Don Taylor Genealogy – 2020 Year in Review

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Don Taylor

The primary purpose of my blog is to help me understand my genealogical findings. It is like a diary or journal that helps me to focus on what I know. It helps me to stay focused not to become distracted. As time has passed, it has become more and more a vehicle for me to share some of what I’ve learned and what I am working on. I think both are important. I would like to remind readers that I do accept guest submissions. If you would like to write something, particularly of interest to readers in my six primary topics (Brown, Darling, Howell, and Roberts lines as well DNA discoveries or understanding and Donna Montran’s vaudeville career), I’ll be happy to consider your submission as a guest post.

What I do.

  1. I am the Historian and the “genealogy & technology guy” for the Scarborough Historical Society. As the “technology guy,” I manage their web page and regularly post to their website. Before Covid, I also recorded monthly presentations and edited them for uploading to You Tube. 
  2. I lead a genealogy group at the Scarborough Public Library. We meet on the 4th Monday of the month. Learn more about it on the SPL-GG Facebook Page.
  3. I am a past president and regularly participate with the Greater Portland Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society,
  4. I attend meetings of the DNA Special Interest Group for the Maine Genealogical Society (Gray, ME).
  5. I also attend the South Portland Library Genealogy Group.

I am so looking forward to the elimination of Covid-19 protocols so that all these groups can return to normal meetings. I really miss the people.

I must mention, I am not selling genealogical services. (I gave that up.) I do, however,  participate in an affiliate program. I am phasing that feature out of my postings.  We’ll see how that goes over the coming year.

2020 Website Statistics.

I wrote 137 posts during the year, up from 122 in 2019.  My goal was to post, at a minimum, once every three days, so I made my goal.

The number of page views stayed virtually the same between 2018, 2019, and 2020, and the number of visitors and subscribers.

I currently have 524 followers/subscribers – up from 460 at the beginning of the year. Besides direct subscribers, other individuals follow my blog via Facebook, Twitter, and Google. If you do not subscribe to dontaylorgenealogy.com, please do so.

Referrals to my site are as I would expect; Google is, by far, the most significant referrer. Bing is a distant 2nd and third was Facebook. My old Blogspot site still referred individuals 24 times, so I guess I still can’t delete it.

My Top Five Postings for 2020

My number one post during 2020 has been #1 for five years in a row. “Why I’ll never do business with MyHeritage Again.” I guess people love reading rants.

My number 2 article was My Top Ten Free Genealogy Websites – Part 1. I think that article’s success and several of my other articles “website” articles have convinced me to do more of that type of essay.

Dropping to number 3 last year was the 2017 “OMG – Another Half-Sibling,” which spoke about learning of a half-sibling here-to-fore unknown for my mother—quite the surprise for my mother and my half-aunt, Barbara.

Staying at number 4 was my “Surname Saturday” article about the Howell surname. I am surprised that none of my other “Surname Saturday” articles have made it into the top 10. (“Swayze” did make it to number 11.)

Sliding into 5th place is another of those “Top Genealogy Websites” articles, this time “Top Fee-Based” websites.”

Next Year – 2021

I’m going to focus more next year on my activities. Being part of several societies, genealogy groups, I think I want to write a bit more about issues that arise through them. Also, some of my genealogical research is overlapping with other organizations and activities. For example, I was doing some research for my nephew, Paul, and learned he has family lines in Scarborough during the 1700s. That brings my genealogy research and my Historical Society activities together. I’m excited about that type of thin. Likewise, I expect to do more presentations, even if through Zoom. Those should provide some new and interesting postings.

I started a new project for “Photo Friday” to identify individuals who had pictures taken in the 1930s at the Ethel Wight Studio in Portland, Maine. I try to determine exactly who it is in the photo (name, child of Parents, birth and death dates) and then post the image to a profile for the person on Family Search or share the photo with others who know the family via Ancestry.  There are over 800 photo packets in the collection and I am trying to analyze about five packets each week. I truly love receiving a “Wow, thank you for the picture of my (relative) that I’ve never seen before” message. It makes the work worthwhile.

Have a happy, safe, and healthy new year.

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Don’s Genealogy News – December 29, 2020.

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Don’s Genealogy News includes genealogical activities I’m involved with as well as genealogical items that I’ve found interesting and would like to share with my genealaogical friends. I hope you find them interesting. 

Scarborough Historical Society

One second after midnight on January 1st, copyrighted works from 1925 will enter the US public domain. One of my favorite Scarborough history books, Grandfather Tales of Scarborough by Augustus F. Moulton, comes out of copyright. I have already digitized it and expect to upload it in the first few days of 2021 to Internet Archives and Digital Maine with links to it from the Scarborough Historical Society webpage. 

