SHS Photo Collection – Part 1 Photo Friday By Don Taylor
Today, I examined a small photo album from the Scarborough Historical Society Photo Collection[i]. The album is titled “Class of 1939” and consists of individual thumbnail photos. All but two photos have names hand-written on the back. My initial opinion is this album is of the Dunstan Grammar School (Scarborough, Maine) and grades 5, 6, & 7 from 1939; further research confirmed that opinion. My goal in this project is to unite these photos with family members who may have never seen the images before.
What I learned while analyzing this photo package:
The 1939 Scarborough Annual Report indicates that Dunstan School was a 2-room schoolhouse. It consisted of a primary school with “Grades 4, 3, 2, 1, & Sub, Pri, and a Grammar school consisting of “Grades 7, 6, and 5.”
The 1940 Scarborough Annual Report indicates that Dunstan Grammar had 22 students registered in the 1939 Spring Term.
The Scarborough Superintendent of Schools, F. H. B. Heald, and R. J. Libby, the State Agent for Rural Education, indicated that a second Dunstan School building should be built. The additional 4-room school building will allow pupils at Beech Ridge, Broad Turn, Pine Point, and Blue Point to be gathered into the new 6-room Dunstan school.
The first page of the photo package consists of five photos of four children[ii].
Melvin Williams – Pat Seavey – Wesley Varney – Pat Seavey – Bill Higgins
Melvin Williams
The 1940 US Census[iii] indicates that Melvin S. Williams, age 11, had completed 4th grade (suggesting he was in 5th grade in this photo). He lived on Portland Road – Route 1.
Pat Seavey (2 photos)
The 1940 US Census indicates that Patricia R Seavey, age 10, had completed 4th grade (suggesting she was in 5th grade in this photo). She lived on Old Orchard Road.
Wesley Varney
The 1940 US Census indicates that Wesley E Varney, age 11, had completed 4th grade (suggesting he was in 5th grade in this photo). He lived on Snow Street but lived in Portland in 1935.
Bill Higgins
My review of the 1940 US Census didn’t find a William/Bill Higgins living in Scarborough.
The second page of the photo package consists of three photos. Two are unnamed; the middle child is identified as Gilmore Rounds.
(Unknown) – Gilmore Rounds – (Unknown)
Unknown Boy – School Patrol.
Gilmore Rounds
Gilmore W. Rounds was born on 27 June 1930 in Portland. I couldn’t find him in the 1940 US Census.
Unknown Girl.
Please comment below if you can identify these two unknown students.
The third page of the photo package consists of six photos of five students.
Norman Verrill – Juliet Gervais – Audrey David – Roberto Carter – Juliet Gervais – Mary Ferrell
Norman Verrill
The 1940 US Census indicates that Norman Verrill, age 11, had completed 5th grade (suggesting he was in 6th grade in this photo). He lived on Snow Street with his uncle, Orville L. Varney.
Juliet Gervais (2 photos)
The 1940 US Census indicates that Juliet Gervais, age 12, had completed 5th grade (suggesting she was in 6th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Baptice & Flerie,
Audrey David
The 1940 US Census indicates that Audrey L David, age 11, had completed 4th grade (suggesting she was in 5th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Richard & Harriet David.
Roberta Carter
The 1940 US Census indicates that Audrey L David, age 10, had completed 7th grade (suggesting she was in 8th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Carl & Dorothy. I believe her grade is in error, and she is more likely to have completed grade 4.
Mary Ferrelli
The 1940 US Census indicates that Mary M Ferrelli, age 9, had completed 4th grade (suggesting she was in 5th grade in this photo). She lived with her mother, Alice, and stepfather, James Pinkham.
The fourth page of the photo package consists of two photos.
Marion Milliken – Ann Bradford
Marion Milliken
The 1940 US Census indicates that Marion Milliken, age 11, had completed 6th grade (suggesting she was in 7th grade in this photo). She lived with her parents, Henry & Mac.
