Wolcott – Surname Saturday

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Don Taylor

By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Ancestry indicates that the surname “Wolcott” is a Habitational name for someone from Wollcot in Somerset, England. Possibly so named from the Middle English wolle meaning “spring” and cot, meaning “cottage” or “shelter.” Forebears indicate it is derived from a person from Wollscott in Warwickshire.

Geographical

Approximately 7,775 people worldwide bear the surname Wolcott, and 7,650 of them live in the United States. With the most living in New York, California, and Florida.

Wolcott Ancestors

I have eight known Wolcott ancestors:

    • 5th Great-grandmother: Mary Wolcott(1767-1857) b. Mass., d. New York
    • 6th Great-grandfather: Samuel Wolcott (1736-1802) – b. & d. Connecticut.[i]
    • 7th Great-grandfather: Samuel Wolcott (1713-1800)
    • 8th Great-grandfather: Samuel Wolcott (1679-1734)
    • 9th Great-grandfather: Samuel Wolcott (1656-1695)
    • 10th Great-grandfather: Henry Wolcott (____-1680)
    • 11th Great-grandfather: Henry Wolcott (____-1655)
    • 12th Great-grandfather: John Wolcott (____-____)

Historical

Mary Wolcott was born in Massachusetts and died in New York.

Her father, Samuel Wolcott, was born and died in Connecticut.

I do not have birth locations for the earlier ancestors; however, Henry Wolcott was one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut, and was identified as one of the original persons identified in the 1662 Charter of Connecticut (the basis of Connecticut being the “Constitution State”).

Wolcott Descendants

I have 867 known descendants of John Wolcott; 121 Brown, 94 Wolcott, 31 Parsons, 17 Berg, 16 Hanson, 16 Larson, and 15 Briggs descendants. Six hundred eighty of those descendants are known descendants of Mary Wolcott. I have previously written about 5 of them.

Famous Wolcott’s

Wikipedia indicates fifteen famous Wolcott’s, including three governors, two senators, a representative, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Oliver Wolcott. There are also eight places named “Wolcott” in the US.

Sources:

Ancestry Surname Page: https://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts.
Forebears Surnames Page: https://forebear       s.io/surnames.
Ancestry – Don Taylor’s Roberts-Brown tree on Ancestry.
Wikipedia – Wolcott.

Endnotes:

[i] Ancestors before Mary Wolcott (1767-1857) have been potentially identified but not confirmed through my personal research.

Posted in Surname Saturday, Brown-Montran | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ethel Wight Collection – Part 60

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Don Taylor

Surnames: Hill (2), Hobbs (3), Née Robinson

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.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. 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.

Fred Lincoln Hill, circa 1935.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. Fred Lincoln Hill, 139 Neal St #87 (for Mrs. Mosley).”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • Fred Lincoln Hill, circa 1935.

    The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Fred Lincoln Hill, and his wife Katherine C, living at 139 Neal.

  • Maine Marriage Records list Fred Lincoln Hill, the son of Irving E and Sarah E (Oat) Hill marrying Katherine Caswell on 17 May 1918. Fred was 28 years old, suggesting his birth in 1890.
  • This is a photo of Fred about 1935 when he was about 45 years old.

Family Search identifies Fred Lincoln Hill,  bor 14 April 1890 as ID 9HPN-N3X. Twenty-four trees at Ancestry.Com refer to Fred Lincoln Hill.

I have uploaded two photos of Fred to his Family Search Memories. I also uploaded one additional photo of him to my Flickr photostream.

Photo confirmed to be Fred Lincoln Hill by a grand-niece.

Mildred Iris Hobbs (née Robinson) before 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Albert Hobbs – copy – Caldwell St. Woodfords #37.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • Mildred Iris Hobbs (née Robinson) Unknown date but before 1935.

