Beauties at City Hall, Boston, 1916, Included Donna MontranMontran Monday
By Don Taylor
My grandmother’s father was John Montran. She used the surname, as a young child and again when she began in show business. The name is uncommon and most of the Montrans I see in the newspapers are her during her vaudeville career. With a constant flow of newly digitized material, I often learn of new articles which contain the Montran name. I pay attention to the finding and try to determine it’s possible relationship to grandma Donna or her father, John Montran. Hopefully, you will find the articles interesting. This week, for Montran Monday I found the following article:
YOUNG LADY of pleasing personality, Free to travel to advertise magazines, big money and steady position. Inquire Miss Montran, Keystone Circulating Co. 304½ N. Broad St.
When my mother was pregnant with me, she traveled from city to city selling magazine subscriptions; could she have gotten the idea of doing that from Donna’s previously working for such a company? If so, it would make sense and be a key bit of information about my mother’s selling magazine subscriptions. I researched the Keystone Circulating Company at length and found many articles about the Philadelphia based company. Only the one article ever mentions “Miss Montran.”
I track 45 different Montran individuals in my database. A look there found that Maude Minnie Winter Montran was probably living in Philadelphia in 1916. In 1910, Maude is living with a family and working as a Christian Science Nurse. By 1920, Maude had moved from Philadelphia to California. Seeing her working as a magazine circulation sales representative in 1916 in Philadelphia is more likely to me that having had Donna move from Boston in 1915 and returning to Boston in 1916.
I learned:
I don’t believe this “Miss Montran” is my Donna Montran. It is much more likely to have been Maude Minnie (Winter) Montran.
Today, in recognition of World Beard Day, I’m recognizing some of my ancestral beards. I’ve had a beard most of my life. I didn’t have a beard for the first few years in the Navy, but while Admiral Zumwalt was the Chief of Naval Operations and beards were allowed, I too had one. I grew a full beard again after I got out of the service. I shaved it off for a short time while I ran for City Council in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, but promptly grew it back after I failed to win. My wife has never seen me without a beard except in photos and we’ve been together since 1991. She says shaving it off would be grounds for separation.
My Maternal Side – Mannin & Parsons
Enoch Mannin
My 3rd great-grandfather, Enoch Mannin had the most amazing chin-curtains ever. I find chin-curtains to be beards without the benefit of not shaving. Chin-curtains require daily shaving of the face. Mustache area, cheeks, and chin are all shaved daily. Only the area under the jawline is left to grow. I find shaving under the jawline and shaving the neck to be the easiest part of shaving, so leaving that natural and shaving the more difficult areas seems odd to me.
Chester Parsons
My 4th great-grandfather, Chester Parsons also had interesting chin-curtains as well. In The History of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Page 437, a drawing of Chester Parsons shows his chin-curtains were gray in the center under his chin and dark on the sides.
My Paternal Side –
Samuel Vaden Scott
Although he was clearly a working man, my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel Vaden Scott, had a nice, well-groomed beard (at least when the photo was taken).
William Hunter Scott
His father, my 3rd great-grandfather, William Hunter Scott had a full beard. The photo I have of him shows a beard much like mine was several years ago – white on the sides with salt & pepper on the chin and mustache. He had an interesting face.
Others
Henry Conn
Although not related directly to me Henry Conn, Sr., the 3rd great-grandfather of my nephews Mike & Luke, had wild hair, a full beard, and a twisted bar mustache. He was an Oregon pioneer.
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Some years ago, I worked for a military organization as a civilian. Some of the leadership there were active duty officers. When one of the majors came on board and was introduced to the employees. When he was introduced to me the first words he had for me weren’t, “Hello, nice to meet you” or anything similar. Rather his first words were, “When are you going to get a shave and a haircut?” A couple weeks later, I was in the cafeteria with a couple other bearded employees. I saw that Major A. was coming over to our table. Upon his arrival, I segued the conversation to beards. I asked the table if they knew how shaving became popular in Western Culture. When no one knew the answer, I said it came from “the Greeks, some of whom wanted to keep their boyish appearance for their men lovers.” Major A. never again suggested I shave.
Today, on World Beard Day, I remember all my ancestors who had beards.[amazon_link asins=’B009NNFB0O,B071RTF9HN’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’dtaygen-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’20492d31-126a-11e8-8ab3-53b8bb323af5′]
Certainly, I’ve looked for individuals in the various census records and have been unable to find them anywhere and I believed they were missed in the Census. Also, I’ve heard that occasionally individuals are counted twice and have seen where a young man left home and was enumerated in one place while he was also enumerated with his parents. But, until now, I had never encountered a case where a family was enumerated twice.
