“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspaper articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited to find a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
This week from the Freeport Journal-Standard (Freeport, IL) newspaper dated Friday, December 26, 1924, I learned that Donna Darling and her Bathing Girls Review played at the Lindo Theatre in Freeport on Sunday, December 28, 1924.
Freeport Journal-Standard Fri, Dec 26, 1924.
This was an advertisement only. I looked at other ads and articles during the days before and after this ad but wasn’t able to find any additional information in the Freeport Journal-Standard. This ad also mentions there were “Nine Girlies” in the show, and they were “From the Studios.”
I recently took the mtDNA[i] test through Family Tree DNA. I wasn’t surprised to learn I am a T2b haplogroup (23&Me’s test also told me that). There were 30 matches with a Genetic Distance of zero (0). Tracing mtDNA ancestors can be complex as the surnames typically change every generation. With that in mind, I thought I don’t know what my mtDNA cousins’ surnames are. I know my two mtDNA sisters and my one niece, but not any cousins.
Looking At My Tree,
My mom, in nurse’s uniform – circa 1955
I received my mtDNA from my mother.
She received it from her mother, Madonna Mae Montran. Madonna had no other daughters.
Madonna received her mtDNA from her mother, Ida Mae Barber. Ida had no other daughters.
Ida received her mtDNA from her mother, Sarah H Blackhurst (1848-1929). Sarah also had a daughter Eva. Louisa Barber.
Eva married Adelbert Roswell Goff and had a daughter
Lillian A. Goff (1907-___).
Sarah received her mtDNA from Fanny Taylor (1806-1889). Besides Sarah, Fanny had five other daughters
Ellen Blackhurst (1829-1905) married Henry Clough and had one daughter.
Kara A Clough (___-___)
Elizabeth Blackhurst (1831-1915) married Isaac John Earl and had one known daughter.
Mary Flora Earl
Mary Blackhurst (1833-1900) married Royal Baldwin (no known children)
Louise Blackhurst (1840-1927) had one daughter with Samuel Sanders and one daughter with Champion Eslow.
Carrie B. Sanders (1867-___)
Phoebe Ann Eslow (1879-1948)
Phoebe Anna Blackhurst (1842-1929) married William Brownell and had two daughters
Hattie L. Brownell (1860-1916)
Fanny P Brownell (1866-1939)
I don’t know who Fanny Taylor’s parents are.
So, my known mtDNA ancestors and cousins include the following known surnames: Blackhurst, Brownell, Clough, Earl, Eslow, Goff, Sanders, and Taylor.
Next, I looked at the surname of my mtDNA matches trees.
PJM: Sole, Perry, Ahearn, Broderick.
SPD: Murray, Doherty, Elliott, Beggs.
MDC: Newton, Barry.
DJT: Hose, Rankin, McKenzie, Finlayson.
SCC: Norris, Edwards, Arnold.
ACG: Richardson, Douras, Lennon, O’Neil.
RJC: Norris, Edwards, Arnold, Bryan.
NAM: Lafferty, Doherty, Elliott.
MW: Stein.
MD: Parkyn, Smith, Harris.
DBD: van Dyle
DMW: Miller, MacKellar, Gallop, Caldwell, Flynn.
BS: Regnier, Darcy, Crahan.
MA: Coombs.
AMN: Leonard, Campbell, O’Brien, Deasy.
PMT: Bothwell, Fahey, Curtis, Jones.
SV: Leonard, Campbell, O’Brien, Deasy.
MKL: Lyons, Browne, Bergin, Long, Crabb.
CW: Cushing, Pratt, Shonk.
Two trees had all mtDNA ancestors “Private.”
One tree was “Forbidden” to be seen by me.
Eight individuals had no trees.
So, none of the matches with a zero (0) genetic distance has a surname that matched my known surnames.
Follow-up
My next mtDNA task will be to expand my known surnames in hopes of finding an identifiable match. I’ll look closer at Eva Louisa (Barber) Goff. Did she have any daughters besides Lillian? Did Lillian have any children?
This week, for Photo Friday, I identify the people in five more envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The envelopes contain the names who paid for the photos, not necessarily 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.
Dr. Robert Maybury, Dec. 1950.
The envelope this negative was in says, “Dr. Robert Maybury – Dec 1950 – DSCN4116.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Dr. Robert Maybury, Dec. 1950.
A Death Notice for “Dr. Robert Maybury – Retired Maine Physician Who Became a Railroader” appeared in the September 11, 1951 edition of the Boston Globe. The article indicated he died on 8 September at Hampton, N.H. He was a native of Springvale, ME, and interned at Mass. General Hospital. He retired about 1941 to pursue railroading. He had a son, Richard D. Maybury, and a daughter, Mrs. Leavitt Emmons. He was 63 when he died (born circa 1888).
