This week for Montran Monday[i], I found the following article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, NY) – 7 Jun 1933 via Newspapers.com
Midweek Junior Eagle
If you are planning a trip in the near future, do not be like the man in the ten-credit puzzle that appeared in the Junior Eagle on May 7, and at the last minute find you have mislaid something. The man is searching for his “wallet.” When he finds it, the family will start. The five-credit puzzle in which you had to piece out the linoleum was easy, for you just had to cut through the squares that were misfits and then turn your square around. In the picture to color, the maid’s feather duster was missing. Next Sunday you will find something new on the back page of the Junior Eagle with which to win credits. Work it out and mail you finished work to me for credits. In next Sunday’s Junior Eagle the pupils of Public School 55 will find their school Honor Roll. If your name appears in the list today, underline it, cut out the list and mail it to me for your credits.
Aunt Jean
….
20 CREDITS
… Charlotte Montran….
There were similar articles in the 17 May and 14 June 1933 issues of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The 17 May issue also indicated that Charlotte Montran was a member of the Puzzle Club.
I learned:
There was a young girl named Charlotte Montran who lived in New York, probably Staten Island[ii], in 1933, and she may have attended Public School 55.
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.
Family Search and Ancestry indicate Dürst is a nickname from Middle High German turst ‘boldness’ or durst ‘thirst and that Durst is just a variation of the name.
Geographical
In World: Forebears indicates that about 1,266 people bear the surname Dürst and another 13,000 have the Durst surname. For Dürst, most people with the surname live in Switzerland, with Germany being a distant second. For Durst, most people live in the United States, with Germany having the second greatest incidence of the name. My wife’s Dürst ancestors all lived in Switzerland; none came to America.
Direct Dürst Ancestors
4th Great-grandmother: #121 – Anna Maria Dürst (1770-1858)
5th Great-grandfather: #242 – Joachim Dürst (1727-1785)
6th Great-grandfather: #484 – Joachim Dürst (1697-1783)
7th Great-grandfather: #968 – Joachim Dürst (1665-1747)
8th Great-grandfather: #1936 – Thomas Dürst (1638-1710)
My Earliest known Dürst ancestor, Thomas Dürst, lived in Diesbach, a village in the Canton of Glarus and is now part of the municipality of Glarus Süd. He was born in 1638, died in 1710, and appears to have lived his entire life in Diesbach.
1840.
In 1840, only my most recent Dürst ancestor was living. It was 4th great-grandmother Anna Maria Dürst. She was married to Bernhard Trümpi and lived in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. She and Bernhard probably lived in Ennetbühls, a hamlet in Ennenda (later incorporated into the municipality of Glarus). They had four adult children, Fridolin, Rosin, Joachim, and Bernhart Trümpi. I have not researched her or Bernhard yet.
Today (2014)
According to Forebears, no known Dürst families live in the Canton of Glarus. Most Dürst families living in Switzerland live in the Canton of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft.
Because English doesn’t use an umlaut, no Dürst families exist in the United States. However, according to Forebears, there are approximately 8,171 individuals with the Durst surname in the United States.
My Direct Durst Descendants
I have 165 known descendants of Thomas Durst (1639-1710) in my tree; 40 Trümpi/Trumpi, 11 Fuchs, 11 Howell, and 10 Karch descendants. I have previously written about three of my Thomas Dürst descendants.
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.
Grace Phelps, 1938
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Grace Phelps – May 28 – 1938.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Grace Phelps, May 28, 1938
This photo appears to be of a woman in her 20s.
The date of the photo, May 28, 1938, suggests it was taken at Ethel Wight’s Ocean Park (Old Orchard Beach, ME) studio and not her Portland studio, as most of the photos in this collection were taken.
In 1946 Miss Grace Phelps of Old Orchard married Lloyd G Drinkwater, of Belfast, in a ceremony performed at her parent’s home in Waite, Washington County, Maine. Her parents were Mr. & Mrs. George Phelps.
The 1930 US Census reports George and Addie Phelps of Waite, Maine had three children, one son and two daughters, Grace H, age 17, and Alice M, age 13 (born c. 1912 & 1916, respectively).
In 1940, a Grace Phelps was a 27-year-old servant in the home of Ida Larkin in New York City. She lived in Rural Cumberland County, Maine, in 1935.
I believe this is Grace Phelps, born on 11 March 1913 in Waite, Maine.
Ancestry has 28 public trees that refer to Grace H Phelps (1913-1981). Family Search has two profiles for Grace H Phelps. GDQP-1L3 refers to her as the daughter of George and Addie (Smith) Phelps. GW4S-1V6 refers to her as the wife of Lloyd George Drinkwater. A family member should merge these two profiles. I uploaded two photos of Grace to her Family Search Memories. I have four additional 1938 photos of Grace in this collection available to family members if requested.
Grace Phelps & Friend, May 1939
This negative envelope says, “Miss Phelps & Friend – May 24 – 1939.”
What I learned about this photo.
Miss Phelps & Friend – May 24, 1939
This photo is clearly of Grace Phelps, about a year later than the previous photo. The man in the picture is only identified as a “friend.”
In 1946 Miss Grace Phelps of Old Orchard married Lloyd G Drinkwater, of Belfast, in a ceremony performed at her parent’s home in Waite, Washington County, Maine.
In May 1939, Grace Phelps was 26 years old; however, her future husband, Lloyd George Drinkwater, was only 21. The man in this photo appears to me to be older than Grace, so I don’t believe it is Lloyd. Instead, this is likely another “friend” of Grace.
Because I already posted two photos of Grace on her Family Search profile, I didn’t post this photo there. I have five additional photos of this couple in my Ethel Wight Collection of photos that I’ll make available to family members if requested.
If you can positively identify the man in this photo, I would love to hear from you.
Grace Helen Phelps & Alice Maude Phelps – Sisters.
This negative envelope says, “Grace Phelps Sisters,” without a date or location.
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Grace & Alice Phelps
I feel confident about my previous identification of Grace Helen Phelps (1913-1981).
The 1930 US Census reported that Grace had a younger sister, Alice M Phelps.
Alice Maude Phelps, sister of Grace, was born on 28 April 1916 in Waite, Washington County, Maine.
Like her sister, 23-year-old Alice lived in New York City in 1940 but lived in Maine in 1935.
I am confident that this photo is of Grace and Alice, probably before 1938. Although I suspect that Grace is the sister on the left, I am not confident which sister is which in the photograph
See above for other photos of Grace. Ancestry has 12 public trees that refer to Alice Maude Phelps (later Hofbauer). Family Search has profile GDQ5-36T for Alice M Phelps. I only included the individual’s photo here.
Nurse Anne Phair, circa 1935
This negative envelope says, “Miss Phair, St Barnabus Hospital #946.”
This photo appears to be of a young woman in her late teens or early 20s. She is in a student nurse’s uniform.
What I learned while researching this individual.
Nurse Anne Phair, circa 1935
The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Anne Phair as a student nurse at 231 Woodford (St Barnabus Hospital), residing at 20 Norwood. She is the only Phair in the directory.
Alternate Individuals.
The 1940 US Census lists three Anne Phairs.
65-year-old Anne Phar, the wife of Michael Phair.
A 47-year-old Annie Phair lives with her nephew, Walter Trehan, in Boston. She is a naturalized immigrant from Ireland and lived in Boston in 1935.
Anne E Phair is the 19-year-old daughter of Henry S & Elizabeth A Phair, living in North Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts. She lived in the same place in 1935 and was new to working in 1940.
The 1930 US Census lists only one Anne Phair, the 32-year-old wife of Philip A Phair.
None of these appear to be the correct Anne Phair. Additionally, my review of marriages from 1935-1945 and my review of immigration from 1930 to 1935 failed to yield any additional candidates for the Anne Phair in this photo.
I feel confident this photo is of Anne Phair, but I haven’t found any additional identifying information regarding her. So, I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred.
Louise Adelaide Tucker, circa 1935
This photo appears to be of a woman in her late teens or early 20s.
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Louise Adelaide Tucker, circa 1935
The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Edward M and Beryl B Phee living at 109 Gilman.
The 1940 US Census lists Edward and his 40-year-old wife still living at 109 Gilman. With them is Edward’s 18-year-old stepdaughter, Louise Tucker.
Maine Birth records indicate that Louise Adelaide Tucker was born on 21 August 1921 to Ralph G and Beryl Bradbury Tucker.
The person in this photo appears to be much younger than Beryl was, so I’m pretty sure this is Louise Tucker about 1935, when she was about 15 years old.
I fully identified all four individuals in five envelopes. Three of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories.
I failed to determine precisely who one individual was, so I posted her image to Dead Fred.
If any of these photos are of your family member, I would love to hear your reaction. 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 a higher image quality than the images 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.
I’m looking at four images from the Donna Darling Collection for this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday.
I have cropped and gently enhanced these photos.
Madonna (Donna) Montran, 1910
First is a beauty shot of Donna and its back. The back, in Donna’s hand, says, “My first pro. photo was on cover of sheet music, Age 17. It also has a stamp that says “To be returned Photograph & Press (Bureau, Inc.) Palace Theatre Bldg, New York City.”
Madonna (Donna) Montran, 1910
The second photo of Donna was a bit damaged but shows Donna in the same dress she wore for the sheet music photo. It is slightly damaged but still shows Donna well enough to keep.
Four of the six photos from “5 Swimsuit women and a man.”
Probably Donna
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
The third photo included five women in swimsuits and a man in a suit. Unfortunately, the paper the photographs were on was severely damaged, and the man and one of the women had their heads cut off and faces unrecognizable. The remaining four photos include what appears to be a side view of Donna and pictures of three other women in various bathing suits.
The last image was out of focus, badly torn, and unusable (and is not displayed here).
Conclusion
The two photos of Donna (Madonna then) are likely from 1910 when she was 17 years old. The photo of Donna in the bathing suit prepared to dive is likely from her 1924 show – The Bathing Beauty Review featuring Donna Darling and Murry Earle.
Future Actions
Attempt to identify the other three women in the photos when I research the other women in the 1924 Donna Darling Review.
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.
Elvie Gertrude Peterson (later Trouvalis).
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Elvia Peterson, 24 Berwick St #584.”
Why I believe this to be the Individual.
Elvie Gertrude Peterson Circa 1935
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Elvie Peterson as a waitress living at 24 Berwick.
Elvia Peterson of Portland, Maine, married George Trouvalis on 10 September 1936.
Ancestry Family trees suggest this is Elvie Gertrude Peterson, born on 13 December 1915 in Portland, Maine, and married George Trouvalis.
I am sure this photograph is of Elvie Gertrude Peterson about 1935 when she was about 20 years old.
Ancestry has 19 public trees that refer to Elvie Gertrude Peterson (later Trouvalis). Family Search has profile LTQ3-ML2 for Elvia “Edna” Gertrude Peterson. I have uploaded two photos of Elvie to her Family Search Memories. I also have five additional images in my collection if family members are interested.
Helen Jane Peterson, circa 1935.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Jane Peterson, 41a Chestnut St #469.”
Jane Peterson, circa 1935
Why I believe this to be the Individual.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Irving W and Helen B Peterson living at 41a Chestnut, Apt 4.
The 1930 US Census lists Irvine W Peterson, his wife Helen, and 13-year-old Connecticut-born, daughter H. Jane Peterson.
Ancestry Family Trees suggest this is Helen Jane Peterson, born on 5 April 1917 in Hartford, Connecticut.
I am sure this is Helen Jane Peterson, born on 5 April 1917 in Hartford, Connecticut.
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. E. C. Peterson, 87 Montrose Ave #691.”
Why I believe this to be the Individual.
June Peterson, circa 1935
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Elias C and M Abbie Peterson living at 87 Montrose Ave. Elias is a foreman at 40 W Commercial.
Maine Marriage Records indicates that Elias Christan and Mary Abbie Ericksen married on 21 August 1922 in Portland, Maine.
The 1940 US Census lists Elias and Mary Peterson living at 96 Chenery in Portland. They have a daughter, June, who is seven years old.
Ancestry family trees suggest this is June A Peterson, born on 5 June 1932.
I am sure this is June Peterson, about 1935 when she was three years old.
Ancestry has two public trees that refer to June A Peterson (1932-2018). Family Search does not appear to have a profile for June, so I uploaded a photo of her to Dead Fred.
Louise Peterson, circa 1934, Portland, Maine
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Louise Peterson, 18 Smith St #122.”
What I learned while researching this Individual.
Search for Louise Peterson in the Portland City Directories yielded no one.
A review of the Portland City Directories for 1934, 1935, and 1936 suggest there was no one living at 18 Smith Street in Portland. However, the Portland Press Herald indicates several people lived at 18 Smith Street during the 1930s. One was John and Mary (Carroll) Collins. They had a daughter, Margaret Collins, born in Maine in 1905. The 1940 Census shows Margaret living with her mother, Mary Collins, and indicates both she and her mother were widows. In the 1930 US Census, Mary and Margaret Collins lived at 71 Newbury Street in Portland.
A review of the Ancestry family trees for Mary Carroll Collins failed to identify any Petersons or Petersens who were related.
Christen and Laura C Petersen lived at 7 Smith. There was also a Helen J. C. Petersen who lived at 7 Smith Street.
The 1930 US Census lists Christen and Lans (Laura) Peterson living at 136 Cumberland. Living with them was their 22-year-old, Maine-born daughter Laure A J Peterson.
Based entirely on the envelope information, I believe this is a photo of a Louise Peterson; however, I cannot identify her further.
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Harold Westrom, 36 Olympia St. Portland, #366.”
Why I believe this to be the Individual.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Harold O Utterstrom as having a sheet metal business at 36 Olympia. He lives with his wife, Grace E.
The 1940 US Census lists Harold and Grace, still on Olympia, living with their daughter Etta L (age 11) and son Harold Jr. (age 8)
This photo was taken about 1934 when Etta was about six years old.
I believe this photo is of Lucy Etta Utterstrom in 1934. I also think the original envelope was misread, and when a new envelope was created for the negative, the writer changed Utterstrom to Westrom—Utter to We.
I have not found Etta Uterstrom in Ancestry trees. However, I have found her father, Harold O Utterstrom, appears in six public Ancestry trees. Family Search has profile GH5T-4L4 for Etta. I have uploaded this photo of Etta to her Family Search Memories.
Conclusion
I fully identified all five individuals. Three of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories.
I identified two individuals that did not have Family Search profiles, so I posted their images to Dead Fred.
If any of these photos are of your family member, I would love to hear your reaction. 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 a higher image quality than the images 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.
