Dyer,  Eadon, Edgerton, Eveleth, & Fantasia

Photo Friday
By Don Taylor

This week for Photo Friday, I try to 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 of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is important to analyze the pictures and information to identify the individual therein.[ii] Ultimately, the goal is to reunite the images with family members who may have never seen the photo.

John Edward Dyer (1933-2005)

This photo is from the Ethel Wight Studio (Portland, Maine) Collection. The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. Hilda Dyer, 22 Mayo St. Portland #1021.”

John Edward Dyer

The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Merle E. Dyer, and his wife Hilda C., living at 22 Mayo. The 1940 US Census lists Merle and Hilda as having three children, John (age 6), Merle (age 3), and Pearl (age 1).

The boy in this photo appears to be about 4 or 5 years old, and the picture was likely taken before 1940, so this must be a photo of John.

John Edward Dyer was born 1 August 1933 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, to Merle E and Hilda C. Nystrom. He died on 4 August 2005.

Family Search did not have a profile for John, so I created GHLS-R3V and uploaded one photo to his profile.

Dorothy Eadon (or Eadore) ??

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. Dorothy Eadon, Me Gen Hospital, Portland #706.” Alternately, the envelope may “Miss Dorothy Eadore.”

Nurse Dorothy Ea???

Portland City Directories from 1934 through 1938 does not list anyone named Dorothy with a surname beginning with “E.” I have been unsuccessful in identifying this individual or even finding viable candidates for this nurse.

If you know of this individual, I would love to hear from you.

I have added her photo to Dead Fred.

Amy Norton (Smith) Edgerton (1878-1972)

The envelope this negative was in says, Mrs. A. S. Edgerton, 467 Stevens Ave, Portland #525 – DSCN3235P

Amy (Smith) Edgerton

The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Mrs. Amy S. Edgerton living at 467 Stevens. The 1930 Census lists Aimee Edgerton as the 51-year-old daughter of Daniel Smith, residing at 467 Stevens.

Family Search identifies Amy Norton Smith, who had married Earl Samuel Edgerton in 1905 as ID 9V6D-WFJ. I am quite sure this woman is Amy about 1935. I have uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search profile.

William Phillip Eveleth (1916-1972)

This photo is from the Ethel Wight Studio, Portland, Maine. The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. William P Eveleth, 50 Roberts St. Portland #244.”

William Phillip Eveleth

The 1935 Portland City Directory lists William P Eveleth living at 51 Roberts. The 1934 Portland High School Yearbook includes William Philip Eveleth, and the photo is clearly of the same person. The 1930 US Census finds 14-year-old W. Phillip Evelyth living with his father, Robert H. Evelyth, (apparent) mother, and three sisters.

Family Search has a profile for William, LT1W-W25. I have uploaded two photos of him there and one more to my Flickr photostream.

Frederick Fantasia (1912-1996)

This negative envelope says, “Frederick Fantasia, 94 Smith St, Portland #201.”

Frederick Fantasia,

The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Fred J. Fantasia living at 94 Smith.

The 1930 Census has the Fantasia family living at 94 Smith with Antonio and his wife, Antonette. With them are seven children, including their 17-year-old son, Fred.

This photo was probably taken about 1934 or 1935 when Frederick was about 21 or 22 years old. The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Fred’s job as a messenger at 8 Preble. The Postal Telegraph and Cable Company had an office at 8 Preble. So, it appears that the hat and coat Frederick is wearing is from his messenger job.

Frederick Fantasia has a Family Search profile, G925-5LC as Alfred G. Fantasia, born 19 October 1912, died 2 April 1996. I have uploaded his picture to his profile.

Conclusion

I had:

• Four successful identifications where I could post images to Family Search for the family to find.
• I posted one photo to Dead Fred.

Final Note

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.

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.