Sunday, July 31, 2022

1943 Snapshot of Two Women, one in Uniform, at Union Depot, St. Paul, Minnesota: Betty Neuser and Ellen Thompson

November 1943 snapshot of two women, one in uniform, at the Union Depot in St., Paul, presumably Saint Paul, Minnesota, with one of them apparently seeing the other off to service during World War II: 
  • Betty Neuser 
  • Ellen Thompson

There's mention of Eizabeth J. Neuser, born in 1918, an ensign with classification WVHS, in a military register of the commissioned and warrant officers of the U.S. Navy, listed, interestingly, as of 16 November 1943. Perhaps she was a WAVE or similar.

 That Elizabeth may have been Elizabeth J. Neuser, a Minnesota native, the daughter of Herbert Anthony Neuser and Alice Veronica (Shea) Neuser.  Elizabeth would marry, and later divorce, Dr. George Van Olanda Webster, Jr.  
If you have a theory as to the identity of either or both of these women, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Photograph of Marian Hubbard (Swan) Brown (1891-1937) of Cambridge, Massachusetts; died at Yangon, Myanmar during World Tour

Photograph of Marian Hubbard (Swan) Brown (1891-1937) of Cambridge, Massachusetts, wife of Joseph Francis Brown (1893-1972).

The reverse notes that she died at Rangoon, India in 1937 - now Yangon, Myanmar.  Her obituary in the Boston Globe notes that she was at the time embarked on a round the world trip with her husband when she was struck ill. 

She was the daughter of Dr. William Donnison Swan [erroneously named Dr. William Donnison Brown in the obituary] and Mary Winthrop (Hubbard) Swan. The obituary notes that Marian was involved in the Cambridge Hospital League, the Sewing Circle and the Vincent Club.  Her husband was a real estate and insurance broker and was three times decorated for bravery during his service in World War I in France.
If you have information to share on the Swan and Brown families of Cambridge, Massachusetts, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

CDV of a Woman IDed as Louise Tenney; by the M. G. Trask studio of Bangor, Maine

Carte de Visite of a woman identified on the reverse as Louise Tenney.  Photograph by the M. G. Trask studio of Bangor, Maine.
Louise Tenney may have been Louise Wass (Merritt) Tenney (1846-1921) of Addison, Maine, and Columbia, Maine; wife of Augustus Henry Tenney (1841-1911).

This Louise was the daughter of Moses Worcester Merritt and Martha Ann (Wass) Merritt of Addison, Maine.  

It wasn't unusual for someone in a town in Washington County, Maine, to have a photograph taken in Bangor, as Bangor would then have been a "destination" service center, as it still is.

If you feel that Louisa Tenney was someone else or if you have information to share on the Tenney and Merritt families of western Washington County, Maine, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Gem tintype of a young woman IDed on reverse as Lizzie Pennaman - possibly Elizabeth L. Penniman (1849-1918) of Machias, Maine

Gem tintype of a young woman identified on the reverse as Lizzie Pennaman. The seller noted that she was from the Machias, Maine, area.

According to the US Censuses
  • By 1880, this Lizzie was working as a milliner in Machias, Maine
  • By 1900, she was rooming in Westbrook, Maine
  • 1910, she was working as a companion in Greenwich, Connecticut.  

Lizzie died of heart disease in Westbrook, Maine, in 1918; on her death record it's stated that she was the retired matron of a home. 

If you have information on the Penniman and Tenney families, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Photograph of baby IDed as William Boyd Web?, Jr., presumably William Boyd Webster, Jr. (1908-1954) of South Paris, Maine

Photograph of a baby identified as William Boyd W?, Jr., presumably William Boyd Webster, Jr. (1908-1954) of South Paris, Maine.  Age 5 months - Weight 17 lbs.

If you come to a different interpretation of the surname, shown below on the reverse of the jacket, please leave a comment.
Assuming the baby in the photograph is William Boyd Webster, Jr. (1908-1954), he was born in Paris, Maine, on 28 April 1908, to William Boyd Webster and Amy A. (Record) Webster.  

According to a brief notice, William, Jr. died in St. Petersburg, Florida in a restorium not three weeks after arriving from Boston, where he was an accountant.

