Photo Friday – Nides, Niles, Norton, Nugent, & Nutter.

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 typically contain the name of the person 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.

 Doris Niles (later Strout), circa 1934

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Doris Niles, 78 Anderson St #241.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Doris Niles (later Strout), circa 1934

  The 1934 and 1935 Portland City Directories list Doris I Niles as a cashier at 570 Congress and residing at 78 Anderson.

• The 1930 US Census lists Doris Niles, the 14-year-old, Canadian-born daughter of Orrie & Sadie Niles.
• In 1938 Doris married Glenwood Wilson Strout.

I believe this photo to be of Doris I Niles, born on 12 Jun 1912 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Ancestry has 16 public trees that refer to Doris Niles. Family Search has profile GSJ3-SSV for Doris Iva Niles. I have uploaded a photo of Doris to her Family Search Memories.

Confirmed to be Doris Niles Strout by a great-grandchild. 

Margaret Nugent circa 1934

The negative envelope says, “Miss Margaret Nugent, 8 Bradford St #209.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Margaret Nugent circa 1934

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Margaret G Nugent as a stenographer at 199 Kennebec, residing at 8 Bradford. Also at 8 Bradford is Martha Nugent, the widow of Richard J.

This photo is of Margaret Gertrude Nugent, daughter of Richard Joseph and Martha Tamar (Fyles) Nugent, born on 23 Jan 1914. This photo was taken in early 1934, before she married John William Casey on 11 Feb 1934.

Ancestry has 17 public trees that refer to Margaret Gertrude Nugent. Family Search has profile GQ63-8R3 for Margaret G Nugent. I uploaded two photos of Margaret to her Family Search Memories. 

Confirmed to be Margaret (“Nana”) by a granddaughter.

Nurse Nellie Norton, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Miss Nellie Norton, 139 Coyle St #612.”

What I found regarding this individual.

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  Nurse Nellie Norton, circa 1935.

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Nellie Norton as a nurse employed at 231 Woodford and residing at 20 Norwood. There is also a Nellie C Norton living at 64 Danforth.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Nellie I Norton as a dental assistant at 156 Free, room 49, residing at 92 High. The directory also lists Mrs. Lucretia W Spofford living at 139 Coyle St.
• The 1941 Portland City Directory lists Nellie Norton as a dental assistant residing at 92 High.
• The 1940 US Census does not appear to list Nellie. Living at 92 High is 51-year-old Nellie Naughton. Living with her is a sister, Mary (61), and a niece, Ann (20). Nellie is a receptionist at a doctor’s office.
• The 1940 US Census lists Nellie La Bonte, a 53-year-old Practical Nurse, living with her father, Harry H Norton, on Ridge Road in York, Maine. The 1930 Census also lists her married to Alfred, living in York, Maine.

Going back to the 1934 Portland City Directory entry, 20 Norwood is the St. Barnabas Nurses’ Home.

Alternate Individuals.

The Nellie La Bonte (née Norton) of York was 43 years old in 1930.

Nellie Naughton, of 92 High Street, was 41 years old in 1930.

The question arises if the woman in this photo, taken about 1935 in her mid to late 40s. I see the woman in the picture as being in her 20s. As such, I don’t believe it is either Nellie La Bonte or Nellie Naughton.

Conclusion

The 1930 Portland City directory does not include a Norton listed as a nurse. This photo could be of Nellie I Norton, a dental assistant in 1935; however, I’m not convinced. I believe this is Nellie Norton, a nurse at St. Barnabas Hospital in 1934; however, I’ve found no other information to identify Nellie. I have uploaded her photo to Dead Fred and to my Flickr Photostream. 

Virginia Nutter, (later Reedy, later Gierman) circa 1934

This negative envelope says, “Virginia Nutter #177.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Virginia Nutter, circa 1934.

  The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Virginia Nutter, a hairdresser who married Chauncey D Reedy.

• The 1930 US Census lists Chancey Reedy, a 24-year-old Army private, born in Tennessee and stationed at Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth.
• New Hampshire Marriage Records indicate Chauncy Reedy and Virginia M Nutter married on 21 September 1934. Virginia was 27 years old and born in Gorham, ME. She lived in Portland, and Chauncy lived at Ft. Williams. Her father was Herman H Nutter of Rumford Falls, ME, who was 54 years old and born in Gray, Maine. Her mother, Ethel Mills of Portland, Maine, was 55 years old and born in Portland, ME.

I have not found Virginia nor her parents in Ancestry trees. Chauncy D Reedy is found in six public trees; however, none of them indicate a marriage to Virginia Nutter. Likewise, I have not found Virginia’s parents in Ancestry trees, either.

On 16 Mar 1940, Virginia Nutter Reedy of Portland, ME, married George T Gierman of Ayer, MA, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland. The 1950 US Census indicates they lived at Fort Belvoir, Fairfax, Virginia. George was 36 and born in New York.

Family Search has profile GC6W-22S for Ethel L Mills circa 1879 in Maine. Also, there is a potential duplicate profile, MR9M-VJ5, for Ethel Louise Mills, born about 1878 in Portland, Maine. However, neither profile include a spouse, any children, or parents. Likewise, George Gierman, born c. 1914 in New York, appears in FamilySearch as profile GS5H-FQW. No spouse is associated with his profile.

I uploaded a photo of Virginia Nutter (later Reedy, later Gierman) circa 1934 to Dead Fred. I also uploaded two additional images of Virginia to my Flickr photostream. 

Private Nildes, USA, circa 1935.

(Possibly – Private Nields)

This negative envelope says, “Nildes.”

I could not find anyone with the Nildes surname in the Portland City Directories for 1934-1936.

Private Nildes, USA

There was a Harry C Nields, Jr, of Pasadena, California, in Army during 1943. He was born on 15 April 1907 in Pasadena. I haven’t found any info that would connect this person to the person in the photo.

I have not identified this individual, so I only include the individual’s photo here.

Conclusion

I fully identified four of the five individuals. Two of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories. Two individuals did not have a Family Search profile and did not appear in any Ancestry trees. Still, I feel comfortable with the identification, so I uploaded those photos to Dead Fred. One photo was not identifiable.

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.