In 1934, The Order of the First Crusade published a booklet outlining the history, purposes, symbolism, and membership of a little-known American hereditary society founded in 1923 by Howard Kellogg James. Organized in Alameda, California, and incorporated in 1934, the Order was open to men and women who could prove authenticated descent from one of the Seven Great Leaders of the First Crusade, who followed the Cross to Jerusalem in 1096.
The stated purposes of the Order, drawn directly from its Articles of Incorporation, were ambitious and revealing of its era. They included preserving the memory of the First Crusaders, promoting interest in medieval Christian history, encouraging religious faith among younger generations, and reminding descendants of their inherited obligation—noblesse oblige—to live honorably.
For genealogists, the booklet is especially significant. It documents early 20th-century standards of lineage proof, lists hundreds of members with residences across the United States, names state “Registruers,” and reflects how serious researchers of the period linked medieval European lines to colonial American families. James himself describes the painstaking correspondence, charts, and personal expenses involved in building the Order, providing a rare window into grassroots genealogical scholarship of the 1920s and 1930s. The Order of the First Crusade.
Students of fraternal and hereditary societies—such as Masons, Knights of Pythias, Knights Templar, and Druids—will also find the booklet familiar and instructive. Its ritual language, heraldic seal, banner, motto (Deus Vult), officer structure, and emphasis on moral character closely parallel those of those organizations. Like many such societies, the Order blended history, symbolism, fellowship, and lineage into a shared identity rooted in the past.
Although the Order of the First Crusade never became a significant or enduring organization, its 1934 booklet is an interesting artifact. It preserves names, ideas, and genealogical ambitions that help us better understand how earlier generations viewed ancestry, honor, and historical memory—and why lineage societies held such enduring appeal.
If you have an ancestor who appears in this book, share what you know through the comments below.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
A Two-Day Engagement on Michigan’s Eastern Vaudeville Route
Vaudeville News of 11 December 1925 indicated that,”Donna Darling and Girls have finished their western tour and are going to spend Christmas at Miss Darling’s home in Detroit, Mich.” There is a possibility she played at the Miles Orpheum Theatre in Detroit over the New Year (Dec 28-Jan 1), but I’ve not been able to confirm that venue. In either case, she and “Her Girls” headed the 60 miles north to Port Huron, Michigan, to play at the Majestic Theatre for two days, starting Saturday, January 2nd, 1926.
The Shows
At the Majestic that week were two movies and five vaudeville acts.
Movies: Ben Turpin in “Raspberry Romance” and The Spats in “Rubberneck.”
Vaudeville: Vander & Haighe – Artists De Luxe
Vance & Allen – “Mary”
Moore and Horton – “The Waiter and The Dumb Waiter”
Three Harmony Pals
Donna Darling and Her Girls
I haven’t found any reviews or other information about the Vaudeville.
Majestic Theatre
The Majestic was a legitimate vaudeville and motion-picture house. In the mid-1920s, it featured silent movie shorts and vaudeville acts that were suitable for family audiences. Bookings were handled by the Bijou Amusement Company, which controlled and booked multiple houses. They typically booked short, two or 3-day engagements, so Donna’s 2-day engagement was usual. This type of booking was supplemented by vaudeville. Seating capacity: Lower floor, 549; Balcony, 419; Gallery, 500; Boxes, 24, Theatre on Ground floor[i].
History of the Theater
Opened in 1906, the Majestic Theatre was one of Port Huron’s principal amusement houses during the height of the vaudeville era. For two decades, it presented a steady stream of professional touring acts, later transitioning to motion pictures as live vaudeville declined. By the time “Donna Darling and Her Girls” appeared there in January 1926, the Majestic was a mature, well-established theatre serving both local audiences and cross-border patrons. The theatre closed in 1952 and was demolished several years later.[ii] Today, it the site is a walkway and parking lot.
Site of the Majestic Theatre, Port Huron, Michigan. Opened in 1906 and demolished in the late 1950s, the Majestic once stood at this location as one of the city’s principal vaudeville and motion-picture houses. Today, the site is occupied by a pedestrian walkway and parking area, with no visible trace of the former theatre.
Specifications for the Majestic Theatre, Port Huron, MI [iii]
The following specifications provide a sense of the Majestic Theatre’s physical scale and technical capabilities, offering insight into the type of productions it could accommodate during the height of the vaudeville era.
Proscenium opening: 34×30 ft
Front to back wall: 36 ft
Between side walls: 75 ft
Apron 5 ft
Between fly girders: 45 ft
To rigging loft: 56 ft
To fly gallery: 24 ft
12 Dressing rooms
Endnotes
[i] Book – The Julius Cahn–Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914. [ii]CinemaTreasures.org – Majestic Theatre, 512 Grand River Avenue, Port Huron, MI 48060. [iii] Book – The Julius Cahn–Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914.
