Wednesday, February 20, 2019

1901 Diary of Clara Sproul Gay (1864-1955) of Waldoboro, Maine


1901 diary of Clara Sproul Gay (1864-1955) of Waldoboro, Maine.  Only a few pages have entries.

Images of all of the pages which have entries appear at the end of this post.


Clara entered her name on the appropriate page, shown below, and added an emergency contact of John F. Libby of 12 ? Square, presumably 12 Court Square, Boston, Massachusetts.  Attorney John Fuller Libby (1863-1906) was the husband of Clara's younger sister Gracia Dana (Gay) Libby (1867-1951).


Clara Sproul Gay was born May 11, 1864 at Waldoboro, Maine, the daughter of merchant John Tyler Gay (1837-1914) and Ann Young (Gracia) Gay (1842-1913), who were born in Waldoboro, Maine, and Cushing, Maine, respectively.

The entries show that Clara traveled to Boston on occasion, by way of a boat from Bath, Maine.  She also made a visit to Lewiston, Maine, in July to visit Mari and returned with Mari and Mrs. Nash.

Names in the diary:

If you have additional information on the Gay family of Waldoboro, Maine, or a theory as to the identity of any of the people mentioned above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.




















Monday, February 18, 2019

Two 1870s Letters from Annie (Hayden) Hyde (1841-1915), wife of Brig. Gen. Thomas Worcester Hyde, of Bath, Maine, to Ida Gertrude Mansir (1858-1943) of Pittston, Maine


1870s Letter from Annie (Hayden) Hyde (1841-1915), wife of Brig. Gen. Thomas Worcester Hyde (1841-1899), of Bath, Maine, to Ida Gertrude Mansir (1858-1943) of Pittston, Maine.  Ida would marry Daniel W. Reed (1853-1925).

Images and transcriptions appear at the end of this post.

The letters are among a collection of letters to and from members and friends of the Mansir family of Pittston, Maine, which also include letters from:

In one of the two letters featured in this post, Annie (Hayden) Hyde was writing to offer the position of "second girl" to Ida Gertrude Mansir, at the same wages as that of a higher paid "cook", the position originally offered.  Annie was willing to pay more than usual due to the fact that the "second girl" spent more time with the family, and Ida was well-liked and would fit in.  Annie asked Ida not to reveal details to the other employees.

In this same letter, Annie mentions that two of her children have been ill: John and "little Arthur".  They were John Sedgwick Hyde (1867-1917) and Arthur Sewell Hyde (1875-1920).

In the other letter, Annie mentions that the family has arrived home and is at the hotel, waiting for Ida to arrive, before leaving for "the house".

Annie was the daughter of John Hayden and Martha Ann (Brown) Hayden) of Bath, Maine.  In 1866, Annie married Thomas Worcester Hyde (1841-1899), a Brigadier General in the Civil War, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Antietam.  He later founded Bath Iron Works, a shipbuilding concern still in operation today, under General Dymanics.




Bath, February 23
Dear Ida
I was very glad to get your letter and to know that you certainly intend to come back to us. With regard to your work, I suppose you would like as well to do second girl's work at the same wages, as to cook.  Would you not?

Addie gets on very well with the cooking. Mr. Hyde seems to like it very much, so that, as he is willing to have the washing put out, I think we shall get on very well through the summer.  With regard to your wages, please keep it a secret between you and me (I do not mind your family at home knowing) but I prefer that no one here should know it, for I cannot afford to give it forever, and of course if it became known, the next second girl I had could expect the same. I am willing to give it to you because I like you so much, and I must have some one who is personally agreeable to me because a second girl is so much with me and the children. I hope you will come as soon as possible. You can't come too soon for me, and I hope to see you the 1st day of March, if possible.

I am quite worn out, for I have had very little sleep the last four or five nights. John has been ill. He is quite well today, however, but little Arthur is sick in bed. He has had a high fever, and a great deal of head-ache. The Dr. thinks he is getting better today. I am too tired now to be writing, but I did not want to delay writing you, because we want you to come as soon as possible. Hoping to hear from you in a day or two that you are coming immediately.
I am
Always your true friend,
Annie Hyde 



Saturday, Aug 30th
Dear Ida,
We arrived home last Tuesday, and are at the Hotel, patiently awaiting your arrival, which we all hope will be on Thursday next. We shall moe up to the house on that day, feeling sure you will come, as agreed upon.  Should anything prevent your coming, please send a dispatch to me in the morning, which of course I will pay for.  Hoping you have enjoyed your visit home, and are quite refreshed, I am
Very truly your friend
A. H. Hyde

If you have more information on the Hyde family of Bath, Maine, or the Mansir family of Pittston, Maine, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Photograph Album of Floyd E. Dole (1917-2008) of Bangor, Maine; 19 Photographs of Military Life, Mountains, Farm


Photograph album that belonged to Floyd E. Dole (1917-2008) of Bangor, Maine.  

