Sunday, July 27, 2014

1875-1877 Autograph Album of John Franklin Wadsworth of Massachusetts: Fall River, Holliston, Somerville


1875-1877 autograph album that belonged to John Franklin Wadsworth, "Frank", who was born in Maine and reared in Massachusetts.  The album contains signatures of well wishers from the Morse Grammar School at Somerville, from Holliston High School and from the Fall River, Massachusetts area.  The family appears to have moved around.

See another post that features John Franklin Wadsworth's 1878-1880s autograph album.  And yet another features the 1879-1880s autograph album of his sister Ella M. Wadsworth, or Mary Ella Wadsworth, as she was named at birth, according to her Maine birth record.


Tucked in the album is a scrap of paper that indicates that the album belonged to the great grandfather of Kenneth Grace or Kenneth Grau.


The album is approximately 5-1/2" x 3-1/2" and contains the sentiments of 85 of John Franklin Wadsworth's relatives, schoolmates and friends.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the signers, complete with any family relationship, residence or school affiliation they may have added, appears at the end of this post.

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

John Franklin Wadsworth, "Frank", was born 15 May 1862 at New Sharon, Maine, the son of John and Elizabeth (Leonard) Wadsworth, who were born in Maine and Massachusetts respectively.  The parents did not sign pages in this album, but Elizabeth signed a page in Frank's other album, and both shared a page in Ella M. Wadsworth's album, which is shown below.


Frank's brother Charles T. Wadsworth, born 23 December 1855 at Braintree, Massachusetts, signed a page at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 13, 1875.


An earlier child named John died in the year of his birth, 1857; he may have been a twin to George Melvin Wadsworth, who was born 4 April 1857 at South Weymouth, Massachusetts.  George didn't sign a page in this album, but he did sign a page in Frank's later album, as did his future wife Elsie L. Warfield.

Sister Ella M. Wadsworth, which is the way she wrote her name in her autograph album, didn't sign a page in this album, unless she was the Marilla A. Wadsworth of Somerville, who signed a page on February 8, 1876 at Somerville, Massachusetts.


Compare the handwriting with the page where Ella A. Wadsworth wrote her name as the owner of her own album and on the page she signed at Holliston, Massachusetts, as M. Ella Wadsworth, in Frank's later album when she was a member of the Class of 1879, perhaps at Holliston High School or at the Willard School, presumably at Quincy, Massachusetts.   The letters are not quite the same, but handwriting can evolve.  The reason I mention the Willard School is that there is a set of undated facing pages in Ella's own album where 17 people signed and mentioned Willard School. Ella was not one of the signers, but their brother George Melvin Wadsworth was.



Another brother, Arthur Leonard Wadsworth, born 4 January 1864 at New Sharon, Maine, did not sign a page in this album but he did sign a page in Frank's other album.  There may have been another brother, Frederick Wadsworth, who perhaps did not survive to adulthood.

On 26 March, 1881 at Fall River, Massachusetts, John Franklin Wadsworth married Addie Louise Lake, daughter of Joseph and Amy (Thurston) Lake.  Addie was born 11 March 1864 at Fall River, Massachusetts.  Frank and Addie made their home at Fall River, Massachusetts, and raised, I believe, five children:
  1. Lucena Elizabeth Wadsworth, born 13 August 1883 at Fall River, Massachusetts; married Frank Blaine Tew
  2. George H. Wadsworth, born 31 August 1885 at Fall River, Massachusetts; died 21 December 1890
  3. Elsie Wadsworth, born about 1888; died 1932
  4. John Franklin Wadsworth, Jr., born 24 December 1889 at Fall River, Massachusetts; married Charlotte J. Childs
  5. Arthur Lorenzo Wadsworth, born 25 January 1892 at Fall River, Massachusetts; married Elsie (Gray?)
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!

Surnames in the album

?
Alden
Aldrich
Allen
Anthony
Babbitt
Baker
Barney
Bennett
Blossom
Borden     [2]
Briggs
Brightman
Brown     [4]
Butman
Chase
Church
Clarke
Cook
Dillingham
Durfee
Eames
Earle
Elsbee
Fisher
Fiske
Gahan
Gould
Gray
Grouard
Hartley
Homer
Horton
Howard
Hubbard
Hunt
Johnston
Jones
Keiley
Lingane
Locke
Lynch
Manning
Mansfield
Marsh     [2]
Mellen     [2]
Munroe
Nichols
Nowell
Pierce     [2]
Plympton
Rawson
Read
Rice
Robertson
Rosay
Sartwell
Sheedy
Simmons     [4]
Sisson
Small
Smith
Stevens
Stewart
Stiles
Taylor
Terry
Thompson
Tibbetts
Tower
Tuck
Tuell
Wadsworth     [3]
Withey

