Montrans in the News – 1914 Card of Thanks

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Don Taylor

Montran Monday
By Don Taylor

 

This week, for Montran Monday[i], I found the following article:

This week’s entry is from the Marion Leader-Tribune (Marion, Indiana) dated November 19, 1914, page 8.

Clipping from the Marion Leader-Tribune, Nov 19, 1914, page 8 - Text transcribed in article.

Marion Leader-Tribune, Nov 19, 1914, page 8.

CARD OF THANKS.

We wish to thank our friends and neighbors and Rev. Wells for the kindness and sympathy shown us in the sickness and death of our dear, beloved mother, and for the many beautiful floral offerings.

MRS. JENNIE MONTRAN.
MRS. EMMA McCANN.
MRS. E. J. KLINGENSMITH.
MRS. J. C. CAMPBELL
WILLIAM J. CALDWELL,
AND GRANDCHILDREN.

 

I learned:

My search for a Caldwell who died in November (before the 18th) 1914 in Marion, Indiana, yielded one candidate – Mary J Caldwell (15 Aug 1841-11 Nov 1914).

Mary’s death certificate[ii] indicates

  • Born: 16 Aug 1841, Pennsylvania.
  • Father: Francis Hawthorn. Bandbridge, Ireland.
  • Mother: Elizabeth Walker, Belfast, Ireland.
  • Married: William J Caldwell, Dec’d.
  • Died: 11 Nov 1914 at 3007 South Gallatin, Marion, Grant County, Indiana.
  • Informant: Mrs. Emma McCann.

Ancestry Family Trees indicate she had a son, William J Caldwell, which confirms this is the correct person article. My review of the three public trees failed to find a Montran as a relative and the Jennie’s in the tress did not provide any trees.

Conclusion

Jennie Montran mentioned in the article is another dead-end in my Montran Project.

ENDNOTES

[i] Montran Monday – 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 my grandmother during her early vaudeville career. However, with the 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 a possible relationship of any Montrans to Donna’s father, John Montran.

[ii] Ancestry – Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017 – (Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1914; Roll: 06.

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Photo Friday – Gruver, Hinkley.

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Don Taylor

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 047
Hinkley Family Photographs (2024.13.43)
Portland, Maine – Rome, New York
By Don Taylor

This photo album, part of the Linwood D. Dyer Photo Collection, is in poor condition. Many photos are glued in place, making it impossible to examine their backs. However, the photos in the album focus on the Hinkley family. The collection contains hundreds of images, documents, and genealogies of people who lived in Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. My goal is to connect these images with their descendants, who may never have seen them before. The original collection is housed at the Scarborough Historical Society[1].

 Helen Hartwell Hinkley – 1896 & 1907

Photo of Helen Hartwell Hinkley in 1907

Helen Hartwell Hinkley, 1907

Pages 42 and 43 showcase six photographs of Helen Hartwell Hinkley at different stages of her life.

Born in Maine on June 10, 1885, Helen was the youngest of nine children born to Rufus Henry and Frances Elizabeth (Prindle) Hinkley. She attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, but spent most of her life in Portland, Maine. Helen passed away in Scarborough on March 10, 1973, and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

I’ve incorporated these six photographs of Helen, taken between 1896 and 1907, into my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree on Ancestry.

Eleanor & Elbert Asa Gruver – c. 1910

Photo of Elbert Asa Gruver, Jr., circa 1910.

Elbert Asa Gruver, Jr., circa 1910.

Page 45 features three photographs, all of which are labeled:

  • Eleanor Gruver 1902-
  • Elbert Asa Gruver Jr. 1905-
  • H. H. H.

The two photographs of the Gruver children were taken at the Hanson Studio in Portland, Maine.

Photo of Eleanor Gruver, circa 1910.

Eleanor Gruver, circa 1910.

Elbert appears to be approximately five years old in his photograph, dating it to around 1910. Given that both photographs were taken by the same photographer and share a similar style, I believe the photograph of Eleanor was also taken around 1910, when she was about eight years old.

The “H. H. H.” photograph resembles other photographs of Helen Hartwell Hinkley.

I added the photographs of Eleanor and Elbert Jr. to their profiles in mu Linwood Dyer Collection family tree on Ancestry.

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.[ii]

Feel free to use these photos in your genealogical activities. Please cite “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.”

Endnotes

[1] Scarborough Historical Society Accession number: 2024.13.43.
[2] Dontaylorgenealogy.com

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Cleaning up my Howell Research

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Don Taylor

Howell-Darling Research
By Don Taylor

I recently discovered several death certificates, which I had downloaded in 2015, related to my wife’s Howell family line but were overlooked. This collection included a mix of processed, unexamined, and partially extracted documents for the Howell-Darling family tree.

