The Butterfield Bible – Part 1 – Births

Posted on February 16, 2020 by Don Taylor

Cover of the Daisy Butterfield Bible

I recently received a copy of the “Butterfield Bible” from a friend who asked that I share its contents in the “Genealogy World.”  The bible is an 1889 edition that appears to have originally been owned by Daisy E. Butterfield of Marseilles, Illinois, who put her name inside the front cover in 1889.  The section between the Old and New Testaments includes “Family Record” sheets for Marriages, Births, and Deaths. This is a transcript of the “Births.” Besides the entries in the Bible, there is an additional sheet of births.

Births – 1st Page of Births

  • Daisy Butterfield Bible – Births, Page 1

    A. Butterfield – Oct 19, 1840

  • Sarah Drackley Butterfield – Aug 10, 1938
  • Fannie Butterfield (Eddy) – Oct 20, 1863
  • Alice Butterfield (Eichelbeger) – Oct 20, 1867
  • Lottie Butterfield – Oct 13, 1865
  • Lois A. Butterfield (Parre) – Dec 4, 1870
  • Charles Butterfield – Jun 24, 1872
  • Louis A Butterfield – Jul 23, 1877
  • Sarah E Butterfield (Larrabee) – Feb 20, 1879
  • Josephine Eddy (Wideman) – Sep 27, 1882
  • Blanche Eddy (Britto) – Aug 29, 1884
  • Hazel Eddy (Lindren) – Oct 25, 1886
  • Fannie Eddy (Webster) – Dec 26, 1888
  • Leola E. Eichelberger (Hobson) – Sep 5, 1890
  • Leora Marle – Jun 8, 1898
  • Russell L. Butterfield – Apr 24, 1902
  • A. Butterfield II – Aug 18, 1903
  • Kathyrn Sarah Butterfield – May 25, 1905
  • Dorothy Eleanor Wideman – Aug 22, 1905 – Woodstock Ills.

2nd Page of Births

  • Blanche Evelyn Wideman – Dec 13, 1906

    image of the Daisy Butterfield Bible - Births - Page 2

    Daisy Butterfield Bible – Births 2

  • Albert William Butterfield – Apr 4, 1908
  • Stephen Harris Larrabee – July 18, 1907
  • Louis Edwin Larrabee – Sept 28, 1909
  • James Eddy Wideman – Feb 8, 1911 – Woodstock, Ills
  • Emma Lou Butterfield – Apr 5th 1913
  • William Wideman Jr.-
  • Richard Wade Webster – June 20, 1916
  • Sarah Rita Webster – Dec 27, 1917
  • Robert Arthur Webster – Dec 23, 1922
  • Jean Britton-
  • James Eddy Wideman – Feb 8, 1911
  • John Widerman-
  • John W. Widerman – Marion, Ohio – June 27, 1921
  • Richard Evan Picton (Eleanor Widerman) – Sept 29, 1925
  • Barbara Ann Scott (Blanche Widerman) – Aug 25, 1926
  • Donald Edward Larrabee – Sept 25, 1931
  • Donald Walter Zinn Jr. – Apr 4, 1932
  • 8¼ lb. – Deborah Ellen Larrabee in Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. – Thurs. Eve Sept 29, 1938
  • 7 lbs 2½ oz – Thomas Louis Roberts – Dec 7, 1938 @ 9.15 P.M.
  • Barbara Lynn Butterfield – July 21, 1939 – Sycamore, Ills – 7 – 5
  • Bruce Augustus Butterfield – Nov 10, 1940

There are 11 additional entries that I’ve decided not to transcribe because of privacy concerns. All relate to individuals born since 1940. Family Search does not appear to have Birth Records for individuals born in Illinois after 1940, so I won’t transcribe these entries here.

Three of them are included in the attached graphic and the remaining entries are on a separate sheet (not included here) that was folded in the BMD section of the bible.

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Photo Friday – Four Identified – Four Others With Names

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Don Taylor

Photo Friday

Very good week for my Photo Identification Project. Four individuals were identified and four others I have names for but I can’t confirm them.

Family Search

For four of the photos I was able to determine who they were, and I uploaded the images to the memory section of the individual profiles on Family Search.

Left to right:  John S. Loud, Frank Hodgens, Sadie Marion Griffiths, Preston Peckham

  • John S. Loud  (1856-1917) – L1BX-2QF – Rochester, NH;  19 Dec 1903.
  • Frank Hodgens (1863-1917) – 9XS7-GXW – 1889.
  • Sadie Marion Griffiths (1901-1971), Family Search ID: LZXB-M22; Newmarket, NH; 1912.
  • Preston A. Peckham (1882-1910) –  LR83-H1J – Lynn, Mass.

