Monday, December 9, 2013

1880s Autograph Album of Will P. Wight of Otisfield, Maine, and East Douglas, Massachusetts


1880s autograph album of Will P. Wight of Otisfield, Maine, and East Douglas, Massachusetts.



The album is approximately 7-1/2" x 5" and contains the sentiments of over thirty of Will's relatives and friends in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

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

Will P. Wight, or William P. Wight, was born about 1857 in either Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Hingham, Massachusetts, depending on the differing information on records.  He was the son of Jesse D. Wight and Eunice Aurelia (Riley) Wight, who were born at Otisfield, Maine, and Ardize Hill, Nova Scotia, respectively.

Either Eunice alone or her family had moved to the Hingham, Massachusetts, area, where Eunice was living at the time of her marriage to Jessie D. Wight.  Jesse was working as a blacksmith there or at Otisfield, Maine.

Eunice Aurelia (Riley) Wight signed a page in her son Will's album.



Will's brother David H. Wright signed a page near the front of his album.



Will's paternal uncle Joseph Perley Wight, his wife Diantha J. (Morse) Wight and their daughter Carrie M. Wight signed pages in Will's album.





In the 1880 Census, Will P. Wight was living in the home of his parents at Otisfield, Maine, but apparently soon after he moved to East Douglas, Massachusetts, where he was living at the time he started compiling autographs in his album.

Shortly after his arrival in Massachusetts, apparently, he married Harriet Simpson, who was born about January 1858 in Massachusetts.  I found a birth record for a Jesse E. Wight, born to Will and Hattie, on 21 October 1882 at East Douglas, Massachusetts.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the signers mentioned below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

List of signers:  [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]
  • Ella M. Baldwin of Brookline, New Hampshire, signed at Nashua, New Hampshire, on May 10, 1881
  • Edith M. Briggs, signed at Wayne, Maine, on May 18, 1881.  Her surname runs off the page so that only Brig is visible, so her surname may be something other than Briggs, but where there was an Edith M. Briggs living at Otisfield, Maine, in the 1870 Census, I think Briggs is correct.
  • Rosina P. Bunker
  • James A. Clement, N.B.B., of Nashua, New Hampshire
  • Emma J. Clement of Nashua, New Hampshire, signed on May 11, 1881.  "When treated with apples always select the Baldwins; they are the best."
  • G. Coburn [not sure of surname], signed at Nashua, New Hampshire, on May 12, 1881; middle initial might be U or N or H or ?
  • Mabel N. Cummings of West Waterville, Maine, signed on July 8, 1881
  • Cora J. Cummings
  • Horace Eugene Dawes of Harrison, Maine, signed on May 17, 1881 at the age of 8 months.  This was signed in a nice hand so it wasn't a case of someone helping Horace write; rather, someone else, possibly his mother Pamelia R. (Wight) Dawes, or his grandmother Eunice Aurelia (Riley) Wight signed for him.  Eunice signed the following page, and the handwriting is very similar, so I believe it was she who signed Horace's page.
  • Your sister" Mellie, signed at East Otisfield,  Maine, on May 17, 1881; presumably Pamelia R. (Wight) Dawes
  • M. J. Henderson, signed at Haverhill [no state written but other Hendersons who signed were from Haverhill, Massachusetts]; Will P. Wight's aunt
  • Annie L. Henderson of Haverhill, Massachusetts, signed on May 12, 1881
  • George W. Hendrick of Nashua, New Hampshire, signed on May 12, 1881
  • Fred A. Mason, signed on August 16, 1881
  • Cora E. Payson, signed at West Waterville, Maine, on Juy 31, 1881; she signed upside down on the page.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Fred S. Pullen of West Waterville, Maine, signed on July 9, 1881
  • Mrs. Marcia Simpson of East Douglass, Massachusetts, signed on September 2, 1881
  • S. L. Stevens of West Waterville, Maine, signed on June 20, 1881
  • James H. Stevens of West Waterville, Maine
  • E. J. Stevens of West Waterville, Maine, signed on July 31, 1881; has a note in the corner from "Mother"
  • Frank C. Stevens of West Waterville, Maine, signed on July 16, 1881 in New Hampshire
  • Charles F. Stevens of West Waterville, Maine, signed on July 18, 1881
  • Ornate handwriting that's hard to decipher but looks like F. Vining of Nashua, New Hampshire, signed on December 18 [no year] written "by old Sliver".  Middle initial could be S or P or ?
  • Annie M. Whiting of Nashua, New Hampshire, signed on May 12, 1881
  • Will P. Wight of Otisfield, Maine, and East Douglass, Massachusetts; album owner
  • David H. Wight of East Otisfield, Maine, signed on May 16, 1880; Will P. Wight's brother
  • Eunice Aurelia (Riley) Wight, signed as "Mother", at East Otisfield, Maine, on May 17, 1881.
  • Joseph P. Wight of East Otisfield, Maine, signed on May 17, 1881; Will P. Wight's uncle.  He was Joseph Perley Wight, brother to Will's father Jesse Dunham Wight.  Joseph's wife, Diantha J. (Morse) Wight, signed the facing page.
  • Mrs. Joseph P. Wight of East Otisfield, Maine, signed on August 17, 1881.  She was Diantha J. (Morse) Wight, wife of Joseph Perley Wight, Will P. Wight's paternal uncle, who signed the facing page.
  • Carrie M. Wight of East Otisfield, signed on May 17, 1881; Will P. Wight's cousin.  She was Caroline M. Wight, daughter of signers Joseph Perley Wight and Diantha J. (Morse) Wight
  • LaRoy F. Young of West Waterville, Maine, signed on May 25, 1881
  • Annie D. Young of West Waterville, Maine, signed on May 25, 1881
Otisfield, Maine


East Douglas, Massachusetts


Thanks for stopping by!

No comments:

Post a Comment