As I continue documenting the vaudeville career of my grandmother, Madonna Montran (known professionally as Donna Darling), contemporary newspaper advertisements remain essential evidence. Each confirmed engagement sharpens the chronology of her 1925 tour and helps reconstruct her movement across the Midwest.
I am particularly pleased to have identified a previously undocumented appearance at the Strand Theatre in Pontiac, Michigan, June 22–24, 1925.
Just days earlier, Donna had appeared at the Temple Theatre in Bryan, Ohio (June 18–19). The distance between Bryan and Pontiac is approximately 150 miles. It is possible she had June 20–21 to travel north, although, given the pace of vaudeville routing, it is equally plausible she filled those days with additional engagements en route.
Performance Details
Venue: Strand Theatre
Location: Pontiac, Michigan
Dates: June 22–24, 1925 (Monday–Wednesday)
Act:Donna Darling and Her Bathing Girl Revue
The Strand advertisements promoted her act as a featured stage attraction alongside the motion picture Welcome Stranger. The program followed the common mid-1920s hybrid format: feature film, short comedy, and live vaudeville performance.
Notably, the ads reference Donna appearing with her “Comedy Life Guards.”
Clarifying the “Comedy Life Guards”
The phrase “Comedy Life Guards” appears in the promotional copy but does not identify specific performers by name. No supporting artists in Donna’s revue are individually credited in these advertisements.
Based upon other Bathing Girl Revue promotions from this period, the “Comedy Life Guards” likely referred to male comic performers within her company who:
Framed the bathing-beauty theme with humorous beach or seaside skits,
Provided comic dialogue or specialty routines, and
Functioned as visual counterparts to the “Bathing Girls.”
This terminology appears to have been branding rather than formal billing.
Context of the Engagement
During this engagement, Donna’s revue is the only live vaudeville act mentioned in the advertising. The remainder of the program centered on the film Welcome Stranger, starring Florence Vidor and others. This suggests Donna’s act was the primary live attraction during this booking.
The engagement falls between her documented Bryan, Ohio appearance (June 18–19) and her later appearance at the Palace Theatre in Detroit. There is a twelve-day gap between Pontiac and Detroit in the currently documented itinerary. Based on standard vaudeville routing practices, it is highly likely she played additional Michigan dates during that interval. Further research in regional newspapers may reveal those engagements.
Conclusion
Each newly confirmed venue adds precision to Donna Darling’s 1925 touring record. The Strand Theatre engagement in Pontiac not only expands her documented Michigan appearances but also reinforces the geographic logic of her route between Ohio and Detroit.
As always, the work continues. I will continue searching Michigan newspapers from late June through mid-July 1925 in hopes of identifying additional stops along her circuit.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
Today, I remember my grandmother, Madonna[i] “Donna” Mae Montran Kees. She was born on 20 Feb 1893 in Albion, Michigan[ii].
Madonna married Chester Fenyvessy on 1 October 1911 in Willand, Ontario, Canada.[iii]
Madonna married Thomas Valentine Rooney on 24 November 1915 at St. Mary’s Church in Waltham, Massachusetts. [iv]
Donna married Samson Amsterdam on 19 April 1926 in Manhattan, New York. Donna and Sammy separated about 1932.
In about 1937, Donna began living with Russell Kees in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She began using Kees as a surname then.[v]
She died on 14 September 1976 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her generosity extended beyond her life when she donated her body to science, which was used at the University of Minnesota for several years. In 1979, her cremains were buried in a U of M donor’s location at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I have very few photos of Donna after 1930, as most were destroyed during the 1960s. If you have photographs, documents, or recollections relating to Madonna “Donna” Mae Montran Kees, I would welcome hearing from you. Every additional detail helps preserve her story for future generations.
I remember Donna nearly every day and try to honor her through my genealogy blog with a special section regarding her vaudeville career.
