Photo Friday – Dyer [Johnson], Libby [Moody]

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Don Taylor

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 058
Hod, Wright, JPD, Liz, Others Album (2024.13.50)
By Don Taylor

The Linwood Dyer Photo Collection at the Scarborough Historical Society contains a photo album labeled “HOD WRIGHT JPD LIZ OTHERS.” While some photos are identified, others are not. I am trying to positively identify and then share these historical photos with the descendants of the people pictured, offering families a chance to see unknown images of their ancestors.

The original materials, including this album (Accession number: 2024.13.50), are carefully preserved at the Scarborough Historical Society, serving as part of the broader Linwood Dyer Photo Collection’s enduring legacy.

Alice (Dyer) Johnson, c. 1922.

Photo of Alice (Dyer) Johnson

This photo is labeled “Alice (Dyer) Johnson. Alice Leslie Dyer married Harold Kenneth Johnson. Alice was born in 1905. She appears to be about 17 years old, so I date this photo about 1922. Alice is Nellie Plummer’s half-niece.

Elizabeth “Betsy” (Libby) Moody, circa 1880.

Photo of Betsy (Libby) Moody, c. 1880

This photo of an elderly woman is labeled “Grandmother Betsy Moody.” The photographer was Conant Artistic Photographer, 478½ Congress St., Portland. Conant’s photography operated at 478½ Congress from 1877 to 1884, suggesting the photo was taken about 1880.

I am confident this is a photo of Nellie Plummer’s great-grandmother, Betsy Moody.

White School Students including Howard & Alice Dyer, circa 1913.

This photo is of a school class. I believe the school is the White School. The image from page 35 of the album is labeled “Howard Dyer in baseball suit., Alice Dyer, 2nd row, 8th to right.


Photo of students, probably White School in Scarborough, Maine, students about 1913.

Howard Osgood Dyer was born in 1900, and his sister, Alice Leslie Dyer, was born in 1905. Howard appears to be about 13 in the photo, suggesting a date of about 1913.

I’m not confident about the year of the photo. It could be ± a couple of years.

Conclusion:

This is my last look at the “Hod, Wright, JPD, Liz, & Others” album (2024.13.50). The remaining photos are either unlabeled or of people for whom I can find no information.

Family photos hold an extraordinary power to connect us across generations, offering glimpses into the lives, personalities, and experiences of those who came before us. The discovery of an unseen photograph of a beloved ancestor can be a profoundly moving experience that collapses the distance of time and allows us to see our family members as they once were, perhaps in the full bloom of youth or childhood. If any of these images have helped you recognize an ancestor, I would be deeply grateful to hear your story and learn how these photographs have enriched your understanding of your family’s history.

For those interested in accessing the highest-quality versions of these historical photographs for genealogical research, please note that the full-resolution images are available through Ancestry and Family Search platforms due to technical constraints. These photographs are shared freely for your family history research and documentation, with the simple request that you acknowledge their source with the citation: “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.” By sharing and properly attributing these images, you help maintain the vital connection between these historical materials and their custodians, ensuring that future generations can continue to discover and learn from these precious visual records of our shared past.

Posted in HOD WRIGHT JPD LIZ OTHERS Album, Linwood Dyer Collection, Photo Friday, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Peter M. Howell (1805-?) – A Newspaper Review

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Don Taylor

Peter M. Howell (1805-?) – A Newspaper Review

By Don Taylor

Peter M. Howell is one of my brick walls. Although there is an excellent book about his travels,[i] it never mentions his parents’ names. Also, I have not found anything about his death. So, I thought I’d look at newspapers closely and see if I could find more information. He was born on 15 July 1805 and became a traveling preacher. In past research, I learned that he preached in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He was often mentioned as the “Wild Man” because of his long hair and beard. Anyway, if I can find his obituary or death record, it might mention his parents.

AI (Openart) creation of an 1860s preacher, about 60 years old, with long hair and a long beard, preaching in front of a 1860s town market.

I searched using different texts across many services, including Newspapers.Com, Newspaper Archives, Genealogy Bank, Chronicling America, and several state newspaper databases. I searched for Peter M Howell, Rev Peter Howell, Peter Howell preacher, Howell Wild Man, and Howell wandering missionary. I also used Howle in many of the searches instead of Howell.