See another post that features 50 photographs connected to the Dole family of Holden, Maine, including photographs of Floyd's father and uncles.

This album contains 19 photographs, a business letter addressed to Floyd's father, Eugene M. Dole, who worked for the old Bangor Hydro-Electric Company, and a student accident insurance plan brochure.


The photographs:
  • mountains, perhaps in Piscataquis County, Maine
  • a stone tower with an American flag at the bottom
  • three photos of young children: one of a baby; another of a baby held by a woman; and the third of two young children.
  • Clarendon Street in Boston, in deep snow; perhaps taken while Floyd was attending Bentley Business School of Accounting and Finance, which until 1968 was located in the Back Bay section of Boston
  • three military photos: one of a man in uniform; another of a group in a mess hall; and the third of two men idling in front of a doorway
  • a man and a young woman in a nurse's uniform
  • two men walking on a rutty dirt road past a farmhouse

For more information on the photograph album, please contact me.

Early to Mid 1900s Photograph Album, reportedly from the Bath, Maine, area; only Surname mentioned is White


Note: Please be sure to scroll down to the comment section with a reader's theories about the identities of people in the album.

Early to, approximately, mid 1900s photograph album, containg 63 photographs; reportedly from the Bath, Maine, area, but not confirmed.  

Many people are only partially identified and, in many cases, only by nickname.  The only surname mentioned is White

Because many of the partially identified people are family members, a reader with ancestry in or familiarity with the Bath, Maine, area, might be able to unlock the full names and relationships.

A listing of all of the names follows a few sample pages, below.


Top left: Mother & Gin; top right: Connie & Nona
Bottom left: Connie; bottom right: Shine



Top left: Gin; top right: Ginny, Gin, Bub
Bottom left: Bub; bottom right: Bub & Ginny



Top left: Dawn White; top right: Skipper White
Bottom left: Judy; bottom right: Tiny & Judy



Top left: Shine & Tiny; top right: Tiny & Judy
Bottom left: Judy, Shine, Margaret & Tiny; bottom right: Tiny & Judy



Left: Margaret & Tiny; top right: Phyllis, Connie, Mama, Eleanor
Bottom right: Dad Br

People identified, most with just given names and/or nicknames:
  • Mother
  • Dad
  • Phyllis, "Phil", possibly the sister of Connie, Eleanor, Shine & Ginny
  • Connie, possibly the sister of Phyllis, Eleanor, Shine & Ginny
  • Eleanor, possibly the sister of Phyllis, Connie, Shine & Ginny
  • Shine, presumably the husband of Margaret and the father of Judy and Tiny, and he may have been the brother of Phyllis, Eleanor, Connie & Gin
  • Gin or Ginny, presumably the mother of Bub and Ginny and the sister of, possibly, Phyllis, Eleanor, Connie and Shine
  • Nona
  • Bub, presumably the son of Ginny and brother of Ginny's daughter Ginny
  • Ginny, presumably the namesake daughter of Ginny and the sister of Bub
  • Ken, a man shown with Ginny and Bub and a dog, possibly their father
  • Dawn White, the sister of Skipper White and, possibly, the daughter or niece of Connie, an adult shown in the photo
  • Skipper White, brother of Dawn White and, possibly, the son or nephew of Connie, an adult shown in the photo
  • Judy, presumably the daughter of Shine & Margaret and the sister of Tiny
  • Tiny, presumably the daughter of Shine and Margaret and the sister of Judy
  • Margaret, presumably the wife of Shine and mother of Judy and Tiny.
  • Diann.
  • Sistie, who might have been the sister of Georgie
  • Georgie, who might have had a sister nicknamed "Sistie"
  • Marlene H.
  • Patsy
  • Jimmy

If you have a theory as to the identity of any of the people in the album, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

December and Memoranda Entries in the 1876 Diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine; future wife of John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923)


December and Memoranda entries in the 1876 diary of Ida Isadore Reynolds (1860-1946) of Acton, Maine.  Ida would marry John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923) in 1881. 

A link to entries for the month of November 1876 appears here and at the end of this post.  


This diary is one of three known: 1873, 1874 and 1876.  If a reader knows of the existence of any other diaries of Ida, please contact me.


See an overview post for a description of Ida's 1873, 1874 and 1876 diaries, which also contains combined alphabetical lists of surnames and people, with descriptive information where known.