Ann Bradford
The 1940 US Census indicates that Anna Bradford, age 11, had completed 7th grade (suggesting she was in the 8th grade in this photo). Her grade is likely in error, and she was in the 7th grade when she was enumerated. She lived with her parents, Charles & Nora.
At this point, I am confident this album consists of students in the 5th, 6th, & 7th grades who attended Dunstan School in 1939. As such, I will only list the rest of the students by page and name.
The fifth page of the photo package consists of six photos.
The sixth page of the photo package consists of three photos.
Helen Soule – Priscilla Scamman – Gordan Guest
Helen Soule
Priscilla Scamman
Gordon Guest
The seventh page of the photo package consists of six photos of five students.
Dick Gantnier – Dick Gantnier – Raymond Skillings – Fred Leary – Rachel Whipple – Leon Plummer
Dick Gantnier (two photos)
Raymond Skillings
Fred Leary
Rachel Whipple
Leon Plummer
Conclusion
I am sure these photos, taken in 1939, represent the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade classes of Dunstan Grammar School. The identities of 26 of the 28 students’ photos are provided. Besides here, I uploaded these photos to the Scarborough Historical Society website.
I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before. Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the pictures with family members who may have never seen the image.
Endnotes
[i] This photo was donated to the SHS Collections and accessioned as #2023.19.55. The cover of the small, 3.85×5,” album is burgundy in color and has Class of 1939 printed on the cover and consists of 25 thumbnail photos.
[ii] Note: All Students are listed in Left to Right order with duplicates on the same page ignored.
Ethel Wight Collection – Part 158 Photo Friday By Don Taylor
This week, for Photo Friday, I identified the people in the last two envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The envelopes typically contain the name of the person who paid for the photos, not necessarily of 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.
Virginia & Constance Dennett, Feb 1943.
This negative envelope says, “Virginia Parks Dennett – Feb 1943 (Saco).”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Last month, I reviewed a 1941 photo of Virginia Parks Dennett. This photo is clearly of the same young woman two years later.
Sadly, the 17 Jan 1946 Portland Evening Express reported that Harrison, Virginia, and Harrison’s brother Clifford died in a bus-auto collision at Oak Hill, Scarboro. It indicated Harrison & Virginia had a daughter, Constance.
I am sure this photo is of Virginia and her daughter Constance, taken in February 1943.
Ancestry has six public trees that refer to Virginia L. (Parks) Dennett. I am only posting this photo here because I haven’t found Constance in any Ancestry Trees.
Alice Mary Peterson, circa 1935.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Alice Peterson, 41 A Chestnut St #533.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Irving W (Helen B) Peterson living at 41a Chestnut, Apt. 4.
The 1930 US Census lists Irving and Helen Peterson living at 43 Alder Street. With them is their 11-year-old daughter, Alice. (There are also two other daughters, H. Jane and Margaret I.)
Alice Mary Peterson, daughter of Irving William & Helen Blanche (Dyer) Peterson, was born on 12 March 1919 in Hartford, Connecticut.
This photo, taken about 1935, appears to be of Alice M. Peterson when she was about 16 years old.
Ancestry has 24 public trees that refer to Alice Mary Peterson. Family Search has profile GZVB-66Y for Alice. I uploaded this photo of Alice to her Family Search Memories.
Conclusion
I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. 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 higher quality than those 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.
Ethel Wight Collection – Part 157 Photo Friday By Don Taylor
Wow, this is the last of my initial examination of the photo packages from the Ethel Wight Collection. I still have ten or 11 more photo packages that I should reexamine for various reasons. Again, I aim to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image and share historically important images.
Company B, 87th Seabees, 1943.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Copies – 1944 – Emmons Drug Store Order” and is labeled 87th Seabees, Co. B, Port Hueneme, Cal., 1943.
There was no Emmons Drug Store in Portland; however, the Old Orchard Beach Town Report for 1947 indicates the health nurse spent $10.79 at Emmons Drug Store. The Biddeford-Saco Journal indicates that Walter F Emmons was the proprietor of the Emmons drug store on Washington Ave, Old Orchard Beach[i].