Danville, VA – Feb 1869

The Raleigh Sentinel (Raleigh, North Carolina), Tue, Feb 9, 1869 · Page 3:

“The Rev. Peter Howell, a street preacher, who traveled through this State some twenty years ago, preaching in the streets and market houses, or wherever he could raise a congregation, is now holding forth[ii] at Danville, Va.[iii] His peculiarity of dress and enormous length of his hair and beard, together with the spirit with which he enunciated the truths of the gospel, made him both the object of curiosity and interest. He is still traveling around from place to place, though now very old.”

The same article ran 19 days later in The Time Picayune (New Orleans, LA).

The article indicates Peter was preaching in Danville, VA, in February 1869 and suggests that Rev. Howell may have preached in Louisiana, a new possible location.

Wilmington, NC – March 1869

The Daily Journal, (Wilmington, North Carolina), Sat, Mar 6, 1869.

“FULTON HOUSE—J. W. DOYAL, PROPRIETOR.
Peter Howell… (checked into the hotel)

The Wilmington Post, (Wilmington, North Carolina), Sun, Mar 7, 1869:

“We have been requested to notify the enlightened public of Wilmington that Peter Howell, the wild man, will preach at the market House, in this city, this morning at 9 o’clock, and this evening, at 5 o’clock. He will doubtless have an appreciative audience.

The Daily Journal (Wilmington, North Carolina) · Wed, Mar 10, 1869 ·

OUTRAGEOUS.-Very often evidences are afforded of encroachments upon the liberty of the citizen by means of the arbitrary arrests of the police. Yesterday a most outrageous evidence was given of this fact. We learn that a gentleman was standing in the streets listening to the preaching of old Peter Howell, the Wandering Missionary, and had in his mouth a cigar which he was smoking and which seemed to much displease the preacher, who told him to remove it. The gentleman good humoredly complied, and turned to depart with an expression something to the effect that he must go, after that. No sooner had he given vent to this remark than he was seized by a policeman, who insisted on carrying him to the guard-house. On reaching the City Hall he was at once released on the facts becoming known.- Surely we are fast advancing in the scale of despotism, if one cannot smoke on the streets and speak his mind without injuring any one. And we are fast being deprived of our rights when a policeman seizes a gentleman for no offense whatever, without form or warrant, and marches him under arrest through the public streets.- Such an officer should be discharged.

The Wilmington Post (Wilmington, North Carolina) · Thu, Mar 11, 1869

Peter Howell, the “Wild Man,” preached to a promiscuous congregation, at the Market House, Sunday and Monday mornings and afternoons. We do not know how many converts he made.

Marion, SC – March 1869

The Marion Star (Marion, South Carolina) described Peter as a “Drunken old sot” on page two, 24 March 1869.

PETER HOWELL, “the wild man,” as he calls himself, and who preached “things divine” to the citizens of Wilmington some time since, and delighted his audience, before and after his sermons, by eagerly devouring large quantities of raw crabs in the market, to the great annoyance of “Ye Local” of the Morning Star, arrived here last Saturday, and, after touching at the first Bar-room in his path, and “taking on” a heavy draught of riffle “sperits,” and then extracting his favorite companion, “Black Betsy,” from from his dirty carpet-bag, and filling her with the same ingredient, proceeded to the front of the Court House and blew off his steam, to a large and intelligent audience, who knew not, at the time, they were giving their attention to a drunken, crazy old sot. Such an offender of ecclesiastical law, should not be allowed to insult High Heaven in any community. by the citizens giving him any countenance whatever.

Atlanta, GA – April 1869

Peter continued south and on 29 April, the Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) reported on page three:

The Wandering Missionary.—We learn from a reliable source that the “Wandering Missionary,” Peter Howell, while at Conyers the other day, got a little tipsy, and upon being upgraided for his conduct replied “didn’t Noah get drunk.”

Conclusion

After his two reported drunkenness, Peter no longer appears to be in any of the newspapers. I haven’t found an obituary or any further preaching events. He just disappears. I can’t believe he would have quit preaching, even if he was drunk, and I can’t believe he would have continued traveling without making news. So, I believe he died in 1869.