Scarborough Public Library

Ancestry has extended Library Edition access to Ancestry from home through your local library until March 31st. If you find the cost of an Ancestry subscription prohibitive and US records fit your needs, this is excellent news. To access the Library Edition of Ancestry, go to your public library’s research page, then select “Ancestry Library Edition” (In Scarborough, go to https://www.scarboroughlibrary.org/research.) But the process should work with most libraries in Maine.

Greater Portland Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society

The GPC-MGS will meet via Zoom at 1 PM on January 2nd, 2021. Members of the chapter should have received the Zoom link. If you did not, please contact me via the comment form below.

Blogs

Fred Moss has an excellent post on the Records Advocate “Closing Death Records is Just Dead Wrong!” Some states have used the “legislative fix” to close death records doesn’t stop identity theft and creates other problems. A good read.

Conferences

New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) will be virtual this year and will be in April and May 2021. For the latest info, see their E-Zine at https://nergc.org/e-zines/

Services

American Ancestors announced that Volumes 64 through 68, for the years 2016 through 2020, were added to The Mayflower Descendant database. As I learned from Family Search’s “Family Search’s Famous Relatives,” I have several potential Mayflower passenger ancestors. It looks like I might have lots more fun. If you find you have Mayflower Descendants, you might find an American Ancestors (NEHGS) membership worthwhile.

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Relative Sketch – James Cooper Lamb

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Don Taylor

Darling-McAllister-Lamb
By Don Taylor

James Cooper Lamb was the brother of my wife’s 2nd great-grandmother, Margaret Mary Lamb (1860-1929). I researched him primarily to seek additional information regarding his mother Isabella (Atkinson) Lamb who appears to have vanished from the records about 1864. I may, or may not, have found her in am 1898 record.

Darling-McAllister-Lamb – Brother of #27

List of Greats & Grands

James Cooper Lamb (1862-1898).

Birth

James Cooper Lamb was baptized on 18 May 1862, He was nine years old during the 1871 Census, taken on 2 April) so I presumed he was born between 2 April 1862 and 17 May 1862.

James had a difficult childhood. His mother appears to have vanished from the records after the birth of his younger brother, Edward, in 1864. The 1871 Census shows the family has been broken up and nine-year-old James is living with his grandparents.

Adulthood

Photo courtesy of the New York Public Library, from their British Cigarette Cards collection.

The 1881 Census finds 19-year-old James working as a servant in the household of John Lancaster.

James may have become ill and entered the City Road Workhouse in London on 5 August 1886. He was transferred to the Highgate Workhouse the next day and was discharged from Highgate on 4 September 1886.[1]

James’ father, Edward Lamb, died November 1st. 1893. Edward’s estate was probated and James received the effects. James was a sergeant in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

Death

James died on 20 April 1898. His estate was also probated. The Isabella Lamb (a widow) was the administrator. It isn’t clear if this is Isabella, James’ widow, or Isabella, the widow of Edward Lamb. If the latter, that would prove James’ mother, Isabella, was living in 1898.

Events by Location

  • England, Westmorland, Soulby – 2 Apr 1871 – Residence.
  • England, Cumberland, Culgaith – 3 Apr 1881 – Residence.
  • England, Cumberland, Carlisle – 10 Jul 1894 – Probate of father.
  • England, Middlesex, Holborn – 5 Aug 1886 – Event.
  • England, Westmorland, Warcop – Between 2 Apr – 17 May 1862 (Birth)
  • England, Westmorland, Warcop – 18 May 1892 –  Christening,
  • Ireland, Kildare, Curragh – 20 Apr 1898 – Death.

Further Actions / Follow-up

  • Find the probate record for James Cooper Lamb.
  • Find the military record for James Cooper Lamb.