If you feel the baby is a different person or if you have information to share on William Boyd Webster (1908-1954), please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Photograph of young siblings Samuel Prioleau Ravenel, Jr. (1868-1940) and Marguerite Amelia Ravenel (1870-1962) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas

Wonderful photograph of young siblings dressed in costume:

They were the children of Samuel Prioleau Ravenel (1822-1902) and Margaretta Amelia (Fleming) Ravenel (1833-1913)


Samuel Prioleau Ravenel, Jr., (1868-1940), according to his FindaGrave Memorial, attended Penn Charter School, Haverford College and the University of Pennsylvania law school. He would practice law in Asheville, North Carolina.

Marguerite Amelia Ravenel (1870-1962) divided her time between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Highlands, North Carolina, and was interested in the arts. She and her sister Clarissa Walton Ravenel (1872-1951) were admitted to the Huguenot Society of South Carolina in 1903. Their father Samuel Prioleau Ravenel (1822-1902) was already a member.

If you have information to share on the Ravenel and/or Fleming families, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Graduation Photograph of Mary Jane Booth, Class of 1946

Graduation photograph of Mary Jane Booth, Class of 1946, whether from high school or college.

If you recognize Mary Jane from your family photographs and/or research, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Photograph of Six People, Presumably Family; no locale: Mandy, Dana, Aunt Anna [Earl Peachey's Aunt], Mama, Hutchins & Signe

Photograph of six people, presumably closely related; no mention of locale.

They were:
First Row: Mandy; Dana or Diana or ?; & Aunt Anna, Earl Peachey's Aunt
2nd Row: Mama; Hutchins; & Signe

  • Which Earl Peachey?
  • Was Hutchins a given name or was he nicknamed Hutchins for his surname?  
  • Was Signe the sister of Hutchins or his spouse or ?
If you recognize these names from your family research, please leave a comment with more information, for the benefit of others.

Photograph of Duffy, Daddy & Uncle John in front of Delivery Van for ElmGrove Market, Location Unknown

Snapshot of Duffy, Daddy and Uncle John in front of the delivery van for Elmgrove Market, location unknown.

There's an Elmgrove in Ontario and several Elm Groves in the United States, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma (2), West Virginia and Wisconsin.  Alternatively, the market may have been merely located near a place known for its elms.

There was an Elmgrove Market, owned by John C. Murphy (1881-1931), that operated in Providence, Rhode Island, until the Great Depression.
If you recognize the brothers, one of them John - possibly John Duffy or the John C. Murphy mentioned above - who owned Elmgrove Market, and a son, presumably, of one or the other, nicknamed Duffy, please share your information in a comment, for the benefit of others.

Photograph a young boy IDed as Gardner Nickerson, in costume, perhaps Japanese

Late 19th or early 20th century photograph of a young boy identified on the reverse as Gardner Nickerson. He appears to be wearing a costume, perhaps Japanese.
There were several men in eastern Massachusetts, with the surname Nickerson and the first or middle name Gardiner.

The boy may have been Gardner Hall Nickerson (1893-1963), a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and son of Arthur Winston Nickerson and Hattie B. (Hall) Nickerson, natives of Massachusetts and Maine, respectively.

Perhaps a reader knows of a Gardiner Nickerson whose parents traveled to Japan or some other place in the Far East, perhaps for business or religious reasons or perhaps on vacation.


Photograph of a Man and his Work Horse Team at a Logging Camp in Northern Maine

Late 19th or early 20th century photograph of a man and his work horse team at a logging camp in Northern Maine.  No identification of the man or specific location.

The reverse has this handwriting: 
This picture was taken in the birch woods in Northern Me.
Where the tall and queenly birches
All decked in silver rags
Are wooed by balsam lovers
Mid lonely mountain craigs

Either "craigs" was meant to be "crags", or "craig" is a clever clue to the man's identity.

In case you have a similar photograph with a similar background, please leave information as to who and where in the comments, for the benefit of others.
With most of Maine's population in the South, "Northern" to some can sometimes be no farther north than Central Maine in the area where logging was king.  But it's possible this photograph was taken in the northernmost county of Maine, Aroostook, or the northern reaches of Somerset, Piscataquis, Penobscot or Washington counties.

Friday, July 29, 2022

Graduation Photograph of Frances H. Aiken, '96, B.H.S., presumably Brewer High School in Brewer, Maine

Cabinet photograph, presumably a graduation photograph, of a young woman identified on the reverse as Frances H. Aiken, B.H.S., '96.  

