Ethel Wight Collection – Part 67

Johndro, Johnson, & (née) Warren

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, Nursing Student, circa 1937.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Beatrice Johndro, St. Barnabus Hospital #945.”

Beatrice Harriet Johndro, Nursing Student, circa 1937.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• Last week, in Ethel Wight Collection – Part 66, I took a look at another photo package for Miss Beatrice Johndro. In it, I reviewed negative package 529. This photo is from negative package 945 taken several months later.

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 one more photo of her to profile L5NX-7K6’s Family Search Memories.

Pauline Johnson, circa 1934 & 1935

Pauline Johnson, Nursing Student, circa 1937.

These photos are from the Ethel Wight Studio, Portland, Maine. They are from two negative envelopes, one labeled “Miss Pauline Johnson, Children’s Hospital, #294” and the other “Miss Pauline Johnson, Exeter Hospital, Exeter, N.H. #538.” The two different numbers suggest the photos were taken several months apart. Additionally, in the first photo, Pauline is wearing a student nurse uniform, while in the later images, she is wearing a nurse uniform.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Pauline Johnson, circa 1935

  The 1940 Census lists Pauline Johnson as a nurse at the Exeter Hospital. She was 27 years old, born in New Hampshire.

• The 1940 Census also lists Pauline M Johnson, born about 1912 in New Hampshire. She was the daughter of Charles H and Winfred G Johnson. Pauline M was a nurse. Exeter is about 13 miles south of Lee. It also indicates she was living in the same house as in 1935.
• Pauline Mary Johnson was born 22 April 1912 in Nottingham, New Hampshire, the daughter of Charles and Winifred Johnson.

Alternative individuals

The 1937 Portland City Directory lists a Pauline Johnson, employed by LDCo at 148 Middle and residing at 52 Myrtle. The 1939 City Directory lists her working at 149 Middle but living at 207 High. She was a stitcher and not a nurse.

Conclusion

I believe this is Pauline Mary Johnson about 1934 as a student nurse and again about 1935 as a nurse.

Ancestry has three public trees that refer to Pauline M. Johnson; Family Search has a profile for her. So, I  have uploaded two photos of her to the Family Search Memories for GDLZ-ZGG.

I also uploaded one additional photo of Pauline to my Flickr photostream.

Ruth Johnson, Nurse, circa 1935

This negative envelope says, “Miss Ruth Johnson, ME Gen. Hospital #285.”

Why I couldn’t fully identify this individual.

• 

  Ruth Johnson, Nurse, circa 1935

  The 1934 and 1935 Portland City Directories list Ruth Johnson as a student nurse at 22 Arsenal (Maine General Hospital). Also listed is Ruth A M Johnson, a nurse working and residing at 46 Spruce.

• The 1936 Portland City Directory only lists Ruth A M Johnson at 46 Spruce, suggesting that Ruth, the student, either graduated or married or both.
• The 1940 Census lists Ruth A Johnson, a nurse and the 29-year-old daughter of Robert and Bessie Johnson. Further searching of the 1940 Census indicates she is the only Miss Ruth Johnson who lived in Portland during 1935. And this is not the correct Ruth Johnson.
• Searches for a Ruth Johnson who married between 1935 and 1940 in Maine were unsuccessful.

This photo is of Ruth Johnson, who was born about 1914 and was a student at Maine General Hospital about 1935. The 1930 Census indicates there were 58 Ruth Johnsons in New England who were born about 1914. Researching each of those individuals is beyond the scope of this identification project.

I have added her photo to Dead Fred and a second photo to my Flickr photostream.

Shirley Johnson (née Warren), circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. J. D. Johnson, 60 Brackett St #519.”

Shirley Johnson (née Warren), circa 1935

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Jordan D Johnson as a clerk residing at 60 Brackett with his wife Shirley M.
• The 1940 US Census lists Jordan D, and his 30-year-old wife, Shirley, living at 64 Brackett St.
• Shirley M Warren and Jordan D Johnson married on 30 September 1934, so this photo was taken after that.

I believe this is Shirley M Johnson, née Warren, about 1935.

Ancestry has one public tree that refers to Shirley Warren. Family Search does not appear to have Shirley (Warren) Johnson’s profile. So, I have added her photo to Dead Fred. I also uploaded one additional photo of Shirley to my Flickr photostream.

Ethel Irene Johnson, circa 1937

The negative envelope says, “Mrs. Ethel Johnson, 28 North St #1045.”

Ethel Irene Johnson, circa 1937

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1937 Portland City Directory lists three different Ethel Johnsons.
  • Ethel B Johnson, the wife of Albert W Johnson, lives at 11 Sheridan.
  • Ethel M Johnson, wife of Summer W Johnson, residing at 21 Longfellow.
  • Ethel V Johnson, a single nurse, residing at 75 Capisic.
  • However, the 1937 Portland City Directory does indicate that Mrs. Annie II Johnson lived at 28 North Street.
• The 1940 Census lists Annie Johnson, a widow living at 28 North Street with her 18-year-old daughter, Ethel.

Based upon the ID (#1045), the photo was likely taken about 1937, when Ethel was about 15 years old. Ancestry Family trees suggest Ethel Irene Johnson was born 19 February 1922 in Portland.

Ancestry has four public trees that refer to Ethel Irene Johnson. Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Ethel, so I have added her photo to Dead Fred.

I also uploaded a second photo of Ethel to my Flickr photostream. 

Conclusion

• • I identified four of five Two of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
  • One individual I identified did not have a Family Search profile but did appear in Ancestry trees, so I posted her image to Dead Fred.
  • Another individual did not have a Family Search profile and did not appear in any Ancestry trees. I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred and to my Flickr Photostream.
  • Finally, there was one individual I was unable to identify adequately. I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred.

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.