A 19th-Century Photo Album to Reunite Families Across Generations

Davis, Hayes, Hill, Hooper, & Skillin

Historic Photo Albums and Family Reunions
By Don Taylor

In the dusty pages of a well-preserved 19th-century photo album, the students of Deering High School, Portland, Maine, come vividly back to life. Through the Linwood D. Dyer Photo Collection Willis Skillin Graduation Album, we glimpse proud graduates of the class of 1893 — captured in elegant cabinet cards and timeless expressions. This project isn’t just about preserving history; it’s about reconnecting families with the visual legacy of their ancestors, many for the first time. Join me as I share these remarkable images and the stories behind them, bridging more than a century of memory and heritage.

Eugene Bradford Skillin, 1893.

[2025.02.22 – pg 11a]

Title/Subject/Caption: Eugene Bradford Skillin, Deering HS Graduate, 1893.
Identifying Information:Handwritten on the back is “Jene Skillin.”
Description: This is a portrait of a young man wearing a dark suit jacket and a high-collared white shirt. His large cravat and hairstyle are typical of the 1890s.

Type of Image: Cabinet Card – 6½” x 4¼.”
Condition: Very good condition. – The portrait style (soft fading at the bottom and sepia) is consistent with cabinet cards from about 1880 to 1900.

Photographers’ Imprint:  Longfellow Gallery, 655 Congress St., Portland, ME.
Date of Operation:            1892-1910

Location:                            Scarborough Historical Society
Address:                             P.O. Box 156, Scarborough, ME, 04070.
Telephone Number:          207-883-9997.

Accession Number:           2025.02.22 (page 11a)
Album:                                Willis Skillin Graduation, Linwood Dyer Photo Collection

Discussion:

When I encountered this photograph, a sense of familiarity struck me. Upon checking my records, I confirmed that I had examined this same image in a different photo album last September, identifying it as Eugene B. Skillin.

Eugene was born on May 27, 1874, and resided with his parents, Lewis and Hattie (Trickey) Skillin, in Deering. A duplicate of this photograph is available at his FamilySearch profile L2YL-RWC.

The album contains a second photograph of Eugene on page 13. That photo shows some foxing (those characteristic reddish-brown spots that develop on aging paper).

Etta Noble Hayes, 1893

Title/Subject/Caption:     Etta Noble Hayes, 1893
Identifying Information:  Handwritten on the back is “July 20 – Etta N. Hayes – Class of ’93”
Description: This young woman is wearing a dress typical of the early 1890s. It is high-necked with a standing collar and large puffed sleeves.

Type of Image: Cabinet Card – 6½” x 4¼.”
Photographers’ Imprint:  Longfellow Gallery, 655 Congress St., Portland, ME.
Date of Operation:            1892-1910

Location:                            Scarborough Historical Society
Address:                             P.O. Box 156, Scarborough, ME, 04070.
Telephone Number:          207-883-9997.

Accession Number:           2025.02.22 – pg 11b
Album:                                Willis Skillin Graduation, Linwood Dyer Photo Collection

Discussion:

Etta Noble Hays was born on 20 July 1875 in North Yarmouth, Maine, the daughter of William and Harriet (Chase) Hayes. She married Elvon Douglass Files on 9 January 1904 in Portland.

I added this photo to her FamilySearch profile – KCKS-689.

Florence Gertrude Hill, 1893.

Description: This is a photo of a young girl in a light-colored dress with puffy, full sleeves typical of the early 1890s.
Identifying Information:  Handwritten on the back is “Florence Gertrude Hill | Oct. 1, – Class of ’93.”

Type of Image: Cabinet Card – 6½” x 4¼.”
Photographers’ Imprint:  Longfellow Gallery, 655 Congress St., Portland, ME.
Date of Operation:            1892-1910

Location: Scarborough Historical Society
Address:                             P.O. Box 156, Scarborough, ME, 04070.
Telephone Number:          207-883-9997.

Accession Number:           2025.02.22 – pg 12a
Album:                                Willis Skillin Graduation, Linwood Dyer Photo Collection

Discussion:

Florence Gertrude Hill lived in Deering when she married Weldon Holmes Norton on 2 September 1895. She was born on 1 October 1874 in Bridgton, Maine, to Almon and Josephine (Chamberlain) Hill. She died on 10 November 1942 in Portland.

I added this photo to her FamilySearch profile – LKDB-Z2R.

Florence Cole Hooper (1876-1965) in 1893.

Description: This is a photo of a young woman with fair skin, light-colored eyes, and light hair. Her hair is waved and pulled back with short bangs. She is wearing a dark dress with puffed sleeves and has a large, ornate white lace collar. She appears to be between 16 and 19 years old.
Identifying Information:  Handwritten on the back is “Florence Cole Hooper, ’93 | Feb. 2, 1876.”

Type of Image: Cabinet Card – 6½” x 4¼.”
Date of Operation: 1892-1910

Location: Scarborough Historical Society
Address:  P.O. Box 156, Scarborough, ME, 04070.
Telephone Number: 207-883-9997.

Accession Number: 2025.02.22 – pg 12b
Album: Willis Skillin Graduation, Linwood Dyer Photo Collection

Discussion:

Florence Cole Hooper was born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, on February 2, 1876. The 1880 census records show her living with her parents, Thomas and Mary (Perkins) Hooper, in Deering. Based on available records, it appears she remained unmarried throughout her life. Florence died on July 22, 1965, in Portland, Maine, at 89.

I discovered an interesting genealogical challenge while researching Florence—there seems to be a conflation of two women named Florence Hooper in the FamilySearch database. To preserve the historical record accurately and prevent further confusion, I did not add her photograph to FamilySearch. Instead, I shared the photo with my Ancestry Family Tree and the Dead Fred photo archive, ensuring this visual artifact of her life remains properly associated and accessible to future researchers.

Stella M Davis, 1893

Description: This photo shows a young woman, likely between 17 and 19 years old. She is wearing a high-necked dress with a ruffled or lightly pleated collar and full shoulders, typical of the early 1890s.
Identifying Information:  Handwritten on the back is “Stella M Davis ’93.”

Type of Image: Cabinet Card – 6½” x 4¼.”
Photographers’ Imprint: Longfellow Gallery, 655 Congress St., Portland, ME.
Date of Operation:            1892-1910

Location:                            Scarborough Historical Society
Address:                             P.O. Box 156, Scarborough, ME, 04070.
Telephone Number:          207-883-9997.

Accession Number:           2025.02.22, pg 13b
Album:                                Willis Skillin Graduation, Linwood Dyer Photo Collection

Discussion:

Stella M Davis was born in May 1874 in Bridgton, Maine, and was the daughter of Richard and Irene (Stevens) Davis. She didn’t marry and had no children. She died and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Portland, Maine.

I added this photo to FamilySearch, profile GXQK-73P.

Unidentified Male Graduate, Probably Deering HS, 1893

Type: Cabinet Card – 6½” x 4¼”
Condition: Very good – protected in photo album
Photographer: Longfellow Gallery, 655 Congress St., Portland, ME (1892-1910).

Research Note: I have not identified the individual in this photo; I’ve uploaded it to my Flickr Photostream.

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 Ancestry, Dead Fred, or Flickr have higher quality than those linked here. Feel free to use these photos in your genealogical activities. The Scarborough Historical Society holds the originals in the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection.[i]Please cite “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.”

Note: This post was improved with the help of ChatGPT and edited with the help of Grammerly.

[i] Scarborough Historical Society Accession number: 2024.13.43.