ENDNOTES
[i] I only learned she was born Madonna in the 1990s when I began researching family history. She went by Donna beginning in the early 1920s. [ii] Donna always said she was born in Detroit, MI. I only learned she was born in Albion a few years ago. Albion is about 100 miles west of Detroit. [iii] Registered as Madonna Montran Holdsworth, Donna was using the surname of a stepfather. Neither my mother nor my Uncle Russ knew of this marriage until I learned of it while doing my genealogy work in the early 2000s. I have not found any evidence that she used the surname Fenneyvessey. [iv] Neither my mother nor my Uncle Russ knew of this marriage until I learned of it while doing my genealogy work in the early 2000s. I have not found any evidence that she used the surname Rooney. [v] I have searched extensively for a marriage of Donna to Russel Kees and have been unable to find such a record. I believe she and her children just used the surname as a matter of convenience.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used to generate SEO Metadata, tags, and categories. Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
From the Album of Nellie Plummer Roberts – Scarborough Historical Society accession #2026.01.06. Linwood Dyer Photo Collection – Part 090 By Don Taylor
A small group of mid-19th-century photographs in the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection appears to derive from the family album of Nellie Plummer Roberts. The handwritten slips identifying “Aunt Lucy,” “Aunt Mettie,” and “Uncle Seth” reflect Nellie’s relationships to the sitters.
The portraits include Lucy Hunnewell Libby (1834–1902), Marietta “Mettie” Hunnewell Small (b. 1846), and Seth L. Plummer (1835–1916). Through studio imprints, mount styles, fashion analysis, and correlation with known birth dates, the photographs can be securely placed within a narrow chronological framework.
Lucy Hunnewell Libby (1834–1902)
Lucy Hunnewell was born in May 1834 in Scarborough, Maine. She married on 21 November 1860 and died in Scarborough on 20 December 1902. Three portraits in the album document her across nearly twenty years of adulthood.
Tintype – c. 1864–1866
Lucy Hunnewell Libby
The earliest image is a mid-1860s tintype. The small iron plate format, restrained Civil War–era styling, tightly smoothed center-part hairstyle, and high collar strongly suggest a date of approximately 1864–1866. Lucy would have been about 30–32 years old. The image presents her as a young married woman in the wartime generation.
Lucy Hunnewell Libby
Carte de Visite – c. 1873–1875
A later portrait by Chas. W. Hearn at 518 Congress Street in Portland dates to the early-to-mid 1870s. The studio address and mount characteristics place the image between 1873 and 1875, when Lucy would have been approximately 39–41 years old. Softer hair, fuller hair, and a decorative lace collar reflect postwar fashion trends.
Carte de Visite – c. 1883–1886
A second CDV from Hearn’s later location at 514 Congress Street (Dow’s New Block) places the photograph in the mid-1880s. Lucy would have been about 49–52 years old. The darker mount with gilt lettering and mature facial features align with that period. The progression across the three portraits forms a coherent visual aging sequence and supports the identification.
Together, these images preserve a rare, multi-decade record of Lucy’s adult life in Scarborough.
Marietta “Mettie” Hunnewell Small (1846-1923)
“Mettie,” identified in the album as “Aunt Mettie,” is a nickname for Marietta Hunnewell, born in 1846, married James Austin Small in 1868, and died in 1923. Two portraits document her in her twenties.
Carte de Visite – c. 1872–1874
A CDV by J. H. Lamson at 152 Middle Street, Portland, dates to the early-to-mid 1870s. Marietta would have been approximately 26–28 years old. Her coiffure, decorative bow with tassels, beaded choker, and ruffled sleeves are characteristic of early-1870s fashion.
Carte de Visite – c. 1874–1876
A second CDV by Chas. W. Hearn at 518 Congress Street places the image slightly later in the decade. At that time, Marietta would have been approximately 28–30 years old. Subtle facial maturation and a more structured presentation suggest a sitting separated by several years from the Lamson portrait.