Uncertain Photo Identification

I was not able to determine four of the individuals for certain. They are:

Leroy Franklin Radley, Caroline Parker, Ralph Adolph Johnson, Suzie E. Love

“Leroy Franklin Radley” Rockland, ME – Christmas 1914 – Pillsbury Studio, Rockland. This is clearly Leroy Franklin Radley, born 16 Oct 1913 in Rockland, Knox County, Maine, the son of Franklin L. and Agnes Radley. I, however, have been unable to find Leroy Radley in Family Search or in an Ancestry Tree. If you are a family member of Leroy and can place him into a family tree, please contact me.

“Caroline Parker” – Photo by London Photo.  My guess about the photo is that it appears, to me, to be from the 1930s. I can’t determine if the person is in her 20s or her 50s. As such, I suspect the person was probably born between 1890 and 1930.
There was a Gladys Caroline Parker, born c. 1890, who lived in Portland.
There was a Caroline Parker, born c. 1894, who lived in Gardiner, Maine.
There was a Caroline Parker, born in 1909 who lived in Biddeford, Maine.
There was a Caroline Parker, born in 1910 who lived in Bangor, Maine.
There was a Caroline Parker, born c. 1922, who lived in Wilton, Maine.
I am unable to determine which of the many Caroline Parkers this photo is an image of.

“Ralph Adolph Johnson” – Photo by Marion, Lowell, Mass. There was a Ralph Adolph John, who married Almira Louise Johnson on 7 Sep 1916 in South Portland, Cumberland, Maine. At the time of the Marriage, Ralph lived in Lowell, Mass; he was 23 years old and born in Scarboro, Maine. I am confident this is Ralph Adolph Johnson (1893-1972).  There is no entry for this person in Family Search. I’ll see he is added to the Scarborough Historical Society photo collection.

“Susie E. Love” – Photo by Flagg & Plummer, Lewiston, ME.  I am unable to determine her identification. A Susan Evelyn (Farrington) Rowe, married Woodbury Grover Love in 1919. This photo appears to be a bit earlier than 1919, but it is possibly her.

If you are related to any of these families and can help precisely identify them, I’d love to hear from you

Two more on Family Search

I feel confident I’ve found two more on Family Search. (Their photos are above.)

“Sadie Marian Griffith – 12 years.” Photo by W. J. Thibault, Newmarket, NH. This photo appears to be from the 1920s. It identifies the subject as 12 years old.
There was a Sadie Marion Griffiths born 6 April 1901 in Durham, Strafford, New Hampshire. Durham is about four miles from Newmarket.  There do not appear to be any other Sadie’s in the area. As such, I’m confident this is Sadie Marion Griffiths (1901-1971), Family Search ID: LZXB-M22; child of Edward Bartholomew and Mary Effie (Furber) Griffiths.

“Preston Peckham” – Photo by Geo W. Ames, Lynn, Mass.
A review of the various Preston Peckhams on Family Search yielded a Preston A. Peckham, born in September 1882 to John P and Nellie M Peckham and living in Lynn, Mass. On Family Search the person is LR83-H1J.

I’d love to learn if you are related to any of these individuals.

Posted in Photo Friday, Scarborough Historical Society and Museum | Leave a comment

Blackwell – Surname Saturday

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Don Taylor

Origin of the Blackwell Surname

Blackwell is a habitational name, that is to say a place where people lived.[i] Durham, Cumbria, Derbyshire, and Worcestershire in England are examples of places where there is a Blackwell, England.[ii]  Wikipedia lists about 100 “Notable Blackwells,” including Alexander Blackwell (c. 1700-1747) (Scottish Adventurer) to Ben Blackwell (born 1986 – musician and founder of Cass Records).[iii]

Geographical

World-wide there are approximately 82,742 people who bear the Blackwell surname. The vast majority, over 63,000, live in the United States, with England and Australia being distant second and third (about 10,000 and 4,000 respectively) place majorities. In terms of frequency, Wales has the greatest proportion of people with the Blackwell surname, where one in 3,947 people have the surname. The United States is the second most frequent country where people surnamed Blackwell live (1 in 5,738).