    The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Albert C Hobbs, and his wife Mildred R, living at 30 Caldwell.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Albert and Mildred still living at 30 Caldwell. Living with them are their two children, Janet I (age 14) and Albert R (age 9). Albert is 47, and Mildred is 45.
  • Ancestry Family Trees indicate that Mildred Iris Robinson was born 26 October 1894 in Aroostook County, Maine, and married Albert C. Hobbs on 4 May 1922.
  • This photo wasn’t taken at the Wight studio; instead, it was provided to the studio to be copied about 1935, when Mildred was about 41 years old; however, she looks somewhat younger than 41 in this photo.

Family Search identifies Mildred Iris Robinson, born 26 October 1894, as ID KC9D-8YS. There are Forty-one trees at Ancestry.Com that refer to Mildred.

I have uploaded this photo of Mildred to her Family Search Memories. 

Janet I. & Albert R. Hobbs, April 1936

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Albert Hobbs, Caldwell St. #16 – 18 April. 1936.”

Why I believe this to be these individuals.

  • Janet I. & Albert R. Hobbs, April 1936

    The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Albert C Hobbs, and his wife Mildred R, living at 30 Caldwell.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Albert and Mildred still living at 30 Caldwell. Living with them are their two children, Janet I (age 14) and Albert R (age 9). Albert is 47, and Mildred is 45.
  • On 18 April 1936, this photo was taken when Janet was about nine years old, and Albert R was about six years old.

Family Search identifies Janet Iris Hobbs, born 22 October 1925 as ID KW8K-MHN, and Albert Robinson Hobbs, born 12 May 1929, as ID KH4C-6JH.  Nine trees at Ancestry refer to Janet Iris Hobbs, and five trees refer to Albert Robinson “Robby” Hobbs.

I have uploaded two photos of Janet & Albert to their Family Search Memories. I also uploaded two additional pictures of them to my Flickr photostream.

Janet I. & Albert R. Hobbs, circa 1935

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Albert Hobbs, Caldwell St., Woodfords #16 (Janet Hobbs, Robert Hobbs).”

Why I believe this to be these individuals.

  • Janet I. Hobbs, circa 1935

    Albert R. Hobbs, circa 1935

    These photos are clearly the same two children of Albert and Mildred Hobbs taken about a year earlier. A note on the envelope even indicates the names are Janet and Robert.

Family Search identifies Janet Iris Hobbs, born 22 October 1925 as ID KW8K-MHN, and Albert Robinson Hobbs, born 12 May 1929, as ID KH4C-6JH. Nine trees at Ancestry refer to Janet Iris Hobbs, and five trees refer to Albert Robinson “Robby” Hobbs.

I have uploaded one photo of Janet and one photo of Albert to their Family Search Memories. 

Dorothy Hill, circa 1936 (age 3)

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Wilbur P. Hill, 535 Stevens Ave #409.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • Dorothy Hill, circa 1936 (age 3)

    The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Wilbur P Hill, and his wife Elizabeth L, living at 535 Stevens.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Wilbur (age 44) and Elizabeth (age 38) living at 535 Stevens. They are living with Wilbur’s father, William Hill. Also with them are their three children, Frederick L (age 12), Dorothy (age 7), and Charles W (age 4).
  • This photo appears to be of a little girl about 2 or 3 years old, which fits the sex and age of Dorothy.

Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Dorothy Hill, daughter of Wilbur Powers and Elizabeth (Latham) Hill. Ancestry.Com also does not have a profile for Dorothy Hill; however, her father, Wilbur Powers Hill, married to Elizabeth, appears in two family trees.

 

I have uploaded Dorothy’s photo to Dead Fred.

 

 

Conclusion

  • I identified four individuals who had Family Search profiles, so I posted their photos to Family Search
  • I identified another individual who did not have a Family Search profile, so I posted 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.

