“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspaper articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited to find a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
This week from the Freeport Journal(Freeport, Ill.) newspaper dated August 4, 1926, I learned that Donna played at the Lindo Theatre
Advertisements
Pages 5 and 14 of the paper had clippings showing the Donna Darling Revue was at the Lindo “Tonight and Tomorrow.” It looks like she may have been the only vaudeville show along with a 50-minute silent comedy thriller, “The Savage,” starring Ben Lyon and May McAvoy.
Roberts-Barnes-Taft-Sutherland-Lewis Line
By Don Taylor
Lewis is a common name with many different potential sources. It may be an Americanized form of the French Louis, Irish Mac Loughaidh, or Welsh Llywelyn. As my Lewis ancestors appear to have been English, it most likely from the Middle English and Old English personal name Lewis.[i]
Direct Surname Ancestors
I have two independent sources of Lewis ancestors. Both Mercy Eliza Taft’s parents have Lewis ancestors, but they do not appear related.
2nd Great-grandmother, Mercy Eliza Taft (1822-1884) paternal ancestors include my:
4th Great-grandmother: Mary Lewis (1771-1804) * Note Footnote [iii]
5th Great-grandfather: Morris Lewis (1733-1807) *
6th Great-grandfather: Isaac Lewis, Sr (1701-1749) *
My Lewis’ in History
Patriot
Mary (Lewis) Taft’s (1714-1795) husband, Stephen Taft, was a lieutenant in the Militia in Massachusetts.[iv] Her father, Samuel Lewis, III, died before the Revolution,
Immigrant Ancestor
1. Mary (Lewis) Taft’s father, Samuel Lewis (1684-1760), was probably born in Middlesex County. Massachusetts Bay Colony (MBC).
His father, Samuel Lewis (1641-1698), was born in Charlestown, MBC.
His father may have been John Lewis (1603-1657). If so, he immigrated to MBC about 1635, probably from England.
2. Mary (Lewis) Sutherland (1771-1804) was born in Dutchess County, New York. Her father, Morris Lewis (1733-1807), was likely born in Massachusetts Colony.
His father, Isaac Lewis, Sr. (1701-1749), was also born in Massachusetts Colony.
His father may have been Barachiah Lewis, born 1663, in MBC.
His father may have been John Lewis, born in 1635 in MBC.
Finally, his father may have been William Lewis, Jr, born in 1599 in England. He immigrated to the MBC in 1635 or 1636.
Both of my immigrant Lewis ancestors were apparently from England and came to America during the “Great Puritan Migration” of 1620 to 1640.
Today
I haven’t discovered any of my “Lewis Cousins” yet. However, I’m sure I’ll find more as I continue to research my Roberts/Lewis ancestors.
Geography
2014 – Snapshot in Time
The vast majority of Lewis in the World today (actually 2014) live in the United States; most live in Texas, California, and Florida. The greatest incidence of Lewis’s is in Louisiana (1 person in 298).
Famous Lewis’s
There are many famous Lewis. From entertainer Jerry Lewis to author C. S. Lewis. From explorer Meriwether Lewis to Abisha Lewis, Jr. & Sr. (both of whom are Revolutionary War Patriots).
Studies, Societies, & Key Lewis Websites
Lewis is not in my Y-DNA or mtDNA, so studies relating to those DNA groups will not help my genealogical research. Because my closest Lewis ancestor is a 4th great-grandmother, the closest relation I’d have living today would be a 5th cousin. A 5th cousin and I would typically share only 25 cM and fall within the range of 0 to 117 cM. Ancestry indicates they have six matches for me that have the surname of Lewis and share 25 cM or More. None of them have a public family tree extending into the 1700s.
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 the individual portrayed in the image. As such, 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.
Miss Goldie Modes, circa 1935.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Goldia Modes, 197 Franklin St #759.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Miss Goldie Modes, circa 1935.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Goldie I Modes residing at 197 Franklin. Also living at 197 Franklin were Harry S Modes and Hyman T (and wife Alice) Modes.
The 1910 Census lists Hyman and Alice Modes. Living with them is their 11-year-old daughter, Goldie, and their 15-year-old son, Harry, all residing at 197 Franklin.