Walter’s obituary did not indicate any surviving children[ii]. Also, Ancestry’s public trees don’t appear to show he had any children. So, I can’t tell how this photo is connected with Emmon’s Drug Store.
The 87th Naval Construction Battalion transferred from NCTC Camp Endicott, Davisville, RI, to Camp Rousseau, Port Hueneme, in June 1943. On August 28th & 29th, the troop ships S. S. Robin Wentley and S. S. Comet departed for Noumea, New Caledonia, with the 87th aboard[iii].
This photo shows Company B, 87th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) in August 1943. I only posted this photo here and to my Flickr Photostream. I will try to get a higher-quality image to replace this image with.
“Symbol of our Freedom” by Stow Wengenroth.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Copy of Lithography by Stow Wengenroth – Mr. Archibald’s Print.”
Stow Wengenroth (1906-1978) was an American artist and lithographer. His lithographs are found in most major American Collections, including the Library of Congress. This “Symbol of our Freedom” lithograph is available on several websites, including eBay. Apparently, Mr. Archibald had the Lithograph and had it copied at the Ethel Wight Studio.
Jefferson Theater, 1933.
The envelope this negative was in says Jefferson Theater #128 – Free St. – Portland.
Jefferson Theatre, 1933.
Portland Evening Express, 4 Oct 1933.
The Jefferson Theatre opened in September 1897 on Free Street at Oak Street. The Theatre closed in 1933[iv]. This photo was taken during its wrecking in September and October 1933. Note the window that lists the items for sale. The Portland Evening Press, dated 4 October 1933, shows the theater was being wrecked and identifies many of the items for sale.
The envelope this negative was in only says “May 1947.” The photo package includes 14 photos: one a photo of two women, several of two farmhouses, and a few of just sheep and cattle.
There are no clues to the two women’s identities or the houses’ locations.
I am providing three of the 14 images here.
Two unknown women, 1941.
The envelope this negative was in only says “Sq. Porid” or “Sq. Park” and “Sept 1941.” The photo package includes six photos of two women. They are next to a store in the two photos I’m posting here; however, there is no identification of the women nor the store to investigate further.
Two photos of two women by a store.
Endnotes:
[i] Biddeford-Saco Journal, 18 May 1942, Page 5, “Old Orchard Beach – Mrs. Clement P. Wight (reporter).
[ii] Biddeford-Saco Journal, 4 Jan 1973, Page 2, “Deaths – Walter F. Emmons.
Names are often confounding and confusing, and Christine’s name is a great example.
She is Christina, Christine, Cristin, and Stina in various documents. I’ve decided to settle on Christine as my preferred name for her because it is the name on her grave marker and likely what she was known by in her later life, even though I believe she was known as “Stina” when she was younger.
Likewise, her surname changed somewhat. Depending upon the document you see, it goes from Ericsdotter to Ericson. She then married Lars Mattson, and again, the various surname spellings show as Mattson, Mattsen, and Matson, depending upon what clerk wrote the information down.
Stena was born on 19 September 1863 in the Skålö settlement in Järna parish, Dalarna, Sweden. Her parents were Eric Matsson and Stina Jansdotter. Järna is a locality in Vansbro Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden.
Stina was likely baptized at Järna parish, Dalarna, Sweden. Photo by Taxelson, (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons.
She probably grew up speaking Dalecarlian, a dialect of the Svealand dialect group[2]. She has a younger brother, Johan Ersson (Ericson?) Mattson, who was about nine years younger.
Between 1850 and 1950, some 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to the United States. Eric, Stina, little Stina, and Johan were four of the 330,000 people who left Sweden during the 1880s[3].
Emigration
Swedish emigration records[4] indicate the family left for North America on 24 May 1880. They must have come straight to Minnesota. Although the 1880 Census date is 1 June, the enumerator recorded the Mattson family in Cokato, Wright County, Minnesota. Erik and his family lived with his brother, Matt Mattson, his family (wife Lisa and three daughters, Mare, Anna, & Lisa), and Matt & Erik’s mother, Christin.
