Photo Friday –Williams (née White), Williamson, & Wilson

Ethel Wight Collection – Part 100

By Don Taylor

Wow, Part 100. This post is actually “Part 101” because I had two “Part 20.” I only analyzed two photo packets in the first two installments of this series. However, because I analyzed an additional five people in part 20a, with this installment, I will have analyzed 99 photo packages and shared the photos with family members through Family Search, Ancestry, Dead Fred, Flickr, and my website.

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.

Dorothy Wilson, circa 1934

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Dorothy Wilson, 16 Ponce St #227.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Dorothy Wilson, circa 1934

  The 1933 Portland City Directory lists Dorothy M Wilson, a waitress at 285a Cumberland Ave, residing at 16 Ponce. Also at 16 Ponce is a Mrs. Margaret E Wilson.[iii] Margaret is listed as the widow of Philip H Wilson.

I am confident this photo is of Dorothy May Wilson, daughter of Philip Harold and Margaret E (Lowell) Wilson, about 1934 when Dorothy was about 21 years old.

Ancestry has 11 public trees that refer to Dorothy May Wilson, born on 19 February 1913 in Gorham, Maine.  Family Search has profile G7ZL-69H for Dorothy May Wilson. I have uploaded two photos of Dorothy to her Family Search Memories. 

Eleanor Wilson, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Miss Eleanor Wilson, 300 Woodford St #562.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Eleanor Wilson, circa 1935.

  According to the 1935 Portland City Directory, Clifford Wilson and his wife Helen lived at 300 Woodford.

• The 1940 US Census lists 21-year-old Eleanor Wilson living with her parents, Clifford and Helen Wilson, at 85 Glenwood. All were born in Maine. Eleanor is listed as a “new worker.”
• The Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME) reported, on 9 Sep 1940, page 17, that Eleanor Wilson, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Clifford Wilson of Glenwood avenue (Portland), married D Edwin Christie.

I am sure this is Eleanor Wilson, born on 12 August 1918 in Portland, Maine, about 1935, when she was about 17 years old.

Alternate Individuals.

The 1935 Portland City Directory lists an Eleanor L Wilson as a stenographer at 443 Congress street, Room 412, and residing at West Falmouth. That Eleanor was born on 9 February 1914 and would have been 26 during the 1940 Census.

Ancestry has eight public trees that refer to Eleanor Wilson, daughter of Clifford and Helen (Smith) Wilson. Family Search has profile G3KG-78Q for Eleanor Wilson, born 12 August 1918. I have uploaded two photos of Eleanor to her Family Search Memories.

Stanley Williams, Circa 1935

This negative envelope says, “Mr. Stanley Williams, 77 Mackworth #611.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Stanley Williams, Circa 1935.

  The 1935 Deering High School Yearbook has a photo of Stanley W Williams. He is wearing the same suit and is clearly the same young man.

• The 1930 US Census lists Stanley Williams, the 12-year-old son of Leon and Laura Williams, living at 77 Mackworth.

This photo is clearly Stanley White Williams, the son of Leon and Laura (White) Williams, and was born on 31 October 1917 in Augusta, Kennebec, Maine.

Ancestry has five public trees that refer to Stanley White Williams. Family Search has profile LBVW-T5Y for Stanley White Williams. I have uploaded two photos of Stanley to his Family Search Memories.

Unknown Child (probably related to Grace Williamson) circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Grace Williamson, 469 Brighton Ave #684.”

What I looked at:

• 

  Unknown Child (probably related to Grace Williamson) circa 1935.

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists 2 Grace Williamsons. One is the wife of George S and lives at 51 Park, apt 12. The other, Mrs. Grace F Williamson, lives at 122 Oxford.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists two Grace Williamsons. One is the wife of George S and lives at 262 Brackett, Apt 5. The other Mrs. Grace F Williamson lives at 148 Cumberland.
• The 1935 Directory lists ten people living at 469 Brighton. None are surnamed Williamson. They are:
  1. 1. Millet Cummings Apt 4
     2. Melvin D Chatto Apt 3
     3. Philip I Tibbetts
     4. Melville R Babb Apt 6
     5. George W Goodall Apt 7
     6. Walter S Hamaker Apt 8
     7. Victor E Hewitt Apt 9
     8. Perley R McLellan
     9. Harold E MacMillan Apt 11 and
     10. Vera G Robinson. Apt 12
• The 1936 Portland City Directory available at Ancestry is missing pages 892 through 896. The Directory lists eight people living at 469 Brighton. Again, none of them have the Williamson surname. They are
  1. 1. Vera G Robinson Apt 1
     2. Lillian P Flanders Apt 2
     3. Melvin D Chatto Apt 3
     4. Alan W Titcomb Apt 5
     5. Melville R Babb Apt 6
     6. R Winthrop Andrews Apt 8
     7. Victor E Hewitt Apt 9 and
     8. Harold E MacMillan Apt 11
• The 1940 Census lists George and Grace R Williamson living with their 8-year-old daughter Constance. The couple was 35 and 30 years old, making them too young for a grandchild. It also lists a 51-year-old Grace Williamson, who lives at 104 Franklin St. No children are living with her.
• The 1930 Census lists Grace Williamson as the 41-year-old mother of 20-year-old William H Williamson. She lives at 104 Franklin Street.

Because neither Grace Williamson that I’ve discovered appear to have a relationship with 469 Brighton nor appear to have a child the age of the young girl in the photo, I cannot identify the child in this photo.

I have not identified the individual in this photo sufficiently to upload to either Family Search or Dead Fred, so I only include the individual’s image here. 

Laura Williams, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Leon N Williams, 77 Mackworth St #495.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Laura Williams, circa 1935.

  The 1930 US Census lists Leon and Laura Williams living at 77 Mackworth.

• Ancestry family trees suggest this is Laura M White, born about 16 May 1893 in Superior, Wisconsin, and is the wife of Leon N Williams.

This appears to be a photo of Laura (White) Williams, about 1935, when she was about 39 years old.

Ancestry has five public trees that refer to Laura M White.

Family Search has profile 9JBZ-17J for Laura Mary White, born 15 May 1893 in West Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin. Her profile does not include her marriage to Leon Williams nor her son, Stanley Williams, mentioned above. But I am confident this is Laura Mary White.

I have uploaded one photo of Laura to her Family Search Memories.

 Conclusion

• I fully identified four All of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
• I was unable to identify one of the images.

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 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.

[iii] There are also four other people at that address.