During the second week of December 1928, Donna Darling and her stage partner (and husband), Sammy Clark (Samson Amsterdam), appeared at the Plymouth Theatre in Worcester, Massachusetts, as featured players in Paul Specht’s stage revue “Syncopation,” backing the screen feature “Ramona” starring Dolores Del Rio. Coverage in the Worcester Evening Gazette ran across four separate issues that week, tracking the engagement from its Monday opening through its Saturday close — an unusually complete week-by-week record for a single house bill.¹
The paper’s Monday feature introduced Specht’s company — fresh off a world tour and soon to lead the orchestra for President-elect Herbert Hoover’s inaugural social functions — and singled out Sammy Clark as master of ceremonies, noting his “King for a Day” bit as the original version of the routine later popularized by “Butch” McDevitt as “Millionaire for a Day.” Donna Darling is named as appearing with Clark “in the fun-making,” alongside fellow specialty performers Billy Richmond, Al Ray, and Fred Morton.²
A review published the following day confirmed the opening had been a “banner show,” again naming Sammy Clark, now billed plainly as “comedian,” together with Donna Darling and Al Ray among the “talented artists introduced.”³ A mid-week notice on Thursday grouped Clark and Darling specifically as the production’s “specialty artists,” setting them apart from the show’s other named performers — a small but telling sign that the paper, and presumably the house, treated them as a paired act.⁴ By Friday, the Gazette confirmed the “Syncopation” company would continue “until Saturday,” with a new Sunday program — built around Buster Keaton’s “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” and the stage number “Christmas Tree Lane Rambles” — taking its place; Sammy and Donna are absent from that new bill, marking Saturday, December 15, as the likely close of their run.⁵
Taken together, these four notices document Donna Darling’s continued professional partnership with Sammy Clark two years after their previously documented pairing in Rockford, Illinois (December 1926), and place them squarely within the presentation-house circuit of the late 1920s — sharing a bill with a nationally touring recording orchestra and a major studio picture. For me, the real find here is the density of the coverage: four separate mentions of one week-long engagement gives an unusually granular look at exactly how my grandmother’s act moved through a single house, day by day.
Endnotes
“Specht Orchestra Plymouth Feature,”Evening Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 10 December 1928, p. 22.
“Plymouth,”Evening Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 11 December 1928, p. 23.
“Plymouth,”Evening Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 13 December 1928, p. 25.
“Plymouth,”Evening Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 14 December 1928, p. 37.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. Claude (Anthropic) was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
The Scarborough Historical Society holds many photographs of Scarborough families, students, and community events. To preserve these important images, many have been digitized and are shared here. But this digitization project isn’t just about preserving history — it’s about reconnecting families with the visual legacy of their ancestors, many for the first time. Join me as I share these remarkable images and the stories behind them, bridging more than a century of memory and heritage.
Josephine & Blanche Eddy, circa 1901
Description
Josephine & Blanche Eddy, circa 1901
Image Type: Formal studio portrait, 3½” x 5” oval.
Two young women photographed together, both dressed in turn-of-the-century blouses with high collars and full, gathered sleeves.
Identifying Information
The Scarborough Historical Society accessioned the photo as 95.27.526.
The back of the photo identifies the girls as “Josephine” and “Blanche.”
Josephine Eddy (Wideman), born September 27, 1882.
Blanche Eddy (Britton), born August 29, 1884.
FamilySearch profile M1M2-KTD for Josephine Eddy indicates she was born September 27, 1882, in Marseilles, LaSalle, Illinois; married James Blackie Wideman on November 26, 1903, in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; and died August 11, 1977, in Bryson City, Swain, North Carolina.
FamilySearch profile 9D7T-J94 for Blanche Eddy indicates she was born August 29, 1884; married Hugh Herbert Britton on February 27, 1914; and died October 17, 1953, in Los Angeles, California.
I added this photo to Josephine’s and Blanche’s profiles on FamilySearch.