The Scarborough Historical Society has an extensive collection of photos. Today, I look at a mix of four pictures from that collection. There are three places, and one is a graduate of Scarborough High School.
Maine, Northport, Park Row, circa 1881-1891.
Photographer: Photographic Studio of W. C. Tuttle, (1881) Belfast, Maine. Inscription: Park Row, Northport Description: This photograph shows a row of nearly identical wooden cottages arranged along a gently curving dirt road on a wooded shoreline, typical of a late-19th-century summer resort or cottage colony.Beyond the cottages, a sailing vessel is visible offshore.
Research:
The 1881 date on the back indicates the photo was taken after that date.
About 1891, W. C. Tuttle & Son began operating, suggesting the photo was taken before that date.
Google Maps shows that many of the cottages are still there across from Ruggles Park on Park Row in Northport, Maine.
Maine, Mount Desert, Green Mountain Railway, circa 1884.
Photographer: B. Bradley, Bar Harbor, Me. Inscription: Bar Harbor- Mt. Desert (?) A Niles Grand Central, Sept 12 84 Description: Labeled Photo: “51. Green Mountain Railway, Mt. Desert, Me.” Research:
B. Bradley was a photographer in Bar Harbor from the 1870s into the 1880s. Circa 1891, his son was added to the business name.
The inscription on the back of the photo, “Sept 12, ’84,” indicates the photo was taken before that date.
The Maine Memory Network states that construction on the Green Mountain Railway began in February 1883.[i]
Massachusetts, Chelsea – “Old Pratt House” c 1884.
Photographer: Halliday’s Photographs, of Historic Buildings, 283 Washington St., Boston, Mass. Inscription: Old Pratt House, Chelsea, Mass, where Washington stayed overnight. Description: A badly faded photo of a weathered saltbox farmhouse. The structure is two-story with a central chimney, suggesting late 18th– or early 19th-century construction.
Research:
Halliday’s Photographs of Historic Buildings operated at 283 Washington Street from 1883 to 1885.
There are several other “Pratt Houses.”
The Ireland-Way-Pratt House has similar window and fireplace placements.
However, it has a very different roofline, with a 3rd-story dormer. The Caleb Pratt House is very different, with different fireplace placements and a different roof.
Local Chelsea tradition holds that George Washington stayed at the Old Pratt House in Chelsea. The original Pratt mansion was demolished in 1855.
So, this (circa) 1884 photo must either be a photo of a photo or a photo of one of the several other “Old Pratt Houses” in Chelsea.
Judith Roy, SHS Class of 1961.
Photographer: Wendell White Studio Inscription: Judy alias Tiger Description: Apparent High School Graduation Photo. Research:
The 1961 Scarborough High School yearbook shows the same photo of Judy.
Linwood Dyer Collection, Part 087 Eastman Negative Album #2025.02.42 By Don Taylor
As part of my ongoing work with the Linwood Dyer Collection, I recently encountered an Eastman Negative Album containing 100 original envelopes, nearly half of which held film negatives. Many of these negatives were larger than standard—measuring approximately 3½ × 4½ inches—and required special handling during digitization.
Many of the photos in this album document things like a visit to Quebec, and the backyard of a house during the winter or spring, and are not of particular interest. However, many of the negatives document friends and family of Margaret Cogswell Kinney. Margaret was born in 1911 in Portland, Maine, and died in Portland in 1995. As with all my work, my goal is to reconnect these historical photographs with descendants who may never have seen these images of their ancestors. The Scarborough Historical Society preserves the original negatives within the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection.
37 Ship Channel Rd.
Home of Philip & Marion Hinkley, 1933.
This photo envelope is labeled “37 Ship Channel RD, 1933. This 2,896 sqft home that was built in 1920 is still there.[i] The 1937 Portland City Directory,[ii] indicates that Philip E and Marion Hinkley lived at that address. Philip was Margaret Kinney’s maternal uncle, so a photo of the house makes sense.
Envelopes 13, 23. and 25, include photos of a young woman. In one photo, Louise is sitting on a short stone wall. In Spring 1938, she is sitting on the stairs to a house, and in another 1938 photo, she is sitting in an Adirondack Chair. The “Spring 1938” photo has no name; however, the other two photos are labeled “Louise, 1937” and “Louise, 1938” respectively. Based on other images, I am sure these are all photos of Margaret’s sister, Louise Kinney. Louise would have been 23 and 24 years old in 1937 and 1938.