I was surprised to see the inconsistencies between the two census entries, something that reminds me that Census records are often incorrect.
William S. Taylor, Jr. his wife Marie, and his three children, Dorothy, John, and Madeline, were enumerated in both Cape May, NJ, and in Philadelphia, PA. The Pennsylvania enumeration is odd, as the family was initially identified as “head, wife, & children” and then stricken out and had “Boarder” added instead.
Differences in the two entries for the Taylor family in 1900 Censuses.
Name
Philadelphia, PA
Cape May, NJ
Taylor, Wm S Jr
Born Dec 1856
Born Dec 1859
Taylor, Maria P
Born Dec 1865
Born Dec 1864
Born Pennsylvania
Born Arkansas
Parents b. TN & LA
Parents b. KY & KY
Taylor, Dorothy
(All the same)
(All the same)
Taylor, John
(All the same)
(All the same)
Taylor, Magdeline
(All the same)
(All the same)
Polk, John W.
(not listed)
Age 80
Rabey, Margarette
Born Mar 1870
Born Mar 1872
Servant
House Keeper
Comparison of two entries
Philadelphia, ED 159, Sheet 3A, Lines 29-34
Avalon, Cape May, Ed 107, Sheet 12A, Lines 1-7
Besides the family structure, it is the servant, Margarette Rabey. Her presence in both entries proves that this is the same family.
The New Jersey entry also shows, living with the family was a “Boarder” John W. Polk, aged 80. Maria’s maiden name was Polk, so it is likely John W. Polk is related to Maria, possibly her father.
So, from the 1900 Census, there is a three-year window when William was born, a one-year window when Maria was born. The 1910Census indicated that Magdeline’s mother, Maria, was born in Arkansas, which lends a little more credence to the Cape May entries.
It will be fun to learn definitively when William and Maria were born.
Louise Lenz was a true Chicagoan. She was born in Chicago, grew up in Chicago, married a Chicagoan in Chicago, had five children in Chicago and she died in Chicago. She is buried just outside of Chicago in Fairmount-Willow Hills Memorial Park.
Durand–Wilhelm 2018 – Ancestor #7
List of Grandparents
Grandmother: Louise Lenz
1st Great-grandfather: Ferdinand J. Lenz
2nd Great-grandfather: William Lenz
Birth
Louise was (probably) the fifth of nine children of the Immigrants Ferdinand J and Lena Schwartz Lenz. All of the children of Ferdinand and Lena were born in Illinois, and most probably in Chicago.
The eight siblings of Louise included three that were older, William (b. 1870-71), Mary Minnie (b. 1872), and Emilia/Emma (b. 1877). Her four younger siblings were Millie (b. 1882), Herman (b. 1886), Annie/Anna (b. 1890), and Joseph (b. 1894). The final sibling’s name and sex is unknown. There is a gap of five years between the births of Mary and Emma so that is the most likely birth period for this child. If so, she must have died before the 1880 census.
Childhood
One of the most significant events of Louise’s late childhood was when she was 19 and 20, the Chicago River’s flow was reversed from flowing into Lake Michigan to flowing away from it into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, to the Des Plaines River and west to the Mississippi River. This allowed for Lake Michigan water, the source for Chicago drinking water, to clean up.
The 1900 Census found Louise living with her parents and four younger siblings at 1319 West 50th Street, about a mile and a half south of the South Fork of the Chicago River. Her father was a day laborer as was she. The house the family was renting is no longer present and is a vacant lot with some trees.
Marriage & Children
Louise married Jacob Frederick Wilhelm on 18 March 1903, the year that the Chicago White Stockings became the Chicago Cubs. The Wilhelm’s had five children:
Name
Born
Married
Died
Elizabeth
04 Jan 1904
Harold Woolrich
Unk.
Dorothy Amanda
10 Jul 1907
Richard Earl Durand
1973
Edward Clarence
20 Oct 1911
—
1996
Robert Louis
29 Oct 1923
Merla [LNU]
2006
Lois M.
21 May 1927
Charles Jordan
1987
There is a twelve-year gap between the births of Edward and Robert, however, I have not found any evidence that Louise had additional children during that time.
Adulthood
The 1910 Census finds the Wilhelm couple owned the home at 5249 Carpenter Street. Living with Jacob and Louise were their two children, Elizabeth and Dorothy. Also living with them was Jacob’s brother, George. Jacob was a foreman at a packing house and George was a laborer.
By 1918, when Jacob registered for the draft, he was a saloonkeeper at 2901 N. Kedzie Ave and the family lived upstairs of the saloon.
