Category Archives: History

Donna Montran in Chin Chin at the Drohen Avenue Theatre, Dunkirk, NY – March 8, 1920

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Don Taylor

On March 8, 1920, my grandmother, Donna Montran, again played when the touring company of “Chin Chin” stopped for a single night at the Drohen Avenue Theatre in Dunkirk, NY — two days after closing its Rochester engagement. Continue reading →

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Donna Montran in Chin Chin at the Lyceum Theatre, Rochester, NY – March 4–6, 1920

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Don Taylor

In March 1920, Donna Montran played the Goddess of the Lamp in the touring production of Chin Chin at Rochester’s Lyceum Theatre — a rare hometown engagement documented by both a Democrat and Chronicle review and a dedicated Rochester Herald feature. Continue reading →

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Confirming Uncle Russ’s Military Service

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Don Taylor

Brown-Montran LineBy Don Taylor When I set out to confirm Russell’s Korean War service, my search on Fold3 turned up only his draft card — no service record at all, which genuinely surprised me given how confident I was about … Continue reading →

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Donna Darling at Lafayette Square (Buffalo, 1925)

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Don Taylor

A Polish-language newspaper advertisement from August 1, 1925, places Donna Darling and her Bathing Girl Revue at the Lafayette Square Theatre in Buffalo, New York. Sharing the bill with Irene Rich’s film My Wife and I and featuring Max Sennett’s “Original Beauties.” This discovery adds another documented engagement to Donna Darling’s touring career. Continue reading →

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Charles B Hazelton (1890-1951)

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Don Taylor

Welch-Harris ProjectWelch-Hazelton Line — Ancestor #10By Don Taylor Charles Bernard Hazelton was born on 13 December 1890 in Biddeford, York County, Maine.[1] He was the son of Thomas Hazelton and Margaret Clare. The family surname appears in early records as … Continue reading →

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