1860s Autograph Album of Ella, a Student at Abbott Female Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; possibly Ella A. Todd (1845-1885) of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada

1860s autograph album that belonged to Ella, a student at Abbott Female Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.  

Note: this blog post will be updated as new information is received from readers.

Possibly Ella A. Todd (1845-1885) of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick, daughter of Hon. William Todd (1803-1873)  and Clarissa Louise Murchie (Hill) Todd (1806-1861). Ella would marry William Andrew Murchie (1841-1923).

The image above and below are pages from the 1863-1864 catalog of the Abbott Female Academy is from a digitization of the catalogs from 1853-1870.

Some of the students that inscribed pages in Ella's album are listed in the Abbott Female Academy catalogs digitized here.

The possible identity of Ella A. Todd as the album owner was made from a listing in an Abbott Female Academy catalog and from the several autographs from Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick.  

Ella's father, William Todd, a mover and shaker in the St. Croix Valley, was a native of North Yarmouth, Maine - possibly accounting for the Maine inscribers in New Gloucester, Cumberland Centre and Portland.

Read more about the Todd family in Todds of the St. Croix Valley, by William Todd (1872-1946), published in 1873.

 A brilliant mind in the Maine genealogy community translated the cipher code in the inscription below, inscribed by _ENE of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick, in August of 1861. YOU HAVE NOT YET TOLD ME HOW YOU SUCCEEDED IN KEEPING HENRY AGAINST _OSIES CHARMS SUPPOSE IT MUST HAVE BEEN OWING TO YOUR SUPERIOR ATTRACTIONS WELL ALL RIGHT THINK YOU WOULD MAKE A FINE COUPLE SO GO IT WHILE YOUR YOUNG BUT BE SURE AND SECURE HAPPINESS IS THE WISH OF YOUR FRIEND _ENE.  Note: perhaps Josie G. Clapp, who inscribed a page in Boston in 1861, was the _OSIE mentioned above.

Several of the pages have boxes with names inside. The page below was signed mostly by people from New Brunswick, Canada.

• Samuel C. Darling
• Frances Jane Tucker of Berry Hill, Fredericton, New Brunswick
• Hugh McAdam of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick
• I. Gordon Forbes, or J. Gordon Forbes, of Saint John, New Brunswick
• H. Eugene Bowler or H. Eugene Bowker of Jackson, Michigan
• Emma C. Seeley of Saint John, New Brunswick
• Emma A. Lovett of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick
• Sarah A. Christie of Saint John, New Brunswick, inscribed on February 6, 1863

If you have information on Ella or any of the people mentioned below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Alphabetical List of Inscribers