————–  Disclaimer  ————–

Sources

  • Source Title: 1871 England Census (April 2)
    Repository: Ancestry
    Citation: 1871 England Census (April 2) (National Archives of the UK), Ancestry, John Atkerson – Soulby, Westmorland, England. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 5271; Folio: 88; Page: 7; GSU roll: 847454.
  • Source Title: 1881 England Census (April 3)
    Repository: Ancestry
    Citation: 1881 England Census (April 3) (National Archives of the UK), Ancestry, James Lamb – Age 19 – Culgaith, Cumberland, England. Class: RG11; Piece: 5143; Folio: 60; Page: 14; GSU roll: 1342241.
  • Source Title: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
    Repository: Ancestry
    Citation: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995, Ancestry, James Cooper Lamb – 20 Apr 1898. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/1904/records/571734/.
  • Source Title: England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957
    Repository: Family Search
    Citation: England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957, Family Search, LAMB, Edward of Sanford. Citing this Record. “England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7X3N-7DT2 : 27 August 2019), James Cooper Lamb in entry for Edward Lamb, 10 Jul 1894; citing Probate, Westmorland, England, United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, Great Britain.
  • Source Title: England Births and Christenings, 1538-­1975
    Repository: Family Search
    Citation: England Births and Christenings, 1538-­1975, Family Search, James Cooper Lamb – Warcop, Westmorland, England. “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NR9L-K8X : 11 February 2018, James Cooper Lamb, 18 May 1862); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 97,420. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NR9L-K8X.
  • Source Title: Letters
    Repository: Personal Files
    Citation: Letters, Letter – Betty Darling Kemon to Jerome Howell 30 Dec 1978.
  • Source Title: London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930
    Repository: Ancestry
    Citation: London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930 (London Metropolitan Archives), Ancestry, Lamb, James born 1862 – Page 284. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: HOBG/542/13.
  • Source Title: London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930
    Repository: Ancestry
    Citation: London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930 (London Metropolitan Archives), Ancestry, Lamb, James born 1862 – Page 285 . London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: HOBG/542/13
    City Road Workhouse (St Luke´s and Other Workhouses) Register, 1885-1886.

EEndnotes

[1] I am not positive this event related to James Cooper Lamb, the son of Edward and Isabella Lamb, however, I have accepted it tentatively and have entered it here.

Posted in Darling-Huber, Ancestor Features, Military | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ethel Wight Collection – Part 9

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Don Taylor

Bibber, Billings, Bixby, Blaisdell, & Blake

Photo Friday
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.This week for Photo Friday, I look at identifying five more negatives from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The names on the envelope are of the individual who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is important to analyze the photo and information to positively identify the photographs.[ii]

Nina Lucile Bibber – Photo ca. 1936

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Nina Bibber – 56 Paris St. Portland #776.”

There was a Nina L. Bibber, daughter of Waitstill D. and May S. Bibber during the 1930 Census living in Harpswell, Cumberland County, Maine. Nina was 9 years old during the 1930 Census.

Nina L. Bibber married Harold Valentine Smith on 29 September 1936. She appears to have married him a second time on 24 August 1940.

As such, I am confident this is Nina Lucile Bibber, daughter of Waitstell Douglass and Sarah Mae (Brown) Bibber. She was born 9 April 1919 in Harpswell and died 12 April 1994 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Nina has a profile on FamilySearch, G4HH-R38. I have uploaded her two photos there.

Eva Billings – Nurse – Photo ca. 1937

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Eva Billings, St Barnabus Hospital, Portland #542.”

The 1935 and 1937 Portland City Directories list Eva Billings as a student nurse at 321 Woodford and residing at 20 Norfolk.

The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Eva Billings as a nurse at 19 Dow, apt 5 and residing at the same place.

She is not listed in the 1939 or 1940 Portland City Directories.

I have been unsuccessful in identifying Eva Billings as related to other individuals. It appears she came to Portland to become a nurse, worked shortly, and left Portland.

I have posted a photo of Eva to Dead Fred and to my Flickr page.

Donna Bixby, February 1943

The envelope this negative is in says, “Mrs. Bixby’s Baby – Feb 1943.”

The child in the photo appears to be four or five years of age.

A search of Bixby families in the 1940 Census with a child 1 to 3 years of age yielded one living in Portland. Donna Bixby, daughter of John and Harriet Bixby. They lived at 93 Oxford Street during 1940.

Donna Bixby has a profile on Family Search, GS1V-SCB and has two photos posted there. The photos on FS seem consistent to me to be the same person as in these photos. I contacted the individual who contributed the two photos to Family Search (James Shine) and he concurred it to be Donna Bixby. I have posted additional photos of Donna to my Flickr page.

Harold Blaisdell – Photo ca. 1934

The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. Harold Blaisdell – 145 A Spring St, Portland #244.”

The 1934 Portland City directory has Harold F and his wife Barbara B. Blaisdell living at 145a Spring. The 1935 city directory has them at 542½  Congress Street, apt 20 in the 1935 directory. The 1936 Directory doesn’t list Harold, but the 1937 directory puts him back to Spring Street, with a different wife, this time he and Dora I. Blaisdell are listed living at 152 Spring, Apt 11. Again, Harold doesn’t appear in the 1938 Directory, however he and Dora are at 32 University during the 1939. Finally, He and Dora appear in the 1940 Directory at 17 Tyng.

Harold and Barbara Dyer were married on 24 September 1930.
Harold and Dora I. Taylor were married on 25 June 1934.

The 1930 Census finds Harold as a 24-year-old lodger in the household of Peter Dyer. In the same household is Barbara Dyer, a 23 year-old daughter of Peter.

It appears that this is Harold Franklin Blaisdell (5 Jul 1905-1 Feb 1992) and with a Family Search ID of LRRG-7R3. I have uploaded two photos of Harold to Family Search.