Shown below are images and transcriptions of the entries and a description of the people mentioned, in order of appearance, first time only. Your comments noting errors and sharing information are requested.


Ida was the  daughter of Jonathan Prescott Reynolds (1820-1899) and Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923), who were natives of Maine and Nova Scotia, respectively.  

Other members of the Reynolds household, at times, were Ida's older brother Edward Everett Reynolds (1855-1945) and a Samuel/Sam/Sammy, presumably Ida's maternal cousin Samuel Muir Francis (1858-1923), son of Dr. Daniel Francis (1810-1867) and Christie Ann (Tupper) Francis (-1893).


In 1881 Ida married John Jotham Shapleigh (1856-1923), a native of Lebanon, Maine.  After the death of their son Ernest in 1882, they moved to Rochester, New Hampshire, where they had a daughter Doris, born in 1898.




Although Ida's home was in Acton, Maine, it was on the border of Lebanon, Maine.  As you can see from the image shown below, from Ida's 1873 diary, the Reynolds family got their mail through the North Lebanon, Maine, Post Office.




Below, the J. P. Reynolds farm along the southern border of Acton, Maine; with Lebanon, Maine, to the south; from an 1872 map of Acton, Maine, held by the Digital Maine Repository



Following the images and transcriptions below is a list of the people mentioned, in order of appearance, only once, as some are mentioned multiple times.



Thursday, November 30, 1876:  Fair. Thanksgiving. Sewed. Uncle Sawyer and Aunt Lucy came and spent the day.  We went to Hattie's in the evening. Elbridge was there. The girls were there, too.

Friday, December 1, 1876:  Fair. Sewed on my dress. I went to George Prescott's a short time in the evening. Intended to have called on Laura's but she had gone up to the "Mills". When I got home I helped Mother tack a comforter.  Sam went to the "Falls".  Mr. Toothaker called here.

Saturday, December 2, 1876:  Snow. Finished my brown dress. Fixed my drab dress. Trimmed my turban hat.  Mother went to Mrs. Hilton's to sew for Charlie.  He is going to Boston Monday. Going to work for Elisha Stacy in Quincy Market. He and Sadie called tonight.

Sunday, December 3, 1876:  Fair. Read. Went to Mr. Stevens'.  Emma came up.  Charlie called. Did not even thank Mother for what she did.


Monday, December 4, 1876:  Fair. School began. Emma J. Cowell's of West Lebanon, Teacher. Think we will like her very much.

Tuesday, December 5, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Studied in evening.

Wednesday, December 6, 1876:  Fair. Went to School. Went to Singing School with Emma.

Thursday, December 7, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Went to Mrs. Stevens' to see if there was a meeting, but there was none.  The com. came in. His name is Gersom Ricker.


Friday, December 8, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Emma went home. Studied in evening.  Mother and I went to Enoch's.

Saturday, December 9, 1876:  Snow and Wind. Baked some.  Got a letter from Sam. He boards at Mr. Eben Tibbetts' now. Lock Prescott came home. Has been to Boston.

Sunday, December 10, 1876:  Cold and windy. Read near all day.  Wrote a letter. Do not think Emma came over today, it was so cold.

Monday, December 11, 1876:  Cold & Windy.  Went to school. Clara was not there.


Tuesday, December 12, 1876:  Very cold. Went to school.

Wednesday, December 13, 1876:  Fair and cold. Went to school. Mother went to J.B.S.'s in the afternoon. Father  and I went after  [very faint] _____school ___

Thursday, December 14, 1876:  Fair and cold. Went to school. Went to Hattie's in the evening and studied.

Friday, December 15, 1876:  Cold and windy. Went to school. Studied a very little. Rev. Charles Goodwin and his daughter Olive were here a short time in the evening.  Hattie and Clara [not sure of either name, could be Walter and Charlie - very faint ink] were into school in the afternoon.


Saturday, December 16, 1876:  Cold and squally. Washed and ironed a few things.  Mrs. Plummer and Jennie came over.  Hattie came up; we studied.

Sunday, December 17, 1876:  Fair & Cold. Hattie stayed all night to read.  Mother quite sick. I went to Hattie's after the mail. Got a letter from Everett; he is well.

Monday, December 18, 1876:  Snow & wind. Could not get to school.  Studied. Mother quite sick. Father went to the "corner".

Tuesday, December 19, 1876:  Fair & Windy. Thimmed [?] over one of my hats. Mother better. She baked.  The "folks" broke roads for the first time this year.  No school today.


