52 Ancestors – Week 2018-09
By Don Taylor

Ethel May Carr was born, raised, and married in Somerville, Massachusetts. After marriage, she and her husband settled in Hingham, Massachusetts for several years. After their four children were born, she and her husband moved to Maine, first to Portland then out to Peak’s Island. She was widowed at the age of 71 and died 21 years later at the age of 92.

Blanchard Project 2018 – Ancestor BU11

List of Grandparents

• Grandmother: Priscella May Newcomb
• 1^st Great-grandmother: Ethel May Carr
• 2^nd Great-grandfather: John Harvey Carr

Ethel May Carr Newcomb (1885-1977)

Ethel May Carr was born on 23 Sep 1885 in Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. She was one of 14 children of John Harvey and Mary Ann (O’Mara) Carr. I have not discovered information on three of Ethel’s siblings that died before 1900, but her other ten siblings are:

Certainly, six siblings who died young would have had a significant impact on her life. Adding to that tragedy in her life was the death of her father, John Harvey Carr, sometime before 1900. Her mother is identified as a widow and head of household in the 1900 Census.

Marriage

When she was 17, she married Horace Upton Newcomb, son of Alexander Newcomb and Amelia Jane Allen, on 07 Sep 1903 in Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Geo. Whitaker, Minister of the Gospel, from Cambridge, MA, performed the ceremony.

Ethel and Horace were blessed with four children, namely:

• Horace Arthur Newcomb
• Priscilla May Newcomb
• Theodore H Newcomb
• Hugh Earl Newcomb

In contrast to her mother, Ethel only saw the death of one of her children; Hugh died in 1960 at the age of 50.

Shortly after their marriage Ethel and Horace moved to Hingham, MA. Sometime after 1910 and before 1918, Ethel and Horace moved to Maine. They lived at 14 North Street, Portland.

The 1920 Census indicates that they lived at 144 North Street. At first, I thought there might be a mistake in their address. However, I learned that the current 14 North Street was built in 1920. Today, 144 North Street is another much newer building, so I suspect they did live at both those addresses, but neither building still exist.

In 1927, Ethel and Horace acquired property on Peaks Island. The couple lived on Peaks Island until the death of Horace in 1956. After Horace’s death, Ethel moved to the mainland and in 1957 lived at 7 Avon Place in Portland.

Story

Although Ethel was born in the United States, women who married aliens took on the citizenship of their spouse. So, the effect of marrying Horace was that she became a Canadian Citizen. She renounced and abjured allegiance to King Edward and became a citizen of the United States once again on 7 April 1936. Her husband became a citizen of the United States nine months later, on 5 January 1937.

Death

Marker – Horace U & Ethel M Newcomb

Ethel died in Brunswick, Maine on 19 March 1977 at the age of 91. She was buried with Horace at Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland.

Sources:

• 1900 Census (FS), Family Search, Mary Carr – Somerville, Middlesex, Massachusetts – ED 929, Sheet 10. “United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9TX-8KW : accessed 19 February 2018), Ralph S Carr in household of Mary Carr, Somerville city Ward 2, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 929, sheet 10B, family 208, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,665. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9TX-8KW.
• 1910 Census (NARA), Family Search, Horace Newcomb – Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts. “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2K8-RN7 : accessed 13 October 2017), Horace Newcomb, Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1217, sheet 18A, family 427, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 612; FHL microfilm 1,374,625.
• 1920 Census (NARA), Family Search, Horace W Newcomb – Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States. “United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFZ8-CSZ : accessed 13 October 2017), Horace W Newcomb, Portland Ward 1, Cumberland, Maine, United States; citing ED 28, sheet 3A, line 40, family 57, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 639; FHL microfilm 1,820,639.
• Find a Grave, Find A Grave, Ethyl May Carr Newcomb (1885-1977) – Memorial 132642017. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 February 2018), memorial page for Ethel May Carr Newcomb (23 Sep 1885–19 Mar 1977), Find A Grave Memorial no. 132642017, citing Brooklawn Memorial Park, Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, USA ; Maintained by townsendburial (contributor 47629974). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132642017#.
• Find a Grave, Find A Grave, Horace Upton Newcomb – Memorial #132641945. https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=132641945.
• Find a Grave, Find A Grave, Theodore H. Newcomb, Sr. (1907-1986). Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 16 December 2017), memorial page for Theodore H. Newcomb, Sr (1907–1986), Find A Grave Memorial no. 168925076, citing Melrose Cemetery, Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Jody Payne (contributor 47680228). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168925076/theodore-h.-newcomb.
• Maine, Federal Naturalization Records, 1787-1952, Ancestry, Ethel May Newcomb – Petition. Source Citation – National Archives at Boston; Waltham, Massachusetts; ARC Title: Petitions and Records of Naturalization, 1790 – 11/1945; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=MENaturalizationRecordsOrigs&indiv=try&h=1081569.
• Maine, Federal Naturalization Records, 1787-1952, Ancestry, Horace Upton Newcomb – Petition. Source Citation National Archives at Boston; Waltham, Massachusetts; ARC Title: Petitions and Records of Naturalization, 1790 – 11/1945; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=MENaturalizationRecordsOrigs&indiv=try&h=1081569.
• Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-­1915, Priscilla May Newcomb. Citing this Record “Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639­1915,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F429­CF8 : 4 December 2014), Priscilla May Newcomb, 06 Aug 1905; citing , 18­13; FHL microfilm 2,080,164.
• Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Family Search, Horace Arthur Newcomb – 5 Dec 1903. “Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch : 1 March 2016), Horace V. Newcomb in entry for Horace Arthur Newcomb, 05 Dec 1903, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; citing reference ID #p 309, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,057,436. https://(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXFK-CG6.
• Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Family Search, Hugh Earl Newcomb. “Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch ( : 9 August 2017), Hugh Earl Newcomb, 20 Dec 1909, , Hingham, Massachusetts, United States; citing reference ID #p 184 no77, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,253. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXJN-V2N.
• Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, Family Search, Theodore Harvey Newcomb – 19 Aug 1907. “Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXJQ-PNN : 1 March 2016), Theodore Harvey Newcomb, 19 Aug 1907, Hingham, , Massachusetts; citing reference ID #52, Massachusetts Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,133.
• Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915, Family Search, Horace Newcomb & Ethel May Carr. “Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N44B-531 : 30 July 2017), Horace Allen Newcomb and Ethel May Carr, 07 Sep 1903; citing , Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,057,588.
• Social Security Death Index (SSA), Family Search, Ethel Newcomb [Carr] (1885-1977). Source Citation
Number: 004-64-6432; Issue State: Maine; Issue Date: 1973. https://Ancestry.com.
• S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry, Portland, Maine – 1957 – Page 520 – Newcomb. Original data: Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=USDirectories&indiv=try&h=901185029.
• United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Family Search, Horace Upton Newcomb – Portland, Cumberland, Maine. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZFY-G9Z.

Endnotes

[i] Interestingly enough, 11 years after Horace and Ethel were married, Horace’s brother, Hugh, and Ethel’s sister, Berlada, were married. It was Berlada’s second marriage.