• Ella, album owner. She was a student at the Abbott Female Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; possibly Ella A. Todd (1845-1885) of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick, daughter of Hon. William Todd (1803-1873)  and Clarissa Louise Murchie (Hill) Todd (1806-1861). Ella would marry William Andrew Murchie (1841-1923).
• Clara P.
• A; either from or inscribed at Saint John, New Brunswick, on June 30, 1863
• G. F. R.; either from or inscribed at Saint John, New Brunswick, on January 12, 1863
• I. G. F. or J. G. F., presumably the ? Gordon Forbes of Saint John, New Brunswick, who contributed to a shared page
• Written in code at Milltown, presumably Milltown in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, on August 19, 1861. [See image and translation above.]
• Your Friend
• Longfellow, written backwards - presumably not the inscriber's name but the name of the poet whose work is quoted on the page
• Unsigned
• E. M. S. or E. M. L.; inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts, on February 25, 1864. Possibly Abbott Female Academy student Elizabeth M. Smith of Andover, Massachusetts or Emily M. Swan of Calais, Maine. She mentions teaching a lesson.
• I. M. S.; inscribed at Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1863
• J. B. H. or I. B. H. or F. B. H.
• Katie or Anna, Ella's roommate, presumably at Abbott Female Academy
• Carrie H. Ayer of Lowell, Massachusetts; inscribed at Abbott Female Seminary. According to a catalog of Abbott Female Academy, she was Caroline H. Ayer of Lowell, Massachusetts.
• Susie S. Baker of South Danvers, Massachusetts; inscribed at Smith Hall at Abbott Female Academy on March 14, 1864. She is shown in an Abbott Female Academy catalog as Susan S. Baker of South Danvers, Massachusetts.
• H. A. Balch of Hanover, New Hampshire; inscribed at Smith Hall at Abbott Female Academy on March 4, 1864.  Helen A. Balch, as listed in the July 1864 catalog of Abbott Female Academy
• H. Eugene Bowler or H. Eugene Bowker of Jackson, Michigan; his name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• Annie E. Bradley of Franklin, Tennessee. She's listed in the July 1864 Abbott Female Academy catalog.
• Henry T. Carter of Portland, Maine; inscribed on August 17, 1861
• Sarah A. Christie of Saint John, New Brunswick, inscribed on February 6, 1863; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• Josie G. Clapp; inscribed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1861
• Samuel C. Darling; his name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• I. Gordon Forbes, or J. Gordon Forbes, of Saint John, New Brunswick; his name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• I. G. F. or J. G. F., presumably the ? Gordon Forbes of Saint John, New Brunswick, who contributed to a shared page
• A. M. Giddings of South Danvers, Massachusetts; inscribed at Smith Hall at Abbott Female Academy on March 14, 1864. According to a catalog from Abbott Female Academy, she was Anna M. Giddings of South Danvers, Massachusetts
• Carrie M. Hamlin of Constantinople, Turkey; inscribed in Andover, Massachusetts, on March 12, 1864, presumably at the Abbott Female Academy. She was Caroline M. Hamlin, daughter of Rev. Cyrus Hamlin (1811-1900), who started Robert College in Constantinople. .
• John B. Hammond of Saint John, New Brunswick; name written in a box on a page of six boxes
• Delia C. Haskell; inscribed at New Gloucester, Maine, in February 1861; also contributed to a page shared by 7 others.
• T. Lewis Haskell of New Gloucester, Maine; name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• S. A. Jenness; inscribed on March 1, 1864 at Smith Hall, at Abbott Female Academy. From an 1864 catalog: she was Sarah A. Jenness from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
• Annie D. Jones; inscribed in New Gloucester, Maine; also contributed to a page shared with 7 others
• M. Kelsey
• Eliza L. Kent of New Gloucester, Maine; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes; presumably the E. L. Kent of New Gloucester, who inscribed a page on December 23, 1860
• Henry H. King of Calais, Maine; name written in a box on a page of six boxes
• H. H. King. Possibly the Henry H. King of Calais, Maine, who added his name to a page of multiple names in individual boxes.
• Etta Lewis of New Gloucester, Maine; inscribed at Portland, Maine. Middle initial possibly T; she also inscribed a page shared with 7 others.
• Emma A. Lovett of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• Hugh McAdam of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick; his name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• Fanny Osborne of South Danvers, Massachusetts; inscribed at Abbott Female Seminary on March 13, 1864.  According to a catalog of Abbott Female Academy, she was H. Frances Osborne of South Danvers, Massachusetts.
• Anna M. Paine of Portland, Maine; name written in a box on a page of six boxes
• Lizzie Parsons; inscribed at Portland, Maine
• Mary W. Prince of Cumberland Centre, Maine; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• R. B. Proctor, 1861, Saccarappa, Maine (Westbrook/Portland area); name written in a box on a page of six boxes
• Lydia A. Rich of Winterport, Maine; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• A. E. Sanborn of East Kingston, New Hampshire; name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• Emma C. Seeley of Saint John, New Brunswick; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• E. M. S. or E. M. L.; inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts, on February 25, 1864. Possibly Abbott Female Academy student Elizabeth M. Smith of Andover, Massachusetts. she mentions teaching a lesson.
• Frances Jane Tucker of Berry Hill, Fredericton, New Brunswick; her name in a box on a page of eight boxes
• Nellie L. Warren; inscribed at New Gloucester, Maine, on February 20, 1861; perhaps the same Nellie L. Warren, then living in Saccarappa, Maine (Westbrook/Portland area) who signed her name on a page shared with 5 others
• Nellie L. Warren of Saccarappa, Maine (Westbrook/Portland area); name written in a box on a page of six boxes. Possibly the same Nellie L. Warren who inscribed a page in New Gloucester, Maine, on February 20, 1861
• William L. Warren; inscribed January 11, 1861; of Saccarappa, Maine; name written in a box on a page of six boxes 
• F. Yeaton; inscribed a two-page sentiment on February 20, 1861
• V. B. Yeaton; inscribed in November 1860