Marriage
Christine married Lars Mattson on 4 February 1881, about eight months after immigration at the Albion Free River Church, and quickly began a family. Their first child, Carl, was born 14 months after their marriage. Christine & Lars had 13 children:
The Children of Lars & Christine Mattson
Name
Birth
Marriage
Death
Carl August
1882
Gina Syverson Elizabeth Guintire
1963
Gertie Caroline
1883
Alfred Hill (FNU) Guintire
1965
Emma Christine
1885
Desire Gerard
1967
John Emil
1886
Annie Utterberg
1962
David Lauretsius
1888
?
1963
Minni Sofia
1890
O. August Nyholm
1968
Hanna Elizabeth
1892
?
1938
Anna Maria Mary
1894
Chell Peterson
1962
Louis Osker
1896
?
1962
Edward William
1898
Hildur Krafve
1977
Edith Elvina Emelia
1900
–
1902
Rudolph Martin
1902
Florence Bringen
1982
[Unnamed Baby]
Bet. 1900 & 1902
–
1902
1885 Minnesota Census
Lars & Stina live in French Lake (the post office is Cokato) with their two oldest children. Living with them are also Carl (age 52) & Stina (age 53) Danielson.
1895 Minnesota Census
Lars & Stina are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Lars was a farmer and had been in Minnesota for 25 years.
1900 U.S. Census
Lars & Christine are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Lars was a farmer who arrived in the United States in 1869; he was naturalized. Christina has been in the United States since 1880 (20 years). They owned their farm, although it was mortgaged. Christine had ten children, and all ten were living and were at home.
1910 U.S. Census
The 1910 Census reports sadness in the family. In the ten years since 1900, Christine had had three more children, but two of them, Edith Elvina and an unnamed baby had died. Lars & Stina are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Five of the children were no longer at home.
Carl was probably married.
Gertie married {FNU} Guintire; they had their daughter, Helen, in 1908.
Emma married Desire Gerard in 1903.
John’s location is unknown and should be further researched.
Hannah was not in the household. I should research her possible marriages.
Still living at home were:
David Matson Son M 21 Minnesota
Minnie Matson Dau. F 20 Minnesota
Mary Matson Dau. F 16 Minnesota
Louis Matson Son M 14 Minnesota
Eddie Matson Son M 13 Minnesota
Rudolph Matson Son M 7 Minnesota
1920 U.S. Census
The 1920 Census reported Hannah, Louis, and Eddie were laboring “away from home.” Christine did housework.
1926 – Death of Lars
Lars died on 13 October 1926. Christine was 63 years old.
The 1930s
The 1930 Census reported three of Christine’s children, David, Minnie, and Hannah, were at home. Sadly, Hannah died on 28 December 1938.
1940 U.S. Census
The 1940 Census reported two of Christine’s children, David & Minnie, were still at home.
Death of Christine
Christine died on 17 January 1942. She was buried in North Crow River (aka Crow River Mission Cemetery and later the Elim Birch Lake Cemetery). She was buried with:
Mattson, Baby 1902-1902
Mattson, Elvina 1900-1902
Mattson, Lars 1859-1926
Mattson, Hannah E. 1892-1938
Mattson, Christine 1863-1942
David L Mattson was also buried there in 1963.
Christine Mattson marker (photo by Terri Matson Ryan via Find-a-Grave.)
Events by Location
Mattson Family Marker (photo by amy4nier via Find-a-Grave).
Minnesota, Wright County, Albion Township 1881 (Marriage).
Minnesota, Wright County, Cokato Township 1880.
Minnesota, Wright County, French Lake Township 1885-1942 (Includes Death & Burial).
I need to research the lives of Lars & Christine’s children, including:
Determine the first name of Gertie’s Guintire husband.
Determine if David, Hanna, or Louis ever married.
Determine who Carl (age 52) & Stina (age 53) Danielson are. They lived with Lars and Stina Mattson during the 1885 Census.
Determine where Carl August was in 1910 and when he married.
Determine when Gertie married {FNU} Guintire and what his given name was.
Determine where Desire and Emma(Mattson) Gerard were in 1910.
