Photo Friday – Brown, Curtis (née Pednault), Dean, & Dinsmore.

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 016
By Don Taylor

This week, for Photo Friday, I identified the people in five photos from the Linwood Dyer Collection. This collection includes hundreds of photos, documents, and genealogies of people who lived in Scarborough, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. My desire is to analyze the images and reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image. The originals in this collection are held by the Scarborough Historical Society.

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Newton & Grace (Pednault) Curtis, 1966.

The photo identifying information includes:

• (The photographer is unidentified.)
• Handwritten on the back is, “Newton Curtis, 164 Marrett – w-brook.”
• Included with the photo is a newspaper clipping from the Portland Express, dated Feb 18, 1966, “Westbrook Business Couple Mark 25 Years of Marriage.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The photo is the same photo as was in the newspaper article.
• I researched Newton & Grace in Photo Friday – Curtis (née Pednault) previously, so I am familiar with them.

I added this photo to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree on Ancestry.

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Newton Curtis Family & Martha Brown, 1951(?)

The photo identifying information includes:

• Handwritten on the back is, “Grace Pednault Curtis, Newton Curtis, their 3 children
• Stephen, Carolyn, Newt JR & cousin Martha Brown about 1951.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• Previous research has identified this family group, however, I don’t see how Martha relates to Newton, Grace, or the children. Hopefully, her relationship will become evident with further research.

I have added this photo to my Linwood Dyer Collection tree on Ancestry.

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Newton Curtis, Jr., 1947.

The photo identifying information includes:

• The studio says, “An Etchcraft by Harvard.”
• Handwritten on the bottom reads, “Newton Gibbin Curtis, Jr. – 1947.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• This is the last of the Curtis photos that I have in this collection.
• The 1950 Census lists Newton Curtis, Jr. as two years old, living with his parents, Newton and Grace Curtis, at 143 Lamb in Westbrook, Maine.

I added this photo of Newton, Jr., to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree on Ancestry.

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Bernice Irene Dean, 1932.

The photo identifying information includes:

• The photographer is Kahill Studios, Portland, Me.
• Handwritten on the back is “Bernice Irene Dean, South Portland High School, Graduate, 1932.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• The 1932 South Portland High School yearbook show this same photo for Bernice Irene Dean “Bunny”
• Ancestry family trees identify Bernice Irene Dean as the daughter of Charles Roy and Eva Beryl (Harrison) Dean. She was born on 15 Dec 1913 in Portland, Maine.

Ancestry has 10 public trees that refer to Bernice Irene “Bunny” Dean. I uploaded this photo of “Bunny” to my Linwood Dyer Collection tree.

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Nellie Dinsmore, circa 1898.

The photo identifying information with this cabinet card is:

• The photographer is L. & W. C. King, Portland, Maine.
• The cabinet card has embossed borders and lettering, suggesting it was taken after 1890 and likely before 1900.
• The young woman, in the photo might have a nurse’s hat on. She appears to be about 20 years old.
• Handwritten on the back is “Nellie Dinsmore.”

Alternate Individuals.

There are two candidates for this photo:

• b. 1870 – The 1898 Portland, Maine, City Directory lists Miss Nellie M. Dinsmore, a nurse who roomed at 21 Wilmot. Further research indicates she was born in Jackson, NH, about 1870 and married William Burroughs, of Sanford, Maine, on 23 May 1901. Her marriage record indicates she was a nurse.
• b. 1872 – Nellie E Smith married William Albine Dinsmore on 16 Aug 1893 in Westbrook. She would have been between 18 and 28 when this photo was taken. She was the daughter of Francis and Margaret (Welch) Smith. She too is a possible candidate.

Because I believe the woman in this photo is wearing a nurse’s cap, is the right age, and whose occupation was nurse when she married, I believe this photo is of Nellie M. Dinsmore (1870-1904). However, because there is another (possible) candidate, I am not 100% certain the photo is of Nellie M Dinsmore (1870-1904), I have uploaded this photo to Dead Fred only. If you can confirm the identification of this young woman based upon other photos, I’d love to hear from you.

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Conclusion

• I identified all six of the 8 individuals in this photo set. Four of the photos I’ve uploaded to my Linwood Dyer Collection Ancestry tree.
• One photo, I’m about 98% sure is Nellie M. Dinsmore (1870-1904), so I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred.
• One person, I know the name of and that she is a cousin, but I couldn’t fully identify her.

I would 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 Ancestry and Dead Fred have higher quality than those linked here.