Bibber, Billings, Bixby, Blaisdell, & Blake

Photo Friday
By Don Taylor

This week for Photo Friday, I look at identifying five more negatives from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The names on the envelope are of the individual who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is important to analyze the photo and information to positively identify the photographs.[ii]

Nina Lucile Bibber – Photo ca. 1936

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Nina Bibber – 56 Paris St. Portland #776.”

There was a Nina L. Bibber, daughter of Waitstill D. and May S. Bibber during the 1930 Census living in Harpswell, Cumberland County, Maine. Nina was 9 years old during the 1930 Census.

Nina L. Bibber married Harold Valentine Smith on 29 September 1936. She appears to have married him a second time on 24 August 1940.

As such, I am confident this is Nina Lucile Bibber, daughter of Waitstell Douglass and Sarah Mae (Brown) Bibber. She was born 9 April 1919 in Harpswell and died 12 April 1994 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Nina has a profile on FamilySearch, G4HH-R38. I have uploaded her two photos there.

Eva Billings – Nurse – Photo ca. 1937

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Eva Billings, St Barnabus Hospital, Portland #542.”

The 1935 and 1937 Portland City Directories list Eva Billings as a student nurse at 321 Woodford and residing at 20 Norfolk.

The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Eva Billings as a nurse at 19 Dow, apt 5 and residing at the same place.

She is not listed in the 1939 or 1940 Portland City Directories.

I have been unsuccessful in identifying Eva Billings as related to other individuals. It appears she came to Portland to become a nurse, worked shortly, and left Portland.

I have posted a photo of Eva to Dead Fred and to my Flickr page.

Donna Bixby, February 1943

The envelope this negative is in says, “Mrs. Bixby’s Baby – Feb 1943.”

The child in the photo appears to be four or five years of age.

A search of Bixby families in the 1940 Census with a child 1 to 3 years of age yielded one living in Portland. Donna Bixby, daughter of John and Harriet Bixby. They lived at 93 Oxford Street during 1940.

Donna Bixby has a profile on Family Search, GS1V-SCB and has two photos posted there. The photos on FS seem consistent to me to be the same person as in these photos. I contacted the individual who contributed the two photos to Family Search (James Shine) and he concurred it to be Donna Bixby. I have posted additional photos of Donna to my Flickr page.

Harold Blaisdell – Photo ca. 1934

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. Harold Blaisdell – 145 A Spring St, Portland #244.”

The 1934 Portland City directory has Harold F and his wife Barbara B. Blaisdell living at 145a Spring. The 1935 city directory has them at 542½  Congress Street, apt 20 in the 1935 directory. The 1936 Directory doesn’t list Harold, but the 1937 directory puts him back to Spring Street, with a different wife, this time he and Dora I. Blaisdell are listed living at 152 Spring, Apt 11. Again, Harold doesn’t appear in the 1938 Directory, however he and Dora are at 32 University during the 1939. Finally, He and Dora appear in the 1940 Directory at 17 Tyng.

Harold and Barbara Dyer were married on 24 September 1930.
Harold and Dora I. Taylor were married on 25 June 1934.

The 1930 Census finds Harold as a 24-year-old lodger in the household of Peter Dyer. In the same household is Barbara Dyer, a 23 year-old daughter of Peter.

It appears that this is Harold Franklin Blaisdell (5 Jul 1905-1 Feb 1992) and with a Family Search ID of LRRG-7R3. I have uploaded two photos of Harold to Family Search.

Elizabeth Blake – Nurse – Photo ca. 1938

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Elizabeth Blake – Me Gen Hospital #967.”

The 1936 Portland City directory lists Elizabeth Blake as a student nurse at 22 Arsenal, residing at 22 Arsenal. She should not be confused with Mrs. Elizabeth T Blake, the wife of Freeman H. Blake. She is also listed in the 1937 and 1938 Portland directories. She is not listed in the 1939 or 1940 city directories.

The 1940 Census indicates there were 13 Elizabeth Blakes in Maine.

1. Elizabeth H Blake – 17 year-old daughter of William E. and Annie M. Blake.
2. Elizabeth Blake – 40 year-old wife of Freeman Blake.
3. Elizabeth Blake (nee Browne?) 43 year-old divorcee and daughter of Emma F. Browne.
4. Elizabeth Blake – 86 year old widow living in Westbrook.
5. Elizabeth Blake – 24 year-old daughter of Arthur & Huldah Blake. She had completed 4 years of high school, but was not working. Possibly her but unlikely.
6. Elizabeth Blake, 16 year-old daughter of Thomas C Bake.
7. Mary Elizabeth Blake – 18 year-old daughter of Carlton and Helen Blake.
8. Elizabeth F Blake – 24 year-old wife of Ernest G. Blake.
9. Elizabeth Blake – 43 year-old wife of Leslie Blake.
10. Elizabeth Blake – 17 year-old daughter of Ethel Blake.
11. Elizabeth Blake – 22 year-old wife of Albert L. Blake.
12. Elizabeth Blake – 16 year-old daughter of Verna S. Blake.
13. Elizabeth Blake – Baby daughter of Ernest & Barbara Blake.

Looking Nationally, the 1940 Census indicates there was

Elizabeth Blake, a 28-year-old Registered Nurse in the Brookville Hospital and Nurses Home in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Alternately, there was a 31-year-old Registered Nurse living with her mother, Mary L. Blake, in Brookville and working at Brookville Hospital. I suspect this is the same person and was enumerated twice, once with the hospital and once in her mother’s home.