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

?
  • Lizzie, signed on January 21, 1876. She called John Franklin Wadsworth "Frank"
A
  • Myra W. Alden of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875 "H.N.L.N.A
  • Mamie L. Aldrich of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • William R. Allen of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Nellie Anthony of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
B
  • M. F. Babbitt, signed at Bristol, presumably Massachusetts, on April 6, 1885
  • Charlie L. Baker of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875. Charles L. Baker, son of Charles A. and Melissa D. (Harding) Baker.
  • Carrie H. Barney of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 10, 1876
  • Mamie E. Bennett of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
  • William Blossom of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Minnie Borden of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
  • Jennie Borden of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Emma O. Briggs, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 9, 1875
  • Sadie M. Brightman of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
  • Maria L. Brown of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Lizzie C. Brown of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
  • Benjamin W. Brown of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Lucy H. Brown, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 11, 1875
  • Rolla J. Butman of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 8, 1876
C
  • Algeron C. Chase of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875. Either he spelled his given name incorrectly or he is shown in records erroneously as Algernon C. Chase.
  • Hannah B. Church of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Fred H. Clarke of Holliston, Massachusetts, signed on May 19, 1876. "H.H.G.S."
  • Weston L. Cook of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
D
  • Georgia Dillingham, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts in 1875
  • Owen Durfee of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
E
  • D. B. Eames - sentiment written on a scrap of paper in the album
  • Emma P. Earle of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Hattie B. Elsbree, signed on June 9, 1875
F
  • Elmer M. Fisher of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Effie Fiske, signed at Holliston High School on January 26, 1877; Holliston, Massachusetts; John Franklin Wadsworth's schoolmate.
G
  • Patrick Gahan of Holliston, Massachusetts, signed in May 1876
  • E. Belle Gould, signed at Somerville, Massachusetts, on February 9, 1876
  • Frank H. Gray of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Sumner Grouard of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 14, 1875
H
  • Lizzie J. Hartley of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
  • Hattie F. Homer of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 8, 1875
  • Melvin B. Horton of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 10, 1875
  • Ella W. Howard of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 13, 1875
  • George Hubbard of Holliston, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1876
  • Carrie L. Hunt of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
J
  • Aggie L. Johnston of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 7, 1876
  • J. Willard Jones of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on December 13, 1875
K
  • Charlie Keiley of Holliston, Massachusetts, signed on May 9, 1876, Centennial
L
  • Maggie A. Lingane of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 10, 1875. Presumably Margaret A. Lingane.
  • George W. Locke, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 9, 1875
  • John Lynch of Holliston, Massachusetts
M
  • A. S. Manning or U. S. Manning of Somerville, Massachusetts
  • Jessie A. Mansfield of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on December 14, 1875
  • Marie L. Marsh of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on January 27, 1876
  • Marie L. Marsh of Somerville, Massachusetts
  • Sarah B. Mellen of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 12, 1875
  • Winborn H. Mellen of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 10, 1875; "your schoolmate"
  • Foster H. Munroe of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875; "your playmate"
N
  • Alice L. Nichols of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Hannah D. Nowell of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875. "D.W.T.B.F.Y.W.W.T.B.U."
P
  • Hattie L. Pierce of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 8, 1876
  • Charles H. Pierce of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on December 14, 1875
  • Nellie A. Plympton of Providence, Rhode Island, signed on August 26, 1876; shared the page with Millie A. Rice
R
  • E. C. Rawson of Holliston, Massachusetts, signed on May 5, 1876
  • Joseph P. Read of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Millie A. Rice of Holliston, Massachusetts; shared the page with Nellie A. Plympton
  • Lizzie Robertson of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on January 4, 1876 at M.G.S.; presumably Morse Grammar School
  • Daniel Rosay, signed on December 12, 1875. Referred to John Franklin Wadsworth as "Frank"
S
  • Willie Sartwell of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 8, 1876. Presumably William W. Sartwell, son of John and Martha Sartwell.
  • Thomas Sheedy of Holliston, Massachusetts, signed on May 5, 1876
  • Katie A. Simmons of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 13, 1875
  • Charlie E. Simmons of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 14, 1875
  • Nettie B. Simmons of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed in June 1875
  • Lizzie H. Simmons of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 13, 1875
  • Benjamin F. Sisson of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 11, 1875
  • Elisha H. Small of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 10, 1875
  • Mattie Smith of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on October 15, 1875
  • W. H. Stevens of Braggville, Massachusetts. Braggville is a village in or near Holliston, Massachuse
  • Lizzie C. Stewart, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 11, 1875
  • Sumner B. Stiles, signed at Holliston, Massachusetts, in July 1877
T
  • Emma E. Taylor of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 4, 1876
  • Ida Terry of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875; John Franklin Wadsworth's schoolmate. "D.R.T.B. - I.Y.W. W.T.B.U."
  • Hattie M. Thompson of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on June 9, 1875
  • E. Louise Tibbetts of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 9, 1876
  • Lillian E. Tower of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on December 13, 1875. "M.G.S." I believe Lillian was a teacher at Morse Grammar School at Somerville, Massachusetts
  • L. W. Tuck of South Weymouth, Massachusetts, signed on July 17, 1875. Presumably Lorenzo Wadsworth Tuck, a contemporary of John Franklin Wadsworth, or Lorenzo's father Lorenzo W. Tuck or his mother Lucy W. Tuck.
  • S. Abbie Tuell, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 9, 1875. She signed another album of John Franklin Wadsworth as Sarah Abbie Tuell.
W
  • On ownership page: John F. Wadsworth of Fall River, Massachusetts, signed on January 26, 1875 at Somerville, Massachusetts. Also has the date June 9, 1875. Album owner John Franklin Wadsworth.
  • Marilla A. Wadsworth of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 8, 1876.  Possibly John Franklin Wadsworth's sister Mary Ella Wadsworth.
  • Charles T. Wadsworth, signed at Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 13, 1875. John Franklin Wadsworth's brother.
  • Florence N. Withey of Somerville, Massachusetts, signed on February 9, 1876

New Sharon, Maine; Fall River, Massachusetts; Holliston, Massachusetts; Somerville, Massachusetts


Thanks for stopping by!


No comments:

Post a Comment