The photograph was taken by the Weston studio of Bangor, Maine.

B.H.S. was presumably Brewer High School in Brewer, Maine, across the Penobscot River from Bangor.

She was Frances H. Aiken (1876-1965) of Brewer, Maine, daughter of railroad agent/clerk Frank S. Aiken and Eunice H. (Rice) Aiken. Frances became a schoolteacher and, later, a librarian and was head librarian at Brewer Public Library from 1920 until 1946.  

The occupation field in the 1950 Census notes that Frances was not able to work.  She died at the age of 89 in Carmel, Maine and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Brewer, Maine, with her parents, siblings and other relatives.
If you have information to share on Frances and her family, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Cabinet photograph of young woman IDed as Elizabeth Jones of Chelsea, Massachusetts; by the Hearn studio of Boston and OOB, Maine

Cabinet photograph of a young woman identified on the reverse as Elizabeth Jones of Chelsea, Massachusetts. 

The photograph was taken by the Charles W. Hearn studio, with branches at 392 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, and at Old Orchard Beach, Maine.  If the photograph had been taken at Old Orchard, that would be another clue to Elizabeth's identity.
It's hard to pin Elizabeth Jones down, since there are several different instances of a woman of her era in Chelsea, Massachusetts.  

Hopefully, a reader will recognize her from family photographs and/or research and provide her identity in a comment, for the benefit of other researchers.

Photograph, possibly Graduation Photograph, of Martha Kimball of Washburn, Maine; by a Lewiston, Maine, studio; possibly Bates College graduate

Photograph, possibly a graduation photograph, of a young woman identified on the reverse as Martha Kimball of Washburn, Maine.

The photograph was taken by the Flagg & Plummer studio of Lewiston, Maine.  It's possible that Martha was graduating from Bates College.

If you have information to share on a Martha Kimball from Washburn, Maine, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Late 1800s/early 1900s Photograph of an Older Man; by the Hall studio of Belfast, Maine; possibly related to Curtis & Howard Families

Photograph of an older man, presumably taken in the late 1800s, by the Hall studio of Belfast, Maine.

Handwriting on the reverse:  From Aunt Sarah to her niece Faustina Howard.

This Faustina did have a paternal Aunt Sarah, by marriage to her father's brother Levi Lincoln Curtis (1834-1909), and the man in this photograph looks very much like the Curtis brothers and relatives.

If you recognize the man in the photograph, with the clues given, please leave his identification in a comment for the benefit of other researchers. 

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Photograph of a Young Man IDed as Colin MacNichol, No Studio Imprint, but possibly Eastport, Maine, area

Photograph of a young man identified on the reverse as Colin MacNichol

The reverse mentions: "Gave to me in 1920".

No studio imprint to give an idea of locale, but it's possible he was from the MacNichol family in Washington County, Maine and Charlotte County, New Brunswick.
Possibly James Colin MacNichol (1886-1960), if he went by "Colin", at least when he was younger.  This man was born in Eastport, Maine, the son of Avery Alexander MacNichol and Margaret (O'Brien) MacNichol. This Colin would move to New York and would marry Nancy Nicholls.

Although the photograph seems to have come from a later era, another possibility for Colin might have been Colin MacNichol (abt 1848-1913), a Customs officer in Eastport, Maine.  This Colin was born in Mascarene, New Brunswick, the son of John MacNichol and Jane (McDiarmid) MacNichol.  Colin married Abby Davis about 1894.

If you have a theory as to the identity of the Colin MacNichol pictured, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Cabinet Photograph of Girl IDed as Bernice Day, daughter of Oscar; by a Skowhegan, Maine, studio

Cabinet photograph of a girl identified on the reverse as Bernice Day, daughter of Oscar. The photograph was taken at the Sturtevant studio in Skowhegan, Maine.
Hopefully a reader will be able to identify Bernice more clearly. Records for a Bernice Day, daughter of Oscar Day in the Skowhegan, Maine, area, are not forthcoming. 
  • It's possible Day was Bernice's married surname, and the person writing the identification, long after the photograph was taken, knew Oscar so well, no surname was necessary
  • It's possible that Oscar was a middle name or nickname. 
  • It's possible the photograph was taken while Bernice was visiting relatives in Skowhegan and was not actually residing there.

