Saturday, March 2, 2013

1880s Autograph Album of Elsie Rhoda Sampson of Manchester, Maine


1880s autograph album of Elsie Rhoda Sampson of Manchester, Maine.  I believe her birth name was Alzira Rhoda Sampson.



The album is approximately 7" x 4-1/4" and contains pages signed by 47 of Elsie's relatives and friends, many of whom had moved to California.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.

See also a post that features the autograph album given to Otis J. and Carrie R. (Pease) Foster by their Pond Road, Manchester, Maine, neighbors.  Otis and Carrie signed pages in this album.

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

Alzira Rhoda Sampson was born 4 October 1853 at Manchester, Maine, the daughter of Jacob Sampson and his second wife Eliza (possibly Goddard) Sampson.  

Jacob Sampson was born 27 July 1796 at Greene, Maine, son of Joseph and Hannah (Gurney) Sampson.  Jacob's first wife was Ruth Winslow Collins, whom he married on 9 October 1826.  Jacob and Ruth had, I believe, five children, some of whom signed pages in Elsie's album.

Ruth Winslow (Collins) Sampson died at some point after the birth of her last child in November 1842.  Jacob married Elsie's mother, Eliza Goddard, on 7 December 1845 at Hallowell.

Eliza (Goddard) Sampson's parents may have been James and Lydia (Estes) Goddard, but I haven't verified that yet.  She may have had a first marriage to a Mr. Goddard.  Hopefully a reader will weigh in.

On 1 November 1887 at Nashua, New Hampshire, Elsie Rhoda Sampson became the fourth wife of Joseph Emery Adams, son of William and Lucinda (Hall) Adams.  One of Joseph's previous wives was Elsie's older half sister Irena Jane Sampson.

Elsie and Joseph were at Worcester, Massachusetts, by the time of the 1900 Census; they were still there by 1920.  They had a daughter, Clara Evelyn Adams, born 21 May 1895 at Vineland, New Jersey.  Joseph was a machinist.

Elsie apparently made a trip west to see her half siblings in the fall of 1883, where the Sampson men were engaged in shingle manufacturing.  Her older half brother George Lyman Sampson and his wife Nellie signed facing pages in her album while they were living at Redwood City, California in October 1883.





Elsie's older half sister Julia E. Sampson signed a page at Oakland, California in October 1883 while she was living at San Francisco.



Nellie's older half brother George Winslow Sampson signed a page at Redwood City, California, in October 1883.  His wife Lizzie signed the facing page.





If other signers mentioned a family relationship to Elsie, the relationship is noted in the list of signers below.

If you have corrections to the information above, or information on Elsie's family or any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

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

  • Gracie Adams of Kennebunk, Maine, signed on 12 November 1883; Elsie's niece
  • Appears to be Vira Ballard, perhaps for Elvira Ballard, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 22 May 1884
  • Lucy K. Barstow of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
  • Helen M. Black of Augusta, Maine, signed on 19 November 1881
  • Azubah Cannon, signed at Mattapoisett, Massachusetts on 5 July 1881
  • Eliza Cannon of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts; not sure of middle initial - could be W or N or F or ?
  • Della Carlin, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 12 May 1884
  • Cornelia T. Collins, signed on 19 August 1882.  Possibly the Cornelia T. Collins of Manchester, Maine, who was married to Cyrus B. Collins
  • Philena J. Cushing, signed on 2 November 1883
  • R. L. Damon of South Charlotte, Maine, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 14 March 1881.  He was Reuel L. Damon, son of Moses and Minerva Abigail (Furlong) Damon.
  • E. D. Daniels of Thomaston, Maine, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 6 February 1882
  • Carrie R. Foster of Manchester, Maine, signed on 1 May 1881
  • Otis J. Foster of Manchester, Maine, signed on 1 May 1881
  • Eliza A. Fowler of Augusta, Maine, signed on 8 January 1882
  • M. E. Fuller, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 5 February 1882
  • Mrs. Jennie Gearhart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, signed on 1 July 1882
  • Augusta George of Hallowell, Maine, signed on 1 June 1884
  • M. A. Gilbert, signed at Camden, New Jersey in 1884; Elsie's cousin
  • Mrs. Lizzie S. Gilbert, signed at Camden, New Jersey on 1 July 1882
  • Sewell Goddard of San Francisco, California.  He was born about 1827 in Maine, so may have been a relative of Elsie's mother Eliza (Goddard) Sampson
  • Delia E. Hammond of Sidney, Maine, signed on 26 June 1881
  • L. H. Hammond of Manchester, Maine, signed on 25 April 1881; possibly Lindley H. Hammond
  • Flora M. Hammond, signed on 25 April 1881 at Manchester, Maine
  • Georgia Hiller, signed at Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, on 22 July 1881
  • Charles Hiller of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, signed on 31 July 1881
  • Abbie R. Ireland, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 22 May 1884
  • Lottie Jumel, signed at Redwood City, California, on 5 October 1883
  • Henry W. Moore of Rockland, Maine, signed on 14 May 1884.  Added intricate designs.
  • Martha B. Osborne of Manchester, Maine, signed on 19 August 1882
  • Linda E. Osborne of Manchester, Maine, signed on 19 August 1882
  • Anna E. Paul of 953 Folsom Street, San Francisco, California
  • Hannah M. Rich, signed at Redwood City, California, on 28 October 1883.  "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
  • Alzira Rhoda "Elsie" Sampson of Manchester, Maine; album owner
  • Julia E. Sampson of San Francisco, California, signed at Oakland, California on 24 October 1883.  Julia was Elsie's older half sister from Jacob Sampson's first marriage to Ruth W. Collins
  • Nellie Sampson, signed at Redwood, California, on 31 October 1883.  Ellen, wife of George Lyman Sampson, Elsie's older half brother; he signed the facing page.
  • G. L. Sampson, signed at Redwood City, California, on 21 Oct 1885.  George Lyman Sampson, Elsie's older half brother.  His wife Nellie signed the facing page.
  • David Winslow Sampson, signed at Redwood City, California, on 28 October 1883.  He was Elsie's older half brother
  • Lizzie W. Sampson, second wife of David W. Sampson, who signed the facing page.  Lizzie signed at Redwood City, California, on 30 October 1883
  • Charles P. Sampson, signed on 24 February 1886 at either Fort Fairfield, Maine, or West Fairfield, Maine
  • Sadie M. Sampson of Maple Grove, Maine, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 9 May 1886; Elsie's cousin
  • John M. Vincent of Long Plain, Massachusetts.  "Remember the horse car story."  [I'd like to hear that story!]
  • Eliza L. Vincent
  • Asa W. Ward of Augusta, Maine; his wife Ellen E. Ward signed the facing page.
  • Ellen E. Ward; her husband Asa W. Ward of Augusta, Maine, signed the facing page.
  • Fannie E. Wheaton of East Oakland, California, signed 25 October 1883
  • Jennie C. Wheaton, signed at East Oakland, California, on 24 October 1883
  • Nellie Whitten of Augusta, Maine, signed on 28 August 1882
  • Lottie D. Wingate, signed at Manchester, Maine, on 23 November 1884



Thanks for stopping by!

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