The two images form a logical chronological pair and, when considered with her birth year, support the identification as Marietta “Mettie” Hunnewell Small.
Seth L. Plummer (1835–1916)
The final photograph is a miniature “gem” tintype labeled “Uncle Seth.” Seth L. Plummer was born 30 March 1835 in Scarborough and died there in 1916.
Miniature tintypes were especially popular during the 1860s. The sitter’s pointed goatee, narrow lapels, and modest neckwear align with early-to-mid 1860s men’s fashion. If photographed between 1863 and 1866, Seth would have been approximately 28–31 years old, consistent with his appearance.
Although he lived through the Civil War era, the 1910 U.S. Census does not identify him as a survivor of Union or Confederate service. The portrait, therefore, represents him as a young civilian from Scarborough in the 1860s rather than as a soldier.
Conclusion
Taken together, these photographs illustrate how a single family album—likely assembled by Nellie Plummer Roberts—preserves a visual record of multiple relatives across successive decades. The designations “Aunt” and “Uncle” reflect Nellie’s perspective, providing important contextual clues for identification.
The progression of photographic formats, from miniature tintype to early and later cartes de visite, mirrors broader developments in 19th-century portraiture. By correlating studio addresses, fashion details, and known birth dates, the images can be placed within a secure chronological framework. The result is a compact but meaningful visual narrative of the Hunnewell and Plummer families of Scarborough during the Civil War era and the decades that followed.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly for editorial review and copyediting.
November 4, 1926 – Donna Darling Revue with Sammy Clark
In the News by Don Taylor
In the rich tapestry of early twentieth-century entertainment, vaudeville performers such as my grandmother, Madonna Montran—better known on stage as Donna Darling—built careers that were widely celebrated locally but seldom preserved beyond newspaper archives. Fortunately, several articles from The Eugene Guard provide a clear window into one such engagement: the Donna Darling Revue at the Heilig Theatre in Eugene, Oregon, in November 1926.
Performance Details
The Eugene Guard – Nov 4, 1926, page 2
Venue: Heilig Theatre, Eugene, Oregon
Opening Date: November 4, 1926
Circuit: Western Vaudeville Managers’ Association
Act:Donna Darling Revue with Sammy Clark
Other Acts on the Bill:
Zahn & Dreis – Dementus Americanus
Billy Curtis & Lou Lawrence – “Is That the Custom”
Princess Winona – Indian Prima Donna
Morrell & Elynor – Introducing “The Charleston on Rollers”
Heilig Presentation Orchestra – Charles Runyan, Conductor
Preview Article
The Eugene Guard – October 30, 1926 – p.7
The Eugene Guard – Oct 30, 1926, page 7
The preview headline announced:
“VAUDEVILLE BILL IS VARIED – Association Circuit Program for Thursday Looks Good.”
The article described the upcoming program as:
“Versatility plus… From the opening to the closing number every offering on the bill is sparkling with wit, grace, vivacity and life.”
Donna’s act was described as:
“Recollections of famous beauty contests are revived with the presentation of the Donna Darling Revue, the heading act. Miss Darling was the winner of the Madison Square Garden beauty competition in New York City a few months ago, and was afterward featured with ‘Chin Chin’ and also with George White and Flo Ziegfeld, with Sammy Clark, ‘The Juvenile Komik,’ Barring and Lazur, and Hal Dison [sic], who will present a routine of songs and dances, garnished with comedy. Special settings and appropriate costumes enhance the beauty of the act making it worthy of more than passing notice.”
Several points are notable:
She is explicitly identified as “the heading act.”
Her publicity continued to emphasize her Madison Square Garden beauty competition victory.
The copy links her to Chin Chin, George White, and Flo Ziegfeld, reinforcing prestige associations common in vaudeville promotion.
The act is described as having special settings and costumes, suggesting a revue-style production rather than a simple two-person act.
