c1910 Photograph of Katherine E. Tasker, as a baby

Photograph of a baby identified on reverse as Katherine E. Tasker at four months old.

   

There's a very faint photographer's imprint at the bottom front of the photograph, for a studio in Los Angeles, California. 

Because of the Los Angeles imprint and the fact that the photograph was purchased in Maine, I believe the baby in the photograph is Katherine E. Tasker (1907-2003), daughter of Wallace Lincoln Tasker (1871-1957) and his second wife Ethel Virginia Johnston (1883-1975) of Maine, who had moved to Los Angeles by the time of Katherine's birth on 2 February 1907.  

Wallace's first wife, Vesta May Kearney (1868-1895), whom he married in 1894, died not long after their marriage.

Katherine graduated in 1928 from the Stanford School of Nursing and worked in the health field for over forty years.  After her retirement, she moved back to midcoast Maine, in Camden and Rockland.  I don't believe she married.  Access her 2003 obituary here.

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

Photograph of John Dalton Clark, age 3 yrs, 10 mos.

Photograph of a boy identified on reverse as John Dalton Clark at age 3 years, 10 months.  Sadly, there's no photographer's imprint to give a clue to locale, but the photograph was purchased in Maine.

Right away I found two possibilities: John Dalton Clark, born in Winterport, Maine, in 1908, and John Dalton Clark born in Massachusetts in 1890.  

Hopefully a family member of either John Dalton Clark, or another one, will happen upon this post and recognize the family characteristics in the boy's face or the handwriting on the reverse.

From online research, hopefully correct:

John Dalton Clark was born 10 August 1908 at Winterport, Maine, son of Fred and Charlotte T. "Lottie" (Brackett) Clark, born in Winterport, Maine, and Frankfort, Maine, respectively.

His paternal grandparents were Edward and Rebecca (Colson) Clark.  His maternal grandparents were John and Mary (Page) Brackett.

John Dalton Clark died at Winterport, Maine in 1974.

The Massachusetts John Dalton Clark was born 15 November 1890 at Gardner, Massachusetts, son of William and Marana A. (Morse) Clark.  I believe he married Mary Sundler, daughter of Gustaf and Amanda Sundler, Finnish immigrants to Gardner, Massachusetts.

If you have any corrections and/or insights regarding the information above or an alternative identification for the boy in the photograph, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  

Winterport, Maine


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Gardner, Massachusetts


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1909 Postcard of Hay Stacks at Robert B. Fisher Farm, Cambridge, New York

Postcard mailed in February 1909 showing the beneficial effects of Hubbard's Fertilizers of Middletown, Connecticut, on the grass crop at the Robert B. Fisher farm at Cambridge, New York.

I found a Robert Blair Fischer living at White Creek, New York, near Cambridge, in the 1900 Census.  He was born about December 1872 in New Jersey, son of David Wesley Fisher and wife Eliza.

Robert Blair Fisher married Ethel Louisa Fisher on 12 December 1894 at Bristol, New York.  She was born 12 December 1873 at Bristol, New York, daughter of Harlan Morton Fisher and Helen Louise (Phillips) Fisher.  It's possible Robert and Ethel were related, but not as close as first cousins, which is as far as I checked.

Robert and Ethel operated a farm at White Creek and raised at least four children, three of whom were sons.

1. Robert W. Fisher, born about March 1896 in New York
2. Dorothy L. Fisher, born about 1899 in New York
3. Philip Blair Fisher, born about 1904 in New York
4. John H. Fisher, born about 1910 in New York

For the boy shown on the postcard to be a son of Robert Blair Fisher, the only plausible prospect was Robert W. Fisher, born about March 1896.  Alternatively, the boy could have been a farm hand or farm hand's son.

The postcard was addressed to a Charles H. Walker at Wiscasset, Maine.  I believe he would have been Charles Harrison Walker, born about October 1839 at Woolwich, Maine, son of John and Jane (Potter) Walker.  He died 13 May 1917, about 8 years after receipt of the postcard.

If you have any corrections or insights regarding the Fisher or Walker families, please leave a comment or contact me directly.



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c1907 Photograph of Ralph Lysander Sukeforth, native of Appleton, Maine

Photograph of Ralph L. Sukeforth; no photographer's imprint.  

From online research, hopefully correct:

I believe this is Ralph Lysander Sukeforth, born 17 August 1877 at Appleton, Maine, son of Benjamin and Leantha (Stover) Sukeforth, both Appleton, Maine natives.  Ralph appears to be about 20 years of age in the photograph, so perhaps it was taken about 1907, or maybe earlier when he graduated from high school.

His paternal grandparents were Bartholomew and Rhoda Ann (Luce) Sukeforth.  His maternal grandparents were Jacob and Nancy J. (Fuller) Stover.

Ralph apparently moved to Massachusetts as a young man, where he married Genevieve E. McDermott on 29 June 1909 at Brockton, Massachusetts.  She was born about 1890 at Sandwich, Massachusetts, the daughter of William and Mary (McHugh) McDermott.

I found the couple, with a son, living in Brockton in the 1920 Census and in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts in the 1930 Census.  Ralph worked in a shoe shop in the area.  Ralph died in 1965.