My Direct Blackwell Ancestors

33. Elizabeth Blackwell(1796-1867) – Family Search: LHTN-6XH
66. David Blackwell (1757-1842) – Family Search: 9JT9-XF9
132. William Blackwell (1725-1775) – Family Search: ?? G3WT-PY5 ??
264. James Glenn Blackwell (1701-1760) – Family Search: ?? GSYM-VQ7 ??
528. James Blackwell (1660-1738) – Family Search: ???? G3WT-K21 ????
528?. James Blackwell (1647-1717) – Family Search: ???? G3WT-K21 ????

Note: ?? = Tentative, possible.[iv]
Note: ??? = Very tentative and probably incorrect.

Historical

My most recent Blackwell ancestor is Elizabeth Blackwell. She was born in 1796 in North Carolina. She married John Calvin Roberts in 1816 in Roane, Tennessee. She and John had sixteen children. She died in Roane, Tennessee in 1867.

1840

Her father, David Blackwell, was born about 1757 in Virginia. I haven’t had a chance to research David’s life yet, but I believe he was probably in Tennessee during the 1840 Census. If so, his household would have been one of the 65 Blackwell families living in Tennessee. He is probably the David Blackwell in Roane County who was an 82-year-old pensioner whose household included one female aged 30 to 40.

Two other Blackwell heads lived in Roane County during the 1840 Census, Alpha and Hugh. Both were heads aged 30 to 40 and both had females aged 20 to 30 living with them. Both also had children living in the household, so both appear to be typical family units.

David had several sons. Hugh that fits this criteria; another son, identified as “Dicy” in my records, could be the “Alpha” that was enumerated. I need to do more research into these families.

I have not had the opportunity to research any of the other Blackwell ancestors, but it appears that all of my known Blackwell ancestors before David were born, lived, and died in Virginia.

My known Blackwell relatives.

My records have identified 398 direct descendants of James Blackwell (the eldest) in my research, so far.

DNA Relatives

I have also identified 19 people whose DNA is a known match to mine who also share James Blackwell (the eldest) as an ancestor.

Ancestry’s ThruLines suggests that I share DNA with11 matches through William Blackwell.

Follow-up Actions

  1. Research the Blackwells of Roane County, Tennessee.
  2. Analyze Ancestry ThroughLines for matches through William Blackwell.

Sources:

Endnotes

[i] “Blackwell Name Meaning & Blackwell Family History At Ancestry.Com®”. 2020. Ancestry.Com. Accessed January 5, 2020. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=Blackwell.

[ii] “Blackwell”. 2020. En.Wikipedia.Org. Accessed January 5, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwell.

[iii] “Blackwell (Surname)”. 2020. En.Wikipedia.Org. Accessed January 5, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwell_(surnane)

[iv] I’m pretty sure I have something wrong in this line. Luckily it is very tentative as I haven’t done an in-depth look at any of these ancestors. I expect they problems should sort themselves out when I can look line closely.

————- Disclaimer ————-

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Donna Montran – Lyric Theatre, Allentown, PA – 3 May 1920

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Don Taylor

Donna Montran and “Chin Chin” play at the Lyric Theatre in Allentown, Pennsylvania on 3 May 1920

 The cast of “Chin Chin” arrived in Allentown on May 2nd. Some of the cast, including Donna, performed at a church benefit “Sacred Concert” that night. (See post.) On Monday, the cast and crew continued with their regular schedule with a performance at the Lyric Theatre in Allentown, PA.

Preshow Advertising

The earliest advertisement I’ve found for the show was on Saturday, April 24th. It said:

“Chin Chin.”

The Morning Call – 23 Apr 1920, Page 10.

Seven gorgeous settings make up the stupendous production of Chas. Dillingham’s “Chin Chin” which is scheduled to appear at the Lyric or the evening of May 3rd.

In this musically rich show such numbers as “Violet,” “The Grey Moon,” “The Love Moon,” “Good Bye Girls, I’m Through,” and the comedy song “Go Gar Sig Gong-Ju” always receive spontaneous applause.

The riot of fun, feast of music, bevy of feminie ????ity with pret-dresses, swift and grotesque dancing, lots of prankish amusement including Tom Brown’s Clown Band as the famous Saxophone Sextette, promises a most enjoyable entertainment.

Additional articles on April 27th and 28th, further described the show, Walter Wills and Roy Binder are in the lead. The show has practically no plow. In the first act, Aladdin and Violet Bond and the remaining acts occur because of the lamp found in the tea shop of Widow Twankey. The show makes you think you “awakened in a Hong Kong dream bazaar.”

On the 29th, we see our first display ad for the show. That ad was carried on in subsequent display ads.