Review
The Eugene Guard – November 5, 1926 – p.5
The following day’s review confirms the engagement opened successfully:
The Eugene Guard – Nov 5, 1926, page 5
“Color with all its glory and a singer with beauty both of face and voice, drew the first position on the Association vaudeville program at the Heilig last night. This fair miss, Donna Darling, with her musical revue, held forth with a winning presentation consisting of singing, dancing and spectacular scenic wonders. A special finale came when the entire revue came out in dance dressed in radium coats. When the lights dimmed the radium striped jackets swayed with the dancers in clever fashion…”
This description provides valuable detail. The Donna Darling Revue included:
Singing
Dancing
Scenic spectacle
A choreographed ensemble finale
The mention of “radium coats” is particularly intriguing. Whether the costumes were literally treated with radium (unlikely, though radium was still used commercially in the 1920s), or whether the effect was achieved through phosphorescent materials or reflective striping enhanced by stage lighting, the intent is clear: the finale relied on a dramatic lighting effect. In my interpretation, this suggests a visually ambitious production designed to stand out on a regional vaudeville circuit.
The review concludes that her presentation was “winning,” and emphasizes both her vocal ability and stage presence.
Billing and Placement
The preview calls the Donna Darling Revue “the heading act.” The review notes she “drew the first position.”
In vaudeville practice, opening an evening did not always mean headliner status. However, being identified in advance as the “heading act” strongly suggests she was one of the principal attractions of the week’s program. My interpretation is that she likely held top billing on the Association circuit roster for this engagement, even if program order placed her first for pacing and impact.
Promotional Claims and Open Questions
The preview repeats several claims associated with Donna’s publicity:
Winner of a Madison Square Garden beauty competition
Featured with Chin Chin
Connected with George White
Connected with Flo Ziegfeld
I have long been aware of her pageant victory and her work in revue-style productions. However, while references to Ziegfeld and George White appear in promotional materials, I have not yet found independent documentary confirmation of sustained professional involvement with either producer. It remains possible these associations were promotional amplifications rather than formal contracts.
Sammy Clark, whom Donna married earlier in the year, is identified here as “The Juvenile Komik,” reinforcing his role as the comedy counterpoint within the revue format.
Conclusion
This Eugene engagement demonstrates that by late 1926 the Donna Darling Revue was:
A fully developed staged production
Marketed as visually elaborate
Positioned as a principal attraction on the Western Vaudeville Managers’ Association circuit
It also confirms that her career extended well beyond major metropolitan centers into the structured touring networks that sustained vaudeville across the American West.
For a performance that lasted only one night in Eugene, these surviving newspaper accounts preserve a vivid snapshot of her professional standing at that moment in time.
Research credit: Newspapers.com
📜 Standard Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
The Scarborough Historical Society maintains several important photographic collections that document the people, families, and communities of southern Maine and beyond. Among these, the Linwood Dyer Collection is particularly rich, containing images that span multiple generations and photographic formats. In this installment of Faces from the Past, I examine five photographs drawn from that collection, representing members of the Small, Potter, and Libby families.
Three of the photographs discussed here were discovered loose in a shoebox. Unfortunately, they were accompanied by ten additional photographs—two ambrotypes, five tintypes, and three vintage prints—none of which included identifying information. While such anonymity presents challenges, careful study of inscriptions, photographic formats, and related family records can often restore at least part of the story behind these images.
John Chase Small, c. 1860
John Chase Small, c. 1860 Photo Courtesy Scarborough Historical Society
Photo Type: Ambrotype Inscription: John Chase Small Nov. 5, 1841 Sept. 13, 1923, son of Richard & Abigail Ann Joss Small of Lancaster N.H. & Guildhall, Vt.
Description: This ambrotype is a formal mid-19th-century studio portrait of a young man seated and facing the camera. He wears a dark jacket with a contrasting velvet or satin collar, a light waistcoat, a white shirt, and a neatly tied patterned bow tie. His sober, composed expression is characteristic of portraits from this period.
