c1870s Reward of Merit Given by Teacher Edmund Bicknell to Almeda Greer - Belmont, Maine

Reward of Merit presented by teacher Edmund Bicknell to student Almeda Greer, presumably in the late 1860s or early 1870s. People of these names were found living in Belmont, Maine.

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

Edmund Bicknell was born July 23, 1846 at Belmont, Maine, the son of James Bicknell and Alvera (Pitcher) Bicknell. In 1874, Edmund married Susanna Bennett Dyer; by the time of the 1880 Census, they had moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where they would remain. Edmund was associated with the clothing firm Bicknell Brothers at Lawrence.

Edmund, who died in 1913, and Susanna, who died in 1933, are buried in the Bellevue Cemetery at Lawrence, Massachusetts. Edmund's FindaGrave memorial notes that he was born in 1848, but the discrepancy might arise from a misreading of the date on his monument. The memorial contains the image of a brief funeral notice, which mentions that Edmund Bicknell was "one of the most prominent citizens of Lawrence". Edmund and Susanna had three sons, but, sadly, two died young, and their first born, Ralph Edmund Bicknell, died in young adulthood.

Ralph had apparently been an accomplished photographer, and Edmund, to honor his son and presumably to assuage his grief, brought many of Ralph's photographs to light, from Ralph's Scrapbook, Illustrated by His Own Camera and Collection of Photographs. 

Almeda A. Greer was born about 1854, presumably at Belmont, Maine, the daughter of Daniel Greer and Mary C. (Shirley) Greer. Almeda, who never married, lived with her parents and then her brother Daniel and presumably helped out on the farm and in the household. She died in 1939 and is buried with family in the Hillside Cemetery at Belmont Corner, Maine.

What I particularly love about this reward of merit is that it shines a bit of light on Almeda, for whom records are sparse.

Sources

• United States Federal Censuses
• Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915 - gives both birth and death dates for Edmund Bicknell
• Maine Marriages, 1771-1907 - marriage of Edmund Bicknell and Susannah Bennett Dyer on November 30, 1874 at Searsmont, Maine
• FindaGrave.com
• Maine, Faylene Hutton Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1990  - birth and death dates for Almeda Greer and her brother Daniel A. Greer (1858-1941)

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