Robert Lincoln Maybury, born 27 November 1887, died 8 September 1951. There are several Ancestry trees that indicate he was born on 27 March 1887. That date appears to have been taken from a SAR application; however, it is difficult to read and could be “Nov” as easily as “Mar.” His WWI Draft Registration clearly reads Nov 27, 1887.
This photo is of Dr. Robert Lincoln Maybury in December 1950.
Ancestry has 16 public trees that refer to Robert Lincoln Maybury. Family Search has profile KCXX-K18 for Robert Lincoln Maybury. I have uploaded a photo of him to his Family Search Memories.
Bertha Mathews, Student Nurse, circa 1934
This negative envelope says, “Miss Bertha Mathews, Me Gen Hospital #316.”
Bertha Mathews, Student Nurse, circa 1934
A Bertha Matthews married Frederick F Hellier on 14 October 1938. Both were from Portland, Maine.
Bertha does not appear in any Portland City Directories from 1934 through 1937.
Additionally, I have not found any person named Bertha Mathews that is a nurse.
Alternate Individuals.
The 1930 Census appears to have three Bertha Matthews in Maine.
The 53-year-old wife of John P Matthews.
The 29-year-old daughter of John P Matthews.
Bertha Babcock is the 15-year-old step-daughter of Harold Matthews.
None of these appear to be the correct Bertha Matthews.
Because I am not sure of the identity of this person, I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred as Bertha Mathews, the name on the photo envelope.
Florence Matthews, circa 1934
This negative envelope says, “Miss Florence Mathews, 3 Park Place #268.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Florence Matthews, circa 1934
The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Florence L Matthews living at 3 Park Place. Also in the directory is Florence D Matthews, the widow of Elbridge Matthews.
The 1935 Portland City Directory indicates that Florence L Matthews married Bartley P Flaherty.
Florence Matthews is the daughter of John Graham and Ellen (Coyne) Matthews. She was born on 21 Aug 1914 and married Bartley P Flaherty on 18 April 1934.
This is a photo of Florence in about 1934.
Ancestry has 18 public trees that refer to Florence Louise Matthews. Family Search has profile LTXY-BKW for Florence Matthews Garland. I have uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search Memories.
Confirmed to be Florence Louise Matthews by a granddaughter.
Frances Meloon, Nursing Student, circa 1936
This negative envelope says, “Miss Francis McLoon, Me Gen Hospital #973.”
Frances Meloon, Nursing Student, circa 1936
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Frances Meloon as a Student Nurse at 22 Arsenal (Maine General Hospital).
The 1930 US Census lists Frances Meloon living with her parents in Kezar Falls, Oxford County, Maine. She was born about 1918 in New Hampshire to Ernest and H Louise Meloon.
I believe this is Frances Louise Meloon, born 14 Jul 1917 in Effingham County, New Hampshire, about 1936, while she was a nursing student.
Ancestry has nine public trees that refer to Frances L Meloon, born in New Hampshire to Ernest and Helen Louise (Cutting) Meloon. Family Search has profile LT3W-269 for Frances Meloon. I have uploaded a photo of her to her Family Search Memories.
Sally Meddes (possibly Celina S. Bouchard) circa 1934.
This negative envelope says, “Miss Sally Meddes, 305 Pine St #248.”
This identification has been one of my more confusing projects.
Envelope identifying Sally Meddes.
I cannot find any references for Sally Meddes or Sarah[iii]
The 1934 Portland City Directory finds Theodore Meddes, a chef, living at 1 Shepley. He does not appear in the 1933 Directory. He appears in the 1935 Directory residing at 570½ Congress. The 1936 Directory indicates he moved to Bangor.
There doesn’t appear to be a 305 Pine Street in Portland, nor is there any other street in Portland that ends in “_ine,” so doing a reverse lookup isn’t possible.
The “Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996” indicates that Celina Meddes married Stanton E Bartol on 2 September 1935. The confusing part is that the “Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996” also reports Stanton E Bartol married Celina Bouchard on 2 September 1935. The 1940 Census indicates that Celina was 32 in 1940; thus, she would be about 26 in 1934 when the photo was probably taken.
Sally Meddes (possibly Celina S. Bouchard) circa 1934.
I suspect that Celina S. Bouchard also went by “Sally.” My review of the sources provided in 5 Ancestry Public Trees indicated the following:
Celina Bouchard was born on 6 September 1907 to Joseph and Anna (Regan) Bouchard in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Celine Bouchard appears in the 1910 Census as the 3-year-old daughter of Joseph and Annie Bouchard.
Two trees report Celina’s name as Celina S Bouchard (Meddes). (One of them is a private tree.) The public tree doesn’t have any sources listed for the source of the “Meddes” surname, but possibly they or the private tree person have references for the Meddes surname.
Possibly, Celina married Theodore Meddes for a short time, divorced him then married Stanton Bartol in 1935. In any event, I will need confirmation regarding this possible scenario from family members.
Ancestry has eight trees that refer to Celina S Bouchard (Meddes). Because I am not certain of the identity of this person, I uploaded her photo to Dead Fred as Sally Meddes, the name on the photo envelope.
