In the rich tapestry of early 20th-century entertainment, vaudeville performers like my grandmother Madonna “Donna” Montran/Darling carved out vibrant careers that often went unrecorded beyond local newspaper archives. Recently, I discovered a fascinating glimpse into her professional life through Muskegon Chronicle clippings documenting her performing at the Jefferson Theatre, Muskegon, MI.
Review
Muskegon Chronicle, Dec 3, 1935
SOME SHOW! – Don’t miss seeing it Famous Motion Picture Bathing Beauties with DONNA DARLING and GIRLS In her “Bathing Suit Revue” Catchy Songs—Dainty Dances Introducing the Bathing Suits of all Countries.
Performance Details
Venue: Jefferson Theatre, Muskegon, Michigan
Dates: December 3-5, 1925
Act: “Donna Darling & Girls – Bathing Suit Revue”
Other Acts:
Stoddard & Brown
Bento Bros.
This archival discovery adds another rich detail to understanding the dynamic world of 1920s vaudeville performance, showcasing the creativity and artistry of traveling entertainment troupes during a transformative period in American show business.
I learned some time ago, from Variety, Motion Pictures, Vaudeville, Theater, Vol. 56, 1919, that Donna played at the Colonial in Lancaster the week of September 15th, 1919. I had never found any newspaper articles about Donna Montran playing there, so I thought I’d take a deeper look and see what was playing at that theater then. Sure enough, I found her advertised there under the name Donna Montrain.
Show Advertising
Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, September 12, 1919, page 5,
The Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, the Lancaster New Era, and the Lancaster News Journal all ran ads showing Donna played at the Colonial on September 15, 16, and 17.
On the bill at the Colonial were:
Ed. Janis & Girls – Songs—Dances—Music—Fun
David Slack & Co. – “The Burglars’ Union:
George Mack – Comical Songs and Stories
Donna Montrain – Dainty Comedienne
Pathe News—Larry Semon in “Simple Life.”
Theater Notes
Colonial Theatre, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Address: 134 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA Opened: January 29, 1912 Seating Capacity: Approximately 1,250
Colonial Marquee – Courtesy Demuth Museum
The Colonial Theatre opened in early 1912 as a modern, first-class vaudeville house on the northwest corner of North Queen and West Chestnut Streets.
Designed for both motion pictures and live performance, the Colonial offered vaudeville bills typically featuring Keith-style touring acts and a feature film.
When Donna performed there in September 1919, the Colonial stood as one of Lancaster’s principal entertainment venues..
As films grew increasingly dominant, the Colonial eventually shifted to movies only. In the mid-1950s, the house was acquired by Boyd Theatres, remodeled, and renamed the Boyd Theatre in 1956. It closed in 1965 and was demolished soon afterward during downtown redevelopment.
Today
134 North Queen Street – Image from Google Maps
Today, the Colonial’s location is within Binns Park, in front of the Lancaster County Government Center and the Lancaster County Archives.
In the ever-busy world of early 20th-century entertainment, vaudeville artists traveled from city to city, leaving only scattered traces in local newspapers. One such trace provides a welcome glimpse into my grandmother, Madonna Montran, known professionally as Donna Darling. A New Bedford Standard-Times advertisement confirms that her Donna Darling Revue with Sammy Clark appeared at the Olympia Theatre in New Bedford, Massachusetts, during July 1927.
New Bedford Standard-Times – 11 July 1927
A July 11th advertisement is the only notice showing the Revue on the Olympia bill. It indicates that the theatre was presenting five live stage acts alongside the feature film Babe Comes Home, starring Babe Ruth with Anna Q. Nilsson and Louise Fazenda.
Reviewing all the papers that week, I learned the combined film-and-vaudeville program began July 10th and ran through July 13th, after which the Standard-Times announced an entirely new set of acts and a new picture starting July 14th. Though modest, this single advertisement firmly places Donna Darling and Sammy Clark at the Olympia during this brief engagement.
Performance Details
Venue: Olympia Theatre, New Bedford, Massachusetts
Dates: July 10–13, 1927
Act:Donna Darling Revue with Sammy Clark
Other Vaudeville Acts:
Hite & Reflow in “Their Back Yard”
Wise & Oliver
Teddy Joyce
Dekos Bros.
This small archival finding offers another thread in the wider fabric of 1920s vaudeville, illustrating how touring performers, my grandmother among them, brought music, comedy, and variety entertainment to communities across the country during a vibrant era in American theatre.
With Thanksgiving upon us, it feels like an appropriate moment to share a discovery I made just yesterday: I may be descended from Richard Warren (1583–1628), one of the passengers of the Mayflower. This possible connection appears on my Roberts line and, unlike my distant Charlemagne link, is close enough that I should be able to verify—or rule it out—through careful research.
William Halsall, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Below is the lineage I believe may connect me to Richard Warren. This reconstruction follows my direct ancestors up the Roberts, Barnes, Taft, Cruff, Sprague, and Bartlett lines, arriving eventually at the Warren family of early Plymouth Colony.