Wednesday, December 20, 1876:  Quite cold and windy. They did not have a school today. Had to break roads again.  I bound one of my quilts. Went up to George Prescott's awhile in the evening.  Got a letter with picture from J. H. R. [possibly John Richardson, one of Ida's coworkers at Martha's Vineyard].

Thursday, December 21, 1876:  Snow. Went to school. Hattie came up in the evening. We studied.  Was tardy this morning.  Called into Mrs. G. Prescott's with a paper.

Friday, December 22, 1876:  Fair. Very bad Traveling. Went to school.  Laura Prescott and Abbie Wentworth came into school.  Got a letter from Jennie, Said "They got home all right".

Saturday, December 23, 1876:  Fair in P.M. Sewed. Went to Hattie's in the evening.  Studied some. Lotte and Emma came in a while in the afternoon.


Sunday, December 24, 1876:  Fair & cold. Read.  Hattie came in a while.

Monday, December 25, 1876:  Christmas. Fair and cold. Sewed. Studied.  Went to Hattie's to stay all night.  Mother gave me $0.50 to get me a diary.

Tuesday, December 26, 1876:  Fair. Went to school. Charles Ricker came to take me to Mr. Lord's to help them.

Wednesday, December 27, 1876:  Fair. Ironed. Took care of baby and helped Mrs. Lord in other ways. Rev. S. Lord is some better but not much.  Went to the corner.  Jacob Stevens brought me home.


Thursday, December 28, 1876:  Fair. Went to school.  Georgia Hilton is quite sick. All broke out. Do not know what is the matter with her.

Friday, December 29, 1876:  Cloudy in the A.M. Very stormy in the P.M. Went to school.
The doctor was at Georgia Hilton's. Said he could not tell what ailed her for twenty four hours.

Saturday, December 30, 1876:  Snow & wind. Could not have a school. Sewed.  Hattie came up and George Sherman came in.

Sunday, December 31, 1876:  Fair & windy. Read.  Lock and Georgie Sherman came in.
Georgia Hilton has got the Small Pox. Studied. [Georgia A. Hilton (1864-1826) survived this bout of Small Pox.]


Memoranda
Monday, January 24th, School began. Rev. Samuel Lord teacher. I paid Three dollars $3.00

Friday, March 3rd. School finished. Stuided National Arithmetic Algebra, Rhetoric and Parsing.
March 30. Thurs. 4, Sugared off; had 42 cakes.
Monday, April 17, Everett came home from Boston

Monday, May 8th. Began school at Milton Mills. Board at Mrs. Cowell's. Pay $2.00 per week.

Friday, June 2nd. Finished school at the Mills. Went four weeks.

June 22. Thursday.

Sam went to Mr. Tibbetts at Great Falls to work. Gets $___ the first year and boarded if he stays.


July 3rd. Monday. Came to Wesley's to be a waiter.

August 29. Tuesday. Came home from Wesley's.

Sept 4th. Monday. Began school in Dist. No. 10 Sanford. Get $3.75 per week.

Nov. 3rd. My school finished today. Taught nine weeks. Received $33.75.

Receipts.
Hemlock spills simmered in cream to an oil is good for sores. Sweet elder & plantain leaves boiled, then cream put in and boiled to an oil is also good for sores & poison.