Elizabeth Blake – Nurse – Photo ca. 1938

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Elizabeth Blake – Me Gen Hospital #967.”

The 1936 Portland City directory lists Elizabeth Blake as a student nurse at 22 Arsenal, residing at 22 Arsenal. She should not be confused with Mrs. Elizabeth T Blake, the wife of Freeman H. Blake. She is also listed in the 1937 and 1938 Portland directories. She is not listed in the 1939 or 1940 city directories.

The 1940 Census indicates there were 13 Elizabeth Blakes in Maine.

  1. Elizabeth H Blake – 17 year-old daughter of William E. and Annie M. Blake.
  2. Elizabeth Blake – 40 year-old wife of Freeman Blake.
  3. Elizabeth Blake (nee Browne?) 43 year-old divorcee and daughter of Emma F. Browne.
  4. Elizabeth Blake – 86 year old widow living in Westbrook.
  5. Elizabeth Blake – 24 year-old daughter of Arthur & Huldah Blake. She had completed 4 years of high school, but was not working. Possibly her but unlikely.
  6. Elizabeth Blake, 16 year-old daughter of Thomas C Bake.
  7. Mary Elizabeth Blake – 18 year-old daughter of Carlton and Helen Blake.
  8. Elizabeth F Blake – 24 year-old wife of Ernest G. Blake.
  9. Elizabeth Blake – 43 year-old wife of Leslie Blake.
  10. Elizabeth Blake – 17 year-old daughter of Ethel Blake.
  11. Elizabeth Blake – 22 year-old wife of Albert L. Blake.
  12. Elizabeth Blake – 16 year-old daughter of Verna S. Blake.
  13. Elizabeth Blake – Baby daughter of Ernest & Barbara Blake.

Looking Nationally, the 1940 Census indicates there was

Elizabeth Blake, a 28-year-old Registered Nurse in the Brookville Hospital and Nurses Home in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Alternately, there was a 31-year-old Registered Nurse living with her mother, Mary L. Blake, in Brookville and working at Brookville Hospital. I suspect this is the same person and was enumerated twice, once with the hospital and once in her mother’s home.

So, I have two potential Elizabeth Blakes this could be, however, neither is a strong enough match for me to accept an identity match.

Conclusion

I had:

  • Three successful identifications where I could post to Family Search.
  • One partial identification posted to Dead Fred.
  • One inconclusive identification (two potential candidates).

Final Note

If any of these photos are of a family member, I would love to hear your reaction.

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 to invert the image.

Posted in Ethel Wight Studio, Faces from the Past | Leave a comment

James Lamb and the Workhouse

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Don Taylor

Darling-McAllister-Lamb
By Don Taylor

It is easy to forget that words often have different meanings in the US than they do in the UK. For example, being “stuck in the bog” could mean being stuck in the bathroom in England, while in the US, it would definitely mean being stuck in a wet spongy ground (a swampy place). So, when I learned James Lamb spent time in the workhouse, I had an American vision of a workhouse in my mind, not the English version. To me, a “workhouse” usually meant the place where a criminal spent time “at labor” for a crime.  Occasionally, a workhouse might also be a place where the destitute poor would live, and hopefully, work their way out of poverty.

I learned that James Lamb was admitted to the “City Road” workhouse on 5 August 1886.[i] He was then transferred to Highgate workhouse in Holborn, Middlesex, England, on 6 August and was discharged on 4 September 1886.[ii] It sounded like a 30-day sentence to me. Consequently, I wondered what the 24-year-old did to end up in the workhouse.

After further research, I learned that Highgate was an infirmary where the poor would receive medical treatment.[iii] In 1881, James was a servant and would have little support if he was sick. A such, he could have been ill and went to Highgate for care. So, I guess James may not have done anything wrong other than being poor and sick.  If this were the case, he didn’t enlist in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers until 1886. (See: Family Oral History & James Cooper Lamb).

On a final note, I’m not convinced that this 24-year-old James Lamb is my 24-year-old James Cooper Lamb. I have tentatively ascribed this event (time at Highgate) to my wife’s 4th great-uncle, James Cooper Lamb (1862-1898) but I’m ready to remove it if I find anything to conflict with it.

Endnotes:

[i] London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930 (London Metropolitan Archives), Ancestry, Lamb, James born 1862 – Page 284. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: HOBG/542/13.

[ii] London, England, Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records, 1764-1930 (London Metropolitan Archives), Ancestry, Lamb, James born 1862 – Page 285. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: HOBG/542/13 City Road Workhouse (St Luke´s and Other Workhouses) Register, 1885-1886.

[iii] Internet: The Workhouse: The story of an institution – Holborn, Middlesex, London. https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Holborn/

 

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