Endnotes

[i] Howell, Peter, The Life and Travels of Peter Howell
[ii] “Holding Forth” is an idiom that means “to speak at length or in public.” – gemini.google.com.
[iii] Danville, VA, is about 80 miles northwest of Raleigh, NC.

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Donna at the Indiana Theatre, Marion, IN, Mar 1-4, 1925.

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Don Taylor

Donna in the News
100 Years Ago
by Don Taylor

“Donna in the News” reports newly found newspaper articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited when I see a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s. 

This week, from the Chronicle-Tribune and the Leader Tribune (Marion, IN) newspapers dated February 26th to March 7th, I learned that Donna played at the Indiana Theatre from March 1st to the 4th and then returned for three more shows on March 7th.

Image of a woman toe dancing.
Clarice Allyn

This set of advertisements was fascinating because it named images of Clarice Allyn and Betty Bryant. I had seen the photos before, but not with the names included. The Chronicle-Tribune had a lengthy article about the show.

Bathing Girls on Stage Here at the Indiana

Bathing girls from various western motion picture studios will personally appear at the Indiana theatre next Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The star of this spectacular Hollywood Revue is Miss Donna Darling who has won many beauty prizes in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia. She was the creator of the principal feminine part of “Chin-Chin,” the late musical comedy success. Miss Darling is known as the ‘girl with a million-dollar personality”; she entrances her audience from her entrance on the stage until the final curtain drops.

Image of a woman striking a pose in a bathing suit, circa 1925.
Betty Bryant

Miss Darling was followed from the coast where she has been making pictures, by two life-guards, Todd Watson, a specialty dancer, and Al Ross, and eccentric stepper. Every girl in the revue is an artist. Betty Bryant of Ziegfield Follies posses as “Miss America of Today.” Clarice Allyn is a clever toe-dancer, Allyce Lampse, a captivating Hawaiian bather, (Mildred Obrian dances as a Palm Beach favorite, while Rose Lasgo does difficult acrobatic dancing. Petite Annis Walker, the beach flirt, sings clever blues numbers.

The Revue opens with a prologue which is followed by a display of 1860 bathing suits. The 1900 bathers supply comedy, which is followed by the modern bather. Bathing costumes are shown from various beaches of this and other countries. These costumes become more elaborate as the revue advances, closing with Miss Darling as she appears in a rhinestone bathing suit.

The entire entertainment is fast, clean and enjoyable. The scenic and lighting effects are unusual.

The Leader-Tribune newspaper of March 1, 1925, Page 6, “Week’s Theater Menu” mentions the Royal Grand program is “playing at the Indiana.” That article mentions:

Also for four days, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Donna Darling and “Her Bathing Girls” with Betty Bryant. Here’s thirty-five minutes of fast and furious fun and entertainment. Wonderful costumes and snappy dancing. It’s just the show that you want to see.

I wonder if something happened at the Royal Grand that necessitated their shows moving to the Indiana Theatre.

Finally, the Leader Tribune of March 7th indicates that Donna Darling and Her Bathing Beauties were back for March 7th only. I wonder what happened to the show on March 5th & 6th. I can’t imagine the cast took off two days, a Thursday and a Friday.

Advertisement showing Donna Darling was Back again for one day only
Ad (Marion) Leader-Tribune, dated 7 March 1925.

Because of those newly available online articles, I was able to add another venue for Donna’s exciting vaudeville career.

New information added to her career list:

March 1-4, 1925 – Marion, IN – Indiana Theatre – “Hollywood Motion Picture Bathing Girls.”

March 5-6, 1925 – ?

March 7, 1925 – Marion, IN – Indiana Theatre – “Hollywood Motion Picture Bathing Girls.”

Endnotes

My thanks to Newspapers.com for providing access to these clippings.

Posted in 100 Years ago, Donna Montran, Hollywood Motion Picture Bathing Beauties, In the news, Vaudeville | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Photo Friday – Leary, Small, Wentworth, Wright.

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Don Taylor

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 057
 Hod, Wright, JPD, Liz, Others Album (2024.13.50)
By Don Taylor

The Linwood Dyer Photo Collection at the Scarborough Historical Society contains a photo album labeled “HOD WRIGHT JPD LIZ OTHERS.” While some photos are identified, others are not. I am trying to positively identify and then share these historical photos with the descendants of the people pictured, offering families a chance to see unknown images of their ancestors.

