Photo Friday – Five Smiths

Ethel Wight Collection – Part 134
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. Analyzing the pictures and information is vital 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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Elna Smith, Nursing Student, Circa 1934

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Elna Smith, St. Barnabas Hospital #332.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1934 and 1935 Portland City Directories list Elna Smith, a student nurse at 231 Woodford (St. Barnabas Hospital). The 1932 Portland City Directory indicates that Elna Smith was a student nurse at Maine General Hospital.
• The 1940 US Census lists two Elna Smiths that were nurses. Both were married and could not be this Elna. There are 112 Elna Smiths listed in the 1940 US Census.
• The 1930 US Census lists two Elna Smiths in Maine; Elna B Smith, a 56-year-old married woman, and 17-year-old Elna O Smith, the daughter of Laura A Smith, living in Roque Bluffs, Washington County. Elna O. might be the correct person. However, Elna O didn’t marry until 1946, and I have been unable to find her in the 1940 Census.

Although I am sure this is Elna Smith, which of several different Elnas I can’t determine. As such, I uploaded a photo of her to Dead Fred.

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Eudora Smith, circa 1934.

This negative envelope says, “Miss Eudora Smith, 390 Park Ave #66.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1930 US Census lists Eudora Smith, the 9-year-old daughter of Albert D and Letha Smith, living at 390 Park Avenue.
• Ancestry Trees suggest this is Eudora Vera Smith, born 8 Oct 1920 in Portland, Maine.
• This photo was taken in 1934 when Eudora was about 14 years old.

Ancestry has 14 public trees that refer to Eudora. Family Search has profile GZHV-W2D for Vera Eudora Smith, daughter of Albert D and Letha Vietta (Beverage) Smith. I uploaded a photo of Eudora to her Family Search Memories. I also uploaded two more pictures of her to my Flickr Photostream.

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Gladys E Smith (of Bangor), circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Miss Gladys E Smith ℅ C. W. Page, Hampden Highlands, Me #670.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1935 Bangor City Directory lists Charles W Page living on Kennebec road, near Newburgh line – PO HH, RD 1. His Post office was Hampden Highlands, and he had Rural Delivery.
• The 1930 US Census lists Gladys E Smith, the 15-year-old daughter of Purdy J and Natalie I Smith.
• Gladys Esther Smith was born on 4 Jan 1915 in Bangor, Maine, to Purdy Joseph and Natalie Isabelle (Gilman) Smith.

I believe this photo is of Gladys Esther Smith in 1935 when she was about 20 years old.

Ancestry has 15 public trees that refer to Gladys Esther Smith. Family Search has profile GVSW-XYW for Gladys. I have uploaded a photo of Gladys to her Family Search Memories.

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Lucille Smith, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Miss Lucille Smith, 392 St. John St #606.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Lucille M Smith living at 393 St. John. She is a clerk at 570 Congress. Also at 392 St John are Everett C Smith and his wife, C Jean.
• A photo of Lucille M Smith in the 1933 Deering High School yearbook includes a photo of what appears to be the same young woman.
• Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Lucille Smith, daughter of Everett C and Christine Jean (Taylor) Smith.

This photo of Lucille was taken in 1935, probably just before she married George P Comas on 21 Apr 1935.

Ancestry has ten public trees that refer to Lucille M Smith (later Comas, later Calderwood).  Family Search has profile MGHM-K5N for Lucille Mae Smith, born 28 Sep 1915 to  Everett and Christine (Taylor0 Smith. I uploaded a photo of Lucille to her Family Search Memories.

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Richard Smith, circa 1936 (age 9).

This negative envelope says, “Mr. Leavitt Smith, 66 Smith St #1049 – DSCN4904P.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1930 US Census lists Leavitt R Smith living at 66 Smith Street. His wife, Gertrude, son Richard, and father-in-law Eugene A Reardon live with him. Richard is three years old.
• The 1940 US Census places the Smith family in Westbrook.

I am sure this photo is of Richard, taken in 1936 when he was about nine.

I have not found Richard in Ancestry trees. However, his father, Leavitt, is in five public Ancestry trees. Family Search has profile G372-Q99 for Richard R Smith, son of Leavitt and Gertrude (Reardon) Smith. According to Family Search, Richard died in 1983. I have uploaded a photo of him to his Family Search Memories.

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Conclusion

• I identified all five individuals. Four have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories. I was unable to identify the individual in one photo fully. I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred

I will love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. 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 higher quality than those 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.