Gabrielle Pélissier (1898–1952), circa 1908
Gabrielle Pélissier, circa 1908
Description
Image Type: Formal studio portrait, 5” x 7”.
A young girl, approximately 9 to 11 years old, wearing a large Edwardian hat and a dark coat with a high neckline. The soft lighting and dark, plain background are typical of early-twentieth-century studio portraiture.
Identifying Information
Handprinted on the back of the photo: “Gabrielle Pélissier Contesse de Gouzilion de Kerméno | 1898-1952 | Buried Black Point Cemetery | Lived on Pinewood Circle.”
Research
Find A Grave memorial 107504716 is for Gabrielle Rachel Cécile Pélissier de Kerméno, born February 19, 1898, in Montréal, died December 12, 1952.
Ancestry family trees suggest her parents were Louis Jean Baptiste Ernest Pélissier and M. Rose Alma Paquette.
The 1940 U.S. Census lists Gabrielle Kermeno De Gonzilliody living on Prouts Neck Road, Scarborough. She is recorded as a widow who had lived in New York City in 1935.
The 1943 Portland City Directory lists Gabrielle DeKermeno operating a gift shop at 690 Congress Street, Portland.
I added this photo of Gabrielle to my SHS Photos collection on Ancestry.
World War I Memorial Dedication, AmVets’ Hall (circa 1931)
WWI Memorial installation at the AmVet’s Post, West Scarborough, c. 1931.
Description
Image Type: Snapshot print, 4½” x 3”.
The photo shows, from behind, Harry Welch in a Navy-style uniform and Ralph Sargent in an Army campaign hat, along with Rev. Colby — whose face is partially cut off — in civilian clothing, at the unveiling of a WWI memorial stone. The buildings visible in the background do not match the Scarborough Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument location in Dunstan, suggesting this photo was taken at the memorial’s earlier location at the AmVets’ Hall, also in Dunstan.
Identifying Information
On back: “Harry Welch back to, Ralph Sargent – facing, Rev. Rensel Colby, unveiling W.W. 1 Memorial at Dunstan.”
Research
Harry Welch is probably Harry E. Welch (1881–1959) of Pine Point Road, a veteran of both World War I and World War II.
Ralph D. Sargent’s obituary indicates he died on January 14, 1970. He was born in 1894 and served in World War I.
Scarborough Historical Society records identify Rev. Rensel Harold Colby (1882–1952), who was ordained in Scarborough in 1913 and served as minister of the First Congregational Church, Black Point. He served as a chaplain during World War II and died on September 26, 1952.
These three World War I veterans were involved in the memorial’s original dedication at the AmVets’ Hall (Sullivan Scamman Post) at Old Blue Point Road and Route 1. The memorial was installed at AmVets’ Hall in 1931 (although I haven’t found confirming sources).
A Portland Evening Express article dated October 16, 1963, page 20, reported that the stone honoring World War I veterans was moved from the AmVets’ Hall (Sullivan Scamman Post) to the Dunstan lot near the “Civil War Monument” (officially the “Scarborough Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument”). A separate stone was also purchased for World War II veterans at that time.
Today, the WWI monument is located at Monument Park, off Sawyer Road near U.S. Route 1.
Oak Hill Primary Class Photo, 89.9.2009 (circa 1941)
Oak Hill Primary Class, circa 1941.
Description
Image Type: School class photograph, studio portrait, 8” x 6”.
The group is arranged in two rows: the front row, seated, includes the teacher at the far left and 12 girls; the back row includes 13 boys, all standing.
The clothing, hairstyles, and photographic style suggest the photo was taken around the 1930s or early 1940s.
Handwritten near the lower-left corner is “612,” likely the photographer’s reference number.
Identifying Information
Scarborough Historical Society accession number 89.9.2009 is written on the back, indicating it was donated by Dorothy Libby in 1989 and described as “School Picture.”
A separate sheet of paper attached to the photo carries the same accession number and three names: (2) Sarah Wyman?, (11) Nancy Libbey, (12) Margaret Wright.
