Ethel Wight Collection – Part 92
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 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.
Celestine Morrill, Nurse, circa 1934.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Celestine Morrill, Children’s Hospital #295.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Nurse Celestine Morrill, circa 1934. The 1940 US Census lists Celestine L Morrill as a nurse at Exeter Hospital in Exeter, New Hampshire.
- The July 1, 1941 edition indicates Miss Celestine Louise Morrill, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Frank Morrill of Amesbury, Mass., married Rene Loiselle. It also mentions that the bride was a nurse at the Exeter hospital.
- Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915, indicate Celestine was born May 7, 1911, in Amesbury, Mass.
This photo is of Celestine Louise Morrill about 1934 while she studied at Children’s Hospital in Portland.
Ancestry has four public trees that refer to Celestine Morrill. Family Search has profile GSLP-YBZ for Celestine Louise Morrill. I have uploaded one photo of her to her Family Search Memories.
Dorothy Moulton, circa 1935.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Dorothy Moulton, 130 Highland St #947.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Dorothy Moulton, circa 1935. The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Dorothy M Moulton living at 130 Highland.
- The 1930 US Census Lists Dorothy M Moulton as a 22-year-old lodger at 27 Pine Street. She was born in Maine and did not have an occupation.
I believe this to be Dorothy M Moulton, born September 24, 1907, in Kittery, Maine. to Frank Asa and Mary Alice (Kimball) Moulton.
Ancestry has 22 public trees that refer to Dorothy M Moulton. Family Search has profile LR5K-J3V for Dorothy Moulton. I have uploaded a photo of her to her Family Search Memories.
Mary Morris, Nursing Student, circa 1935.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Mary Morris, St. Barnabas #659.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Mary Morris, Nursing Student, circa 1935. The 1935 and 1936 Portland City Directories list Mary Morris, a student nurse at 231 Woodford, residing at 20 Norwood.
- The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Mary E Morris as a nurse living and working at 467 Stevens Ave.
- The 1940 Portland City Directory lists Mary E Morris, a nurse who married John F S Horton.
- The Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996) indicates Mary and John married on October 2, 1939.
I’m confident this photo is of Mary Elizabeth Morris, born on February 3, 1916, in Portland, Maine.
Ancestry has 11 public trees that refer to Mary Elizabeth Morris. Family Search has profile LBQR-171 for Mary Elizabeth Morris. I have uploaded two photos of Mary to her Family Search Memories. I also uploaded a third photo of her to my Flickr Photostream.
Charles Morris, circa 1934.
This negative envelope says, “Mr. Chas. B. Morris, 72 Chestnut St #204.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Charles Morris, circa 1934. The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Charles B Morris, a clerk, residing at 72 Chestnut.
- The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Charles B Morris, a clerk at 603 Congress, residing at 86 Elm.
- The 1937 Portland City Directory list Charles B, and his wife Helena W, Morris as a clerk at 603 Congress and living at 11 Deering ave.
- Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996, indicates Charles B Morris and Helena M Woodhill married on May 30, 1936. Both lived in Portland.
- In 1938, Charles was a box maker at 73 Bell. He and Helena are living at 7 Belden.
- The 1950 US Census lists Charles & Helen Morris still living on Belden in Portland.
I am confident this picture is of Charles B Morris, who was born on March 31, 1914, in Portland. He was the 3rd child of Charles and Grace (Moffat) Morris. They lived at 11 Boyd Place when he was born.
Ancestry has four public trees that refer to Charles B Morris. Family Search has profile G7SL-C6T for Charles Morris, son of Charles & Grace (Moffat) Morris. I have uploaded two photos of Charles to his Family Search Memories.
Barbara Mouton, circa 1935 (age 3).
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Francis Moulton, 41 Pine St. Portland #407.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
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Barbara Mouton, circa 1935 (age 3). The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Mrs. Frances E Mouton residing at 41 Pine. It also lists Mrs. Mabel G Horslin living at 41 Pine.
- The 1940 US Census lists the divorced 27-year-old Frances H Moulton and her mother, Mabel G Horslin, living at 621 11th N. in St. Petersburg, Florida. Both were living in Portland, Maine, in 1935. Living with them is Mabel’s granddaughter, seven-year-old Barbara Mouton.
Barbara Ann Mouton was born in 1933. Her mother, Frances E Horslin, was born May 12, 1912, in Portland, Maine. She married Raphael Canedo Moulton on December 12, 1931. This is a photo of Barbara about 1935 when she was about 3.
I have not found Barbara Ann Mouton in Ancestry trees. However, I did find profile GZFQ-9XG for Barbara Ann Montore [sic] on Family Search. So, I uploaded a photo of Barbara to her Family Search Memories. I did find Barbara’s mother, Frances E Horlin, in 6 public trees.
Conclusion
I fully identified all five individuals. They all have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories. I had three photos of one of the individuals, so I uploaded her third photo to my Flickr Photostream. One individual did not appear in any Ancestry trees; however, her mother does, so I’ll let some of those tree owners know about the photo.
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.
Due to software limitations, the images uploaded to Family Search, Dead Fred, and Flickr have a higher image quality than the images linked here.
For all postings of the Ethel Wight Collection, please see here.
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.