I believe this photo is of Goldie I Modes, born 23 April 1908 in Russia, the daughter of Hyman and Alice (Antin) Modes, about 1935, before she married Myer Pachowsky in 1936.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Margaret Moody, St. Barnabas Hospital #574.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Margaret C Moody, Nurse, circa 1935.
The 1933 and 1934 Portland City Directories list Margaret C Moody as a Student Nurse.
The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Margaret C Moody as a Graduate Nurse.
I have not found Nurse Margaret Moody in records after 1936.
Suspected Identification:
There is a Margaret Clara Moody, born in Monroe, Waldo County, Maine, on 16 Oct 1913 to Harold E and Lucy M Moody. She married Donald A Pratt on 14 November 1936 in Falmouth, ME. Her marriage would answer why she doesn’t appear in any later City Directories. However, I have been unable to find any references to this Margaret being a nurse. I suspect this is Margaret Clara Moody but can’t prove it. Hopefully, a family member will be able to identify her and let me know.
Ancestry has 26 public trees that refer to Margaret Clara Moody. Because of this, I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred.
Confirmed to be Margaret Moody by a nephew. Margaret first married to Donald Pratt, later married to James Babine. She died on December 2, 1993 in Zephyrhills, Florida.
Alton Moody, circa 1934.
This negative envelope says, “Mr. Alton Moody, 471 Auburn St #221.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Alton Moody, circa 1934.
The 1930 US Census lists Alten E Moody living at 471 Auburn St in Portland. He is living with his parents, Aquila A and Lucinda A Moody.
Maine Birth Records identify Alton Elwood Mood, born 5 Jan 1911, in Portland as the son of Aquila E and Lucinda A Moody.
This photo is of Alton Moody, born 5 January 1911.
Stewart & Irving Modes, circa 1935 (ages 6 and 3).
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Jos. Modes, 119 Grant St. #407.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
and 3).
The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Joseph L and Rose H Modes living at 119 Grant.
The 1940 US Census lists Joseph and Rose Modes living at 724 Linwood Ave. Besides a 13-year-old daughter (Sonia), they have two sons, Stuart and Irving, ages 11 and 8.
I am confident this photo is of Stuart and Irving about 1935 when they were six and three years old.
Neither Stuart nor Irving appear to be in Ancestry public trees. However, his father, Joseph L Modes, is found in 11 public trees. Family Search does not have a profile for Stuart; however, Irving has profile GDTP-S36. I have uploaded a photo of the two of them to Irving’s Family Search Memories. I also uploaded a second photo of the boys to my Flickr Photostream.
Arthur & Lewis Montpelier, circa 1936 (ages 5 & 3).
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Camile Montepiler, 23 Anderson St #845.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Euseb and Marie L Montpelier living at 23 Anderson. Also at that address is Yvonne F Montpelier, a music teacher.
The 1930 US Census lists Engel Montpellier living with his wife, Mary L, daughter Yvonne, and 24-year-old son Camille.
The 1940 US Census finds 33-year-old Camille, his wife Alice, and three sons, Arthur G (age 9), Lewis C (age7), and Peter C (age 1), living in Norway, Oxford County, Maine. All (except Peter) lived in Portland in 1935.
The BIRLS Death File indicates that Lewis was born on 6 March 1933.
This photo was taken about 1936 when Arther was five and Lewis about three.
Lewis C Montpelier (1933-1999) is found in 4 Ancestry public trees. Arthur does not appear in any public trees. Lewis is ID GMRX-JV9 on FamilySearch. Arthur does not appear to have a FamilySearch profile. I posted this photo of the two boys to Lewis’ Family Search Memories.
Conclusion
I fully identified Six of the seven individuals in these photos. Four appear in Ancestry trees, so I’ll contact some of their potential family. Two of them do not appear in Ancestry trees, but their father does. I will contact their possible family also.
Four individuals have FamilySearch profiles, so I uploaded their photos there. Two did not have photos, but their sibling did have a family search profile.
One person I was uncertain about them, although I do have the person’s name. Because of the uncertainty, I uploaded her image to Dead Fred.
One individual did not have a Family Search profile and did not appear in any Ancestry trees. I uploaded those photos here and to my Flickr Photostream.
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.
Due to software limitations, the images uploaded to Family Search, Dead Fred, and Flickr have a higher image quality than the images linked here.
For all postings of the Ethel Wight Collection, please see here.
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.
