Gladu (née), Larrabee, Lassey, Lavigne, & Lawrence
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] My goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.
Mildred Laskey, Nurse, circa 1935
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Mildred Laskey, ME Eye & Ear #534.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Mildred Laskey, Nurse, circa 1935
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Mildred Laskey, a student nurse at 79 Bramhall (Maine Eye & Ear), living at 804 Congress. She does not appear in the 1936 Directory.
- The 1930 US Census lists three Mildred Laskey’s.
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- 13-year old daughter of Lafourt [sic] and Grace Laskey, living in Waterboro, York County, Maine.
- 29-year-old woman, born in New Hampshire and rooming in Los Angeles.
- 43-year-old Mildred F Laskey, the wife of Leroy Laskey.
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- Maine Marriage index indicates that Mildred Laskey, of Shapleigh, married Lloyd E Hooper, of Shapleigh, on 7 November 1936. (Note Waterboro and Shapleigh adjoin each other.)
I’m confident this is Mildred Laskey, daughter of LaForrest and Grace Laskey, born 11 April 1916 and married Lloyd Elroy Hooper in 1936.
Alternative individuals?
A Mildred B Laskey was born in 1909, married George Hall in 1927, and had several children by 1935. This photo cannot be of her.
Ancestry has ten public trees that refer to Mildred Laskey Hooper. Family Search has profile GML9-2LJ for Mildred. So, I uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search Memories.
Joseph Timothy Lawrence, circa 1935
This negative envelope says, “Mr. J. F. Lawrence, 94 Vesper St. #1102.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Joseph Timothy Lawrence, circa 1935
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Joseph T and Beatrice Lawrence living at 94 Vesper. The 1936 Directory lists Joseph and Beatrice living at his grocery at 203 Congress.
- The 1940 US Census shows Joseph T Lawrence, age 38, divorced, living at 67 Parris St.
- Maine Birth Records identify Joseph Timothy Lawrence bor 4 Dec 1901 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine on 4 Dec 1901.
This photo is of Joseph Timothy “Joe” Lawrence about 1935.
Ancestry has six public trees that refer to Joseph. Family Search has a profile LZ5C-BWV for Joseph Timothy Lawrence. I have uploaded two photos of him to his Family Search Memories.
Bernadette Lavigne (Née Gladu) with child, circa 1935
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. B Lavigne, 90 Brackett St #727 – DSCN3918P.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Bernadette Lavigne (Née Gladu) with child, circa 1935
The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Wilfred A and Bernadette Y Lavigne living at 90 Brackett.
- The 1934 and 1935 City Directories indicate Wilfred’s wife is Bernice,
- The 1940 City Directory lists Wilfred and Bernadette living a the rear at 244 Brackett.
- Maine Marriage index records indicate that Wilfred and Bernadette Gladu married on 18 March 1926. Both lived in Westbrook at the time.
- A review of Ancestry family trees found Bernadette Yvonne Gladu, born 16 April 1905 in Westbrook. Several trees include a photo of Bernadette taken during the same photo session. The public trees also suggest Bernadette had two daughters.
This photo is of Bernadette Lavigne (née Gladu) and one of her daughters about 1935.
Ancestry has 25 public trees that refer to Bernadette Lavigne (Née Gladu). Family Search has profile K1DK-ZZ4 for Bernadette. I uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search Memories.
Photo confirmed to be of Bernadette Lavigne and her daughter (probably Beverly), based upon another photo from the sane photo session.
Unknown Larrabee, child of Mrs. E. Larrabee, circa 1935
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. E Larrabee, 9 Cedar St #720 – DSCN3913LP.”
Why I couldn’t identify this individual.
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Unknown Larrabee, child of Mrs. E. Larrabee, circa 1935
1934, 1935, and 1936 Portland City Directories do not have a Larrabee living at 9 Cedar, the Sunny Apartments.
- The 1935 Portland City Directory lists the following E Larrabee’s.
- Edith, a widow of Frank P
- Edward F & Catherine M.
- Emily D.
- Eula is a nurse.
- Ester B, wife of John K.
- The 1940 Census indicates that
- Ester and John’s household includes no children.
- Edward and Catherine have one child, 1-year-old Edward, Jr.
Evidently, Mrs. E Larabee, and her 1 to 2 years old child, were only at 9 Cedar for a short time and weren’t identified in the Portland City Directories or the 1940 Census for the Portland area.
I have been unsuccessful in finding this child’s name or other than the child is likely the child of Mrs. E. Larrabee. Consequently, I have only uploaded this photo here.
Donald and Henry Larrabee, circa 1935
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Henry C Larrabee, 123 Leland St #753.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Donald and Henry Larrabee, circa 1935
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Harry C and Marion C Larrabee living at 123 Leland.
- The 1940 US Census lists Harry and Marion living at 123 Leland with their two sons, 16-year-old Donald R and 15-year-old Henry C. Larrabee, Jr.
- Ancestry Trees indicate that Donald Richard Larrabee was born on 8 August 1923; Henry Carpenter Larrabee, Jr., was born on 18 September 1924.
This photo was taken about 1935 when Donald was 12 and Henry was 11.
Ancestry has three public trees that refer to Donald Richard Larrabee and Henry Carpenter Larrabee. Family Search has profile L51L-VDR for Donald and profile G4PV-B6H for Henry. I uploaded two photos of the boys to their Family Search Memories.
Conclusion
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- I fully identified five of the six individuals in these photos. Those five all have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
- There was one individual that I did not identify. I uploaded his photo here only.
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.
Due to software limitations, the images uploaded to Family Search have higher image quality than the images hosted here (except for the one unidentified image).
For all postings of the Ethel Wight Collection, please see here.
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.