The original materials, including this album (Accession number: 2024.13.50), are carefully preserved at the Scarborough Historical Society, serving as part of the broader Linwood Dyer Photo Collection’s enduring legacy.

Henry Leary, circa 1891.

Photo of Henry Leary
Henry Leary, c. 1891
Photo of Henry Leary
Henry Leary c. 1890

The story of Henry Leary unfolds through two photographs on page 43 of an album. The first, a portrait by the Hearn-F.E. Roberts studio in Portland, Maine, offers a glimpse into his life around 1891. Historical records pinpoint Henry C. Leary as a baker, born in Scarborough in 1866. We trace his journey through census records, revealing a life marked by early loss and family ties. He married twice, first to Rossi Emma Deering and later to Lizzie May Hatch, and eventually returned to his roots in Scarborough. His 1958 obituary paints a picture of a man deeply involved in his community. A second photograph, taken by J.A. Swett around 1890, further solidifies our understanding of Henry Leary. Despite these insights, a connection to Nellie (Plummer) Roberts (the album creator) remains elusive.

James Small, c. 1883.

Photo of James Small
James Small c. 1883

On page 42 of an album, we find a photograph marked “Uncle Jimmy Small,” captured by the Portland studio of Conant. The back of the photo reveals the studio’s address at 478½ Congress Street, active between 1877 and 1884. I believe this album belonged to Nellie (Plummer) Roberts. The photograph depicts James Austin Small (1842-1935), who was married to Nellie’s aunt, Marietta S. Honeywell (1846-1923). Comparing this image to one featured in “Photo Friday – Libby & Small” (Part 53), we can confidently identify him as the same man, suggesting this photo was taken around 1883. Thus, “Uncle Jimmy Small” is James Austin Small, husband of Nellie Plummer’s aunt, Marietta S. Honeywell.[i]

Perley & Lloyd Wentworth, circa 1892.

Photo of Perley Wentworth,
Perley Wentworth, c. 1892.

The photographs on page 46, captioned “Twins – Perley & Lloyd Wentworth,” are attributed to G. Waldon Smith, whose Portland studio at 514 Congress Street operated between 1892 and 1893. Research in genealogical records identified Perley Leaon Wentworth, born February 15, 1886, in Bath, Maine, and his brother, Lloyd W. Wentworth, born in October 1887. Given the studio’s operational dates, the photographs were likely taken when Perley was approximately six and Lloyd five, consistent with their apparent ages in the images. The description of the brothers as twins is likely erroneous, as Perley is observably older and taller.

Photo of Lloyd Wentworth, circa 1892
Lloyd Wentworth, circa 1892

The 1900 census records the brothers residing in South Portland with their widowed mother, Lizzie, and other family members, including their grandmother, Sarah B. Plummer. Lloyd Wentworth died in Portland in 1907 at the age of 19. In 1910, Perley Wentworth was living with his mother and grandmother in Portland. By 1915, he was boarding in Portland. In 1917, he registered for the draft while residing and working in Bath, Maine. Perley Wentworth died in Bath in 1919 at the age of 32. Perley and Lloyd Wentworth were Nellie Plummer’s second cousins.

Liz Wright, circa 1886

This photograph, labeled “Liz Wright” from page 47, is attributed to Hearn of Portland, Maine. The inscription on the reverse identifies the studio as C.W. Hearn Portrait Photographer at 514 Congress Street. Given that C.W. Hearn operated at that address from 1883 to 1889, the photograph likely dates to approximately 1886. A comparative analysis with photographs of Liz Wright in Part 051 of this series, “Libby, Plummer (married Wright & Dyer),” confirms that this is Sarah Elizabeth “Liz” (Plummer) Wright, the half-sister of Nellie Plummer.

David Wright, circa 1912.

Photo of David Wright sitting on stairs holding a cat.
David Wright

Found on page 47 of the album, adjacent to a photograph of Liz Wright, is an image labeled “David Wright.” This identification is corroborated by comparison with a photo of David Wright in Part 56 of the series, “Libby, Laidlaw, Moody, & Wright.” Based on his apparent age of approximately six years and his birth year of 1906 in Scarborough, Maine, the photograph is estimated to date to 1912. David E. Wright is a half-nephew of Nellie A. Plummer.