Research:
In Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 033, and Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 59, I previously wrote about John Chase Small, Jr., the son of John Chase Small. During that research, I confirmed that John Chase Small, Sr., was born in 1841 and died in 1923. His FamilySearch profile KZHZ-HJF[i], identifies his parents as Richard Small and Abigail Ann Jose.
FamilySearch records indicate that Richard Small resided in Guildhall, Essex County, Vermont, in 1860.
Dating the Photograph:
Based on John’s youthful appearance, clothing style, and the ambrotype format, I estimate that he was approximately 18–20 years old when this photograph was taken, suggesting a date around 1860.
The inscription accompanying the photograph provides a birth date of November 5, 1841, and a death date of September 13, 1923, and notes that his parents lived in Lancaster, New Hampshire, and Guildhall, Vermont at various times.
Richard Dresser and Grace (Potter) Small, 1904 & 1902
Richard Dresser, 1904. Photo Courtesy Scarborough Historical Society
Description: The next two photographs are housed side by side in a folding frame and depict a married couple. Inside the frame were two identifying slips:
In Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 032, I reviewed earlier photographs of Grace Potter (later Small), circa 1900, and Richard Dresser Small, circa 1873. That research established that Richard Dresser Small was born in 1872 and that Grace Florence Cogswell Potter was born in 1878.
Richard and Grace were married on November 20, 1901, placing Grace’s 1902 portrait shortly after their marriage.
Dating the Photograph: In 1904, Richard would have been approximately 32 years old, and in 1902, Grace would have been about 24. These ages align well with their apparent ages in the photographs.
Next, I begin reviewing Photo Album 2026.01.06 from the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection. This small album measures approximately 4 by 5 inches and is about two inches thick. It is particularly appealing because many of the tintypes and cartes de visite are identified with small paper slips. Although the original owner of the album is unknown, several images are labeled with family relationships—such as “aunt” or “uncle”—suggesting a close family compilation. Determining the album’s provenance and familial connections promises to be a rewarding research project.
Addie Libby – circa 1870
Last year, in Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 054, I wrote about sisters Ella and Addie Libby. This album presents them again, this time as children.
Description and Dating
These two photographs depict the two girls, wearing identical dresses and hairstyles. Previous research identified them as:
Ella Libby, c. 1870
Addie Leona Libby (born March 3, 1862; died 1886)
Ella Lillian Libby (born January 4, 1864; died 1907)
In these images, the younger girl, Ella, appears to be approximately six years old, while Addie appears closer to eight, suggesting a date around 1870. The tintype format—most popular during the 1860s and 1870s—supports this estimated timeframe.
According to FamilySearch records, Addie and Ella were the daughters of Samuel and Lucy Ann (Hunnewell) Libby. Addie married Charles H. Strout in 1879 and had three children—Charles, Harry, and Flossie—before dying young at age 24. She is buried in Black Point Cemetery in Scarborough, Maine. Ella married Elmer Elsworth Libby and is also buried at Black Point Cemetery.[ii] Ella married Elmer Elsworth Libby and is also buried at Black Point Cemetery.[iii]
These photographs, and a third photo of the two together, have been added to the Linwood Dyer Collection on Ancestry.com.
Conclusion
Each photograph in this installment of Faces from the Past represents more than an image—it offers a tangible connection to individuals whose lives intersected with families, communities, and places that shaped local history. Whether carefully inscribed or rediscovered without identification, these photographs remind us how easily personal histories can be lost, and how valuable even small clues can be in restoring them.
If any of the individuals or scenes shown here are familiar to you, I would be pleased to hear from you. Many photographs in the Scarborough Historical Society’s collections remain unidentified, and even a single name, relationship, or memory can help reconnect an image to its family and community. My continuing goal is to preserve these photographs, enrich their historical context, and ensure they remain accessible and meaningful for future generations.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
