Montrans in the News – Monthan and Moutran Instead.

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Don Taylor

Montran Monday
By Don Taylor

It is time for another edition of “Montran Monday[i].” When I encounter a new, historical newspaper article about persons with the surname Montran, I try to add information about them to my family tree database in hopes of encountering something that might lead me to learn about my maternal grandmother’s father. This week, I found several new mentions of Montran:

  1. My first false alarm was the marriage of Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Orcutt, published in the Schenectady Gazette. Gerard was in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Davis-Montran [sic] in Arizona. Of course, it should have read Davis-Monthan.
  2. La-Gaceta (Tampa, FL) reported on Feb 19, 1942, that Charles Irving Berney married Anne Poquette Montran[sic]. Again, it should have read Anne Poquette Monthan.
  3. The University of Arizona (Tucson) 1965 yearbook (page 178) indicates that Alan Montran[sic] was among the Army ROTC Seniors. Further research found an Albert Moutran whose son, Alan Moutran, was born in Hawaii in 1943. Albert was a Captain in the USAF and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. I believe this is a likely candidate for the typo of Alan Montran.
  4. Finally, the New London (Conn.) Evening Day reported on Aug 28, 1930, that Alfred Montran filed for divorce from Mary Azzi Montran. They married on Dec 5, 1920. On Jan 9, 1931, the paper reported the Alfred Moutran case was continued pending a motion regarding alimony. Further research found an Albert Moutran, who lived in New London before WW II and died there in 2010. His obituary indicated he was born in 1921, and his parents were Alfred and Mae (Karam) Moutran. I am confident that “Alfred Montran” was actually Alfred Moutran.

No luck this time finding any new Montran’s in my various newspaper sources.

Endnotes

[i] Montran Monday – My grandmother’s father was John Montran. She used the surname, as a young child and when she began her career 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.

Posted in Brown-Montran | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Marshall – Surname Saturday

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Don Taylor

My Marshall Ancestors

Roberts-Marshall Line
Surname Saturday
By Don Taylor

Name Origin[i]

Marshall is an occupation name whose origin is from the Frankish mare (“horse”) + skalkoz (“servant”). It is commonly found as a surname but may also be used as a given name. It is also an old Scottish surname meaning ‘Love of Horses.’ It is also an anglicization of the German and Ashkenazic Jewish surname ‘Marschall,’ meaning ‘keeper of horses’ in German.[ii]

John Marshall (1755–1835) was the fourth chief justice of the Supreme Court. He descended from John Marshall, who came from Ireland and settled in Virginia during the 1600s. It will be interesting to find out if I descend from him.

A German form of the surname is Marschall.

Geographical

About 55% of the people with the Marshall surname lived in the United States. The highest density of Marshalls is in Barbados.

Most Marshalls in the US live in Texas, California, and Florida. The greatest frequency of the Marshall surname occurs in Virginia, where one in 801 people have the surname.[iii]

Direct Marshall Ancestors

My Marshalls in History

At the start of the Civil War, Patience was married to Thomas Dean. Thomas died in 1863. I don’t know if it was due to military service. In any event, Patience married Asa Ellis Roberts in 1865 and received a pension because of Asa’s service.

William Marshall was too old (60-70) to have fought during the Civil War. I need to research further to determine if he fought during the War of 1812. (He would have been between 12 and 23 years old then.)

Locations of my Marshall Ancestors

Illinois – Patience Anna (Marshall) Dean Roberts was born, lived her entire life, and died in Illinois.

Tennessee – Patience’s father {FNU] was born in Tennessee.

Famous Marshalls

Wikipedia shows many famous people with the Marshall surname, including two Supreme Court justices, generals, businessmen, and some 18 cities and towns in the United States.

Surname Studies

Family Tree DNA has 637 members in the Marshall Surname Study. The Family Search Wiki has a page about Surname Studies and can direct researchers to several dozen surname studies and groups, including the Marshall Family Tree on Facebook.

Cyndi’s List – Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters, includes three Marshall Genealogy pages.

My Direct Marshall Descendants

I have 221 known descendants of William Marshall in my tree; 47 are Roberts, 12 are Harts, 9 are Childers, and 9 are Derringtons. I have written 14 blog posts about four of them.

Ancestor Photographs

Grandpa Bert Roberts, late 1940s
Great-Grandpa Hugh Ellis Roberts, 1901
Photo of Patience Anna (Marshall} Roberts
2nd Great-grandma Patience Anna (Marshall} Roberts

Sources

Endnotes

[i] Common surname origins include:

  • Occupations (such as “Farmer”
  • Physical characteristics (such as “Short”)
  • Places or landmarks (such as “Hill”)
  • Patronymics, derived from father’s name (such as Johnson from ”son of John”).