The 1920 Census finds and Jacob and Louise still at 2901 Kedzie. Prohibition began on January 1st, 1920 and saloon became a grocery store. Jacob was a storekeeper, daughter, Elizabeth, was a stenographer. Dorothy and young Edward were attending school. Living at the same address was another family, Theresa Jansmiller, a widow, with her two older sons, Walter and Alfred (ages 22 and 19).
The 1930 Census still finds Jacob and Louisa at 2901 Kedzie with three of their children, Edward, Robert, and Lois. The property owner, Dora Leicht, along wither her daughter, Elsie, were living there also. Additionally, two other families were living there, Nilsien Granland, with his grandchildren Clifford and Fern, and a Ruth Pierson with her “partner,” Hattie Rick. “Partner” was lined out and “Lodger” added instead.
In 1940, the Wilhelm’s were still at 2901 Kedzie. Robert and Lois were still at home. Elsie Leicht is now the owner and Edward Parquetta, with his wife and three children made another household and Elizbeth Jarger with her daughter made another household. Jacob is still a store keeper of a retail grocery that he owns.
Louise’s husband, Jacob, died on 23 June 1943 at the age of 67. He and Louise were living at 2938 N. Sawyer Ave., which is about a block and a half away from 2901 Kedzie.
Death & Burial
Louise (Lenz) Wilhelm died nearly six years later, on 17 March 1949. She was living in an apartment at 2648 North Hoyne Ave, which is along the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River. She was interned at Fairmount Cemetery (Now Fairmount-Willow Hills Memorial Park) in Willow Spring, Illinois. She was survived by her five children, and seven grandchildren.
Further Actions / Follow-up
I have a Find-a-Grave photo request outstanding for Louise’s marker. Incorporate that image if it becomes available
“United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSQ5-T2G : accessed 17 August 2018), Ferdinand Lenz, Precinct 24 Lake town Chicago city Ward 30, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 913, sheet 16A, family 301, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,282.
United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK8Q-56T : accessed 1 May 2016), Jacob Wilhelm, Chicago Ward 29, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1281, sheet 15A, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,288.
S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Ancestry.Com, Jacob Fredrick Wilhelm. Registration State: Illinois; Registration County: Cook; Roll: 1613896; Draft Board: 64.
“United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJQY-D31 : accessed 1 May 2016), Jacob Wilhelm, Chicago Ward 27, Cook (Chicago), Illinois, United States; citing sheet 7B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,340.
“United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJQY-D31 : accessed 1 May 2016), Jacob Wilhelm, Chicago Ward 27, Cook (Chicago), Illinois, United States; citing sheet 7B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,340.
1930 Census (NARA), Com, 1930 Census – Jacob Wilhelm – Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.Original data – United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census.
“United States Census, 1940,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KW1F-5CX : accessed 1 May 2016), Jacob Wilhelm, Ward 33, Chicago, Chicago City, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 103-2062, sheet 2B, family 64, NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012), roll 987.
“Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQPK-RR8 : accessed 1 May 2016), Jacob F. Wilhelm, 23 Jun 1943; Public Board of Health, Archives, Springfield; FHL microfilm 1,953,885.
“Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M4-5BWR : 17 May 2016), Louise Wilhelm, 17 Mar 1949; citing Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference, record number, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm.
I had the opportunity to visit the Maine State Library and scan the 1875 Scarborough, Maine, Tax Valuation Record using their Zeutschel OS 12002. It is a multi-camera book scanner that creates high-resolution images of bound and oversized materials. The scanned images were then combined into a PDF file. A “Scarborough Books” collection was created and the PDF file uploaded with some metadata information. Thank you so much for the assistance of Adam Fisher of the Maine State Library for his help and assistance in this Project. The scanned images were then combined and compressed into a PDF file. I then uploaded the resulting file to Digital Maine to make the images publically available.
Pages 1-28 (as numbered at the top left corner of a page) are Scarborough residents, generally arranged alphabetically by surname. That is to say, all people whose surname begins with a “C” are together.
In the second section are non-residents who owned property in Scarborough. These pages are unnumbered and are divided by the towns the individual lived in and then semi-alphabetically by surname. The towns include:
Buxton
Cape Elizabeth
Deering
Gorham
Portland
Saco
Westbrook
Miscellaneous
A third, unnumbered, section indicates residents and non-residents that live in Scarborough but do not own property.
If you have ancestors who lived in Scarborough, Maine, in 1875, this book may provide information of great interest. It provides information on real estate values, personal property (horses, oxen, cows, swine, sheep, carriages, and furniture. Also included are stocks and bonds, money lent at interest, and logs and timber held.