Posted in Ethel Wight Studio, Faces from the Past | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Was Grace Darling Donna’s sister? (Part 1)

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Don Taylor

Madonna Mae Montran Issue

Donna Montran Research
Vaudeville
Rooney
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.During my analysis of the Donna Darling Collection (Part 83), I learned that the actress Grace Darling could be the sister-in-law of my grandmother, Madonna Montran, stage name Donna Darling) married Thomas Valentine Rooney in 1915. Grace Foster, stage name Grace Darling, married Pat Rooney in 1908. Could Thomas and Pat have been brothers, thus making Donna and Grace sisters (in-law)?

My first step in investigating the possibility is to look at the life and relationships of Donna’s second husband, Thomas Rooney.

Donna’s first marriage to Chester Fenyvessey in 1911 was short-lived. By 1914, Donna and Chester separated, and Donna headed to California. Out there, she was with Mack Sennett’s Bathing Beauties and was a dancer in the silent film “Birth of a Nation.” In 1915, Donna relocated to Boston, MA. Then, on 24 November 1915, Donna married Thomas Valentine Rooney in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

Marriage Record os Thomas Valentine Rooney and Donna Mae Montran – 24 Nov 1915 – Click to enlarge.

Thomas Valentine Rooney (1887-1960)

Thomas is a step-grandfather—the second husband of my grandmother: Madonna Mae Montran.

      • Thomas’ father: Neil H. Rooney (1865-1910)

Thomas Valentine Rooney was born on 29 January 1887 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. He was the second of five children of Neil H and Mary E (Fahey) Rooney.

The 1900 Census indicates that Neil and Mary Rooney had five children; John, Thomas, Neil (Jr.), James, and Mary. Neil immigrated in 1883 and married Mary about 1885. That suggests they couldn’t have had any children older than John.

In the 1910 Census, Mary is widowed, and there are no additional children. The Census provides middle initials for the children; none of them have the middle initial of “P,” suggesting that Pat Rooney is unlikely a brother of Thomas.

Thomas was the producer of the “California Bathing Girls,” starring Donna Montran, during 1920 and 1921, so they were together then. However, by the summer of 1921, Donna had moved on to a new show, “Donna Darling & Boys,” that wasn’t produced by Thomas, so I’m pretty sure they separated by then.

After Donna

Thomas married Daisy Elizabeth Ford on 13 April 1928. The couple moved to California about 1930, where Thomas worked as an “Actors Agent” for 40 years with the Michael J. Hamieburg Agency.

Daisy died on 14 December 1959, and Thomas died four months later on 29 April 1960, in Los Angeles.

Conclusion

It does not appear that Thomas Rooney had a brother named Pat, so it is unlikely Grace Foster (stage Grace Darling) was a sister-in-law of Donna’s.

Further Actions / Follow-up

  • Find Grace (Foster) Darling Knieling and Pat Rooney in various records and determine if Pat Rooney and Tom Rooney were otherwise related.

Posted in Donna Montran, Vaudeville | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ethel Wight Collection – Part 59

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Don Taylor

Hibbard, Hicks, Higgins, & Hight

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.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. 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.

Charles Edgar Hicks, circa 1934.

This negative envelope says, “Mr. C. E. Hicks, 71 Lawn Av #75.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • Charles Edgar Hicks, circa 1934

    The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Charles E Hicks and his wife Dorothy E, living at 71 Lawn ave.

  • The 1930 US Census lists Charles E. Hicks and his wife, Dorothy, at 71 Lawn. He was
  • Based upon the photo pack number (#75), the photo was taken about 1934 when he was about 34 years old.

Family Search identifies Charles E. Hicks, born 1899 in Maine, as ID GCYK-1SL. According to Family Search, his parents are Herbert C and Jennie Hicks. Charles Edgar Hicks found in 12 Ancestry public trees.

I have uploaded a higher definition (300 x 300) photo of Charles to his Family Search Memories. 

Donald Merton Hibbard, circa 1936

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Merton Hibbard, 102 Morning St #100.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • Donald Merton Hibbard, circa 1936

    The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Merton T Hibbard and his wife Alberta living at 102 Morning.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Merton Hibbert and his wife Alberta living at 126 North Street in Portland. Living with them are their two sons, 5-year-old Donald and 3-year-old Richard.
  • Find-a-Grave lists Donald Merton Hibbard, son of Merton Thomas and Alberta Florence (Hall) Hibbard, born 23 August 1934.
  • This photo appears to be of Donald about 1936.