Louise 1937
Louise Spring 1938
Louise Summer 1938
Portland Head Light.
Spring 1938
This black-and-white photograph depicts Portland Head Light at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, viewed from the landward side. The tall, conical stone lighthouse dominates the center of the image, its whitewashed masonry rising to a dark lantern room encircled by a metal gallery. The keeper’s house stands to the left.
To the right of the tower are several low service buildings, including one fitted with a fog signal apparatus, with piping and horn visible on the roof. Patches of snow remain on the ground, suggesting the photograph was taken in late winter or early spring. A person stands near the base of the tower, providing scale and emphasizing the lighthouse’s height.
Trolley 211, Spring St.
Winter-Spring 1938-39
This black-and-white photograph shows the front end of an electric streetcar numbered 211, photographed at close range. The destination sign above the windshield reads “Spring St.”, indicating its route in Portland, Maine. Overhead trolley wires are clearly visible, confirming it as an electrically powered car.
The motorman stands at the open doorway on the right side of the image, wearing a uniform cap and coat, and looking toward the camera. The streetcar’s rounded front windows reflect bare tree branches, suggesting the photograph was taken in late winter or early spring. A metal safety gate and chain are visible at the lower front of the car.
Mildred Goudy, Portland, ME
Winter-Spring 1938-39
This photograph shows the harbor vessel Mildred Goudy afloat in Portland Harbor. The vessel has a flat-decked, rectangular hull characteristic of a lighter, a type of workboat used for cargo handling and general harbor service. The vessel’s name, Mildred Goudy – Portland, is clearly painted across the stern.
Several men are visible on deck, dressed in work clothing and caps, engaged in routine operations. A tall mast supports rigging and block-and-tackle equipment, indicating the vessel’s role in lifting or transferring heavy loads. A rowboat is tied alongside, likely used for short trips between the lighter and shore or nearby vessels.
During the 1930s, the Mildred Goudy was used to deliver supplies to some of the islands, used as a fishing boat, and as a diving platform. The May 4, 1939, Portland Evening Express[iii] included a similar photo of the ship when it was acting as a diving platform to repair a submarine water-main break.
Conclusion
These photographs provide a valuable visual record of the Margaret Kinney family of Portland and South Portland, Maine:
Sister: Louise C Kinney (1914–1993)
Uncle: Philip Edward Hinkley (1881–1962)
They also provide images of a Portland area lighthouse, a trolley car, and a “lighter” ship. All photos are from the Scarborough Historical Society,“Linwood D. Dyer Collection, Eastman Negative Album, #2025.02.42.
Connection Invitation
I would be delighted to hear from anyone who recognizes these individuals as their ancestors—especially if these represent previously unseen images of your family members. Also, if you can add any additional stories regarding the Trolley car or the Mildred Goudy, I’d love to hear your stories. You are welcome to incorporate these photographs into your own research, with proper credit given: Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society, Linwood D. Dyer Collection.
Family Search and Ancestry both indicate that Taylor is an occupational name for a tailor. It comes from Anglo-Norman French Middle English taillour. It is extremely common in Britain and Ireland.
Geographical
In the world, there are over 1.5 million people with the surname Taylor. It is most prevalent in the United States and most common in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
In the US, it is most prevalent in Texas, California, and Florida.
My Direct Taylor Ancestors
Because my biological father was a Roberts, I have no immediate Taylor Ancestors; however, my research has uncovered three likely Taylor Ancestors.[ii]
8thGreat-grandmother: Rhoda Taylor (1669-1758) [iv]
9th Great-grandfather: John Taylor (1641-1704) [v]
My Taylors in History
Fanny (Taylor) Blackhurst lived through England’s industrial collapse after the Napoleonic Wars, emigrated during one of Britain’s great working-class population displacements of the 1840s, resettled along America’s key migration corridors in New York and Michigan, and spent her later life in a Union state transformed by the Civil War and railroad-driven industrial growth.
Rhoda Taylor (1669–1758) was born in Northampton, Mass., during the height of early New England settlement, spent her married life in Durham as the colonies matured through frontier warfare, including King William’s War and Queen Anne’s War, and died just as the generation that would lead into the American Revolution was coming of age.
John Taylor (1641–1704) lived his entire adult life in Northampton, England, during the formative years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, witnessing both the steady expansion of Puritan frontier settlement and the devastation of King Philip’s War, one of the most violent conflicts of early New England history.
Patronymics, derived from a father’s name (such as Johnson from ”son of John”).
[ii] I have not had the opportunity to personally research these individuals. As such, their names and dates are tentative and/or speculative. [iii], [iv], [v], [vi], [vii], & [viii] Ibid.