[ii] Internet: Genealogy Bank – Surname Meaning – Results of search: Marshall.

[iii] Internet: Forebears – Surname Marshall.

[iv] I have not had the opportunity to personally research these individuals. As such, their names and dates are tentative and/or speculative.

[v] I have not had the opportunity to personally research these individuals. As such, their names and dates are tentative and/or speculative.

Posted in Surname Saturday, Roberts-Barnes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Photo Friday: Ives, Kimball, Potter, & Small.

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Don Taylor

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 004
By Don Taylor

I examined the people in five photos from the Linwood Dyer Collection this week for Photo Friday. This collection includes hundreds of photos, documents, and genealogies of people who lived in Scarborough, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. My goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image. The Scarborough Historical Society holds the originals in this collection.

Alexander Carleton Potter, circa 1900.

The identifying information on the back of the photo indicates:

  • Alexander Carleton Potter
  • Taken by Purdy
  • 146 Tremont St. Boston
Photo of Alexander Carleton Potter, circa 1900.
Alexander Carleton Potter, circa 1900.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1900 Boston City Directory lists Alex Carleton Potter boarding at 82 Commonwealth Av.[i]
  • He was living with his father, Henry (Harry) Staples Potter, a principal of Potter & Wrightington. Alexander was a physician.[ii]
  • The 1900 Census indicates that 24-year-old Alex C Potter was born in Mass in August 1875 and was a physician.[iii]

Alternate Individuals.

My research failed to identify any other Alexander Carleton Potters in the US during the late 1800s when this photo was taken. I am confident this is the correct Alex Potter, so I uploaded it to Dead Fred.

Henry Staples Potter (1870-1920), circa 1893.

Photo of Henry Staples Potter, 1893.
Henry Staples Potter

The identifying information on the back of the photo indicates:

  • H. Staples Potter 2nd
  • At time he graduated from Harvard 1893

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The Cambridge Tribune, of 28 August 1920, reported Henry S Potter, Jr., passed at age 50. He was born on 5 Nov 1870, attended Harvard, and graduated cum laude. His wife, his sister, Mrs. R. D. Small, the wife of a Portland, Me., physician, and his brother, Dr. Potter of Cambridge survived him.[iv]

I uploaded this photo of Henry to his Family Search Memories.

Hilda Libby Ives (late 1920s)

Photo of Hilda Libby Ives (late 1920s)
Hilda Libby Ives

The identifying information on the back of the photo indicates:

  • “Hilda Ives daughter of Hilda Ives.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • A search of Ancestry found only one person named Hilda Ives, whose mother is also Hilda.
  • Hilda Libby Ives, the daughter of Howard and Hilda (Libby) Ives, was born on May 29, 1909, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
  • This photo is of the style of the late 1920s, which fits with the young woman in this photo.

I am sure this photo is of Hilda Ives (1909-2001), Family Search profile L2H9-6HV.

John Kimball.

Photo of John McK Kimball.
Back of the John McK Kimball Photo.

The back of the photo indicates, “John McK Kimball at Exeter.”

Photo of John McK Kimball
John McK Kimball

My research failed to find a clear identification for this photo.

  • There is a John Porter Kimball, who was born on 10 Aug 1896 in Exeter, New Hampshire. He married, lived, and died in Exeter. Looking at his life story, I do not see anything that would tie him to the “McK” mentioned on the back of the photo.
  • There was a John Kimball, born 10 April 1891 in Ontario, Canada, to William and Mary J. (McKay) Kimball. Looking at his life story, I do not see anything that would tie him to the “at Exeter” mention on the back of the photo.

I am not convinced this is either of these young men; consequently, I only posted the photo here and my Flickr Photostream. Further examining the Linwood Dyer Collection may connect this photo to a specific John Kimball.

Mary S Small (1922)

The back of the photo indicates, “April 26, 1922 | Mary S. Small.”

Back of photo which is labeled Mary S Small - 26 Apr 1922.
Back of Mary S Small Photo.

What I learned while researching this photo:

Photo of Mary S Small - 26 April 1922.
Mary S Small
  • Assuming Small is a maiden name, that the photo was taken in 1922, the woman in the photo was between 12 and 32 years old, and was likely born in New England, my search at Ancestry found no Mary S Smalls.
  • Assuming Small is a married name (search last name blank, spouse last name Small), I found no Mary S Small candidates

I failed to determine a viable candidate for this photo. As such, I only posted the image here. Hopefully, further examination of the Linwood Dyer Collection may provide a candidate.

Conclusion

  • I identified Three of the five individuals. They have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories.

I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before.

