Friday, March 16, 2018

1879-1895 Autograph Album of Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree of Hancock, Maine


Autograph album presented to Mrs. Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree by her sister-in-law Elvira J. (Cushman) Colby. 

Some of the inscribers, if not Sarah herself, had gone to California, as indicated in their inscriptions, but I believe most, if not all, returned to Maine at some point.

[Note:  Many of the inscribers in this album also inscribed pages in the autograph album of Ora Spratt Jordan of Otis, Maine, featured in another post; in fact, Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree herself, and husband Asa inscribed pages!]

The presentation page in Sarah's album:


The album measures a bit more than 4" by 2-3/4" and contains the sentiments of 15 of Sarah's relatives and friends.  An alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appears at the end of this post.

Surnames in the Album
  • Colby [[3]
  • Cook
  • Crabtree
  • Emmons
  • Jordan
  • Kingman  [6]
  • Parson
  • Simpson
  • Wooster

Elvira J. (Cushman) Colby inscribed another page in the album, and her husband Edmond Harvey Colby, who was Sarah's brother, inscribed a 3-page sentiment.  At the time they were living at Columbia, California, but I don't know if Sarah visited them there or they inscribed their pages while back in Maine.





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

Sarah Alexander Colby was born January 27, 1813 at Ellsworth, Maine, daughter of Eli K. Colby and Sarah Hardison (Jordan) Colby.  Another of Sarah's siblings inscribed a page in the album.  She was Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, whose husband Joseph Morrison Kingman inscribed the left facing page.


Other inscribers who expressed a kinship with album owner Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree [and there may have been more who didn't express a kinship] or who were likely relatives:
  • F. L. Colby of South Hancock, Maine.  Possibly Frank L. Colby, son of Sarah's brother Aaron Luther Colby
  • Arvilla S. Kingman of Waltham, Maine; inscribed on July 8, 1880.  Daughter of Joseph Morrison Kingman and Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, who was a sister to album owner Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree.
  • Mr. H. B. Kingman of Newport, Rhode Island; inscribed at South Hancock, Maine, on August 13, 1881.  Presumably Hudson Barzilla Kingman, son of Joseph Morrison Kingman and Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, a sister to album owner Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree.  His wife Julia Evelyn (Tracy) Kingman inscribed the right facing page.
  • Mrs. J. Evelyn Kingman of Providence Rhode Island; inscribed at South Hancock, Maine, on August 13, 1881.  She was Julia Evelyn (Tracy) Kingman, wife of Hudson Barzilla Kingman, who inscribed the left facing page.
  • W. H. Kingman of Chelsea, Massachusetts; inscribed on June 8, 1881.  Possibly William Herbert Kingman, son of Joseph Morrison Kingman and Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, who was Sarah's sister.
On January 2, 1838, Sarah Alexander Colby married Asa Crabtree, son of George and Rebecca (Hopkins) Crabtree.

Asa died in 1893 and Sarah in 1899.  They're buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Hancock, Maine.

Sources
  • U. S. Federal Censuses
  • Maine, Death Records, 1617-1922
  • Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921
  • Maine, Faylene Hutton Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1990
If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the inscribers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Inscribers in the Album
  • Elvira J. (Cushman) Colby, wife of Edmund Harvey Colby, who was a brother to album owner Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree, wife of Asa Crabtree.  Elvira's name is on the presentation page, and she also inscribed an individual page on December 28, 1879, either at Columbia, California, or while on a visit back to Maine.
  • Edmond H. Colby; inscribed  a 3-page sentiment at Columbia, California, on December 28, 1879 or when visiting back home in Hancock County, Maine.   Album owner Sarah's brother.
  • F. L. Colby of South Hancock, Maine.  Possibly Frank L. Colby, son of Sarah's brother Aaron Luther Colby
  • Mrs. Sarah A. Cook of Ellsworth, Maine; inscribed on August 4, 1895
  • Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree of Hancock County, Maine; album owner and wife of Asa Crabtree.  Sarah was given the album by her sister-in-law Elvira J. (Cushman) Colby, wife of Sarah's brother Edmond Harvey Colby.
  • Mrs. M. J. Emmons of San Francisco, California; inscribed on August 4, 1895
  • Augusta M. Jordan; inscribed at Waltham, Maine, only 6, 1880
  • Joseph M. Kingman; inscribed at Waltham, Maine, on July 7, 1880.  His wife Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, a sister to album owner Sarah, inscribed the right facing page.
  • Charlotte C. Kingman; inscribed at Waltham, Maine, on July 7, 1880.  She was Charlotte Christiana Colby, a sister to album owner Sarah.  Charlotte's husband Joseph M. Kingman inscribed the left facing page.
  • W. H. Kingman of Chelsea, Massachusetts; inscribed on June 8, 1881.  Possibly William Herbert Kingman, son of Joseph Morrison Kingman and Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, who was Sarah's sister.
  • Mr. H. B. Kingman of Newport, Rhode Island; inscribed at South Hancock, Maine, on August 13, 1881.  Presumably Hudson Barzilla Kingman, son of Joseph Morrison Kingman and Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, a sister to album owner Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree.  His wife Julia Evelyn (Tracy) Kingman inscribed the right facing page.
  • Mrs. J. Evelyn Kingman of Providence Rhode Island; inscribed at South Hancock, Maine, on August 13, 1881.  She was Julia Evelyn (Tracy) Kingman, wife of Hudson Barzilla Kingman, who inscribed the left facing page.
  • Arvilla S. Kingman of Waltham, Maine; inscribed on July 8, 1880.  Daughter of Joseph Morrison Kingman and Charlotte Christiana (Colby) Kingman, who was a sister to album owner Sarah Alexander (Colby) Crabtree.
  • Mrs. Martha E. Parson of Chelsea, Massachusetts; inscribed on  June 8, 1881
  • Cora A. Simpson of Centreville, California; inscribed on August 28, 1886
  • Martha P. Wooster of South Hancock, Maine; inscribed on August 28, 1886

1 comment:

  1. Hancock Maine was the answer to upper middle class society who couldn't afford to have a summer home on Mt. Desert Island. Hancock had a ferry service to and from Bar Harbor. Many of these people would visit friends and family on "The Island" via the ferry. There are still many summer homes on Crabtree Neck in Hancock. It is entirely possible for a person in California to summer in Hancock and return home in the fall or winter in those days as mass transport was via train and the closest train stop was in or near Ellsworth.

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