Ethel Wight Collection – Part 50

Gordon, Graffam, Graham, Grant, Grove. (née Dyer & née Jenkins)

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

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 of 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.

Helen Graffam, circa 1937

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Helen Graffam, 62 State St., Portland #937.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Helen Graffam, circa 1937

  The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Helen D. Graffam as a student nurse at 62 State, residing at 52 State.

• The photo of Helen Dickerson Graffam in the 1933 South Portland High School yearbook is clearly the same young woman.
• The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Helen D. Graffam living at 80 Highland av, South Portland. At the same address are Walter I. Graffam, his wife Lindora Graffam, and Irving H Graffam.
• The 1930 US Census shows 17-year-old Helen Graffam living with her parents, Irving and Dora Graffam, at 80 Highland Ave.

Thus, this is a photo of Helen Dickinson Graffam, born on 28 March 1913 in South Portland to Walter Irving and Grace Lindora (Brown) Graffam.

Family Search identifies Helen Dickinson Graffam, born 28 March 1913, as ID GSYH-Q28. Helen Dickinson Graffam appears in 7 Ancestry trees.

I have uploaded two photos of Helen to her Family Search Memories. I also uploaded two additional photos of her to my Flickr photostream. 

Error, this is the daughter of Irving and Dora Graffam, not the daughter of Walter and Grace Graffam. I will look at this individual’s identification sometime in the future. 

Harry Grove

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. Harry Grove, Portland.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Harry Grove

  A search for Harry Grove in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, 1930 to 1940 failed to yield any results.

• Expanding the search outside of Maine yielded Harry Grove, who lived in Québec, Canada, in 1940.
• Further expanding the search to all US in 1930 yielded over 100 Harry Grove’s in the United States. Many of them fit the likely age of this Harry Grove’s.
• Likewise, there are over 100 Harry Grove’s in the 1940 Census, but none of them appear to have been in Maine during 1935.

I was unable to separate this Harry Grove from others in the United States and Canada. As such, I have added his photo to Dead Fred.

Gladys I. (Dyer) Graham, circa 1936.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. Gladys Graham, 335 Cumberland Ave, Portland #701.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Gladys Graham (née Dyer) – 1936

  The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Malcolm and Gladys Graham living at 295 Cumberland Ave., Apt 4.

• The 1936 Portland City Directory Available on Ancestry is missing page 388, which is the page Malcolm and Gladys Graham should be listed.
• The 1940 US Census lists Malcolm and Gladys living in Old Town, Penobscot County, Maine. Malcolm is 30, and Gladys is 28.
• Based upon the photo ID number (#701), the photo was probably taken about 1936, when Gladys would have been about 25 years old.

The woman in the photo appears to be in her mid-20s to me. I believe this is Gladys I Dyer, daughter of Charles William and Lillian (Mudgett) Dyer.

Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Gladys Dyer. However, Gladys I Dyer is found in 10 Ancestry trees

I have uploaded one photo of Gladys I. (Dyer) Graham to Dead Fred. 

William Harlan Grant, circa 1936 (Age 2)

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. Clarence G. Grant, 210 High St., Portland #1077.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  William Harlan Grant, circa 1936 (Age 2)

  The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Clarence G and his wife Wilhelmina S, Grant, living at 210 High Street.

• The 1940 US Census lists Clarence G and Wilhelmine Grant living at 170 Park Avenue. With them is their five-year-old son, William H. Grant.
• William H. Grant was born on 28 December 1934 to Clarence and Wilhelmina (Stewart) Grant.

This is undoubtedly a photo of William Harlan Grant about 1936 when his about two years old.

Family Search does not appear to have a profile for William Harlan Grant, born 28 December 1934; however, he appears in 10 Ancestry trees. His parents and two siblings appear in Family Search so that a profile can be made for him on Family Search by a family member.

I have uploaded a copy of this photo of William Harlan Grant to Dead Fred. 

Susan Gordan (Née Jenkins), 1946

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mrs. Susan Gordan, 48 Boston Street, Somerville, 43 Mass – 1946.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Susan Gordan (Née Jenkins), 1946

  The 1940 US Census lists Susan Gordon, a 72-year-old widow living at 48 Boston Street in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is living there with her sister, Jennie Turnbull, and her niece, Virginia Turnbull.

• Susan F (Jenkins) Gordon of Somerville died in Somerville, 3 March 1948. She was the widow of Frank W. Gordon. 1948.
• Susie Jenkins was born about 1868 in Nova Scotia. Her parents were Thomas and Christina Jenkins. She married Frank on 2 August 1892 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Family Search identifies Susan (Jenkins) Gordon as ID LZNM-CKV. I was unable to find Susan or her parents in any Ancestry family trees.

I have uploaded this photo of Susan (Jenkins) Gordon to her Family Search Memories.

Conclusion

• I fully identified four individuals and was able to post two of their images to Family Search Two individuals did not have Family Search profiles, so I posted those photos to Dead Fred.
• Other than his name, I failed to identify one individual; consequently, I only posted his photo here and to Dead Fred.

For all of the Ethel Wight Collection analysis, please see here.

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.