Determine where John Emil Mattson was in 1910.
Determine if and when Hannah married and where she was in 1910.
Sources
1880 Census, Family Search, Matts Mattson – Cokato, Wright, Minnesota.
1900 Census, Family Search, 1900 – Lars Matson – French Lake Township, Wright, Minnesota.
1910 Census, 1910 – Lars Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota.
1920 Census, 1920 – Lais (Lars) Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota.
1930 Census, Family Search, Christine Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota, USA.
1940 Census, Family Search, Christine Mattson, “United States Census, 1940”.
Ancestry.com, Geneanet Community Trees Index (Lehi, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022), Ancestry.com, Profile: Christine Ericson (1863-1942).
Annandale Online, Account: Swedish Free Church of North Crow River (No image).
Find a Grave, Find-a-Grave, Christine Mattson – Memorial 61784114.
Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Family Search, Christina Matson – Death 17 January 1942 (No Image).
Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Family Search, Hannah Mattson (1892-1938)
Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955, Family Search, Elmina Mattsen – Death 3 July 1902 (No image).
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1885 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson & Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, Minnesota, Page 15 (340).
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1895 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, MN.
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1905 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, MN.
Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, Ancestry.com, Stina Ersätter – 19 Sep 1863.
Sweden, Household Examination Books, 1880-1930, Family Search, Eric Matsson – Skålö.
Terri [Private], Terri’s Tales: Views to the Past, (www.territales.com), #5 John Emil Matson (1886-1962).
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835-1990”, database, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDQD-6L2 : 16 January 2020), Christine A. Mattson in the entry for Lars Mattson, 1926.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CG84-F7T2 : 1 June 2020), Christina Mattson in the entry for Hannah Mattson, 28 December 1938; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CT3B-3SMM : 1 June 2020), Christine A Mattson in the entry for Lars Mattson, 13 October 1926; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZX95-FV3Z : 7 July 2020), Christina Matson, 17 January 1942; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955”, database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDM6-3SZ : 29 October 2020), Christina Mattsen in the entry for Elmina Mattsen, 1902.
Endnotes
[1] Ancestry Public Trees – This number changes. It is the number of trees on the day I was writing this sketch.
[3] Internet – Minnesota Historical Society – Swedish Immigration to the U.S. (Over 7% of the population during the decade of the 1880s left the country.)
[4] Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, Ancestry.com, Stina Ersätter – 19 Sep 1863. Ancestry.com. Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. AND “Sweden, Household Examination Books, 1880-1930”, database with images, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLGD-TSVH : 30 March 2021), Stina in entry for Eric Matsson, 1889.
Names are often confounding and confusing, and Christine’s name is a great example.
She is Christina, Christine, Cristin, and Stina in various documents. I’ve decided to settle on Christine as my preferred name for her because it is the name on her grave marker and likely what she was known by in her later life.
Likewise, her surname changed somewhat. Depending upon the document you see, it goes from Ericsdotter to Ericson. She then married Lars Mattson, and again, the various surname spellings show as Mattson, Mattsen, and Matson, depending upon what clerk wrote the information down.
Stena was born on 19 September 1863 in the Skålö settlement in Järna parish, Dalarna, Sweden. Her parents were Eric Matsson and Stina Jansdotter. Järna is a locality in Vansbro Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden.
She probably grew up speaking Dalecarlian, a dialect of the Svealand dialect group[2]. She has a younger brother, Johan Ersson (Ericson?) Mattson, who was about nine years younger.
Between 1850 and 1950, some 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to the United States. Eric, Stina, little Stina, and Johan were four of the 330,000 people who left Sweden during the 1880s[3].
Emigration
Swedish emigration records[4] indicate the family left for North America on 24 May 1880. They must have come straight to Minnesota. Although the 1880 Census date is 1 June, the enumerator recorded the Mattson family in Cokato, Wright County, Minnesota. Erik and his family lived with his brother, Matt Mattson, his family (wife Lisa and three daughters, Mare, Anna, & Lisa), and Matt & Erik’s mother, Christin.