Endnotes

[i] Book: The Boston City Directory. [1900] – https://archive.org/details/bd-1900.
[ii] Blog Post – Back Bay Houses – 82 Commonwealth – https://backbayhouses.org/82-commonwealth/.
[iii] 1900 US Census – Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Boston Ward 11, District 1317, Sheet 3, Line 48 via Ancestry.com.
[iv] Cambridge Public Library – The Cambridge Tribune, 28 Aug 1920, Page 3, Column 2 (bottom) “Henry Staples Potter, Jr.”

Posted in Linwood Dyer Collection, Faces from the Past | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Photo Friday – Dunstan Grammar Class of 1941

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Don Taylor

SHS Photo Collection – Part 2
By Don Taylor

Photo Friday – Dunstan Grammar Class of 1941.

Today, I examined a small photo album from the Scarborough Historical Society Photo Collection[i]. The album is titled “Class of 1941” and consists of individual thumbnail photos. All but two photos have names hand-written on the back. My goal in this project is to unite these photos with family members who may have never seen the images before.

What I learned while analyzing this photo package:

  • The 1941 Scarborough Annual Report indicates that Florance A. Scott and Norman McWilliam were the teachers at Dunstan School. Florence had 5½ years of teaching experience. She was a graduate of Gorham Normal, she practice taught at North Scarborough School and was an instructor on Portland Playgrounds for four years. Mr. MacWilliam has 1½ years of experience. He was a graduate of Farmington Normal.   
  • It is interesting to note that Beech Ridge and Broad Turn schools closed on 16 February 1940. Beech Ridge students were transported to the new Oak Hill Grammar School and the pupils at Broad Turn School were transported to Dunstan. Additionally, Libby Grammar School closed on 15 December 1929 and were transported to Oak Hill. Libby Primary School still had students.
  • Dunstan School was reported as being overcrowded and in need of a new 6-room building.
Photo of the students and Teacher of the Dunstan (Scarborough, ME) Grammar School Class of 1941.
Dunstan Grammar Class of 1941

This mini-album consists of 34 students and two teacher thumbnail photos. Miss Scott and Mr. McWilliam are pictured as are the following students:

Shirley Blood, Ann Bradford (2), Mattie Brooks, Dick Buckley, Charlie Burnham, Fanny Burnham, Gary Carter, Hazel Carter, Jean Carter, Roberta Carter, Audrey David, Gladys David, Dick Gantnier, Dottie Gochie (2), Jim Gochie, Doug Goodrich, Juliet Gervais, Louis Gervais, Lorna Hersey, Adelaide Higgins, Bill Higgins, Earl Jones, John Jones, Charles Kilby, Florence Merrill, George Merrill, Marion Milliken, Dana Morris, Helen Nielsen, Patricia Seavey, Edna Wilbur, Melvin William, Francis Raymond “Mike’ Wood,

Please comment below if you can identify the two unknown students.

I am confident this album consists of students from 1941 at the Dunstan School

Conclusion

I am sure these photos, taken in 1941, represent the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade classes of Dunstan Grammar School with the identities of 34 of the 36 students’ photos in the album. Besides here, I uploaded these photos to the Scarborough Historical Society website.

I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before. Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the pictures with family members who may have never seen the image.

Endnotes

[i] This photo was donated to the SHS Collections and accessioned as #2023.19.56. The cover of the small, 3.85×5,” album is blue in color and has “Class of 1941” printed on the cover and consists of 38 thumbnail photos.

Posted in SHS Photo Collection, Faces from the Past | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Photo Friday – Dunstan Grammar Class of 1939.

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Don Taylor

SHS Photo Collection – Part 1
Photo Friday
By Don Taylor

Today, I examined a small photo album from the Scarborough Historical Society Photo Collection[i]. The album is titled “Class of 1939” and consists of individual thumbnail photos. All but two photos have names hand-written on the back. My initial opinion is this album is of the Dunstan Grammar School (Scarborough, Maine) and grades 5, 6, & 7 from 1939; further research confirmed that opinion. My goal in this project is to unite these photos with family members who may have never seen the images before.

What I learned while analyzing this photo package:

  • The 1939 Scarborough Annual Report indicates that Dunstan School was a 2-room schoolhouse. It consisted of a primary school with “Grades 4, 3, 2, 1, & Sub, Pri, and a Grammar school consisting of “Grades 7, 6, and 5.”
  • The 1940 Scarborough Annual Report indicates that Dunstan Grammar had 22 students registered in the 1939 Spring Term.
  • The Scarborough Superintendent of Schools, F. H. B. Heald, and R. J. Libby, the State Agent for Rural Education, indicated that a second Dunstan School building should be built. The additional 4-room school building will allow pupils at Beech Ridge, Broad Turn, Pine Point, and Blue Point to be gathered into the new 6-room Dunstan school.