Research
Based on my past research of school photos, this photo is similar in style and background to other photos taken of Oak Hill students during the 1930s and 40s.
Nancy Libbey: The 1954 Four Corners lists Nancy Libbey in the class of 1956; the 7th grade class of the 1947 Oak Hill Grammar School also included Nancy Libbey. The 1940 U.S. Census lists Nancy Libby, the 5-year-old daughter of Albert and Abbie Libby, with a sister, Evangeline, in the household.
Margaret Wright: The 1954 Four Corners indicates Margaret Wright graduated in 1954, and a photo of Margaret Wright appears with other Oak Hill students in 1946. The 1940 U.S. Census lists Margaret F. Wright, age 3, living on Libby Road with her parents, Percy and Elinor Wright, and sisters Anna and Mary.
Sarah Wyman?: The 1940 U.S. Census lists Sarah B. Wyman, age 4, living on Prouts Neck Road (now Black Point Road) with her parents, Clarence and Gladys Wyman, and siblings Elinor, Richard, and Warren.
If you recognize any of the other children, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Conclusion
I’d love to hear from you if you recognize any of these individuals as family members — especially if one of these photos is of a loved one.
Feel free to use these photos in your own genealogical research. The Scarborough Historical Society holds the originals in this collection; please credit “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society” when you use them.
Disclaimer: The research presented in this post represents my current findings and conclusions based on the sources cited. This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used to create an archival photo restoration of the WWI Memorial photograph, Claude was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copyediting. Where evidence is incomplete, I have drawn careful inferences and have endeavored to distinguish clearly between documented fact and reasoned interpretation.
Bandana Club Clam Bake at Eagle’s Nest, Pine Point
Every so often a photograph surfaces that captures not a single family, but an entire community at a moment of celebration — and this one is a striking example. Taken at the Bandana Club’s annual clam bake at “Eagle’s Nest” in Blue Point, Scarborough, ME, on September 17, 1915, shows more than sixty men gathered in a wooded clearing for what was clearly a well-established local tradition. An accompanying identification sheet, authenticated decades ago by Judge W.M. Mewer, names roughly two dozen of the men pictured — including a “Chief” and “Ass’t Chief,” hinting at the kind of good-natured mock-civic structure many fraternal and social clubs of the era adopted. For anyone researching the Bandana Club, Blue Point, or Scarborough families in this period, a photograph like this is a rare chance to put faces, names, and a shared social world together in one place.
1st row: 1. Harry Hamer — 2. Leon Jones — 3. Jack Sudenfield — 4. George Burdett — 5. Eddie Burdett — 6. Henry Burdett — 7. Louis Thromoulouw — 8. (unnamed) — 9. Herman Gerrish
2nd row: 1. Wesley Mingo — 2. John Marshall — 3. Bob Baylor — 4. Bud Lombard — 5. Charlie Somerset — 6. Henry Rudy — 7. Chief Ted Mingo — 8. Ass’t Chief Louis Wharff — 9. Judge Mewer — 10. Andy Anderson — 11. Harold Hutch — 12. Walter Lake — 13. Sam Lublinsky
Back row: 1. (unnamed) — 2. Henry Steward — 3. Tim Crowley — 4. Frank Libbey — 5. Tom Jones
Can you help?
If any of these names belong to your family tree, I’d love to hear from you — and I’d love even more to hear from anyone who can help fill in the two blanks left on the original identification sheet (1st row, position 8, and back row, position 1), or who recognizes faces among the many men in the crowd who were never named at all. Photographs like this one are only as valuable as the names we can attach to them, so if you have family stories, other photographs from the Bandana Club, or simply a hunch about who might be standing in this crowd, please reach out in the comments or by email. Every name recovered helps preserve a small piece of Pine Point’s community history for the next generation of researchers.
This post was researched and written with the assistance of Claude.ai and edited with Grammarly.
Every genealogist runs into it eventually: a person whose birthdate shifts depending on which record you’re holding. My son’s 2nd great-grandfather, John Michael Gleason, is one of mine — and working through his conflicting sources turned into a good case study in why some records deserve more weight than others.
