Photo Friday – Gow, Nutting, O’Donnell (née Cook), Ohl, & Oldham

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.

Betty Oldham, circa 1934.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Betty Oldham, 33 Eastern Prom. #222 – DSCN4472.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Betty Oldham, circa 1934.

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists A Elizabeth Oldham, residing at 33 E prom. Also listed is Mrs. Myrtle M Oldham residing at 120 Free.

• The 1933 Deering High School yearbook includes a photo of A. Elizabeth Oldham. That appears to be the same young woman as in this photo.
• The 1920 US Census lists the six-year-old A Elizabeth Oldham living with her grandparents, Charles and Annie Tribon, and her mother, Maude S Oldham (age 33).

This photo appears to be of Annie Elizabeth Oldham, born 18 December 1913, the daughter of Maude Stubbs (Tribou) and Frank Bertrum Oldham.

Ancestry has 16 public trees that refer to Ann Elizabeth “Betty” Oldham, born 18 Dec 1913 in Auburn, Maine. Family Search has profile LTRC-BN1 for Annie Elizabeth Oldham. I uploaded one photo of Betty to her Family Search Memories.

Confirmed to be Betty Oldham by a granddaughter.
 

Kenneth Nutting, circa 1936.

This negative envelope says, “Mr. Kenneth Nutting, 19 Hill St. #1114.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Kenneth Nutting, circa 1936.

  The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Kenneth W Nutting living at 19 Hill with his wife, Helen.

• The 1940 US Census lists the 28-year-old Kenneth and Helen living at 55 Westminster Ave.

This photo appears to be of Kenneth Willard Nutting, born 29 Jun 1911, who married Helen F Farmer.

Ancestry has 18 public trees that refer to Kenneth Willard Nutting. Family Search has profile 9VQG-PJK for Kenneth Willard Nutting. I have uploaded two photos of Kenneth to his Family Search Memories. 

Virginia Irene Ohl, circa 1934. 

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Louis Ohl, 195 Falmouth St #283.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Virginia Irene Ohl, circa 1934.

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Louis E and his wife Dorothy I Ohl, living at 195 Falmouth.

• The 1940 US Census lists 42-year-old Louis Ohl and his wife, Dorothy, living at 195 Falmouth St. with their 10-year-old daughter, Virginia Ohl.
• New Hampshire Marriage Records indicate that 20-year-old Virginia Irene Ohl married Harry Gilbert Rollins on 7 May 1950. Her mother is listed as Dorothy E. Whittaker.

I’m sure this photo is of Virginia Irene Ohl about 1934. She is the daughter of Louis and Dorothy (Whittaker) Ohl and later married Harry Gilbert Rollins.

I have not found Virginia Irene Ohl in Ancestry trees, nor have I found her in Family Search. I uploaded a photo of Virginia to Dead Fred.

Stanley Roger Gow, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. W. I. Omar #13 Lennox St #422.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Stanley Roger Gow, circa 1935.

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Walter I (Helen R) Omar living at 15 Shepley, Apt 12.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Walter I (Helen R) Omar living at 525 Wash Ave.
• The 1936 Bath City Directory lists Walter I (Helen R) Omar living at 32 South in Bath.
• The 1940 US Census places Walter and Helen in Jersey City, New Jersey. Living with them is his 11-year-old son, Stanley Gow, and two daughters, Antoinette and Emily Omar. They lived in Portland, Maine, in 1935.
• Walter Ivory Omar was born on 7 July 1903 in North Lubec, Maine; Helen Ruth “Nellie” Johnson was born on 2 March 1900 in Bath, Maine. Walter and Helen were married on 2 Jul 1933 in Newmarket, New Hampshire.
• Find-a-Grave lists Helen R. Johnson Gow Omar (March 2, 1900-September 19, 1975), the sister of Richard Johnson. That marker established she had the surname Gow
• The child in the photo appears to be a young boy, aged 6 to 10, in 1935, which fits his being Stanley.
• Stanley R Gow appears in the 1930 Census as the one-year, six-month-old grandson of John M and Nellie M Johnson, living in Bath, Maine.
• Ancestry Family Trees suggest Helen married William George Gow, Jr., about 1927 and divorced before 1930 when she married Walter Omar. Stanley R Gow was born on 15 June 1928.

This photo is of Stanley Gow, born on 15 June 1928, in 1935, when he was about seven years old.

I have not found Stanley Roger Gow in Ancestry trees, nor does he appear in Family Search profiles. I uploaded a photo of Stanley photo to Dead Fred. 

Helen O’Donnell (née Cook), circa 1936

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Helen O’Donnell, 18 Haven Rd #1010.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Helen O’Donnell (née Cook), circa 1936

  The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Patrick F and Helen C O’Donnell living at 18 Haven Road, South Portland.

• The 1940 Census indicates Helen was 38 years old during the 1940 Census, suggesting her birth was about 1902. Patrick was 45 years old. Both were born in Maine.
• Family Search Identifies Patrick F O’Donnell, born 1894 in Portland, Maine, and his wife, Helen (née Cook), born about 1903.

I am sure this is Helen O’Donnell (Née Cook), the wife of Patrick F O’Donnell and daughter of Michael Matthew Cook and Annie Elizabeth Coyne, about 1936 when she was 34 years old.

I have not found Helen Cook in Ancestry trees. However, Family Search has profile L1V3-YFD for Helen Cook, the wife of Patrick F O’Donnell. I have uploaded a photo of Helen to her Family Search Memories.

Conclusion

• I identified all five Three of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
• Two individuals did not have Family Search profiles and did not appear in any Ancestry trees, so I posted their images to Dead Fred.

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.