Ethel Wight Collection – Part 54

Halling, Hamilton(2), Hamlin, and (Née Mayo)

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

This week, for Photo Friday, I identify the people in five more envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The envelopes contain the names who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is vital to analyze the pictures and information to identify the individual therein.[ii] Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.

Clara Halling, circa 1935.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Clair Halling, 8 A Brown St, apt 3, #876.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Clara Halling, circa 1935

  The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Clara Halling, a waitress at 157 High and living at 8a Brown.

• Clara married Harry L Bonner in 1928 and was living with him in the 1933 Portland City Directory.
• The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Clara residing at 92 High and her husband, Harry living at 97 Elm.
• The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Harry living at 76 Pearl. The 1935 directory does not list Clara under either Bonner or Halling.
• Clara married Clifford Will in 1940 in New York. Her marriage license to Clifford indicates she was born in October 1906 in New Sweden, Maine.

Family Search identifies Clara Halling as ID G3NX-Z83. ​​I am confident this is her about 1935, after her separation from Harry Bonner and before she went to New York. Thirteen trees at Ancestry.Com refer to Clara Albertina Halling, daughter of Anders and Martha Andersdotter.

I have uploaded this photo of Clara to her Family Search Memories.

Confirmed to be Clara Halling by a great niece or nephew. 

Hortense Margarite Hamilton, circa 1936

This negative envelope says, “Miss Hortense Hamilton, 23 Saunders St – #900.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Hortense Margarite Hamilton, circa 1936

  The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Edward P and Lillian F Hamilton living at 23 Saunders.

• The 1930 Census lists Hortense M. Hamilton living at 333 Ocean Ave, Portland. She was the 11-year-old daughter of Edward P and Lillian F. Hamilton. She was born in Maine.

Family Search identifies Hortense Margarite Hamilton, the daughter of Edward Payson and Lillian Florence (Mayo) Hamilton, as ID GSB4-GVB. I am sure this is Hortense about 1936.

Fourteen trees at Ancestry.Com refer to Marguerite Hortense “Maggie” Hamilton.

I have uploaded her photos to her Family Search Memories.

George Washington Hamlin, circa 1934.

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. Geo Hamlin, 13 Mechanic St. #381.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  George Washington Hamlin, circa 1934

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists George W. Hamlin living at 13 Mechanic St. George is a sheet metal worker at 199 Kennebec, and his wife is Bernice E.

• The 1935 Portland City directory indicates that George W and Bernice E Hamlin moved to Rockland.
• The 1940 Census lists 36-year-old George Hamlin and his wife Bernice living in Rockland, Knox County, Maine. They also lived in Rockland in 1935.
• George W Hamlin and Bernice E Leavitt married on 3 September 1927.

Family Search identifies George Washington Hamlin, born in 1903 and married to Bernice E Leavitt as ID G9JT-FD5. This photo is of George about 1934 before they moved to Rockland. Twenty-eight trees at Ancestry refer to George Washington Hamlin, born 24 November 1903.

I have uploaded this photo of George to his Family Search Memories. 

Unknown – (Possibly Ralph Hamilton) circa 1935

This negative envelope says, “Mr. Ralph Hamilton, 76 Morning St. #412.”

My analysis:

My initial look at finding Ralph Hamilton was not successful. Consequently, I thought I would expand my search methods.

• 

  Unknown – (Possibly Ralph Hamilton) circa 1935

  The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Merle A Hamilton living at 80b Morning. It also lists George W (and his wife Cynthia A) Hamilton living at 80b Morning. Additionally, Thelma L Hamilton lived at the same address.

• The 1935 Portland City directory still shows Merle and Thelma A living at 80b Morning, but George W and his wife Cynthia are reported as living at 76 Morning.
• The 1936 Portland City Directory lists all four of them living at 76 Morning. Cynthia, George, Merle, and Thelma.
• The 1937 Portland City Directory lists George W and wife Cynthia A still at 76 Morning; however, Merle A is living at 48 State with his wife Florence L. Thelma is still listed at 76 Morning.

The person in this photo image appears to be in his teens or possibly early 20s.

• 

  Unknown – (Possibly Ralph Hamilton) circa 1935

  The 1930 Census reports George W. Hamilton and his wife, Cynthia, living with their two children, Thelma and Merle. George is 49, Cynthia 49, Thelma is 24, and Merle is 18 years old in 1930. No Ralph.

• The 1920 Census reports George and Cynthia living in Portland with their son Maurice R, daughter Thelma, and son Merle. Maurice is 17. Maurice was born in Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Birth Records indicate George and Cynthia (Hatfield) Hamilton had a son on 12 April 1904.
• In the 1940 Census, 36-year-old Ralph Hamilton lives in Falmouth with his wife, Ruth, and his seven-year-old son, George.
• I have not been successful in finding George and Cynthia in the 1940 Census. However, the 1940 and 1941 Portland City Directories indicate they are still at 76 Morning.

Based upon the Photo ID number (#412), the photo was taken in 1934 or 1935. I find it difficult to believe the person in this photo is over 30. I suppose this could be Ralph, the son of George and Cynthia Hamilton; however, I think this is a photo of a cousin or other person, and Ralph Hamilton was the person who paid for the picture.

Twenty-eight trees at Ancestry.Com refer to Ralph Maurice Hamilton, the son of George and Cynthia (Hatfield) Hamilton. Hopefully, someone with those trees can identify the person in this photo.

I also uploaded one additional photos of this individual to my Flickr photostream.

Lillian Hamilton (Née Mayo), circa 1936

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Lillian Hamilton, 23 Saunders St, #901.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

• 

  Lillian Hamilton (Née Mayo), circa 1936

  The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Edward P and his wife Lillian F Hamilton living at 23 Saunders.

• The 1940 Census lists Edward and Lillian still living at 23 Saunders. Maine-born Lillian is 60 years old.
• The New Hampshire Marriage Records identifies Lillian F Mayo, born in Brewer about 1879, married Edward Hamilton on 4 July 1904 in Dover, New Hampshire. Her parents were Justin and Elizabeth (Powlesland) Mayo.
• This photo was taken about 1936 when Lillian was about 56 years old. Based upon the photo ID number, the photo was taken the same day as her daughter’s (Hortense Margarite Hamilton) photo.

Family Search identifies Lillian Florence Mayo, the daughter of Justin R Mayo, as ID LC5W-MDS. Lillian Florance Mayo is referred to in 37 Ancestry trees.

I have uploaded a photo of Lillian to her Family Search Memories.

Conclusion

• I identified four of the five individuals and was able to upload their images to Family Search I was unable to identify one individual; his photos are here and in my Flickr Photostream.

For all of the Ethel Wight Collection analysis, please see here.

Final Note

If any of these photos are of your family member, I would love to hear your reaction. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before.

Endnotes

[i] The Wight Studio was in Portland, Maine. Many thanks to Ethel Wight’s family for access to and permission to use the collection of their great aunt.

[ii] These images were converted to positives using a lightbox, a Nikon camera and computer software.