Marriage
Christine married Lars Mattson on 4 February 1881, about eight months after immigration at the Albion Free River Church, and quickly began a family. Their first child, Carl, was born 14 months after their marriage. Christine & Lars had 13 children:
The Children of Lars & Christine Mattson
Name
Birth
Marriage
Death
Carl August
1882
Gina Syverson Elizabeth Guintire
1963
Gertie Caroline
1883
Alfred Hill (FNU) Guintire
1965
Emma Christine
1885
Desire Gerard
1967
John Emil
1886
Annie Utterberg
1962
David Lauretsius
1888
?
1963
Minni Sofia
1890
O. August Nyholm
1968
Hanna Elizabeth
1892
?
1938
Anna Maria Mary
1894
Chell Peterson
1962
Louis Osker
1896
?
1962
Edward William
1898
Hildur Krafve
1977
Edith Elvina Emelia
1900
–
1902
Rudolph Martin
1902
Florence Bringen
1982
[Unnamed Baby]
Bet. 1900 & 1902
–
1902
1885 Minnesota Census
Lars & Stina live in French Lake (the post office is Cokato) with their two oldest children. Living with them are also Carl (age 52) & Stina (age 53) Danielson.
1895 Minnesota Census
Lars & Stina are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Lars was a farmer and had been in Minnesota for 25 years.
1900 U.S. Census
Lars & Christine are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Lars was a farmer who arrived in the United States in 1869; he was naturalized. Christina has been in the United States since 1880 (20 years). They owned their farm, although it was mortgaged. Christine had ten children, and all ten were living and were at home.
1910 U.S. Census
The 1910 Census reports sadness in the family. In the ten years since 1900, Christine had had three more children, but two of them, Edith Elvina and an unnamed baby had died. Lars & Stina are still living in French Lake, now with eight children. Five of the children were no longer at home.
Carl was probably married.
Gertie married {FNU} Guintire; they had their daughter, Helen, in 1908.
Emma married Desire Gerard in 1903.
John’s location is unknown and should be further researched.
Hannah was not in the household. I should research her possible marriages.
Still living at home were:
David Matson Son M 21 Minnesota
Minnie Matson Dau. F 20 Minnesota
Mary Matson Dau. F 16 Minnesota
Louis Matson Son M 14 Minnesota
Eddie Matson Son M 13 Minnesota
Rudolph Matson Son M 7 Minnesota
1920 U.S. Census
The 1920 Census reported Hannah, Louis, and Eddie were laboring “away from home.” Christine did housework.
1926 – Death of Lars
Lars died on 13 October 1926. Christine was 63 years old.
The 1930s
The 1930 Census reported three of Christine’s children, David, Minnie, and Hannah, were at home. Sadly, Hannah died on 28 December 1938.
1940 U.S. Census
The 1940 Census reported two of Christine’s children, David & Minnie, were still at home.
Death of Christine
<<MARKERS>
Christine died on 17 January 1942. She was buried in North Crow River (aka Crow River Mission Cemetery and later the Elim Birch Lake Cemetery). She was buried with:
Mattson, Baby 1902-1902
Mattson, Elvina 1900-1902
Mattson, Lars 1859-1926
Mattson, Hannah E. 1892-1938
Mattson, Christine 1863-1942
David L Mattson was also buried there in 1963.
Events by Location
Minnesota, Wright County, Albion Township 1881 (Marriage).
Minnesota, Wright County, Cokato Township 1880.
Minnesota, Wright County, French Lake Township 1885-1942 (Includes Death & Burial).
I need to research the lives of Lars & Christine’s children, including:
Determine the first name of Gertie’s Guintire husband.
Determine if David, Hanna, or Louis ever married.
Determine who Carl (age 52) & Stina (age 53) Danielson are. They lived with Lars and Stina Mattson during the 1885 Census.
Determine where Carl August was in 1910 and when he married.
Determine when Gertie married {FNU} Guintire and what his given name was.
Determine where Desire and Emma(Mattson) Gerard were in 1910.
Determine where John Emil Mattson was in 1910.