For years, my working birthdate for John was 25 December 1852, in Watertown, Dodge County, Wisconsin — taken from his Find-a-Grave memorial. Then I pulled up his FamilySearch profile (LRNN-6Z8) and found something different: a life span of 25 December 1853 – 5 December 1948, and a birth location of New Diggings, Lafayette County, Wisconsin — a different year and a different county. That discrepancy sent me back through everything I had.
Starting with the Raw Data
Here’s every source I’ve attributed to John’s birth so far:
Source
Source Date
Age / Detail
Confirming Info
Suggested Birth
Location
1870 Census
1 Jun
18
(Apparent) son of Timothy & Bridget
2 Jun 1851 – 1 Jun 1852
Wis.
1875 MN Census
1 May
21
—
2 May 1853 – 1 May 1854
—
1880 Census
1 Jun
28
Son of Timothy & Bridget
2 Jun 1851 – 1 Jun 1852
Wis.
1885 MN Census
1 May
33
Wife is Della; children John & Mary
2 May 1851 – 1 May 1852
Wis.
1895 MN Census
1 Jun
44
(Della died 1893) Children: John, Mary, Caroline, Clara, Helen
2 Jun 1850 – 1 Jun 1851
—
1900 Census
1 Jun
47
Born July 1852 (stated directly)
July 1852
—
Find a Grave
N/A
95 at death
Spouses & children consistent
25 Dec 1852 (no source given)
Watertown, Dodge Co., Wis.
FamilySearch (LRNN-6Z8)
N/A
—
Life span given directly
25 Dec 1853
New Diggings, Lafayette Co., Wis.
Obituary
6 Dec 1948
Age 96; noted he died “the Sunday before”
Death date 5 Dec 1948 (a Sunday — matches)
—
—
A quick note on method, since it comes up constantly in work like this: when a census only gives an age, not a birthdate, that age converts to a range, not a single year — because you don’t know whether the person’s birthday had already passed by census day. Someone who is “18” on 1 June 1870 could have been born any time between 2 June 1851 and 1 June 1852. Reporting these as ranges, rather than collapsing them to one year too early, is what lets you stack multiple records against each other later.
Anchoring on the 1900 Census
I like to start with whichever record makes the strongest, most specific claim and then test everything else against it. That’s the 1900 Census here: it’s the only record in this set that states a full birth month and year directly, rather than just an age — July 1852. It’s also internally consistent: age 47 on 1 June 1900 lines up exactly with that birth month and year. That kind of self-consistency is exactly why the 1900 census is often treated as one of the more reliable U.S. census years for birth information.
That gives me a working anchor to test the rest of the evidence against — rather than, say, building an argument for 1895’s “44 vs. 43” off a birth year I haven’t actually established yet.
Stacking the Earlier Census Windows
Here’s where it gets complicated. Overlapping the 1870, 1880, and 1885 census windows above — with the 1885 record’s 1 May date acting as the tightest constraint — gives a combined window of:
2 June 1851 – 1 May 1852
There’s also a note on John’s FamilySearch profile stating that at age 13, he was selling newspapers on a Boston street corner “at the time of President Lincoln’s assassination” (14 April 1865). I want to flag upfront that this is a story, not a document — it has no cited source, and “newspaper boy on the day of a famous assassination” is exactly the kind of detail that tends to get attached to family lore after the fact, whether or not it’s literally true. I’m not discarding it, but I’m not leaning on it either; it gets one job here, as a test against the records I trust more. Taken at face value, it puts his birth between 15 April 1851 and 14 April 1852. Overlapped with the census window above, it narrows things to:
2 June 1851 – 14 April 1852
And there’s the problem: that window excludes July 1852 outright — the exact date the 1900 census reports. So I have a direct conflict between three independent census ages (agreeing with each other, and with an unsourced anecdote that just happens to land on the same side) and one record with a specific, internally-consistent stated month and year. I’ll come back to how the death record helps break this tie.
