hovey of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; inscribed at Miss Morgan's School.  There's a paper scrap tucked in that page with the address of 29 Bradley Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts, but I don't know if there is a relationship between the scrap and Sallie Hovey or not.
J
  • Maude Jackson of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on June 21, 1884
  • Adele Wentworth Jones of Boston, Massachusetts,inscribed on August 30, 1890
  • C. W. Jones, or O. W. Jones of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, inscribed on December 26, 1889. Cousin of Mary Gertrude (Chase) Mitchell, album owner.
K
  • Lilla Elizabeth Kelley of Boston, Massachusetts, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory on May 3, 1890
  • Fannie Rest Kingsley of Rutland, Vermont; inscribed on May 3, 1890; Frances Rest Kingsley.  Shared the page with Mrs. L. M. Rogers and Lida J. Wilde.
L
  • L. Jean Landers of Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, in Annapolis County; shared the page with Saidee L. Tower; Emma Cushman; and Antoinette E. Crossman
  • Emma F. Locke of Everett, Massachusetts, inscribed on April 31, 1884
M
  • Mallie Mansur, or Mollie Mansur; school chum
  • Fredric A. Metcalf of West Newton, Massachusetts, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory at Boston, Massachusetts, member of the Class of 1889
  • Minnie F. Morse, inscribed at Miss Morgan's on November 9, 1887 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Minnie Stone Munson of Bethlehem, Connecticut, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory; member of the Class of 1890
N
  • John F. Neal; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Nellie Gertrude Nichols of 505 Walnut Street, Meadville, Pennsylvania, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory.  Shared the page with Maude A. Scott and Hattie M. Blood.
  • Bertha Norton of Kittery, Maine; inscribed on April 28, 1886; schoolmate
  • Nan Noyes of Nashua, New Hampshire, inscribed at Miss Morgan's School at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1887.
O
  • Emma H. Otis of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on October 19, 1886; P.S.Y.H.
P
  • Agnes Page of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, inscribed on November 9, 1887
  • Minnie E. Paul; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Nellie H. Paul of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on June 23, 1885
  • W. E. Peirce of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, inscribed on March 11, 1888
  • Augusta Pettigrew of Kittery, Maine; schoolmate
  • Bessie Louise Pratt of Quincy, Massachusetts; referred to Mary Gertrude Chase as "Sister", presumably a schoolmate. Mary Gertrude had a sister named Louise Ethelyn Chase, who died with that name in 1895.
R
  • Miss Revolver of Hudson, New York, inscribed on December 8, 1886
  • Mrs. L. M. Rogers of Boston, Massachusetts.  Shared the page with Fannie Rest Kingsley and Lida J. Wilde.
  • F. E. Rowell, Principal of High School, Kittery, Maine, inscribed on June 20, 1884.  Presumably Frank E. Rowell.
S
  • Mary B. Safford; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Mary B. Safford, inscribed on February 2, 1885; she painted a beautiful spray of wild roses
  • Emma H. Sargent; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Anna K. Sawyer of Rye Beach, New Hampshire, inscribed at Miss Morgan's on November 22, 1887
  • Maude A. Scott of Cambridge, Massachusetts, inscribed at Emerson College of Oratory on May 3, 1890.  Shared the page with Hattie M. Blood and Nellie Gertrude Nichols
  • Aunt Christine; presented the album to Mary Gertrude Chase on December 25, 1883; Christina Jones (Haley) Stimson Higley
  • Maude W. Stimson of New York City, inscribed on May 20, 1884
  • Minnie E. Stimson of New York City, inscribed on May 30, 1886. Presumably Minnie Eliza (Lant) Stimson, wife of Charles Woodbury Stimson, M.D., who inscribed the right facing page.
  • C. W. Stimson, M.D., of New York, New York, inscribed on May 19, 1884. Charles Woodbury Stimson, M.D., whose wife, Minnie Eliza (Lant) Stimson, inscribed the left facing page.
  • Harry F. Stimson of Kittery, Maine, inscribed on January 13, 1885; mentioned "The hours we spent [at] Armory Hall"
T
  • Lottie Taylor of Everett, Massachusetts, inscribed at Kittery Point, Maine, on August 21, 1885. Middle initial G or Y, but presumably Lettie G. Taylor, who was born at Kittery, Maine.
  • Fanny F. Thomas of Upper Canard, Nova Scotia; inscribed at 36 Bromfield Street, Boston, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1890
  • M. E. Tilton, inscribed at Kittery, Maine, on December 6, 1884
  • E. C. Tooker, or E. C. Tooken, inscribed at New York on June 9, 1887
  • Saidee L. Towner, O. B., of St. Louis, Missouri; shared the page with L. Jean Landers; Emma Cushman; and Antoinette E. Crossman
  • F. Ella Trefethen; on a page shared by 8 people who added their autographs to a page inscribed on July 29, 1890 at Kittery, Maine
  • Emma Cushman Tuttle of Boston, Massachusetts, inscribed in May 1890.  Shared the page with Saidee L. Tower; L. Jean Landers; and Antoinette E. Crossman
W
  • Edith M. Warren, inscribed on a piece of birch bark and inserted into slits in the page, on July 17, 1885
  • Florence P. Watson of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, inscribed at Miss Morgan's.
  • Myra M. Whithed of Nashua, New Hampshire, inscribed at Miss Morgan's School at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on November 29, 1887
  • Lida J. Wilde of Somerville, Massachusetts.  Shared the page with Fannie Rest Kingsley and Mrs. L. M. Rogers
  • Margaret Wildes or Margaret Wilder
  • Florence Morse Wilson of Lancaster, New Hampshire; inscribed at Boston, Massachusetts in 1890 at the New England Conservatory.  Shared the page with Kate C. Follansby

2 comments:

  1. Under Fordyce Cleaves, his middle name was Perkins. He was an 1883 graduate of Phillips Academy, Dartmouth 1887. (I have a signed cabinet card)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for clearing that up! I've amended the blog post.

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