Conclusion
I identified three of the individuals. They have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories. One I
I failed to identify two individuals adequately, 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.
Today I examine the conflict in Bert Allen Roberts’ birthdate. Some documents and researchers report he was born on 20 Sep 1902, some on 20 Sep 1903, and others on 7 Sep 1903.
The earliest birth record I’ve found regarding Bert’s birthdate is his marriage license. It clearly indicates that his birthdate is 20 Sep. This record appears to have been copied by a clerk into a set form, because the signatures of Bert, Essie, and the clerk appear to be of the same hand, with the same pen.
Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 – Bert Allen Roberts, Date of Birth (via FamilySearch.org)
Bert’s Birth Certificate clearly indicates he was born on 7 Sep 1903. Generally, a birth certificate is the best document, however, although not identified as “delayed,” it was not reported until 8 Jul 1941. The information was provided by William Alonzo Scott (Uncle). William Alonzo was not Bert’s uncle, rather he was Bert’s great-uncle (Clora’s uncle).
Bert completed his Draft Registration. As I understand it, a Birth Certificate was required to register for the draft. That would be the likely reason a “delayed” certificate was created. It is possible that Bert used the same date as his Birth Certificate to eliminate registration problems.
The informant for Bert’s Death Certificate was his wife, “Mrs. Bert Roberts – Detroit, Mich” (Essie). She supplied 7 Sep 1903 as his birthdate also.
Census Records
Because there is a year difference between the documents Census Records might provide further insight into his birth year and consequently his birth date.
1910 – Age 6 – Suggesting birth in 1903 (presuming a September birth).
1920 – Age 16 – Suggesting birth in 1903.
1930 – Age 26 – Suggesting birth in 1903.
1940 – Age 36 – Suggesting birth in 1903.
So, all of the Census records are consistent with the birthdate of 7 September 1903 and not 1902 (20 September)
Conclusion
Bert Allen Roberts was born 7 September 1903. I have set that date as my preferred birth date.
ENDNOTES
[i] Indiana Marriage, 1811-2019, Family Search, Bert Allen Roberts – Essie Pansy Barnes – Marriage License. citing: Sullivan, Indiana, United States, Marriage Registration, Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis; FHL microfilm 004170594. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XXF1-HZN. Source: Derivative, Transcribed by a clerk. Clarity: Clear, Item 4, clearly readable, “When born September 20, 1902.” Information: Primary, The document indicates Bert Allen Roberts provided the information. Evidence: Direct, Date is clearly stated.
[ii] Illinois Births and Christenings, 1824-1940, Family Search, Bert Allen Roberts – Birth 7 Sep 1903. See Image 970 of 1538. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:H9FF-PCT2. Source: Original, Information was entered by a clerk, however it is clear William signed it. Clarity: Clear, Item 7, clearly readable, “Date of Birth Sept 7, 1903.” Information: Secondary, Although the certificate indicates William was “the Attendant at this Birth,” I just don’t find that likely. That was a prefilled statement required by all who reported birth information Evidence: Direct, Date is clearly stated.
[iii] U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, Ancestry.Com, Bert Allen Roberts – Born 7 Sep 1903 – Registe3red 16 Feb 1942. Source: Original, Information may have been entered by the registrar, but it is clear that Bert signed the card. Clarity: Clear, Item 5, clearly readable, “Date of Birth Sept 7 1903.” Information: Primary, The document indicates Bert Allen Roberts provided the information.
[iv] Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011 (Indiana Archives & Records Administration), Ancestry, Bert Roberts – Death 1 May 1949. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1949; Roll: 06. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29390250?h=dae87f. Source: Original. Clarity: Clear, Item 8, clearly readable, “9-7-1903.” Information: Secondary, the information was provided by his wife. Evidence: Direct, Date is clearly stated.
Recently, Randy Seaver, in his “Saturday Night Genealogy Fun” post, suggested folks document “Their paternal grandfather’s matrilineal line (i.e., the mother of your paternal grandfather, and her mother, etc.).”
Amanda Jane Haley Scott – From the Chris H. Bailey photo collection.
Her mother was Amanda Jane Haley (1861-1889), who married Samuel Vaden Scott (1862-1931) on 24 May 1879 in Goode, Franklin County, Illinois.
Her mother was Martha Melinda Montgomery (1841-1914), who married Andrew J. Haley (1836-1905) on 20 Aug 1857 in Manchester, Coffee County, Tennessee.
Her mother was Syrena Meadows (1815-___), who married Leonard L Montgomery (1814-___).
I do not know the parents of Syrena Meadows, her marriage date to Leonard Montgomery, or her death date. With so many ancestors (127 to 4th great-grandparents), I just haven’t had time to research Syrena’s life. She is currently #20 on my “Roberts-Barnes Ancestors to Research” list.
“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspaper articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited to find a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
Source: Derivative, Transcribed by a clerk.