The Outliers
Two records don’t fit either pattern:
The 1875 Minnesota Census puts him at 21 on 1 May 1875 — implying a birth as late as 1854, two to three years off from every other source. My best guess is that whoever supplied the information simply meant he was “over 21” (i.e., of voting age) rather than reporting a precise age.
The 1895 Minnesota Census reports him at 44 on 1 June 1895 — one to two years older than either the 1851 census cluster or the 1852 anchor would predict. Off-by-one or off-by-two age errors like this are common enough in enumerator-reported records that I don’t weight this one heavily against otherwise-consistent data; I’m treating it as a probable reporting error rather than genuine evidence for an earlier birth.
What the Exact Death Date Reveals
This is the piece I didn’t have when I started digging: FamilySearch gives an exact death date of 5 December 1948, and his obituary — published the next day, 6 December 1948 — gives his age at death as 96. That’s precise enough to actually test each birth candidate against, rather than just eyeballing it:
Birth Candidate
Age on 5 Dec 1948
Matches Obituary’s “96”?
July 1852 (1900 Census)
96
✅
25 Dec 1852 (Find-a-Grave)
95
❌
25 Dec 1853 (FamilySearch)
94
❌
1851, if birthday fell before 5 Dec
97
❌
1851, if birthday fell after 5 Dec
96
✅ (but no source states such a date)
Only two scenarios land on 96: a birth in July 1852, or a birth very late in 1851 (after 5 December). The second is mathematically possible but purely hypothetical — nothing in any record actually states a date that late in 1851. The 1900 Census, by contrast, directly states July 1852, and that date independently satisfies this age test. That’s the deciding vote for me.
Preferred date: July 1852. I’m keeping 1851 (year only) on the record as a likely-but-unconfirmed alternative — it’s the year three independent census records converge on — but no single source actually states a specific date within 1851, and it fails the age-at-death test across most of its range.
One More Detail Worth Noting
The FamilySearch date’s location doesn’t match Find-a-Grave. FamilySearch has him born in New Diggings, Lafayette County; Find-a-Grave has Watertown, Dodge County. Both are Wisconsin, but they’re not the same place, and I haven’t yet traced which one has an actual document behind it — or whether either does. This one’s still open.
Where This Leaves Me
Preferred: July 1852 — the only birth date directly stated by a source I have found so far, internally consistent within that source, and the only one that reproduces the obituary’s stated age of 96 against the confirmed 5 December 1948 death date.
Likely but unconfirmed: 1851 (year) — supported by three independent census records and an unsourced family anecdote, but with no source giving a specific date, and most of its range fails the age-at-death check.
Set aside for now: 25 December 1852 (Find-a-Grave, no cited source, fails the age-at-death check) and 25 December 1853 (FamilySearch, fails the age-at-death check).
Next step: chase down whatever document underlies FamilySearch’s New Diggings/Lafayette County claim, since that’s the last real open question in this set.
Two days after closing its three-night stand at Rochester’s Lyceum Theatre, the touring company of “Chin Chin” moved on to Dunkirk, New York, for a single Monday-night performance at the Drohen Avenue Theatre on March 8, 1920.
Unlike the Rochester stop, which landed in Donna’s own hometown and drew a dedicated newspaper profile, Dunkirk was simply the next date on the route — a one-night engagement in a smaller mill and rail town on Lake Erie, about seventy-five miles west of Rochester. For the full background on the production, its Broadway pedigree, and Donna’s Rochester notice as the Goddess of the Lamp, see Donna Montran in Chin Chin at the Lyceum Theatre, Rochester, NY.
The Engagement
The Dunkirk Evening Observer began advertising the booking on March 5, 1920, running a notice for the Drohen Avenue Theatre’s regular picture-house program that closed with a call-out for the following Monday: “Monday the Big Road Show ‘CHIN CHIN,’ $1.00, $1.50 and $2.00.”[1] Ticket prices well above the theatre’s usual 13–25 cent admission for its film programs mark it as a special road-show event.