Family Search identifies Donald Merton Hibbard, son of Merton Thomas and Alberta (Call) Hibbard, as ID 9M2C-FPQ and married to Barbara Louise Leavitt. Seven trees at Ancestry.Com refer to Donald M Hibbard, married to Barbara Louise Leavitt.

I have uploaded a higher definition (300 x 300) photo of Donald to his Family Search Memories.

Richard Hibbard, circa 1937 (age 1)

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Merton Hibbard, 102 Morning St #731.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • Richard Hibbard, circa 1937 (age 1)

    The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Merton T Hibbard and his wife Alberta living at 102 Morning.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Merton Hibbert and his wife Alberta living at 126 North Street in Portland. Living with them are their two sons, 5-year-old Donald and 3-year-old Richard.
  • Based upon the Photo ID number (#731), this photo was taken about 1937, probably when Richard was about a year old.

Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Richard Hibbard, son of Merton and Alberta Hibbard. Richard does not appear in any Ancestry Trees, but his father, Merton Thomas Hibbard, appears in 33 Ancestry Family Trees.

I have added a higher definition (300 x 300) photo of Richard to Dead Fred. 

Helen or Barbara Hight (?), circa 1937.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Harold Hight, 14 Mayo St #1019.”

Why I believe this to be one of these two individuals.

  • Helen or Barbara Hight, circa 1937.

    The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Harold A Hight, and his wife Ruby M, living at 14 Mayo.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Harold A and his wife Ruby M, still living at 14 Mayo. Living with them are five children, Helen E (age 15), Harold B (age 10), Barbara J (age 8), Robert J (age 6), and Arthur R (age 3)
  • Based upon the photo ID (#1019), the photo was taken about 1937. The child in the picture is clearly a girl. Helen was born 26 October 1926 and would have been about 11 years old; Barbara was born 28 February 1932 and would have been about 5 in 1937. The child in the photo looks to be about 8, so it could be either girl.

Family Search identifies Helen E Hight, daughter of Harold and Ruby (Hasey) Hight, as ID G98N-XCD. Barbara does not have a Family Search Profile. 9 Ancestry trees refer to Helen E Hight. 5 Ancestry trees refer to Barbara J Hight.

Because I have been unable to identify which girl is in the photos positively, I have one image here and a second photo I’ve uploaded to my Flickr photostream. Hopefully, a family member will identify which child it is definitively. 

Blair & Susanne Higgins, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Stanley Higgins, 216 Franklin St #152.”

Why I believe this to be these individuals.

  • Blair & Susanne Higgins, circa 1935.

    The 1935 Portland City Directory lists H. Stanley Higgins, and his wife Hazel, living at 216 Franklin.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Henry S Higgins, and his wife Hazel, still living at 216 Franklin. Living with them are their two children, Blair (age 9) and Suzanne (age 7). All were born in Maine.
  • This photo was probably taken about 1935, when Blair was about five and when Suzanne was about three.
  • I am confident these photos are of Blair and Suzanne Higgins.

Family Search does not appear to have a profile for either Blair or Suzanne; however, Blair R Higgins is found in fourteen family trees at Ancestry. Suzanne Higgins is found in five family trees at Ancestry.

I have uploaded one photo of the children to Dead Fred and a second photo of them to my Flickr photostream.

 Conclusion

  • I fully identified six individuals. Three of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their photos to Family Search Three of them did not appear to have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their pictures to Dead Fred.
  • I failed to identify one photo. I believe it could be either of two girls; consequently, I only posted those photos here and to my Flickr Photostream.

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.

