Friday, March 28, 2014

Early 1900s Autograph Album of Marjorie Triffitt of Whitneyville, Maine


1900-1905 autograph album of Marjorie Triffitt of Whitneyville, Maine, with one page signed in 1930 by Marjorie's second husband.

The album was presented to Marjorie by her older brother Eben Albee Triffitt at Christmas in 1901.


The album is approximately 6" x 4" and contains the sentiments of 17 of Marjorie's relatives, friends and schoolmates.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.


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

Marjorie Triffitt was born 6 December 1887 at Machias, Maine, the daughter of William E. Triffitt and Emily Pilsbury (Albee) Triffitt.  Marjorie had another sibling, a sister Julia Mabel (Triffitt) Palmer, who signed a page in the album.  She didn't date the page, but it was after 21 April 1900, the date of her marriage to Edwin Jerome Palmer.


Marjorie married at least twice.  Her first marriage was to Arthur F. Good, sometime before 1920, when they are shown in the Aroostook County town of Mapleton, with Arthur working as a railway agent and Marjorie as a telegraph operator.  Marjorie's widowed mother was living with them.

I wonder if perhaps Arthur had earlier been stationed in or near Whitneyville, Maine, and that is how the and Marjorie met.  Arthur was born in Canada about 1895, about 8 years after Marjorie's birth.  I don't have information on his parents.  There are family trees online which have conflicting information, so I'm not sure the Arthur in those trees is the correct Arthur.

The marriage did not last.  By the time of the 1930 Census, Marjorie and her mother were back at Whitneyville.  Marjorie indicated that she was divorced.

I wonder if the sad inscription written upside down on the inside back cover was written by Marjorie during the breakup of her marriage.


On 19 November 1930, Marjorie married Stephen J. Knowles.  He signed a page in her album two days later.


The 1940 Census shows Marjorie and Stephen living at Whitneyville, Maine; sadly, Marjorie's mother had died the previous year.  Stephen was working as a lumber grader in a saw mill and Marjorie as the proprietor of a retail store.  Marjorie died in 1969.

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

Interestingly, three pages are inscribed to "Dot", all signed on November 28, 1905.  Whether Dot was a nickname of Marjorie or Dot was someone else, I don't know.  Signers who inscribed their page to Dot were:
  1. Carrie Bayers
  2. Daisy Bayers of North Lubec, Maine
  3. Evelyn Rumery
Surnames in the album

Albee
Bayers     [2]
Farnsworth
Foster
Healey
Hennessey
Joye
Knowles
Longfellow
McLaughlin
Nash
Palmer
Rollins
Rumery
Triffitt     [2]
Wood

Signers in the album        [Note: Given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]


A

  • Grace M. Albee of Whitneyville, Maine, signed on December 26, 1901
B
  • Carrie Bayers, signed on November 28, 1905 and inscribed "To Dot"
  • Daisy Bayers of North Lubec, Maine, signed on November 28, 1905 and inscribed "To Dot"
F
  • R. V. Farnsworth
  • Lucy Foster, signed on September 19, 1905
H
  • Mrs. C. D. Healey of Whitneyville, Maine, signed on January 1, 1902
  • Mary Hennessey, signed at Whitneyville, Maine, on January 12, 1902
J
  • Martha Jane Joye of Seal Cove, Grand Manan, New Brunswick
K
  • Steve, signed on November 21, 1930; presumably Stephen J. Knowles, Marjorie's second husband, whom she had just married on 19 November 1930.
L
  • Ruby F. Longfellow; presumably it was she who signed the facing page as R.F.L.
M
  • Katie T. McLaughlin, signed at Whitneyville, Maine, on December 26, 1901
N
  • Vena Nash, signed at Whitneyville, Maine, on January 10, 1902
P
  • Julia Palmer of Whitneyville, Maine; Marjorie's sister Julia Mabel (Triffitt) Palmer, wife of Edwin J. Palmer.
R
  • Maud E. Rollins of Whitneyville, Maine, signed on February 7, 1902; Marjorie's schoolmate
  • Evelyn Rumery, signed on November 28, 1905 and inscribed "to Dot".
T
  • Marjorie Triffitt of Whitneyville, Maine; album given to her at Christmas in 1901 by her brother Eben Albee Triffitt
  • Eben Albee Triffitt; he presented the album to Marjorie at Christmas in 1901
W
  • Mary E. Wood of Whitneyville, Maine, signed on April 7, 1902; Marjorie's schoolmate
Whitneyville, Maine


Thanks for stopping by! 

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