The first page of the photo package consists of five photos of four children[ii].


Melvin Williams – Pat Seavey – Wesley Varney – Pat Seavey – Bill Higgins
  • Melvin Williams
    • The 1940 US Census[iii] indicates that Melvin S. Williams, age 11, had completed 4th grade (suggesting he was in 5th grade in this photo). He lived on Portland Road – Route 1.
  • Pat Seavey (2 photos)
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Patricia R Seavey, age 10, had completed 4th grade (suggesting she was in 5th grade in this photo). She lived on Old Orchard Road.
  • Wesley Varney
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Wesley E Varney, age 11, had completed 4th grade (suggesting he was in 5th grade in this photo). He lived on Snow Street but lived in Portland in 1935.
  • Bill Higgins
    • My review of the 1940 US Census didn’t find a William/Bill Higgins living in Scarborough.

The second page of the photo package consists of three photos. Two are unnamed; the middle child is identified as  Gilmore Rounds.


(Unknown) – Gilmore Rounds – (Unknown)
  • Unknown Boy – School Patrol.
  • Gilmore Rounds
    • Gilmore W. Rounds was born on 27 June 1930 in Portland. I couldn’t find him in the 1940 US Census.
  • Unknown Girl.

Please comment below if you can identify these two unknown students.

The third page of the photo package consists of six photos of five students.


Norman Verrill – Juliet Gervais – Audrey David – Roberto Carter – Juliet Gervais – Mary Ferrell
  • Norman Verrill
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Norman Verrill, age 11, had completed 5th grade (suggesting he was in 6th grade in this photo). He lived on Snow Street with his uncle, Orville L. Varney.
  • Juliet Gervais (2 photos)
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Juliet Gervais, age 12, had completed 5th grade (suggesting she was in 6th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Baptice & Flerie,
  • Audrey David
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Audrey L David, age 11, had completed 4th grade (suggesting she was in 5th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Richard & Harriet David.
  • Roberta Carter
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Audrey L David, age 10, had completed 7th grade (suggesting she was in 8th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Carl & Dorothy. I believe her grade is in error, and she is more likely to have completed grade 4.
  • Mary Ferrelli
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Mary M Ferrelli, age 9, had completed 4th grade (suggesting she was in 5th grade in this photo). She lived with her mother, Alice, and stepfather, James Pinkham.

The fourth page of the photo package consists of two photos.


Marion Milliken – Ann Bradford
  • Marion Milliken
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Marion Milliken, age 11, had completed 6th grade (suggesting she was in 7th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Henry & Mac.
  • Ann Bradford
    • The 1940 US Census indicates that Anna Bradford, age 11, had completed 7th grade (suggesting she was in the 8th grade in this photo). Her grade is likely in error, and she was in the 7th grade when she was enumerated. She lived with her parents, Charles & Nora.

At this point, I am confident this album consists of students in the 5th, 6th, & 7th grades who attended Dunstan School in 1939. As such, I will only list the rest of the students by page and name.

The fifth page of the photo package consists of six photos.


Lona Plummer – Lawrence Nielsen – Gerald Gervais – Fanny Burnham – Carroll Guest – Maysel Morris
  • Lona Plummer
  • Lawrence Nielsen
  • Gerald Gervais
  • Fanny Burnham
  • Carroll Guest
  • Maysel Morris

The sixth page of the photo package consists of three photos.


Helen Soule – Priscilla Scamman – Gordan Guest
  • Helen Soule
  • Priscilla Scamman
  • Gordon Guest

The seventh page of the photo package consists of six photos of five students.


Dick Gantnier – Dick Gantnier – Raymond Skillings – Fred Leary – Rachel Whipple – Leon Plummer
  • Dick Gantnier (two photos)
  • Raymond Skillings
  • Fred Leary
  • Rachel Whipple
  • Leon Plummer

Conclusion

I am sure these photos, taken in 1939, represent the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade classes of Dunstan Grammar School. The identities of 26 of the 28 students’ photos are provided. Besides here, I uploaded these photos to the Scarborough Historical Society website.

I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before. Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the pictures with family members who may have never seen the image.

Endnotes

[i] This photo was donated to the SHS Collections and accessioned as #2023.19.55. The cover of the small, 3.85×5,” album is burgundy in color and has Class of 1939 printed on the cover and consists of 25 thumbnail photos.

[ii] Note: All Students are listed in Left to Right order with duplicates on the same page ignored.

[iii] Melvin S Williams in the 1940 United States Federal Census

 

Posted in Faces from the Past | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment