“Darling Revue” at Orpheum Theater, Tulsa, OK, Aug 8 thru 11, 1926.
Donna in the News by Don Taylor
“Donna in the News” reports newly found newspaper articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited when I find a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
This week from the Morning Tulsa Daily World (Tulsa, OK) newspaper, dated Aug 8, 1926, I learned that Donna played at the Orpheum Theater in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Orpheum
There is plenty of variety on the new bill opening at the Orpheum today.
…
Donna Darling heads a song and dance revue that is as colorful as it is novel and entertaining. She is supported by a capable cast of entertainers, and it is one of vaudeville’s fasting moving song and dance offerings.
After learning that Pocahontas might be my 12th great-grandmother, I feel pursuing that part of my Brown ancestry should be a top priority.
Further review of my tree and the proposed tree does have a potential error in either my tree or the proposed tree. We both see Ruben Fugate’s father is Josiah, and Josiah’s father is Randolph. My tentative research indicates that Randolph’s mother is Mary Martin (1692-1757), and the proposed mother of Randolph is Martha Martin (1692-1757). It seems like a small difference, particularly when the birth and death dates are the same.
It is tempting to jump right to Martha/Mary Martin and see what is right. However, I have a process I follow to make me sure of a particular line. So, I need to review Reuben Fugate, Josiah Fugate, and Randolph Fugate before I tackle Martha/Mary Martin and continue to Pocahontas.
Reuben Fugate’s marriage to Catherine Smallwood
Reuben was married at least twice—once to Mary (Last Name Unknown) and once to Catherine Smallwood. Mary died in 1814, and Reuben married Catherine Smallwood 14 months later. I have yet to find a marriage record; however, his Marriage Bond holds several details.
Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965 – Reuben Fugate – Katherine Smallwood Marriage Bond – Transcription by Don Taylor.
Marriage Bond – Reuben Fugate and Katherine Smallwood – 28 Feb 1816
Know all men by these presents that we Reuben Fugate and Beane Smallwood are held and firmly bound unto the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the just and full sum of fifty pounds to which payment will and true to be made & bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, administrators and assigns jointly and severally firmly by these present seals and dated this 28th day of February 1816.
The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas their is marriage intended to be had and solemnized between the above bound Reuben Fugate and Katherine Smallwood of this county is therefor if there be no lawful cause to obstruct the same they the obligation to be void also to remain in full force & virtue in law.
Reuben Fugate (Seal) Beane Smallwood (Seal)
Test. Samuel Willson
Via Ancestry.com
It appears that Reuben signed the bond on his own behalf. Beane Smallwood signed for Katherine. Beane must be a close relative, probably her father or a brother. The bond was signed on 28 Feb 1816, making their wedding day either February 28th or sometime after.
This week, for Photo Friday, I identify the people in five more 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.
Elsie Pulkin, (later Anderson) circa 1934.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Elsie Pulkin, 792 Congress St #512.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Elsie Pulkin, (later Anderson) circa 1934.
The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Elsie L Pulkin residing at 792 Congress.
The 1935 Portland City Directory indicates that Elsie L Pulkin married Warren Anderson.
Family Search indicates that Elsie Lempi Pulkkinen married Lars Warren Anderson on 4 December 1934 in Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire. Elsie was born on 12 August 1909 in Hancock, Michigan.
According to New Hampshire Marriage and Divorce Records, Elsie and Warren resided in Portland, Maine, and were 25 years old.
Ancestry public trees indicate that Else Pulkenen married Lars Warren Anderson.
It appears clear that various researchers found Elsie’s names as Elsie, Elsa, and Else in multiple records. Her surname was also spelled Pulkin, Pulkkinen, and Pulkenen.
I am sure this photo is of Elsie Pulkin about 1934, shortly before her marriage to Warren Anderson.
I have not found Elsie directly referred to using Ancestry tree search algorithms; however, I have found her husband, Lars Warren Anderson, in 24 public Ancestry trees. Two of those trees refer to Else or Elsie. Family Search has profile G49C-C5X for Elsie Lempi Pulkkinen. I have uploaded a photo of Elsie to her Family Search Memories.
Nurse Kathryn Quinn, circa 1935.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Kathryn Quinn – St Barnabas Hospital #925.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Nurse Kathryn Quinn, circa 1935.
The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Kathryn M Quinn as a student nurse at 231 Woodford (St. Barnabas Hospital).
The 1940 US Census lists Catherine Quinn, a 23-year-old Maine-born nurse, lodging at 1 Grant in Portland.
Alternate Individuals.
Do not confuse with Katherine L Quinn, the superintendent of nurses at Portland City Hall.
Do not confuse with Catherine M Quinn, the wife of Edward P Quinn.
Do not confuse with Katherine W Quinn, who in the 1940 US Census is the 55-year-old mother of three children living at 75 Clinton Street, Portland.
I have not found Kathryn M Quinn in Ancestry trees. Likewise, Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Kathryn M Quinn, born about 1916 in Maine. I uploaded a photo of Kathryn to Dead Fred.
Marie Quimby, circa 1935.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Marie Quimby, ME Gen Hospital #907.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Marie Quimby, circa 1935
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Marie Quimby as a student nurse at 22 Arsenal (Maine General Hospital).
The 1939 Portland City Directory lists Marie E. Quimby as a graduate nurse at 46 Bramhall.
Maine Marriage Index indicates that Marie E Quimby married Cedric H Thomas on 6 Dec 1940.
I am confident this is Marie Edna Quimby, born 28 Mar 1915 in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, and married Cedric Thomas on 6 Dec 1940.
Walter and Carrie (née Danico) Putnam, circa 1935.
This negative envelope says, “Mr & Mrs. Walter Putnam, 13 E Kidder St #978.”
Why I believe this to be these individuals.
Walter and Carrie (née Danico) Putnam, circa 1935.
The 1940 US Census lists Walter A and Carrie F Putnam living at 13 Kidder Street, Portland, Maine. Walter is 69 and Carrie is 66.
Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Walter Adelbert Putnam, born 31 Oct 1870 in Nashua, New Hampshire, and his wife, Carrie Frances (Danico) Putnam. Carrie was born on 5 Jun 1873 in Benton, Maine.
I am sure this photo is of Walter and Carrie in 1935 when they were about 64 and 61 years old.
Ancestry has ten public trees that refer to Walter Adelbert Putnam; 15 trees refer to Carrie Frances Danico. Family Search has profile 9MS4-J8C for Walter and profile G452-DV6 for Carrie F Denaco. I have uploaded two photos of the couple to their Family Search Memories.
Carolyn May Putnam, circa 1936 (age 2)
This negative envelope says, “Mr. Harold Putnam, 13 Kidder St #1031.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Carolyn May Putnam, circa 1936 (age 2)
The 1940 US Census places Walter A Putnam as the head of household living at 13 Kidder. Living with him is his wife, Carrie, son Alfred H Putnam, daughter-in-law Gladys S Putnam, and five-year-old granddaughter Carolyn M Putnam. Carolyn was born in Massachusetts, while Carrie, Alfred, and Gladys were born in Maine.
Ancestry Trees suggest that Harold Alfred Putnam, son of Walter and Carrie (Danico) Putnam, was born on 14 Jan 1900. They also suggest that Carolyn May Putnam was born in May 1934 in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
This photo was taken in 1936 when Carolyn was about two years old.
An Ancestry search for Carolyn May Putnam, born in Massachusetts in 1934, fails to return any results. However, her father, Harold Arnold Putnam, born 14 Jan 1900 in Fairfield, Maine, appears in 10 public trees. One of those trees refer to his daughter Carolyn, but probably in error. Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Carolyn May Putnam either. As such, I uploaded a photo of Carolyn to Dead Fred.
Conclusion
I identified all six individuals. Four have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories. Two did not have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their photos to Dead Fred.
I will 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.
In the 1980s, I lived in Coon Rapids. Quickly, I became very involved with the city government. I was appointed to City’s Economic Development Commission. It fit very well with my previous education. I intended to be a political science major, and being involved with the local government would provide experience for me. I believe that political science is the practical application of psychology, sociology, and economics.
Becoming involved in politics was very difficult for a federal employee. There is a law, The Hatch Act, which prohibits civil service employees in the executive branch from engaging in partisan political activity. As a new government employee, I needed to be very careful to ensure the City Council was not a partisan position. It was not. I needed to not attempt to gain any type of party endorsement. With those stipulations, I filed to run for City Council for my ward (Ward II). I believed that announcing my running early would reduce the likelihood of a primary election and its associated expenses.
I announced in June that I intended to file when filing opened on July 22nd. When filing closed on August 4th, the only other person that filed was the seven-year incumbent, so that no primary election would be required.
Several people told me that keeping my beard would cost about five percentage points in the election, so I decided to shave it off. It was one of the very few times I’ve not had a beard. I did leave my mustache. I formed a campaign committee and put together some promotional materials. The current mayor, Dave McCauley, helped me with his silk-screen printing equipment, and we made yard signs for the campaign.
I door-nocked most of the Ward. At one place, a Great Dane decided to bite me. Luckily, he only gauged my wide belt with his teeth. The owner opened the door at another house to let a little dog out. The dog ran out and returned while I talked to the homeowner. The dog then stood over my foot and peed. I looked down and then back up and continued talking with the homeowner. He was impressed and said he’d vote for me because anyone who didn’t kick the dog while urinating on their shoe couldn’t be half bad.
On election day, I lost. It was a close election. I took my opponent’s precinct, and she took mine. The other two precincts were very close. Somewhere in the archives, I have the results (but I couldn’t find them). Anyway, my recollection is I took 46½% of the vote to my opponents’ 49%. Not too bad for a political newbie against a 7-year incumbent.
I later became the chairman of the economic development commission and decided never to run for political office again. I sometimes wonder how much my life would have changed if I had been elected.
Brown-Mannin-Fugate-Martin-Pettus-Native American Line By Don Taylor
Pocahontas 12th great-grandmother?
Having an account with Family Search and paying attention to the various notifications they generate can be fun. Every once in a while, I’ll receive a notice from FamilySearch and learn something fascinating. In this case, they suggested that Pocahontas is my 12th great-grandmother. “Oh really,” I said.
I have followed these notifications in the past and found breaks in what FamilySearch has in their Family Tree and my research, so I didn’t hold much hope this connection is correct. Still, I figured I’d look carefully at what they are suggesting.
The supposed connection is on my mother’s father’s line.
This is only a four-generation stretch from what I tentatively had before and only an eight-generation extension from what I had previously researched. If correct, Pocahontas would be the most distant, known ancestor on my Brown-Montran line. Do I believe it? Yes, I think it is possible, and it puts me on a path for my future research to verify this relationship for my future Brown research.
Follow-up Action
In my Brown Research, I should focus on my Fugate-Martin-Pettis Line to prove or disprove this relationship.
Endnotes
[i] The numbers are Ahnentafel numbers. [ii] Correct means that I know this is a correct person based upon personal knowledge and known DNA matches. [iii] Agree means that I have researched this person, written about him or her, and that I agree with the relationship. [iv] Tentative means that I have cursorily looked that this relationship and have not found anything to refute it. [v] Proposed means this is an entirely new relationship and I have not researched it at all.