So, I have two potential Elizabeth Blakes this could be, however, neither is a strong enough match for me to accept an identity match.

Conclusion

I had:

• Three successful identifications where I could post to Family Search.
• One partial identification posted to Dead Fred.
• One inconclusive identification (two potential candidates).

Final Note

If any of these photos are of a family member, I would love to hear your reaction.

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 to invert the image.

Barry (2), Bennett (2), & Bernard

Photo Friday
By Don Taylor

This week for Photo Friday, I identify more negatives from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The names on the envelope are of the individual who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is important to analyze the photo and information to positively identify the photographs.[ii]

Phyllis E Berry (1908-2003)

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Phyllis Berry – 174 Edwards St, Portland #526.’

Phyllis E Berry appears as a bookkeeper at 22 Monument Square, Room 692 and residing at 174 Edwards. Also residing at 174 Edwards was Edward C and Alice M Berry. Edward is a member of the City Council city hall Room 35 and treasurer at 22 Monument Square, room 602. Finally, he was v-p at 193 Middle Room 6.

No doubt, Phyllis was the daughter of Edward and Alice. Phyllis was born 13 April 1908, married Donald Hamilton in 1939 and died 9 Jan 2003. This photo would be of Phyllis about 1935, or when she was about 27 years old.

Phyllis Elizabeth Berry has a profile on Family Search, LR1D-MS1. I have uploaded a copy of the image to that profile.

Mrs. Edith M. Berry (1876-

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs Edith Berry – 6 Grant St. Portland #158.”

The Federal records provide for several candidates for “Edith Berry” in Portland, Maine.

1. Edith M. Berry, Age 20 in 1940 Census (Born c. 1920 in Maine). She was married and living with her husband Lester in Westbrook. Too young to be the Edith Berry of the photograph.
2. Edith M. Berry, Age 35 in 1940 (born c. 1905 in Maine). She was married To Roy A. Berry and lived at 36 Federal Street.
3. Edith Berry, Age 28 in 1930 (born c. 1902 in New Hampshire). She was married and living with her husband Alton Berry. The woman in the photograph appears to be much older than 35, so I’m sure this is not the Edith Berry in the photograph.
4. Edith Berry, Age 54 in 1930 (born c. 1876 in Maine). She was a widow, the sister of Walter H. Pierce and the daughter of Mary Pierce. She was living at 63 Lawrence Street. Her son, Hiram S. Berry was living with her on High Street during the 1940 Census. So, I’m fairly convinced that the Edith Berry in the photo.

Edith does not appear in the 1934 or 1935 Portland City Directories. However,

• In 1936 she lived at 89 Adams.
• From 1937 through 1940 she lived at 225 High.

I would be a lot more comfortable if I could prove Edith, the widow of Hiram, did live at 6 Grant. In the meantime, I have tentatively ascribed this as Edith, widow of Hiram, daughter of Mary Pierce as the individual in the posting.

I will query various tree owners if they can identify this individual after this blog posts.

Arline Bennett (?)

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Arline Bennett – Children’s Hospital #311.”

The photo is estimated to have been taken between 1935 and 1938.

1. Arline V Bennett married Percy A. White on 10 Sept 1925. It can’t be her. (She wouldn’t be a “Miss” in 1835.)
2. There was an Arline Bennett who was born in Eastport, on 8 April 1902. She was the daughter of Chas. H. & Jennie (Ramsdell) Bennett. In 1910, Arlene was living with her parents in Pembroke, Washington County, Maine. In 1920, she is still living with her parents in Washington County.
3. The 1930 Census reports an Arline C. Bennett, wife of Joseph C. Bennett. It can’t be her.
4. Arlene V. Bennett, bork ca. 1918, was living with her parents Loring W. and Ivie L. Bennett in Hope, Knox County, Maine during the 1930 Census.

Ancestry provides the ability to search for a person with keyword searches. Looking for an Arlene Bennett, born 1898-1918 who was a nurse yielded several potential candidates.

Arline L. Bennett, born in New Jersey about 1908, the daughter of George C. and Lilly M. Bennett was a trained nurse in a private hospital living in Park Ridge, Bergen County, New Jersey in 1930.

I suspect this is the correct Arline, for the photo, but I can find nothing about this Arline being in Maine nor can I find any evidence that the other Arline Bennett’s ever became nurses. There needs to be more research on this photo and the various candidates.

I will query various tree owners if they can identify this individual after this blog posts.

Daughter of Herbert A & Helen (Nedeau) Bennett circa 1935.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs Herbert Bennett – 447 Cumberland Ave, Portland #368.”

The 1935 Portland City Directory shows Herbert A & Helen E Bennett living at 447 Cumberland Ave.

The 1940 Census shows Herbert A & Helen E living with their six-year-old daughter, in Portland. Herbert was 32, Helen was 28.

I’m quite certain this is their daughter about 1935.

I will contact individuals with this individual in their public trees on Ancestry when this article posts.

Clifford G. Bernard (1916-___)

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr Clifford Bernard – 63 Carlton St, Portland #711.”

The 1935 and 1936 Portland City Directories show Clifford Bernard residing at 63 Carleton.. Also at that address is Melbourne G and Ellen M, Bernard. Melbourne is a barber employed at 319 Cumberland Ave.

The 1920 Census indicates that the Bernards came to the United States in 1916, shortly after Clifford’s birth in Canada.

This Individual has a profile on FamilySearch, ID GMQG-XT5. I have uploaded this image there.

Final Note

If any of these photos are of a family member, I would love to hear your reaction.

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.