Conclusion

Family photographs hold an extraordinary power to connect us across generations, offering glimpses into the lives, personalities, and experiences of those who came before us. The discovery of an unseen photograph of a beloved ancestor can be a profoundly moving experience that collapses the distance of time and allows us to see our family members as they once were, perhaps in the full bloom of youth or childhood. If any of these images have helped you recognize an ancestor, I would be deeply grateful to hear your story and learn how these photographs have enriched your understanding of your family’s history.

For those interested in accessing the highest quality versions of these historical photographs for genealogical research, please note that the full-resolution images are available through Ancestry and Family Search platforms due to technical constraints. These photographs are shared freely for your family history research and documentation, with the simple request that you acknowledge their source with the citation: “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.” By sharing and properly attributing these images, you help maintain the vital connection between these historical materials and their custodians, ensuring that future generations can continue to discover and learn from these precious visual records of our shared past.

Endnotes

[i] See another photo of James Small in Part 53 of this series, “Photo Friday – Libby & Small.”

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Rowley – Surname Saturday

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Don Taylor

Brown-Sanford-Parsons-Maben-Rowley Line
By Don Taylor

Name Origin[i]

Family Search and Ancestry indicate that “Rowley” is a habitational name from many places in England, including Staffordshire, Devon, Durham, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, and Essex. Forebears agrees and goes further to suggest it relates to a parish in East Riding of Yorkshire[ii] and a parish in Staffordshire. The surname does take on other spellings including Roley, Rolley, Rollie, and Rowlee.

Geographical

There are about 47,000 people in the world who bear the Rowley surname. It is most prevalent in the United States (over 20,000), and the highest Density is in Guernsey. Guernsey is a self-governing dependency of the British Crown in the Channel Islands off the coast of France.

In the US, nearly 2,000 live in California, and it is most common in Utah, where 1,700 folks have the surname.

Direct Rowley Ancestors

  • 5th Great-grandmother: 207 – Electa Rowley (1783-1830) [iii]
  • 6th Great-grandfather: 414 –  Wicks Weeks Rowley (1760-1826)
  • 7th Great-grandfather: 828 – Nathan Rowley (1726-1806)
  • 8th Great-grandfather: 1656 – Moses Rowley (1705-1779)
  • 9th Great-grandfather: 3312 – Nathan Rowley  (1664-1742)
  • 10th Great-grandfather: 6624 – Moses Rowley (1627-1705)

My Rowleys in History

Wicks Weeks Rowley was a patriot in the Revolutionary War and a private in the New York Militia. He is Patriot #A099352 in the DAR.

My earliest known and my immigrant ancestor is Moses Rowley (1627-1705). He came to Plymouth Colony in 1632.

Locations of my Rowley Ancestors

  • British Colonial America, Connecticut Colony, Hartford
  • British Colonial America, Connecticut Colony, Tolland, Hebron
  • British Colonial America, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Barnstable
  • British Colonial America, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bristol
  • British Colonial America, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth
  • England, Norfolk
  • United States, Connecticut, Middlesex, Chatham.
  • United States, Michigan, Washtenaw, Saline
  • United States, New York, Columbia, Claverack
  • United States, New York, Greene, Lexington

My Rawley Descendants

I have 754 known descendants of Moses Rowley in my tree: 122 Browns, 17 Bergs, and 17 Parsons. I have written about the descendants of Electa Rowley, but not her yet.

Sources

Ancestry – Don Taylor’s Roberts-Brown tree on Ancestry, accessed 21 Feb 2024.

Endnotes

[i] Common surname origins include:

  • Occupations (such as “Farmer.”
  • Physical characteristics (such as “Short”).
  • Habitational. Place, or landmarks names(such as “Hill”).
  • Patronymics, derived from father’s name (such as Johnson from ”son of John”).

[ii] Rowley, Massachusetts, was named after Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire where Reverend Ezekiel Rogers was the pastor for twenty years. – Wikipedia-Rowley, Massachusetts.

[iii] I have not had the opportunity to personally research this individual or her ancestors. As such, their names and dates are tentative and/or speculative.

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