Map of Appleton, Maine


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Brockton and East Bridgewater, Massachusetts:


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Photograph of Mary Belknap Willson of Albany, New York

Photograph of a woman identified on reverse as Mary Belknap Willson, mother of Luthera, Lura, Manilla and Albert.  The person making the identification guessed that Mary was about 90 in this photograph.

From online research, hopefully correct:

Mary Belknap was born about June 1837 in New York, daughter of Zebina and Fannie (Osgood) Belknap, who were from Randolph, Vermont.

Her paternal grandparents were Moses, Jr. and Margaret (Richardson) Belknap.  Her maternal grandparents were Abijah and Elizabeth (Sprague) Osgood.

She was married at least twice.  First, to a Mr. Wright, with whom she had at least two children:

• Fannie Wright, born about 1857 in New York
• Susan P. Wright, born about  1863 in New York

Second, to Leonard Willson, with whom she had at least four children, the aforementioned:

•  Luthera, born about 1861, at possibly Albany, New York
•  Lura, born about 1864 in New York
•  Manilla, born about 1866 in New York; married John F. Collins
•  Albert, born about 1868 in New York

Mary was living with Luthena and Lura at the time of the 1920 Census of Albany, New York and was shown as age 82.  Luthera and Lura were working as dressmakers in their home.

Mary perhaps had died by the time of the 1930 Census or she was living with people other than Luthera, Lura or Manilla.  The latter, a widow by then, was living by herself at Fonda, New York.

The 1930 Census of Albany, New York shows Luthera and Lura still living together and still enumerated with the surname of Willson.   So it appears neither had married by the time of their late 50s.

Interestingly, there is one year old named Anthony DiBella living with them, enumerated as Lura's son; she would have had him in her late 50s, if so.  The family enumerated before Luthera and Lura is named DiBella, so it's possible Anthony was in the Willson home at the time of enumeration and was mistakenly listed with Luthera and Lura.  Or perhaps Lura had adopted him, officially or unofficially.

If you have any information on the Belknap, Osgood, Wright or Wilson families of Vermont and New York, please leave a comment or contact me directly.


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Vintage Campaign Card of John H. Howes of Charleston, Maine

Business card sized memento from the campaign of John H. Howes of Charleston, Maine, for Representative.  Since the Political Graveyard notes that a John H. Howes served in the Maine State Legislature in 1945, I would assume this card came from that era.

The reverse of the card has the name of Wilber F. Harris of 861 Sutter Street of San Francisco, California.

John Herbert Howes was born December 5, 1880 at South Woodbury, Vermont, where his Maine-born father was ministering at the time.  He was the son of Rev. Herbert Roswell Howes and wife Charlotte Ellen (Higgins) Howes.  

On May 11, 1907, John Herbert Howes married Edith E. Hatt, daughter of James Alfred Hatt and Leona (Hayward) Hatt of Wesley, Maine.  She was born December 10, 1879 at Wesley.

The couple settled at Charleston, Maine, where they operated a dairy farm and were active in politics.

If you have any corrections or insights regarding the Howes, Higgins, Hatt or Hayward families, please leave a comment or contact me directly.


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1889 Photos of young siblings Helen Murchie and Harold Murchie of Calais, Maine

Set of two photographs of children identified on reverse as Helen and Harold; the photographs were taken by the McKay studio of Calais, Maine.  One of the photographs is dated Christmas, 1889.

Using Census records and the names of the uncles to whom the photographs were inscribed, I'm guessing that the siblings are Helen and Harold Murchie of Calais.  

The photograph above was inscribed to Uncle Alex, who might have been Alexander MacTavish, husband of the siblings' paternal aunt, Mary Adeline (Murchie) McTavish.

The photograph below, dated Christmas 1889, was inscribed to Uncle Kemp, assuming I'm deciphering the faint handwriting correctly.

Uncle Kemp was likely David Kemp Harmon of Milltown, St. Stephen, New Brunswick; he was a brother of the siblings' mother Cora Hale (Harmon) Murchie.

Helen W. Murchie was born 1 March 1885 at Calais, Maine, the daughter of George Albert Murchie and Cora Hale (Harmon) Murchie, both Milltown, New Brunswick natives.  Milltown merged with the town of St. Stephen in the 1970s to become the municipality of St. Stephen.

Sadly, Helen died of diabetes on 2 July 1901.  [Ironically, Dr. Charles Best, co-discoverer of insulin in the 1920s, was born in West Pembroke, Maine, not far from Calais.]

Harold Hale Murchie was born 8 March 1888 at Calais, Maine, son of George Albert Murchie and Cora Hale (Harmon) Murchie.  He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a law degree from Harvard University.

He set up a law practice at Calais and later served in both houses of the Maine State Legislature and as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Maine.

On 15 October 1913, at Calais, he married Edith Jessie Ross, daughter of Henry Butler Ross and Lelia Miranda (Bridges) Ross.  She was born 23 March 1888 at St. Stephen, New Brunswick.  Her mother was a native of the aforementioned Pembroke, Maine.

Harold Hale Murchie in later life

If you have any corrections or insights regarding the Murchie or Harmon families, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  

Map of Calais, Maine

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