Faces from the Past – Eddy, Pélissier, WWI Memorial, & Oak Hill Students

SHS Photo Collection – Part 13
By Don Taylor

The Scarborough Historical Society holds many photographs of Scarborough families, students, and community events. To preserve these important images, many have been digitized and are shared here. But this digitization project isn’t just about preserving history — it’s about reconnecting families with the visual legacy of their ancestors, many for the first time. Join me as I share these remarkable images and the stories behind them, bridging more than a century of memory and heritage.

Josephine & Blanche Eddy, circa 1901

Description

• Image Type: Formal studio portrait, 3½” x 5” oval.
• Two young women photographed together, both dressed in turn-of-the-century blouses with high collars and full, gathered sleeves.

Identifying Information

• The Scarborough Historical Society accessioned the photo as 95.27.526.
• The back of the photo identifies the girls as “Josephine” and “Blanche.”

Research

• The Butterfield Bible –Births included the sisters Josephine and Blanche Eddy:
  • Josephine Eddy (Wideman), born September 27, 1882.
  • Blanche Eddy (Britton), born August 29, 1884.
• FamilySearch profile M1M2-KTD for Josephine Eddy indicates she was born September 27, 1882, in Marseilles, LaSalle, Illinois; married James Blackie Wideman on November 26, 1903, in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; and died August 11, 1977, in Bryson City, Swain, North Carolina.
• FamilySearch profile 9D7T-J94 for Blanche Eddy indicates she was born August 29, 1884; married Hugh Herbert Britton on February 27, 1914; and died October 17, 1953, in Los Angeles, California.
• I added this photo to Josephine’s and Blanche’s profiles on FamilySearch.

Gabrielle Pélissier (1898–1952), circa 1908

Description

• Image Type: Formal studio portrait, 5” x 7”.
• A young girl, approximately 9 to 11 years old, wearing a large Edwardian hat and a dark coat with a high neckline. The soft lighting and dark, plain background are typical of early-twentieth-century studio portraiture.

Identifying Information

• Handprinted on the back of the photo: “Gabrielle Pélissier Contesse de Gouzilion de Kerméno | 1898-1952 | Buried Black Point Cemetery | Lived on Pinewood Circle.”

Research

• Find A Grave memorial 107504716 is for Gabrielle Rachel Cécile Pélissier de Kerméno, born February 19, 1898, in Montréal, died December 12, 1952.
• Ancestry family trees suggest her parents were Louis Jean Baptiste Ernest Pélissier and M. Rose Alma Paquette.
• The 1940 U.S. Census lists Gabrielle Kermeno De Gonzilliody living on Prouts Neck Road, Scarborough. She is recorded as a widow who had lived in New York City in 1935.
• The 1943 Portland City Directory lists Gabrielle DeKermeno operating a gift shop at 690 Congress Street, Portland.
• I added this photo of Gabrielle to my SHS Photos collection on Ancestry.

World War I Memorial Dedication, AmVets’ Hall (circa 1931)

Description

• Image Type: Snapshot print, 4½” x 3”.
• The photo shows, from behind, Harry Welch in a Navy-style uniform and Ralph Sargent in an Army campaign hat, along with Rev. Colby — whose face is partially cut off — in civilian clothing, at the unveiling of a WWI memorial stone. The buildings visible in the background do not match the Scarborough Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument location in Dunstan, suggesting this photo was taken at the memorial’s earlier location at the AmVets’ Hall, also in Dunstan.

Identifying Information

• On back: “Harry Welch back to, Ralph Sargent – facing, Rev. Rensel Colby, unveiling W.W. 1 Memorial at Dunstan.”

Research

• Harry Welch is probably Harry E. Welch (1881–1959) of Pine Point Road, a veteran of both World War I and World War II.
• Ralph D. Sargent’s obituary indicates he died on January 14, 1970. He was born in 1894 and was a veteran of World War I.
• Scarborough Historical Society records identify Rev. Rensel Harold Colby (1882–1952), who was ordained in Scarborough in 1913 and served as minister of the First Congregational Church, Black Point. He served as a chaplain during World War II and died on September 26, 1952.
• So, these three World War 1 veterans were involved with the memorial’s original dedication at the AmVets’ Hall (Sullivan Scamman Post) at Old Blue Point Road and Route 1. Installation date for the memorial AmVets’ Hall was 1931 (although I haven’t found
• A Portland Evening Express article dated October 16, 1963, page 20, reported that the stone honoring World War I veterans was moved from the AmVets’ Hall (Sullivan Scamman Post) to the Dunstan lot near the “Civil War Monument” (officially the “Scarborough Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument”). A separate stone was also purchased for World War II veterans at that time.
• Today, the WWI monument is located at Monument Park, off Sawyer Road near U.S. Route 1.

Oak Hill Primary Class Photo, 89.9.2009 (circa 1941)

Description

• Image Type: School class photograph, studio portrait, 8” x 6”.
• The group is arranged in two rows: the front row, seated, includes the teacher at the far left and 12 girls; the back row includes 13 boys, all standing.
• The clothing, hairstyles, and photographic style suggest the photo was taken around the 1930s or early 1940s.
• Handwritten near the lower-left corner is “612,” likely the photographer’s reference number.

Identifying Information

• Scarborough Historical Society accession number 89.9.2009 is written on the back, indicating it was donated by Dorothy Libby in 1989 and described as “School Picture.”
• A separate sheet of paper attached to the photo carries the same accession number and three names: (2) Sarah Wyman?, (11) Nancy Libbey, (12) Margaret Wright.

Research

• Based on my past research of school photos, this photo is similar in style and background to other photos taken of Oak Hill students during the 1930s and 40s.
• Nancy Libbey: The 1954 Four Corners lists Nancy Libbey in the class of 1956; the 7th grade class of the 1947 Oak Hill Grammar School also included Nancy Libbey. The 1940 U.S. Census lists Nancy Libby, the 5-year-old daughter of Albert and Abbie Libby, with a sister, Evangeline, in the household.
• Margaret Wright: The 1954 Four Corners indicates Margaret Wright graduated in 1954, and a photo of Margaret Wright appears with other Oak Hill students in 1946. The 1940 U.S. Census lists Margaret F. Wright, age 3, living on Libby Road with her parents, Percy and Elinor Wright, and sisters Anna and Mary.
• Sarah Wyman?: The 1940 U.S. Census lists Sarah B. Wyman, age 4, living on Prouts Neck Road (now Black Point Road) with her parents, Clarence and Gladys Wyman, and siblings Elinor, Richard, and Warren.
• If you recognize any of the other children, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Conclusion

I’d love to hear from you if you recognize any of these individuals as family members — especially if one of these photos is of a loved one.

Feel free to use these photos in your own genealogical research. The Scarborough Historical Society holds the originals in this collection; please credit “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society” when you use them.

Disclaimer: The research presented in this post represents my current findings and conclusions based on the sources cited. This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used to create an archival photo restoration of the WWI Memorial photograph, Claude was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copyediting. Where evidence is incomplete, I have drawn careful inferences and have endeavored to distinguish clearly between documented fact and reasoned interpretation.