Document Processing

Over the course of a few days, I accomplished the following tasks:

  1. Extracted and incorporated data from over 30 death certificates and records.
  2. Repaired 38 broken citations.
  3. Removed six duplicate entries.
  4. I added 45 new individuals to my family tree.

Individuals Covered

The death certificates and records pertained to various family members, including:

  • Howell family members (e.g., Anna Lee Howell Boseman, Ashley Long Howell, David Bushrod Howell, Peter Fletcher Howell)
  • Hobbs and Vincent relatives (e.g., Annie Hobbs Armstrong, Barkett Vincent, Benjamin J. Vincent)
  • Long family members (e.g., Benjamin Lafayette Long & Joseph John Long)
  • Other connected individuals (e.g., Bessie Johnson Tippett, Hazel Valentine, William A Merritt)

Outcome

This thorough review and organization of documents has significantly improved the accuracy and completeness of my Howell-Darling family tree. All document images are now available in my Ancestry Family Tree for future reference.

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Donna & Sammy in National Vaudeville Artists – 1927 Yearbook

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Don Taylor

98 Years Ago
by Don Taylor

Cover of the National Vaudeville Artists 1927 Yearbook.

National Vaudeville Artists – 1927

Recently, a friend came across the National Vaudeville Artists 1927 Year Book. He knows of my interest in following the vaudeville career of my grandmother, Donna Montran/Darling/Kees. He thought I’d like to review it and see if I could find her.

Sure enough, I found her and Sammy with a full page showing Donna and Sammy. It is an excellent page with photos of both Donna and Sammy. Their quote, “To Wish the N. V. A. Success is to Wish Ourselves Success For We Are All Members of the N. V. A. in Good Standing.

I also learned that Herbert Hutchinson of Ray Hodgdon’s office represented them.

I had seen the photo of Donna before in newspaper articles, but it was never as clear as this image. Likewise, the picture of Sammy is not cropped as severely as other copies of this image I have seen before. It was a great find, thanks to my friend RL.

I wondered why I hadn’t seen this bill before, so I looked at several sources, including the Internet Archive, Amazon, the NYPL Digital Collections, and the Media History Digital Library. The book was there, but none of the online copies had more than 132 pages, whereas the copy I was given access to has many more pages. All of them appear to be missing many pages. Because it is out of copyright, I will probably digitize this copy and post it to the Internet Archive. In the meantime, here is the page showing Donna and Sammy.

Page from the National Vaudeville Artists 1927 Yearbook showing Donna Darling Review and photos of Donna Darling and Sammy Clark.

Conclusion

This week, I learned from the National Vaudeville Artists 1927 Yearbook that Donna and Sammy were members of the N. V. A., and Herbert Hutchinson represented them.

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Photo Friday – Philip & Helen Hinkley.

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Don Taylor

Linwood Dyer Collection – Part 046
 Hinkley Family Photographs (2024.13.43)
Portland, Maine – Scarborough, Maine
By Don Taylor

This photo album, part of the Linwood D. Dyer Photo Collection, is in poor condition. Many photos are glued in place, making it impossible to examine their backs. However, initial research suggests the album focuses on the Hinkley family. The collection contains hundreds of images, documents, and genealogies of people who lived in Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. My goal is to connect these images with their descendants, who may never have seen them before. The original collection is housed at the Scarborough Historical Society[i].

Philip Edward Hinkley, 1905.

Philip Edward Hinkley, circa 1905.

Philip Edward Hinkley, c. 1905

Pages 36 and 37 feature four photographs of Philip Edward Hinkley: one from 1900, two from 1901, and one from 1905. Born in Portland, Maine, on October 30, 1881, Philip was the eighth child of Rufus Henry and Frances Elizabeth (Prindle) Hinkley. He served in the military, attaining the rank of captain. According to the 1950 US Census, Philip never married. He passed away on March 25, 1962, and is interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland, Maine. I have added page 35 and the individual photo of Philip Edward Hinkley from page 37 to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree at Ancestry.

Helen Hartwell Hinkley,

Photo of Helen Hartwell Hinkley circa 1895.

Helen Hartwell Hinkley, c. 1895

Page 39 begins several pages of photos of a young girl identified as “Helen Hartwell Hinkley, 1885-.” These photos appear to be Philip Edward Hinkley’s sister, who was listed as living with him in the 1950 US Census. According to the 1950 US Census, Helen never married. She passed away on March 10, 1973, in Scarborough, Maine, and is interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland, Maine. Based on her estimated age in this photo, I date it to circa 1895. I have added four photographs of Helen, likely taken between 1890 and 1895, to my Linwood Dyer Collection family tree on Ancestry.

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.

Feel free to use these photos in your genealogical activities. Please cite “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.”

Endnotes

[i] Scarborough Historical Society Accession number: 2024.13.43.

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