Posted in Ethel Wight Studio, Faces from the Past | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Donna Darling Collection – Part 83

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Don Taylor

Donna & Her Cloak – Part 1
Tex Grand – El Paso – 25 Sep 1926

Treasure Chest Thursday
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.For this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday, I’m begin looking at several clippings and a photo from the Donna Darling Collection highlighting her cloak. Donna is known to have loved clothes, and she had several cloaks, which were stunning. Newspaper clippings help add new venues and further information about her career.

This clipping shows Donna with her beautiful cloak. Luckily she annotated the clipping with “Tex Grand – El Paso Tex. Sep 25-26.” Sure enough, the El Paso Herald reported in the 25 September 1926 paper that Donna Darling and Sammy Clark were appearing at the Texas Grand.

11 Years on State, She Advises Golf and Vegetables for Beauty

Golf and a vegetable diet are the recipes Donna Darling, hotel Paso del Norte, gives to retain youth and beauty.

Eighteen holes of golf sandwiched between vaudeville performances, she says, keeps her trim and strong. She prefers vegetables and fruits when she travels. She thinks a heavy diet and different drinking water would be bad for her health.

Miss Darling went on the stage at 14. She played on the legitimate state, for the screen and in vaudeville for 11 years. A prize winner in beauty contests at Boston and Madison Square Garden, she soon got movie contracts. She is the sister of Grace Darling, Vitagraph[i] star. She played prima donna in Chin Chin when the musical comedy came to El Paso in 1923.

Analysis

This article is an excellent example that you “can’t believe everything you read in the papers.” Some of it is true, and some is a twist of facts. My thoughts:

Different drinking different water would be bad for her health — Likely. It only takes one episode of “Montezuma’s revenge” to change your outlook on drinking the local water during the 1920s. I can easily believe Donna preferred wine, beer, or anything else alcoholic over local water. Of course, drinking beverages that were safe during Prohibition was likely difficult.

On Stage at 14 – Likely. In 1910, 17-year-old Madonna Holdsworth (a stepfather’s surname) was living Detroit and worked as a saleswoman at a dry goods store. If she had been on stage at that time, it would have most likely been local theater.

In vaudeville for 11 years–Partially true. 1926 minus 11 years is 1915. She won beauty contests in 1915 and 1916 after she was in “Birth of a Nation,” which was released on 8 February 1915. She likely did some uncredited vaudeville work about that time.

Sister of Grace Darling—I had always thought this was not true; there is no way she could be related to Grace Darling, the famous English lighthouse keeper’s daughter. However, it appears that another Grace Darling was her sister-in-law. In 1915, Madonna married Thomas Valentine Rooney. Grace Darling (born Grace Foster) married Pat Rooney in 1908 but divorced him sometime before 1915. She apparently got back with Pat Rooney and was with him when he died in 1933. Donna (Madonna) and Thomas appear to have drifted apart in 1921. Indeed, this is new information to me and warrants further investigation.

She played prima donna in Chin Chin when the musical comedy came to El Paso in 1923. “Chin Chin” did not have a leading lady. Donna was a part of the “Chin Chin” cast from October 1919 to the show’s closing in June 1920, where she played the “Lady of the Lamp.” The show went to El Paso before she joined the show. By 1923, she had her own shows, Donna Darling & Co. and the Donna Darling Revue.

Conclusion

Learning about Grace Foster and Pat Rooney being married and that Grace Foster took on the stage name of Grace Darling makes me wonder if Donna and Grace both took the Darling stage name at the same time. I need to look at how the lives of the two “Darlings” and the two Rooney’s intertwined.

Donna’s note also extends my date for Donna in El Paso from one day to two days.

Actions

I have long had a desire to do a side investigation into the life of Thomas Valentine Rooney. The Grace Foster stage name and her marriage to Pat Rooney make this investigation much higher on my to-do list.

Sources

[i] The Vitagraph Studios (Vitagraph Company of America) was a film company bought out by Warner Brothers in 1925. Grace Darling was the stage name for Grace Foster. – Wikipedia.

Posted in Treasure Chest | Tagged , , | Leave a comment