The following day, the Observer ran a dedicated announcement headlined “Chin Chin at the Drohen Avenue Theatre”:
It is with a great deal of pleasure, in fact pride, that Manager Drohen of the Drohen Avenue Theatre announces the coming of Charles Dillingham’s greatest musical comedy success “Chin Chin” on Monday, March 8. This play appeared first at the Globe Theatre in New York for two solid years, and is now on a transcontinental trip, touring the West for the first time. In the leading roles will be seen Walter Wills and Roy Binder, who come to us with the stamp of approval won in such productions as “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Red Mill,” “Hitchy Koo,” etc.
Dunkirk Evening Observer, March 6, 1920[2]
The same notice described “Chin Chin” as “a fantastic production rich in Oriental and Old English costuming, in seven sets, including the most startling surprises, ingenious trickery and grotesque dancing in plenty.”[2]
Reviews and Reception
The Observer followed up on March 9 with a review headlined “‘Chin Chin’ Makes Hit With Audience — Return Engagement of Big Musical Comedy at Drohen Avenue Drew Large Crowd,” confirming the show had last played Dunkirk two or three years earlier:
Charles Dillingham’s big musical comedy “Chin Chin” filled return engagement here last night, showing to a large and highly pleased audience. Although the show has not been here for two or three years, some of the members of the former cast were with the company, including Walter Wills and Roy Binder, who were the chief entertainers of the evening… The entire cast was good, the costuming magnificent, the play well staged and while there were no exceptional voices, the chorus was good looking and above the average.
Dunkirk Evening Observer, March 9, 1920[3]
The review singled out Irene McKay’s dancing as Fan Tan, the clown band, a ventriloquist act, and a “Paderewski at the piano” comedy bit as particular hits, and named “Good Bye Girls I’m Through” and “Temple Bells” as audience favorites among the songs.[3] Unlike the Rochester press, which had singled out Donna by name in her role, the surviving Dunkirk coverage does not mention her by name; her part as the Goddess of the Lamp in this engagement is documented in the family collection.[4]
The Drohen Avenue Theatre
The Drohen Avenue Theatre opened at 313 Central Avenue in Dunkirk on December 25, 1918, with 1,200 seats.[5] Confusingly for researchers, Dunkirk had two Drohen-affiliated houses running side by side in March 1920: the Drohen Avenue Theatre, which booked the touring “Chin Chin” production, and a separate, smaller Drohen Theatre a few blocks away, which was showing Mabel Normand in “Mickey” that same week.[1] The Drohen Avenue house was renamed the Capitol Theatre in 1923 and was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. by the 1940s. It was demolished in the early 1970s as part of Dunkirk’s urban renewal program; the site became a parking lot.[5]
Location Today
The theatre stood at 313 Central Avenue, Dunkirk, New York 14048. No trace of the building remains; the site is now a surface parking lot.[5]
Significance
The Dunkirk stop is a useful counterweight to the Rochester engagement in reconstructing Donna’s touring career: where Rochester was a rare hometown booking with press attention aimed squarely at her, Dunkirk was routine touring work, one of many one- and two-night stands the “Chin Chin” company played on its transcontinental route. That the company’s two leads, Walter Wills and Roy Binder, and presumably Donna along with them, traveled directly from a Saturday closing in Rochester to a Monday opening in Dunkirk gives a small, concrete sense of the pace of a 1920 touring schedule.
Sources
“Drohen Avenue Theatre” (display ad). Dunkirk Evening Observer, March 5, 1920, p. 6. Accessed via Newspapers.com (image no. 56318268).
“Chin Chin at the Drohen Avenue Theatre.” Dunkirk Evening Observer, March 6, 1920, p. 9. Accessed via NewspaperArchive.
“‘Chin Chin’ Makes Hit With Audience — Return Engagement of Big Musical Comedy at Drohen Avenue Drew Large Crowd.” Dunkirk Evening Observer, March 9, 1920, p. 9. Accessed via NewspaperArchive..
