Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 025
Isabel Dyer Skillin Album
Photo Friday
By Don Taylor
This photo album from the Linwood Dyer Collection was a bit confusing. The spine has a modern label, “Graduation Class 1892, Isabel Dyer Skillin, So. Portland High.” South Portland was carved out of Cape Elizabeth in 1895. In 1892, the high school, established in 1874, was named Cape Elizabeth High School.[i]
The album includes a clipping from the Portland Evening Express, dated 16 Jun 1949. The clipping indicates that the South Portland Class of 1899 had its 50th reunion.
Attendees included Mrs. Mildred Woods Clark, South Portland; Leslie Evans, Cumberland Center; Mrs. Louise Melcher McBrady and Mrs. Helen Morrison Johnson, both of South Portland. This clipping provided the married surnames for three of the women in these photos.
Because of the clipping, I believe the album’s label’s date is incorrect. These photos are of South Portland High School students from the class of 1899, not 1892.
Isabel Eugenia Dyer (later Skillin), c. 1899.
Handwritten on a slip of paper with the photo is “Isabel Eugenia Dyer.”
What I learned while researching this photo:
- Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Isabel E Dyer. She was born on 24 Aug 1880 in South Portland to Howard E. and Ella (Adams) Dyer. She married Willis Burton Skillin in South Portland on 6 Dec 1905, and died in December 1972.
- Isabel is Linwood Dyer’s great-aunt. Linwood was an avid genealogist, so it makes sense that he would have Isabel’s photo album.
I added this photo of Isabel to her FamilySearch profile, LT4V-9BV, and my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.
Helen Morrison (later Johnson), c. 1899.
Handwritten on a slip of paper with the photo is “Helen Morrison.”
- Ancestry Family Trees suggests this is Helen Cleveland Morrison. She was born on 29 Oct 1881 in Cape Elizabeth to Wallace W. and Almina (Taylor) Morrison. She married Jeremiah Marshall Johnson in South Portland on 4 Oct 1916 and died on 9 Dec 1977 in South Portland.
I added this photo of Helen to her FamilySearch profile, LYMC-RSR, and to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.
Leslie Evans, c. 1899.
Handwritten on a slip of paper with the photo is “Leslie Evans.”
- Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Leslie Clark Evans. He was born on 13 May 1882 in Cape Elizabeth to Osmon and Philena (Clark) Evans. He married Marguerite Waldron on 28 Jun 1911 in Portland, ME. He married Alice Evelyn O’Brien on 18 Dec 1929 and died on 21 Oct 1958 in Falmouth, Maine.
I added this photo of Leslie to his FamilySearch profile, LTS6-W3Y, and to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.
Louise Melcher (later McBrady), c. 1899.
Handwritten on a slip of paper with the photo is “Louise Melcher.”
- Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Louisa Libby Melcher. She was born on 25 Apr 1881 in Cape Elizabeth to Robert and Alsena (Harmon) Melcher. She married William Henry McBrady on 25 Feb 1908 in Portland, ME. She died on 26 Jan 1959 in South Portland, Maine.
I added this photo of Louisa to her FamilySearch profile, L61R-GSQ, and to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.
Mildred Woods (later Clark), c. 1899.
Handwritten on a slip of paper with the photo is “Mildred Woods.”
- Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Mildred Effie Woods on 22 Mar 1882 in Cape Elizabeth to Matthew and Margaret (Starrett) Woods. She married Frank Elmer Clark on 24 Jun 1909 in South Portland, ME. She died on 23 May 1956.
I added this photo of Mildred to her FamilySearch profile, LX9V-CFL, and to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.
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 and FamilySearch have a higher resolution than those here. Feel free to use these photos in your genealogical activities. Please cite “Photo Courtesy: Don Taylor Genealogy.”
Endnotes
[i] South Portland History – South Portland High School (history) – https://sphistory.pastperfectonline.com/bysitename?keyword=South%20Portland%20High%20School
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