The day of the show, besides the display ad there was a short article:

IN THE THEATRES
LYRIC
“Chin Chin”

Chas. Dillingham’s famous musical comedy, “Chin Chin” comes to the Lyric this evening. Do you remember when you were just a tiny chap, how you would read the “Thousand and One Nights” or the wonderful adventures of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” and “Sinbad, the Sailor.” And all the rest of those fascinating characters, and how from out of them all emerged “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” as the prime adventure of them all? And now Alladin—a very modern Alladin—very much in love with an American girl appears in Charles Dillinghan’s “Chin Chin” which comes to the Lyric for just one performance. In this musical concoction everything comes Aladdin’s way upon wishing and rubbing the wonderful lamp, thereby causing many strange and wonderful situations.

Walter Wills and Roy Binder, as the two slaves of the lamp keep the audience in constant laughter through seven scenes and the three acts that cover one hundred and fifty minutes of the most enjoyable fun.

Reviews

There were no published show reviews.

Post Show Info

The next stop for the show was the Grand Opera House in Wilkes-Barre for a Tuesday performance.

The Lyric Theatre

Photo of the Lyric Theater, Allentown, PA ca. 1905.

Lyric Theater, Allentown, PA ca. 1905

Originally built as a Central Market in 1896, it was converted to a theater in 1899 and named the “Lyric Theater” as the result of a naming contest.

During World War 1, the theatre was updated to be able to show films. In the early 1920s, the theater went back to be being the showplace for vaudeville. That is when “Chin Chin” played there.

1920 Specifications for the Lyric Theatre, Allentown, PA[i]

Capacity: 1369 — 624 floor, 337 Balcony, 400 Gallery, 8 Boxes

Proscenium opening: 32×29 ft
Front to back wall: 40 ft
Between side walls: 70 ft
Apron 2.5 ft
Between fly girders: 50 ft
To rigging loft: 64 ft
To fly gallery: 27 ft
14 Dressing rooms

Nearby Hotels: Allen, La Fayette

Newspapers & circulation

    • Chronicle 5,900
    • Item 6,275
    • Democrat 3,600
    • Reader  3,500
    • Call, 10,652
    • Welt-Bote (German) 7,000

What happened to the theater.

During the Depression, the theater stayed alive by hosting boxing matches and burlesque shows. During the 1940s the theater became a mixed venue acting as a home for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and burlesque. In 1959, the theater was saved by Donald and Sam Miller from becoming a parking lot when they purchased the building and renamed it the “Allentown Symphony Hall.”

Major restoration projects began in 1991, 2006, and 2011 saved the deteriorating building from becoming a parking lot.

Today

Photo of Miller Symphony Hall (formerly the Lyric Theatre) in Allentown, PA

Miller Symphony Hall (formerly the Lyric Theatre) in Allentown, PA. Photo by Ken Roe, 2015 via CinemaTreasures.Org

In 2012 the name was changed to Miller Symphony Hall and the theater is in operation today with music and stage productions.

 

 

Endnotes

[i] The Julius Cahn Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914, Page 563, Allentown.

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Montrans in the News – Personals – Redondo, CA

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Don Taylor

Montran Monday
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.

This week for Montran Monday[i], I found two short Montran mentions.

The first one is from the Redondo Reflex (Redondo, CA) dated 16 Sep 1921 on page 7.

Mrs. M. H. Babcock, of 304 Francisca avenue, is expecting her mother, Mrs. M. W. Montran, to be here shortly from her home in Los Angeles for a few days’ visit.

The second one is from the Redondo Reflex (Redondo, CA) dated 2 Dec 1921 on page 8. 

Mrs. M. W. Montran, of Los Angeles, spent the weekend with her daughter, Mrs. H. B. Babcock.

From the two notes I learned:

    • In September 1921, Thelma M. (Montran) Babcock (wife of Minor Howard) lived at 304 Francisca Ave, Redondo, CA.
    • In September 1921, Maude was living in Los Angeles, CA.
    • In December 1921, Thelma was living in Redondo.
    • In December 1921, Maude was still living in Los Angeles.

ENDNOTES

[i] Montran Monday – My grandmother’s father was John Montran. She used the surname, as a young child and again when she began in show business. The name is uncommon and most of the Montrans I see in the newspapers are my grandmother during her early vaudeville career. However, with the constant flow of newly digitized material, I often learn of new articles which contain the Montran name. I pay attention to the finding and try to determine a possible relationship of any Montrans to Donna’s father, John Montran.

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