Montran Monday – A Watch Lost and Found in Pasadena, 1922

By Don Taylor

As part of my ongoing “Montran Monday” series[i], I search historical newspapers for any mention of individuals bearing the Montran surname. Each small discovery helps me piece together the broader story of my maternal grandmother’s elusive father. This week’s find comes from a 1922 edition of the Metropolitan Pasadena Star-News—a brief notice, yet rich with implications.

While scanning the Star-News (Pasadena, California), I came across a snippet dated 7 January 1922 on page 2:

Transcription of the Article:

Recovers Her Watch— Mrs. Maude W. Montran, of 1853 Summit Avenue, notified the police yesterday that she had lost her watch. John Snowden of 200 Glorietta Street found it and turned it over to Detective Sergeant Charles Betts.

This brief notice confirms that Maude Minnie (Winter) Montran resided at 1853 Summit Avenue, Pasadena in early 1922. It fills an important gap in her timeline: I previously had documentation placing her in San Francisco in 1920 and later in Inglewood by 1930. This article narrows the window, suggesting she relocated to Southern California between 1920 and 1922.

While I still haven’t uncovered a genealogical link between Maude (Winter) Montran and my grandmother’s father, John Montran, every data point helps. Tracing the movements of individuals with the Montran name remains one of the key strategies in my search.

[i] Montran Monday is inspired by my ongoing quest to learn more about my grandmother’s father, John Montran. My grandmother used the Montran surname both as a child and early in her show business career. Because the name is quite uncommon, most Montran references I encounter in old newspapers tend to be about her during her vaudeville years.
However, as more historic newspapers are digitized, new mentions of the Montran name continue to surface. Each discovery offers a potential clue. I review these articles closely, always looking for connections—no matter how small—that might help me uncover more about John Montran and his family.