Thanks to the input of members of the Maine Genealogical Society, it can be posited that Bernice Day was Bernice E. Day (1884-1961), daughter of Stillman Oscar Day and Carrie E. (Rowe) Day of Eddington, Maine.  Stillman had a brother, Charles W. Day, living in Skowhegan, Maine, and it's likely that Bernice had her photograph taken during a family visit there.

By 1900, Bernice's family was living in Salt Lake City, Utah, where, in 1919, Bernice married Christopher Clark Williams.

If you recognize these names from your family research, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

CDv of a Young Boy IDed as Sterling Fessenden at 7 Years 11 Months, Eastport, Maine

Carte de Visite of a young boy identified on the reverse as  "Sterling Fessenden, 7 years 11 mos, Eastport, August 1883"
It's likely that Sterling was Sterling Fessenden (1875-1943), son of Nicholas Fessenden (1847-1927) and Laura Emily (Stirling or Sterling) Fessenden (1852-1935) [although her birth year looks to be 1851 in the photograph of her stone]. 

Sterling's paternal grandparents, Hewitt Chandler Fessenden and Mary Turner (Peterson) Fessenden were in Eastport, Maine, by 1860 where Hewitt practiced medicine.  Their son Nicholas moved to Fort Fairfield, Maine, upon his 1874 marriage to Laura Emily Stirling, a native of that town, where Sterling would be born in 1875. I imagine young Sterling's photograph was taken on a visit to his paternal grandparents.

Sterling would graduate from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and find his way to China, where he would run the Municipal Court in Shanghai and, if the facts are correct, lead a rather controversial life.  

If you have corrections and/or information to share on the Fessenden and Stirling/Sterling families, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

CDV of baby Harry, with name of Mrs. Harry E. Brown of Harmony, Maine on reverse

Carte de Visite of a baby with the following handwriting on the reverse: "Photo of Harry. Mrs. Harry E. Brown, Box 126, Harmony, Maine.
Mrs. Harry E. Brown may have been Natalie A. (Taylor) Brown, who married Harry Edward Brown (1886-1960), in 1913 at her parents' home in Pittsfield, Maine. Harry was the son of Elmer R. Brown and Alma A. (Stafford) Brown of Harmony, Maine.  Harry and Natalie settled in Harmony after their marriage.

I didn't find a record of a child for Natalie and Harry, so the CDV may have depicted Natalie's husband Harry as a baby.

If you have more information on this family, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Cabinet Photograph of Hannah Lincoln Rhodes, "Mrs. Fletcher's mother"; by a Belfast, Maine studio

Cabinet photograph of a woman identified on the reverse as "Hannah Lincoln Rhodes, Mrs. Fletcher's mother".  The photograph was taken by the Hall studio of Belfast, Maine.
There was a Hannah (Lincoln Rhodes) (1777-1857), but the woman in the photograph appears to have been from a later generation. It's possible the identification is in error; perhaps the woman shown is a namesake or a woman from the family but with a different name. Hopefully a reader in the know will weigh in.

Even if the identification is in error, the names Hannah, Lincoln, Rhodes [or Rhoades] and Fletcher and the studio location of Belfast, Maine, are still clues.

If you recognize this woman from your family photographs and/or research,please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Photograph of Marguerite A. Mansfield and Harriet Colton Wilson, Young Women from Bangor, Maine

Photograph of two young women identified on the reverse as Marguerite A. Mansfield and Harriet Colton Wilson.  Two women with these names lived in Bangor, Maine.
Marguerite A. Mansfield was possibly the Miss Marguerite A. Mansfield listed in the 1921 City Directory of Bangor, Maine, as a maid living at 47 West Broadway, what is now the home of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.

Interestingly, the ball park in Bangor funded by the Kings is named Mansfield Stadium after Shawn Trevor Mansfield.

"Marguerite" is hard to find, but another possibility might have been the Margaret A. Mansfield shown in a record of marriage to George E. Blakemore in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1908.  "Margaret" was born in Bangor, Maine, in 1882, the daughter of Patrick Mansfield and Mary (Eagle) Mansfield. 

Harriet Colton Wilson was born in 1877 in Bangor, Maine, the daughter of attorney and judge Joseph Colburn Wilson and Mary Howe (Colton) Wilson.  In 1898 Hattie married horticulturalist Lucius Jerry Shepard, who would be farm superintendent at the University of Maine from 1899-1901. 