Determine if and when Hannah married and where she was in 1910.
Sources
1880 Census, Family Search, Matts Mattson – Cokato, Wright, Minnesota.
1900 Census, Family Search, 1900 – Lars Matson – French Lake Township, Wright, Minnesota.
1910 Census, 1910 – Lars Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota.
1920 Census, 1920 – Lais (Lars) Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota.
1930 Census, Family Search, Christine Matson – French Lake, Wright, Minnesota, USA.
1940 Census, Family Search, Christine Mattson, “United States Census, 1940”.
Ancestry.com, Geneanet Community Trees Index (Lehi, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022), Ancestry.com, Profile: Christine Ericson (1863-1942).
Annandale Online, Account: Swedish Free Church of North Crow River (No image).
Find a Grave, Find-a-Grave, Christine Mattson – Memorial 61784114.
Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Family Search, Christina Matson – Death 17 January 1942 (No Image).
Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Family Search, Hannah Mattson (1892-1938)
Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955, Family Search, Elmina Mattsen – Death 3 July 1902 (No image).
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1885 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson & Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, Minnesota, Page 15 (340).
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1895 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, MN.
Minnesota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905, Ancestry.com, 1905 Minnesota Census – Lars Mattson – French Lake, Wright County, MN.
Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, Ancestry.com, Stina Ersätter – 19 Sep 1863.
Sweden, Household Examination Books, 1880-1930, Family Search, Eric Matsson – Skålö.
Terri [Private], Terri’s Tales: Views to the Past, (www.territales.com), #5 John Emil Matson (1886-1962).
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835-1990”, database, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDQD-6L2 : 16 January 2020), Christine A. Mattson in the entry for Lars Mattson, 1926.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CG84-F7T2 : 1 June 2020), Christina Mattson in the entry for Hannah Mattson, 28 December 1938; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CT3B-3SMM : 1 June 2020), Christine A Mattson in the entry for Lars Mattson, 13 October 1926; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001,” database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZX95-FV3Z : 7 July 2020), Christina Matson, 17 January 1942; citing Death, Minnesota State Department of Health, St. Paul.
Various, Family Search, “Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955”, database, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDM6-3SZ : 29 October 2020), Christina Mattsen in the entry for Elmina Mattsen, 1902.
Endnotes
[1] Ancestry Public Trees – This number changes. It is the number of trees on the day I was writing this sketch.
[3] Internet – Minnesota Historical Society – Swedish Immigration to the U.S. (Over 7% of the population during the decade of the 1880s left the country.)
[4] Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991, Ancestry.com, Stina Ersätter – 19 Sep 1863. Ancestry.com. Sweden, Emigrants Registered in Church Books, 1783-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. AND “Sweden, Household Examination Books, 1880-1930”, database with images, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLGD-TSVH : 30 March 2021), Stina in entry for Eric Matsson, 1889.
Last week’s attempt to organize these into separate articles didn’t work. So, I’m returning to one posting for the week’s photo packages. I analyzed five more envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i] this week. The envelopes typically contain the name of the person who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. I 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.
Rev. Dr. Edward C. Kunkle, 1941.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Dr. E. Kunkle – Taken by Mr. van Tassell-1941.” The images appear to be of a man in his 60s or 70s.
Rev. Dr. Edward C. Kunkle.
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1939 & 1941 Biddeford City Directories list Rev. Edward C (Blanche) Kunkle living at Ocean Park; their permanent address is 33 Oneida av Mt Vernon, NY. He is the only Kunkle in the directory.
An Edward C Kunkle was residing & working in Portland and had an M.D., D.D.S., & a D.V.M. and belonged to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. His employer was Edward C Kunkle.
The Wilkes-Barre Time Leader reported on 17 Oct 1941 that Rev. Dr. Edward C. Kunkle died at his home, 33 Oneida Ave., Mount Vernon. He was 71.
I believe this photo is of Rev. Dr. Edward Charles Kunkle, taken in 1941.
