Photo Friday – Johnson (later Ellis), Libby, & Trickey

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 037
Skillin, Libby, Trickey Photo Album.
Portland, Scarborough, Windham, Maine
By Don Taylor

I identified four of six people from the Skillin, Libby, and Trickey photo album from the Linwood Dyer Collection for Photo Friday this week. This collection includes hundreds of images, documents, and genealogies of people who lived in Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. My goal is to reunite the images with family members who may have never seen the pictures before. The Scarborough Historical Society holds the originals in the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection.

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Lottie May Johnson, circa 1890.

This is a 4¼ x 6½ cabinet card of a young girl, about seven years old. The studio name is printed at the bottom, “Dunshee & Co. – Boston, Mass.” The back has additional information about the studio; F.F. Dunshee & F.H. Maxfield are the photographers. They are located at 22 Winter St, and they began in 1889. Handwritten on the back of the card is, “Lotta May Johnson, da of Mable & Fred F., m Ralph Ellis.” The same information is handwritten in the album.

What I learned while researching this photo:

• My previous work with the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection identified Lottie May Johnson, the daughter of Fred F and Mabel Alnora (Libby) Johnson. From this photo back, I learned she married Ralph Ellis.
• Lottie May was born in 1883 and would have been seven years old about 1890, which is the date I estimate this photo to have been taken.

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

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Dorcas & George Johnson, c. 1880.

These are two 2½ x 4” carte de visite of two individuals labeled Dorcas & George Johnson. The front identifies the studio as “Lamson, Portland, ME. The photo has rounded corners, suggesting it was produced after 1870. George appears to be in his 60s, and Dorcas seems to be in her 50s.

What I learned while researching this photo:

• J. H. Lamson opened his studio in Portland about 1871 and continued operating until 1910.
• In Monroe, Maine, on 2 March 1895, a George Herbert Johnson of Brooks, Maine, married Dorcas A. Brown of Salmon River. He was 27, and Dorcas was 28. Dorcas died in 1905 at the age of 38. The man in this photo appears to be older than 37, and the woman is older than 38, so I do not believe this is the correct couple.
• Family Search identifies a George Washington Johnson, born 24 April 1828 in North Yarmouth, Maine. His parents were George and Dorcas Johnson. There were several other children born to George and Dorcas of Yarmouth.
  • Mary Ann, born 9 April 1815
  • Betsey, christened 11 May 1817
  • Charlotte, christened 1 June 1819.
  • Amos Osgood Johnson, Christened 12 July 1821
  • Nathan, birth 3 July 1823
  • Dorcas, born 4 Dec 1825, died 27 Mar 1826
• The 1830 US Census lists the George Johnson family of North Yarmouth with:
  • 1 Male under 5.
  • 1 Male 30-40.
  • 1 Female 20-30.
• Further research indicated that Dorcas, wife of George Johnson of Yarmouth, died about 1833, long before carte de visite became available. However, these images may be reprints from a tintype or another type of photograph.

I could not identify the individuals in these two photos, so I only included the individual’s photo here and in my Flickr Photostream.

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Charles & Peter Trickey, circa 1881.

These two 2½ x 4” carte de visite are from two photographers. A slip of paper with the photos and handwriting on the album indicate they are Charles and Peter Trickey. Charles’ photo was taken at Conant Artistic Photography, 478 ½ Congress St., Portland. It has square corners. Geo. E. Brown Photographer, 237 Middle St., Portland Me. took Peter’s photo. It has gold-tone printing of the studio’s name.

What I learned while researching this photo:

• Conant studio operated at 478 ½ Congress in Portland from 1877 to 1884.
• Brown Studio operated at 237 (or 235½) Middle Street from 1879 to after 1905.
• The 1900 US Census enumerated Charles Trickey (born Apr 1847) and his brother, Peter (born Sept 1859), living in Windham, Cumberland County, Maine.
• Ancestry Family Trees suggest these are Charles & Peter Trickey, sons of Peter and Harriet H (Hanson) Trickey. The Trickey family consisted of:
  • Peter Trickey (1804-1893) – Head
  • Harriett H (Hanson) Trickey (1814-1889) – Wife
  • Seven sons
    • Albert F Trickey (1835-1851)
    • Edward Trickey (1837-1880)
    • George Trickey (1843-1916)
    • John Trickey (1845-1916)
    • Charles S Trickey (1847-1917)
    • Otis Trickey (1849-1907)
    • Peter Trickey (1859-1922)

I estimate the two photos were taken about 1881.

I uploaded these photos of Charles S. Trickey and Peter Trickey to their FamilySearch profiles and added them to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.

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Lucy Ellen (Trickey) Libby, of Scarborough, Maine, circa 1890.

These two 4¼ x 6½ cabinet cards are of the same woman in her 50s. They have beveled scalloped edges and ornate backs with the studio information, “J. M. Peck, 12 Monument Square, Portland, Maine,” suggesting they were created between 1890 and 1892. On the back of one of the cards, it says, “Lucy Ellen Trickey, wife of Amos Libby.”

What I learned while researching this photo:

• J.M. Peck’s studio moved to 12 Monument Square in 1889 and was there until 1891.
• I previously researched a photo of Amos Libby and learned that Lucy Ellen Trickey was born on 11 November 1835 in Scarborough, Maine, and died on 26 March 1917 in Portland, Maine.

I believe J.M. Peck took these two photos of Lucy Ellen (Trickey) Libby about 1890.

I uploaded these photos of Lucy to her FamilySearch Profile, KZFY-ZQVI, and to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.

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 Conclusion

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, FamilySearch, and Flickr have higher quality than those presented here. Feel free to use these photos in your genealogical activities. Please cite “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.”