They would live in Pennsylvania, then New Jersey, before settling in Princeton, Massachusetts.  Hattie died in 1946 and Lucius a decade later.

If you have a theory as to the identity for Marguerite A. Mansfield and/or more information on Harriet Colson (Wilson) Shepard, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

1944 Snapshot of Gardner Peatfield in Uniform; Ipswich, Massachusetts Native; Headed Overseas for Duty in Tanks

January 1944 snapshot of Gardner Peatfield, "Went overseas soon after. In the tanks".
Gardner Peatfield (1925-1999) was an Ipswich, Massachusetts, native, who served in World War II from 1943 to 1945. After the war he worked as a lineman for Ipswich Municipal Water and Light.

He was the son of Lawrence Benjamin Peatfield and Stella Sophia (Bampton) Peatfield. Lawrence was electrocuted on the job when Gardner was under the age of two. Gardner's mother must have been worried when her son decided to follow in his father's footsteps.

In 1957 Gardner married Eleanor May Stone, also an Ipswich native.

If you have information to share, keeping in mind the privacy of living or recently deceased people, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Photograph, perhaps Graduation Photograph of R. C. Payson, presumably Richard Conant Payson (1870-1917), Class of 1893 at Bowdoin College

Photograph, perhaps a graduation photograph, of R. C. Payson; by the Reed studio of Main & Cumberland Streets in Brunswick, Maine.

He was presumably Richard Conant Payson (1870-1915), a member of the Class of 1893 at Bowdoin College.  This Richard was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Henry Martyn Payson and Emma Dow (Conant) Payson.

In 1901 at Portland, Maine, Richard, then involved in manufacturing, married Helen Brown Thomas (1876-1934), daughter of Elias Thomas and Helen Maria (Brown) Thomas.

See a photograph on the Maine Memory Network of a grouping of Knox automobiles, one of which may have been driven by Payson himself, who was a principal at the Portland Company, which manufactured engines and other items.

See another view of a Knox car belonging to Richard Conant Payson.
Payson died in New York City in 1917 while undergoing an operation. He left a widow and four children.

If you have corrections and/or information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Cabinet Photograph of Frank Harold Ashley (1861-1924); New Bedford, Massachusetts, studio

Cabinet photograph of Frank Harold Ashley (1861-1924); by a New Bedford, Massachusetts, studio.  Frank was the husband of Allena W. Pierce (1873-1969).

The photograph was found with a few accompanying ones with a Bristol County, Massachusetts, or marriage connection.

Frank Harold Ashley (1861-1924) and Allena W. Pierce (1873-1969), both natives of Acushnet, Massachusetts, were working as a mechanic and waitress, respectively, at the time of their marriage in 1899 in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  They stayed in New Bedford, at least until the enumeration of the 1920 Census, at which time Frank was shown with no employment, and Allena was working as a private housekeeper.  Was Frank injured from his work as a sawyer?

If you have information to share on any of the people mentioned above, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.


Cabinet Photograph of Joseph Howland (1855-1922) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts


Cabinet photograph of a man identified on the reverse as Mr. Joseph Howland.  The photograph was taken by the O'Neil studio of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Based on the photographs that accompany this one, it's likely that he was Joseph Howland (1855-1922), who married Eleanor Morton Russell (1863-1935), daughter of Hannah Taber (Shiverick) Russell (1834-1890) and Captain Stephen G. Russell (1826-1885).

One of the accompanying photographs is that of Hannah Taber (Shiverick) Russell (1834-1890), featured in another post.  

Other photographs that might also be connected:



If you have corrections and/or information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

Cabinet Photograph of a Woman IDed as Hannah Russell; New Bedford, Massachusetts, studio; possibly Hannah Taber (Shiverick)1885) Russell (1834-1890)

Cabinet photograph of a woman identified on the reverse as Hannah Russell. The photograph was taken at the Knowles studio of New Bedford, Massachusetts.


Note: This photograph was found with others, at least one of which was connected directly to Hannah Taber (Shiverick) Russell:
If you feel that the Hannah Russell in this photograph is someone other than Hannah Taber (Shiverick) Russell (1834-1890), please share your information in a comment for the benefit of other researchers.