Ancestry has 50 public trees that refer to Rev. Dr. Edward Charles Kunkel (1870-1941). Family Search has profile LJBG-NZ5 for Edward C Kunkle (1870-1941). I uploaded this photo of Rev. Kunkel to his Family Search Memories.
Virginia Parks Dennett – Dec 1941
Virginia Parks Dennett
This negative envelope says, “Virginia Parks Dennett – Dec 1941 – OOB-Married Saco Dennett.” The photos in this package include two young women in their late teens or early 20s.
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The Old Orchard Beach High School Yearbook for 1940 photo of Virginia Parks is clearly the same young woman as in this photo[iii].
Virginia married Harrison A Dennett on 19 July 1941 in Old Orchard Beach.
The 1940 US Census lists 18-year-old Virginia living with her parents, Arthur & Bertha Parks. Also in the household is Virginia’s sister, 14-year-old Barbara.
Unknown woman and Virginia Parks Dennett
I am confident one of the young women in this photo is Virginia L Parks (1921-1946). I believe the other woman is Virginia’s sister, Barbara M Parks (1925-2011); however, I am not confident about this identification. It could just be a close friend.
Family Search has profiles G31Z-YYR for Virginia and G31Z-R4J for Barbara. I uploaded a photo of Virginia to her Family Search Memories. I did not upload any photos of Barbara. I’d love to hear from you if you can confirm it is Barbara and not just a friend of Virginia’s.
Confirmed to be Virginia Parks Dennett by a family member. I am told that, tragically, Virginia, her husband Harrison and Harrison’s brother Clifford were killed in a bus/car collision in January 1946.
Leora La Fond (Hart) Wight and Ruth E Wight circa 1925.
Leora La Fond (Hart) Wright
This negative envelope says, “ Ethel Wight – 78” and contains three photos: an elderly woman, that woman holding a young girl (age 7-10), and a backyard with trees. From the pictures I’ve seen, this did not look like Ethel Wight, so her name on the envelope perplexed me.
Why I believe this to be the individual.
I contacted a descendant of Ethel Wight. She was pretty sure she knew who was in the photos but wanted to double-check with some cousins. Shortly afterward, she got back to me to confirm this woman was Leora Hart Wight, Ethel Wight’s mother, and the child was Ruth Wight.
Ruth E Wight was born on 28 October 1915 in Old Orchard Beach. The child looks to me to be about 10 in this photo, so I estimate the photo was taken about 1925.
Leora La Fond (Hart) Wight holding Ruth E Wight.
This photo is of Leora La Fond (Hart) Wight (1854-1935) taken about 1925. Also in the packet is a photo of Leora holding Ruth E Wight (1915-1980).
Family Search has profile K265-5MD for Leora L. Hart, wife of Eugene Milton Wight. It also has profile GMTL-59T for Ruth Esther Wight. I uploaded one photo of Leora to her Family Search Memories. The photo of Ruth isn’t very clear, so I only include it here.
“Mrs. Woodward’s Dog – 1945”
I could not identify the person in this fourth photo packet by only the name “Mrs. Woodward.” It is a nice photo of a dog (boxer?). Possibly, someone can identify the buildings in the background. It is probably in the Ocean Park or Kinney Shores area.
Building near beach & an unknown young child.
This negative envelope says, “Saco, Me – Kinney Shores – Porter Hall – 1950.”
I found this photo packet confusing. Kinney Shores is a neighborhood in Saco, Maine. Porter Memorial Hall is a building in nearby Old Orchard Beach. It was built to support the Baptist Conferences held in Old Orchard Beach. The package included two photos. One is of a two-story building near the ocean/beach. The second photo is of a young child (probably about 3 or 4 years old) with no identifying information.
Hopefully, someone can identify the building or possibly the child. If so, please contact me.
Conclusion
I identified three of five individuals in these photo sets. All three have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories. Two of the individuals I am not entirely confident about so I only included their photos here. I also included a picture of a dog and a building.
I would love to hear your reaction if any of these photos are of your family member. 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 higher quality than those 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.
[iii]“Ancestry.Com: U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012”; School Name: Old Orchard Beach High School; Year: 1940
