1883-1886 Autograph Album from West Gardiner, Maine

1883-1886 autograph album with inscribers mostly from West Gardiner, Maine, and most appearing to have been born in the late 1860s and early 1870s.

The album, which is missing its covers, measures approximately 5" by nearly 3", contains the sentiments of 22 of the owner's friends and possibly relatives.  An alphabetical list of the inscribers and any personal information they offered, appears at the end of this post.

It's possible the owner was Harry B. Hinkley of West Gardiner, Maine, who inscribed the first two pages.  He was presumably Harry B. Hinkley (1869-1937), who married Alice M. Brackett (1883-1956).

An Alice M. Brackett made an undated inscription in the album but her age would have made this outside of the otherwise 1883-1886 range of inscriber dates. However, if the album belonged to Harry B. Hinkley, Alice might have found it at a later time and inscribed in it then.  Or inscriber Alice might have been Alice Maud (Brackett) Spear (1873-1959), who married Charles Orlo Spear (1871-1945).

Surnames in the Album

B	Babb [2]	H	Hamlin	M	Merrill
	Brackett		Hinkley [2]	R	Reed
	Brann		Hinkly	S	Small [2]
	Brooks	J	Jones		Spear [2]
C	Curtis [2]	L	Lane	W	Wakefield
D	Douglass		Lewis		Williams
			Lord

I. Belle Brann of Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 13, 1883  "Jim's Annie".  Presumably Ida Isabelle (Brann) Fuller (1866-1952), who married Alberton George Fuller (1864-1913). 

If you have corrections and/or information on any of the people mentioned below, please leave a comment.

Inscribers in the Album

• Annie Babb of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on February 22, 1886.  Annie Mae (Babb) Boyden (1871-1941), who married Herbert A. Boyden (1875-1951).  
• Flora E. Babb - Flora Esther Babb (1867-1947).  
• Miss Alice M. Brackett of Westbrook, Maine. Unless this inscription was written much later or by someone else, she was unlikely the Alice M. (Brackett) Hinkley (1883-1956) who married inscriber Harry B. Hinkley. But if the album was owned by Harry himself, Alice, who did not date her inscription, could have had access to it later on. If an inscription within the 1883-1886 date range, perhaps she was Alice Maud (Brackett) Spear (1873-1959), who married Charles Orlo Spear (1871-1945). 
• I. Belle Brann of Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 13, 1883  "Jim's Annie".  Presumably Ida Isabelle (Brann) Fuller (1866-1952), who married Alberton George Fuller (1864-1913). 
• Charles J. Brooks of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on February 22, no year written.  Presumably Charles J. Brooks (1869-1942).  
• C. J. Curtis - not sure of surname
• Charles T. Curtis of West Gardiner, Maine. Possibly Charles T. Curtis (1869-1944), who married Lula G. Colby (1877-1931). 
• Grace L. Douglass of Gardiner, Maine.  Grace Lilia (Douglass) Plummer (1868-1963); married Walter Edward Plummer (1861-1944). 
• Carrie E. Hamlin of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 13, 1883; schoolmate.  Carrie Evelyn (Hamlin) Jones (1867-1934), who married inscriber James W. Jones (1867-1958).  
• Harry B. Hinkley of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 11, 1883. Presumably Harry B. Hinkley (1868-1937), who married inscribed Alice M. Brackett (1883-1956). 
• Seth Hinkley
• Faustina Hinkly; possibly Faustina Delmore (Flitner) Hinkley (1837-1899), who married Melvin A. Hinkley (1841-1911). 
• James W. Jones of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 13, 1883.  James W. Jones (1867-1958), who married inscriber Carrie Evelyn Hamlin (1867-1934). 
• Charlie P. Lane [esq. added later] of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 13, 1883.  Perhaps Charles P. Lane (1872-1909), who married Annie L. Smith (1885-1949).  
• Henry W. Lewis of Boston, Massachusetts; inscribed on March 13, 1883
• Emma Lord of Pittston, Maine; inscribed on January 6, 1884.  Perhaps Emma Augusta (Lord) Clarke (1867-1919), who married Charles Elwin Clark (1858-1945). 
• Evelyn M. Merrill of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on February 22, 1886. Presumably Eveline M. Merrill (1868-)
• Alice M. Reed of West Gardiner, Maine.  Alice M. (Reed) Higgins (1869-1956), who married Henry G. Higgins (1869-1911). 
• Albion F. Small - Albion F. Small (1868-1943). 
• Herbert Small. Perhaps Rev. Herbert C. Small (1872-1949).  
• Annie G. Spear of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on February 22, 1886.  Annie Gertrude (Spear) Dustin (1870-1909), who married Miles Henry Powers Dustin (1866-1960). 
• Effie M. Spear of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on February 22, 1886. Presumably Effie M. (Spear) Mitchell (1871-1900), who married Frederick Emerson Mitchell (1861-1940). 
• Luella G. Wakefield of West Gardiner, Maine; inscribed on March 13, 1883. Luella Gertrude Wakefield, who married Donald Stewart McNaughton
• Linnie Williams of West Gardiner, Maine.  Possibly Emeline Williams