Faces from the Past – Curtis, Daggett, McCluskey, & Sweeney

SHS Photo Collection – Part 008
By Don Taylor

The Scarborough Historical Society has a large collection of photos featuring various individuals. Today, I look at four photos from that collection.

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Alan McCluskey, Falmouth HS, 1969.

Photographer: The Wendell White Studio, Portland, ME
Inscription: Alan McCluskey ‘69
Description: A black-and-white studio portrait of a teenage boy or young man, printed in a matte finish and mounted in a beige folder with blue border lines. The mount is stamped “The Wendell White Studio, Portland, ME.” The subject wears thick-rimmed rectangular eyeglasses, a striped suit jacket, a white shirt, and a patterned necktie. His haircut features a straight, even fringe across the forehead, typical of mid-1960s to early 1970s youth styles. The lighting is strong and even, with a plain, seamless background.
Research:

• This photo of Alan Hugh McCluskey appears in the 1969 Falmouth High School Yearbook, The 1969 Crest on page 40. “Al” was involved with the Chess Club, the Debating Club, and several plays.

I include his photo here.

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Newton Curtis, Westbrook HS, 1936.

Photographer: Albert
Inscription: June 12, 1936 W.H.S.
Description: A formal studio portrait of a young man, likely in his teens or early twenties. He wears a textured tweed suit jacket, a light dress shirt, and a patterned tie with large polka dots—typical of late-1930s or early-1940s fashion. His hair is neatly waved and parted, and the background is a softly blurred sepia studio backdrop. In the lower-left corner is a stylized photographer’s signature reading “Albert”. The warm tone and soft focus are characteristic of professional portrait work of the period..
Research:

• A search of the Westbrook High School yearbook shows the same photo on Page 29. The person is identified as Newton G. Curtis. “Newt” was the secretary of the Stenographic Club (pg 46). class Vice-President and a football letterman.
• Find a Grave has a profile for Newton Curtis, Sr., who was born 11 Sep 1918 and who died in Scarborough on 20 Jan 2012. It also provide information on his parents, wife, and two siblings.

I added this photo to SHS Photos – 2025 on Ancestry.com.

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Patricia Sweeney, Deering HS, 1951.

Photographer: Vantines
Inscription: Pat
Description: A bright, high-key studio portrait of a smiling young woman. She wears round wire-rimmed glasses, and her hair is styled in short, wavy layers pulled back above her ears. She is dressed in a light blouse with a lace-trimmed collar. The photograph is mounted in a cream-colored folder with corner tabs. The lighting and crisp grayscale tonality suggest a 1950s or early 1960s era portrait. The composition uses ample white space, focusing attention on her expression. A tag on the photo folder indicates “Class of 1951.”
Research:

• A review of the 1951 Deering High School yearbook found the same photo and identified the person as Patricia Sweeney. “Pat” was a member of the school’s “Ramettes,” a girls’ pep-squad that supported school spirit at school athletic sports.
• An obituary in the Portland Press Herald on December 15, 2019, indicated that Patricia Dawn Sweeney passed away on December 7th, 2019. She was born on June 21, 1933.

I added this photo to SHS Photos – 2025 on Ancestry.com.

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Albert Daggett, Inventor of a Road Rake, c. 1898.

Photographer: Unknown
Inscription: Albert E. Daggett, Inventor of the Road Rake – c. 1885-1900.
Description: A black-and-white outdoor photograph showing an older man with a full white beard seated on a wooden, open-frame wagon pulled by a team of two horses. The man wears a dark suit and a wide-brimmed hat. The wagon is fitted with large, spoked wheels and appears to be used for farm or hauling work. The background includes multiple farm buildings, stone walls, fields, and several houses on a distant hillside, suggesting a rural New England setting around the late 19th or very early 20th century. The photo has the soft contrasts typical of early gelatin-silver prints.

Research:

• The Portland Evening Express, dated Aug 28, 1895, page 1, confirms Albert Daggett, [of] Strong, [Maine] was the inventor of a road rake.
• Find a Grave has memorial 39898857 for Albert L. Daggett, born 13 June 1827 in New Vineyard, Franklin County, Maine and died on 18 June 1916 in Strong, Franklen County, Maine. His parents were Capt. Plamentin and Hannah (Snow) Daggett. He married Sarah Montgomery Porter (1836-1886) and Ada Eldora Pottle (1853-1913) and had a least three children, Willie, “infant”, and Minnie.

I added this photo to SHS Photos – 2025 on Ancestry.com.

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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. Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the pictures with family members who may have never seen the image.

Disclaimer: The Photo Descriptions were generated using ChatGPT.