Dec. 4th 1876. School began. Emma J. Cowell, Teacher of West Lebanon, Me


December 30, 1876
Georgia Hilton taken with the Small Pox





People mentioned in order, first time only.  Readers are requested to provide more information.
-->Emma Jane Cowell (1859-1941), Ida's friend and fellow teacher; daughter of Edmond Eustis Cowell (1825-1899) and Elizabeth Jane (Chamberlain) Cowell (1830-1923), "Jane"; would marry Fred P. Jones
  • Mrs. Stevens - presumably Harriet C. (Brackett) Stevens (1808-1883), wife of Hubbard Stevens (1805-1882)
  • Gersom Ricker - presumably Gersham Ricker
  • Enoch - presumably Enoch Piper Sherman (1836-1922), husband of Mary (Ricker) Sherman (1837-1889)
  • Mr. Eben Tibbetts - with whom Ida's cousin Samuel Muir Francis (1858-1928) is boarding.
  • Lock Prescott - George Lockwood Prescott (1845-1883), son of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898) and wife of Isabelle G. (Churchill) Prescott (1845-1923), "Belle"
  • Clara  Clara Georgietta Prescott (1860-1921), daughter of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898); future wife of Luther Drew Hilton (1858-1894)
  • J. B. S. - Jacob Brackett Stevens (1850-1917), son of Hubbard Stevens (1805-1882) and Harriet C. (Brackett) Stevens (1808-1883) and husband of Charlotte M. (Shapleigh) Stevens (1851-1917), "Lottie"
  • Father Jonathan Prescott Reynolds (1820-1899)
  • Rev. Charles Goodwin and daughter Olive
  • Walter - Walter Herbert Sherman (1856-1888), son of Thomas Sherman (1823-1893) and Abigail Elizabeth (Fox) Sherman (1822-1877), "Abbie"
  • Mrs. Plummer and Jennie - Jennie wsa presumably Mercy Jane Plummer (1849-1921), "Jennie".  The Find a Grave memorial for Jennie's mother, Mary Ann (Littlefield) Plummer indicates that she died in 1871.  Either that is false or Jennie had a stepmother, or Mrs. Plummer was a sister-in-law or Mrs. Plummer was someone else.
  • Everett - Ida's brother Edward Everett Reynolds (1855-1945) 
  • J. H. R. - presumably John Richardson, one of Ida's co-workers at the Wesleys' inn on Martha's Vineyard, where she worked in the summer season of 1876.
  • Mrs. G. Prescott - Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898), wife of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and mother of several of Ida's friends
  • Laura Prescott - presumably Laura J. (Cowell) Prescott (1856-1892), wife of Oren Burbank Cheney Prescott (1850-1925), "Cheney" and mother of Frank H. Prescott (1871-1957). 
  • Abbie Wentworth - possibly Abigail Francena Wentworth (1856-); possibly the same Abbie F. Wentworth who married Frank H. Swain, died in 1937 and is buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery at Dover, New Hampshire
  • Lotte - possibly Charlotte M. (Shapleigh) Stevens (1851-1917), "Lottie", wife of Jacob Brackett Stevens (1850-1917)
  • Charles Ricker - perhaps Charles Harvey Ricker (1840-1928)
  • Mr. Lord - perhaps Stephen D. Lord, husband of Fannie E. (Rankin) Lord - and their baby Annie Jones Lord, who was born in May 1876.
  • Rev. S. Lord - possibly Samuel Lord, who was also a teacher at times
  • Jacob Stevens - Jacob Brackett Stevens (1850-1917), son of Hubbard Stevens (1805-1882) and Harriet C. (Brackett) Stevens (1808-1883) and husband of Charlotte M. (Shapleigh) Stevens (1851-1917), "Lottie"
  • Georgia Hilton - Georgia A. Hilton (1864-1926), daughter of Andrew F. Hilton (1836-1894), husband of Emeline A. (Hersom) Hilton (1838-1884) 
  • George Sherman, Georgie Sherman - presumably 
  • -->George A. Sherman (1860-), son of Enoch Piper Sherman (1836-1922) and first wife Jane (Guptill) Sherman (1832-1861)
  • Lock - George Lockwood Prescott (1845-1883), son of George Washington Prescott (1815-1886) and Eliza G. (Brackett) Prescott (1817-1898) and wife of Isabelle G. (Churchill) Prescott (1845-1923), "Belle"

  • Memoranda
    • Rev. Samuel Lord, also a teacher
    • Everett - Ida's brother Edward Everett Reynolds (1855-1945)
    • Mrs. Cowell's  - In order to attend school at Milton, New Hampshire, Ida board with Mrs. Cowell from May 8, 1876 to June 2, 1876
    • Sam - Ida's cousin Samuel Muir Francis (1858-1928), son of Dr. Daniel Francis (1810-1867) and wife Christie Ann (Tupper) Francis (-1893), who was a sister to Ida's mother Rachel E. (Tupper) Reynolds (1833-1923). Samuel may have been the Sam or Sammy mentioned often in Ida's diary and apparently living with the family at times.
    • Mr. Tibbetts at Great Falls, with whom Samuel Muir Francis (1858-1928) is boarding
    • Mr. and Mrs. Wesley - owners of an inn on Martha's Vineyard, where Ida worked from July 3 to August 29, 1876
    • Emma J. Cowell - , teacher of the school that began at West Lebanon, Maine, on December 4, 1876; Emma Jane Cowell (1859-1941), Ida's friend and fellow teacher; daughter of Edmond Eustis Cowell (1825-1899) and Elizabeth Jane (Chamberlain) Cowell (1830-1923), "Jane"; would marry Fred P. Jones
    • Georgia Hilton - taken with the smallpox in December of 1876; she survived; Georgia A. Hilton (1864-1926), daughter of Andrew F. Hilton (1836-1894), husband of Emeline A. (Hersom) Hilton (1838-1884)

    If you have corrections to the information above, or information to share on any of the people mentioned, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

    Return to November 1876.