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.

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Eleanor Pinkham, Nursing Student, circa 1934.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Eleanor Pinkham – St Barnabas Hospital #364.” This photo is of a woman, about 20, in a student nurse’s uniform.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Eleanor Pinkham as a student nurse at 231 Woodford (St. Barnabas Hospital).
• The 1932 Portland City Directory lists Eleanor M Pinkham as a maid working and living at 686 Brighton av.
• The Maine Marriage Index lists Eleanor M Pinkham and James Y Kinmond (of Westbrook) as marrying on 21 Sep 1935.

Based upon Ancestry Family Trees, I believe this to be Eleanor May Pinkham, born 9 Aug 1913, died 5 Dec 2004, who married James Young Kinmond on 21 Sep 1935, about 1934, when she attended nursing school.

Ancestry has 14 public trees that refer to Eleanor Pinkham. Family Search has profile LBWV-J3Z for Eleanor May Pinkham. I have uploaded a photo of Eleanor to her Family Search Memories.

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Viola Amelia Plummer, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says “Miss Viola Plummer, 17 Spruce St #616” and appears to be of a woman in her 20s.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Viola A Plummer as a nurse working and residing at 17 Spruce.
• The 1930 US Census lists Viola A Plummer as a 19-year-old student nurse at the Maine General Hospital. She and her father were born in Maine; her mother was born in Canada (English).

I am confident this photo is of Viola Amelia Plummer, born 1 Dec 1910 in Portland, Maine, and died 30 Nov 2007, about 1935.

Ancestry has ten public trees that refer to Viola Amelia Plummer. Family Search has profile LK9L-BFZ for Viola. I have uploaded a photo of her to her Family Search Memories.

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Esther Pierce (née Garland), circa 1946.

This negative envelope says “Mrs. Esther Pierce – 1948” and appears to be of a woman in her forties standing in front of a house.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1950 US Census lists 52-year-old Ester Pierce living with her daughter, Barbara Wilbur, at 113 Stevens ave. Ester was born in New Hampshire and was divorced.
• The 1940 US Census lists 42-year-old Esther Pierce, born about 1898 in New Hampshire and married to James F Pierce. They lived with their four children at 3 Runnells Street.
• The Portland Evening Press, 5 Sep 1944, reported on page 16 that Esther G Pierce divorced J. Fred Pierce. They married on 18 Sep 1922 in East Boston, Mass.

I am confident this photo is of Esther Louise Pierce (née Garland), born on 21 Jan 1898 in Nashua, New Hampshire, to Charles C and Mildred Anna Garland.

This is a reproduction photo that was probably reproduced in 1948. I suspect it was taken between 1944 and 1948.

Ancestry has 43 public trees that refer to Esther L Garland, born on 21 Jan 1898 and died on 18 Jun 1983. Family Search has profile KL3Y-R23 for Esther Louise Garland. I have uploaded this photo of Esther to her Family Search Memories.

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Olive Isabelle Pinkham (née Haines), circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Isabelle Pinkham, 19 Concord St, #770.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists James A and Olive I Pinkham living at 19 Concord.
• The Maine Marriage Index lists James A Pinkham and Olive I Haines as married on 21 June 1922; Both lived in Portland.

I am sure this photo is of Olive Isabelle Pinkham (née Haines) circa 1935 when she was about 37 years old.

Ancestry has 38 public trees that refer to Isabelle Olive Hanes, born 19 Dec 1898. Family Search has profile LY94-3TT for Olive Isabelle Haines. I have uploaded a photo of Isabelle to her Family Search Memories.

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Robert “Bob” Pillsbury, Marine, circa 1944

This negative envelope says, “Pillsbury Copy 1944.” It is a photo of a photo of a man in his 20s wearing a Marine uniform. The folder is inscribed “To My Darling Wife, Love Bob.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• My look at The US Department of Veterans Affairs Death Files found the following:
  • Robert A Pillsbury (1920-1972) Army 1943-1944.
• • Robert C Pillsbury (1921-1977) UNK 1942-1945.
• • Robert D Pillsbury (1918-1998) Army 1946-1974.
• • Robert F Pillsbury (1920-1985) Marines 1942-1943.
• • Robert H Pillsbury (1925-1990) Navy 1943-1946).
• • Robert L Pillsbury (1922-1984) Army 1943-1943.
• • Robert W Pillsbury (1926-2004) Navy 1944-1946).
• Hugh Robert Pillsbury (1924-1998) Army 1943-1945).
• Further research found that Robert Farnsworth Pillsbury of Saco married Alice Irene Downs of Old Orchard Beach on 29 June 1944.

As Robert Farnsworth Pillsbury was

• The only “Bob” Pillsbury I have found who was a Marine during WW II.
• Robert was discharged from the U.S. Marine Air Corps “several months” before his marriage to Alice.[iii]
• Robert lived in the Greater Portland, Maine, area and likely had the photo reproduced at Ethel Wight’s Ocean Park (Old Orchard Beach) office.

I am confident this is Robert Farnsworth Pillsbury, born 27 Jul 1920 in Saco to Fitzroy Farnsworth and Ruby M (Davis) Pillsbury.

Ancestry has 13 public trees that refer to Robert Farnsworth Pillsbury. Family Search has profile L1RY-9F5 for Robert. I have uploaded this photo of him to his Family Search Memories.

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Conclusion

One individual did not have a Family Search profile and did not appear in any Ancestry trees. I uploaded those photos here and to my Flickr Photostream.

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.

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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] Biddeford Daily Journal, June 30, 1944, page eight, column 2, “Alice Downs is Bride of R. F. Pillsbury” (via NewspaperArchive). The Biddeford Daily Journal, July 5, 1944 shows of photo of Robert and Alice. The image is mislabeled; however, there is a correction in the July 6^th newspaper that corrects Robert’s name. It is clearly the same person as is in this photo.