Ethel Wight Collection – Part 66

Jackson, Jarvis, Jensen, Johndro, & Johnson

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

This week, for Photo Friday, I identify the people in five more envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The envelopes contain the names who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is vital to analyze the pictures and information to identify the individual therein.[ii] Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.

Beatrice Harriet Johndro, circa 1937.

The envelope this negative was in says, Miss Beatrice Johndro, St. Barnabas Hospital #529.”

Beatrice Harriet Johndro, circa 1937.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Beatrice Johndro as a student nurse at 231 Woodford (St. Barnabas Hospital) and residing at 20 Norwood.
• The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Beatrice Johndro as a supervisor at 231 Woodford and residing at 168 Neal apt 6.
• Beatrice H Johndro married Floyd Vankenren on 1 Aug 1938.
• Ancestry Public Trees suggest that Beatrice Harriet Johndro, who married Floyd Decker Van Keuren, Jr, was born on 5 Aug 1915.

This photo is of Beatrice about 1937, while a student at St. Barnabas Hospital.

Ancestry has 26 public trees that refer to Beatrice Harriet Johndro. Family Search has a profile for Beatrice. So, I uploaded two photos of her to profile L5NX-7K6’s Family Search Memories.

Florence Johnson, circa 1937

This negative envelope says, “Miss Florence Johnson, 12 Wescott St #1108.”

How I searched, unsuccessfully:

• • 

    Florence Johnson, circa 1937

    The 1935 Portland City Directory lists four Florence Johnsons.

    • Florence A. residing at 53 Wilmot
    • Florence L. residing at 104 North
    • Florence M. residing at 7 Davis
    • Florence N. residing at 120 Free.
    • There are also several more Florence Johnsons who are married or are widowed.
    • Living at 12 Wescott Street are Wallace H Burrows and Mrs. Annie M McDuffle.
  • The 1936 Portland City Directory available at Ancestry is missing pages 472-474, which would include the listings for Florence Johnson. However, it does indicate that John H. Johnson is living at 12 Wescott.
  • The 1937 Portland City Directory lists John H and Nellie R living at 628 Main South Portland. There are two (Miss) Florence Johnsons listed:
    • Florence A residing 53 Wilmot
    • Florence M residing at 7 Davis
    • There are several other married or widowed Florences.
  • The 1940 Census lists John H and Nellie R Johnson still living at 628 Maine, South Portland. They are 75 and 74 years old, and John was born in Maine while Nellie was born in Massachusetts.
  • The 1930 Census lists John H and Nellie at 628 Main Street. As they lived there in both 1930 and 1940, I don’t believe this John H Johnson is the same as the one who lived at 12 Wescot in 1936.
  • Based upon the Photo ID number (1108), the photo was probably taken about 1937. The woman in the picture appears to be in her early 20s, so I believe Florence was probably born between 1913 and 1917.

I believe this is Florence Johnson, who lived in Portland, Maine, about 1936.

Unable to fully identify which Florence Johnson this is, I have added her photo to Dead Fred. I also uploaded one additional photo of her to my Flickr photostream. 

Mildred Evelyn Jarvis, circa 1936

This negative envelope says, “Miss Mildred Jarvis – Children’s Hosp. #654.”

Mildred Evelyn Jarvis, circa 1936

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Mildred E Jarvis, a student nurse at 218 State (Queen’s Hospital), residing at 681 Congress Street.
• The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Mildred E Jarvis, a nurse residing at 681 Congress Street, suggesting she graduated from nursing school in 1936.
• The 1940 US Census lists Mildred Jarvis, age 24, born in Vermont, who lived in Portland, Maine in 1935 but lived in Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York, and was a Registered Nurse at St. Francis Hospital.
• A 1942 Marriage announcement of Thelma Jarvis in the Springfield (Vermont) Reporter indicates that Mildred was the maid of honor. The two were sisters, and their parents were Mr. and Mrs. Edlor Jarvis.
• Ancestry public trees suggest this is Mildred Evelyn Jarvis (Gervais), born 9 Feb 1915 in Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont.

So, I believe this photo to be of Mildred Jarvis, born 9 Feb 1915.

Ancestry has eight public trees that refer to Mildred Jarvis, daughter of Edlor and Anna Jarvis. Family Search has a profile for Mildred, so I  have uploaded two photos of her to profile ID: G9L7-8CQ Family Search Memories. 

Dana & Stewart Jackson, circa 1937

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. W. J. Jackson, 43 Maine Ave. #1044.”

Dana & Stewart Jackson, circa 1937

Why I believe this to be these individuals.

• • The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Winthrop J and Mary W Jackson living at 43 Maine.
  • The 1940 US Census lists Winthrop and Mary Jackson living at 43 Maine and their three sons, Dana (age 7), Stewart W (age 5), and Robert W (age 3), living with them.
  • Ancestry family trees suggest that Dana Winthrop Jackson was born 19 Aug 1933

Ancestry has two public trees that refer to Dana Winthrop Jackson. Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Dana Winthrop Jackson, so I have added his photo to Dead Fred.

Neither Ancestry nor Family Search have trees that refer to Stewart W Jackson, son of Winthrop and Mary, born about 1935. I uploaded the photo showing him and his brother Dana to Dead Fred. 

Delores Jensen, circa 1935

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Robert Jensen, 38 Greenleaf St #448.”

Delores Jensen, circa 1935

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Robert Jensen, and his wife Dorothy M, as a painter residing at 38 Greenleaf, Apt 4.
• The 1940 Census lists Robert and Dorothy M. Jensen living at 9 May Street. Robert was born in New Hampshire; Dorothy was born in Canada. Living with them are two sons, Donald (age 11) and Robert (age 10) and two daughters, Dolores D (age 9) and Myrtle M. (age 8)

This photo appears to be of a girl about five years of age. Based upon the Photo ID number (#448), the picture was likely taken about 1935, when Delores was about four and Myrtle was about 3. The girl in this photo appears to be about 4 or 5, so I believe this is a photo of Delores. However, there is a possibility that this is a photo of her sister Myrtle.

Neither Ancestry nor Family Search have trees that refer to Delores D Jensen, daughter of Robert and Dorothy Margaret (Hayman) Jensen, born about 1935. However, her father, Robert Jensen, appears in 46 Public Trees. I uploaded the photo of Delores to Dead Fred. 

Conclusion

• I identified four of five Two of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
• I identified two individuals that did not have Family Search profiles but did appear in Ancestry trees, so I posted their images to Dead Fred.
• There was one individual that did not identify enough to determine who she was other than the name. I uploaded her photos here and to my Flickr Photostream.

For all of the Ethel Wight Collection analysis, please see here.

Final Note

If any of these photos are of your family member, I would love to hear your reaction. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before.

Endnotes

[i] The Wight Studio was in Portland, Maine. Many thanks to Ethel Wight’s family for access to and permission to use the collection of their great aunt.

[ii] These images were converted to positives using a lightbox, a Nikon camera and computer software.