Richard Warren arrived in Plymouth Colony aboard the Mayflower in 1620. He traveled alone, leaving his wife Elizabeth (née Walker) and their five daughters in England. They later joined him in 1623 on the ship Anne. Warren played a meaningful role in the early development of the colony, and his descendants spread widely across New England.
His eldest daughter, Mary Warren, married Robert Bartlett, thus beginning one of the region’s enduring colonial family lines.
Where My Research Stands Today
I have thoroughly researched the first six generations of this proposed lineage and feel confident in their accuracy. For the remaining ancestors—particularly the connections linking the Taft, Cruff, Sprague, and Bartlet families—I am relying on established secondary sources that appear consistent with reputable genealogical work.
To fully confirm this Mayflower descent, I still need to examine three more ancestor pairs closely:
Asa Taft → Elizabeth Cruff
Elizabeth Cruff → Abigail Sprague
Abigail Sprague → Richard Sprague
And confirm three more ancestor pairs that are well known:
Richard Sprague → Elizabeth Bartlet
Elizabeth Bartlet → Mary Warren
Mary Warren → Richard Warren
Once those links are verified through primary evidence or trusted scholarly treatments, I should be able to determine with confidence whether this Mayflower ancestry is valid.
Even the possibility is a meaningful discovery to consider during this Thanksgiving season, inviting reflection on family, history, and heritage.
Endnotes
“Richard Warren,” Wikipedia, accessed November 2025.
General histories of Plymouth Colony, the Bartlett family, and the Warren descendants, including Mayflower Families Through Five Generations.
Disclaimer This article’s development was aided by the use of ChatGPT and Grammarly.
I encounter photos from many sources. Today, I look at five photos I recently came across.
Store with 17 people in front, Cornish, Maine, c. 1885-1895.
Photographer: Unidentified Inscription: “G. H. Snip | Cornish, Maine” Description: An apparently large staff of 17 people in front of a large general store. store Research:
Based on the clothing, storefront design, boardwalk, and hitching posts, I believe the photo is circa 1885-1895.
Brightness and contrast edited for viewability.
I am providing this historic photo here; however, I have also shared it with the folks at the Cornish Historical Society.
Teamster Hauling Wood, Dover-Jackman, c. 1895.
Photographer: C. A. Smith Photo Co. Inscription: None. Description: A sepia photograph from the C.A. Smith Photo Co. shows a teamster on a wooden wagon loaded with firewood, drawn by two horses, before a classic New England farmhouse. Likely taken around 1890–1895 in the Dover–Jackman region, the image offers a rich glimpse into rural Maine life and invites further identification.
Gently edited for clarity.
Research:
The back of the photo includes a note about a picture taken on June 15th, 1892, indicating this photo was taken after that date.
The Rockland Courier-Gazette has advertisements for C.A. Smith Photo Co. into 1897, but I haven’t found any mention of the company after that date.
I provide this historic photo here only.
Grocery Store Interior, Probably Allston, MA, c. 1895-1905.
Photographer: Commercial Photo Co., 14 Broadway Extension, Boston, Mass. Inscription: Handwritten: allstn Description: Professional interior of a grocery or dry-goods store. Ten men stand throughout the space. A sign in the back advertises “There is none better – Corner Stone Flour.”
Research:
Commercial Photo Co. operated in Buston during the 1890s to 1910s.
“Allstn” probably refers to Allston, a Boston neighborhood.
The gas lighting suggests the photo was taken before 1906.
Corner Stone Flour was made from the mid-1890s through about 1901.
I provide this historic photo here only.
Public House, Probably Pendleton, Salford, England, c. 1900-1908.
Photographer: Unidentified Inscription: On back: This is the house you were born in Jan 3rd 1872 | John Holden. Description: A corner pub with:
Walkers of Warrington was a brewery in Warrington, Lancashire, England.
This is likely a Walkers of Warrington Pub.
There was a Steers Street in Pendleton, Salford, (historically in Lancashire) near Manchester.
My initial search did not find a Holden family in Pendleton or Salford with a child born on 3Jan 3rd, 1872. Further research would be necessary to confirm the likely location.
I provide this historic photo here only.
Unidentified Man, Lewiston, ME, circa 1890
Photographer: Colpitts & Co. 52 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, ME. Inscription: Mary A Smith | F-1109 | F-1295 Description: This is a classic late-Victorian cabinet card portrait of a well-dressed young man, taken in a professional studio in Maine. The combination of clothing, props, and printing style firmly places it around 1885–1895. Research:
Colpitts & Company was operating by 1889 and moved by 1891 when I. L. Hammond & Co. operated at that location.
The 1890 Census – Veterans Schedules lists a Mary A Smith, the widow of John Smith, living in Auburn, Maine. However, I have been unable to determine the date of John Smith’s death.
My search of the internet failed to locate this photo.
I am unable to identify this young man.
Conclusion
I am sad that I was unable to positively identify any of these photographs. I would love to hear your reaction if you can identify any of these people or locations. If so, do you have a story you can share? If so, please use the comment form below. Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the pictures with the descendants of the people portrayed here.
Disclaimer:
Some of the research in this post was aided by AI and edited with Grammarly.