I’m looking at an advertising sheet from the Donna Darling Collection for Treasure Chest Thursday. The sheet includes photos of Donna and Sammy. It appears it may have been for “The Artist’s Paper.” It mentions that Donna Darling and Sammy Clark booked solid – Orpheum and Affiliated Circuits in their new Revue, assisted by Babe Barring, Hal Dixon, and Steve Lazur.
I have cropped, edited, and sized the photo for the web..
Key features:
Photos of Sammy and Donna.
Their act was in the Orpheum Circuit
Also in the act were Babe Barrington, Hal Dixon, and Steve Lazur.
Analysis
The Donna Darling Revue with Sammy Clark started in April 1926. Their first show together was on April 8, 1926, at Keeney’s Livingston Theatre in Brooklyn, New York.
The Orpheum Circuit was a chain of vaudeville theaters that operated through 1927. It merged with the Keith-Albee-Orpheum corporation and later became part of RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum). The Orpheum Circuit was a booking agency that worked to assure similar acts weren’t on the playbill simultaneously and that shows were only at one theater during a season. If Donna and Sammy were in the Orpheum Circuit, I would expect they would likely only play theaters in that system.
The act included Babe Barrington, Hal Dixon, and Steve Lazur. It appears the three joined the Donna Darling Revue with Sammy Clark began in April 1926.
Donna Darling Collection – Part 89. Barring, Lezure, & Hal Dixon on the piano were mentioned in a clipping from August or September 1926 when they played at the Novelty Theater, Topeka, Kansas.
Donna Darling Collection – Part 50. Raring [sic], Lazur, and Hal Dixon supported the show at the Monache Theatre in Porterville, California, on October 19, 1926.
Donna Darling Collection – Part 40. Barring, Lazur, and Hal Dixon supported the show at the Grand Theatre, Great Falls, Montana, on November 26-27, 1926.
Donna Darling Collection – Part 31. Barring, Lazur, and Hal Dixon supported the show at the D & R Theatre in Aberdeen, Washington, on November 16-17, 1926.
Donna Darling Collection – Part 27. Barring, Lazure, and Hal Dixon assisted in the act at the Colonial Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, on December 19, 1926.
Donna in Bridgeport, CT, at Poli’s – June 30-July2, 1927. Hal Dixon appears to be part of “Modern Vaudeville Frolics” that played at Poli’s in Bridgeport, Connecticut, June 30-July 2, 1927. However, it seems that may have been a one-time title for the show, and it was the Donna Darling Review in May and later in July 1927.
Conclusion
This advertising flyer is probably from April 1926.
Besides Donna and Sammy, the act was assisted by Babe Barrington (Possibly Barring), Hal Dixon, and Steve Lazur (or Lazure). Hal Dixon played piano for the Donna Darling Review.
My paternal grandfather, Bert Allen Roberts, was born in Sesser, Franklin County, Illinois, on 7 September 1903, the third child of Hugh Ellis and Clora Dell (Scott) Roberts. I already had a copy of Hugh’s delayed birth certificate, but I thought I’d see if there were any other birth records from the county during the time.
FamilySearch has many records and images available for Franklin County Births. The certificates from 1900 to 1904 are indexed, so I looked at all the birth records regarding Roberts’s children during that time.
Because of this resource, I could add birth records for two of Bert’s siblings (Harry & Carrie) and three of his 1st cousins. There were three other Roberts children born between 1900 and 1904 in Franklin County; however, they are probably unrelated.
Bert Allen Roberts’ Birth Certificate, courtesy FamilySearch
Endnotes
[i] Thomas Jackson Roberts (1870-1928) is the son of George Anderson Roberts (1823-1900), who is also unknown and probably unrelated.
[ii] Sarah A Roberts (1874-1963) is the daughter of Reuben Derrith Roberts, Jr. (1834-1883), who is also unknown and probably unrelated.
[iii] Keziah “Kizzie” Frances Roberts is the daughter of James Roberts (1813-1900), who is also unknown and probably unrelated.
“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspaper articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited to find a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
Pages 5 and 14 of the paper had clippings showing the Donna Darling Revue was at the Lindo “Tonight and Tomorrow.” It looks like she may have been the only vaudeville show along with a 50-minute silent comedy thriller, “The Savage,” starring Ben Lyon and May McAvoy.
