“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspapers articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited when I learn of a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.
This week, from the Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.) newspaper dated March 6, 1921, I learned that “California Bathing Girls” was a coming attraction to come to the Cosmos Theatre “next week.”
The article reads:
“California Bathing Girls” A return engagement of the California Bathing Girls, with Donna Montran, featured in a beach parage, interspersed with exclusive songs by Donna Montran and dances by Anna La Toy, is announced for the Cosmos Theater for next week. It is a sensational production and presents an elaborate review of the latest in bathing costumes. Other attractions will include “Past, Present and Future” a comedy….
An article in the Washington Times (Washington, D.C.) dated March 15, 1921, confirmed this showing and venue with an article that reads:
AS
COSMOS— California Bathing Girls. Tom Rooney’s Broadway sensation, “The California Bathing Girls,” in a daring revue of bathing costumes, past, present and future, interpolated with songs by Donna Montran and effective dance poses by Anna La Toy, making an effective headliner to a very good vaudeville bill at the Cosmos theater this week. The Girls are pretty graceful and not too warmly clad, but as a whole the act is a novel drawing card. Manager Brylawski this week has completed his bill with six team acts….
Because of those articles recently discovered on NewspaperArchives, I was able to add another date and venue for Donna’s vaudeville.
New information added to her career list: March 14-16, 1921 – Cosmos Theatre, Washington, D.C. – “California Bathing Girls” – News.
Roberts Project
Roberts-Barmes-Lister Line
By Don Taylor
I’ve been asked what I do when I say, “I review my sources, the sources at Family Search, and the sources on Ancestry,” as the first step in preparing to write a basic sketch about my 3rd great-grandfather, William Lister.
I believe William Lister was born about 1793 in Maryland from my research. He married Nancy Strain (1807-1844) on 17 June 1822 in Highland County, Ohio, and had four children with her—Nimrod (1824-1888), Sarah (c. 1831-?), William Marcus (1832-1921), and James (c. 1840-?). Then he married Leah Adkins on 23 April 1864 in Pickaway County, Ohio. William had one child with Leah, Elizabeth Ellen (1847-1933). I had six source citations associated with William Lister.
Although my initial assessment of William Lister & the 1830 Census didn’t result in a clear determination if William was in Pickaway County or Ross County because his son, Nimrod (born c. 1825), and his son William (born 1832) were both born in Pickaway County, I’m confident that William was in Pickaway County in 1830. His household consisted of
William (age 20-29)
Nancy (Age 20-29)
Nimrod (under 5)
Unk. Female (10 to 14)
The unknown female could be a sibling of William, Nancy, or unrelated.
1880 Census
In the 1880 Census, William’s son, Nimrod, reported that his father was born in Maryland, and his mother was born in Pennsylvania. Nimrod was 55 years old in 1880, confirming he was five years old during the 1830 Census.
Find-a-Grave
William Lister’s Marker – Photo by oh_fudge via Find-a-Grave
William Lister’s Find-a-Grave Memorial #38330408[ii] includes two photos of his marker. The marker is unclear regarding his death. It reads Died November 2*, 1848. My reading of the two images on the website suggests it says 23 November 1848. The marker should be gently and carefully cleaned and then examined to ascertain if it reads 20 November or 23 November. In the meantime, I’ve decided to use 23 November as William’s death date.
Marriage to Nancy Strain
William Lister married Nancy Strain[iii] about 17 June 1822. That appears to be when the license was issued in Highland County, Ohio. I was concerned about this being the marriage of my William Lister because Highland County is about 50 miles Southwest of Pickaway County, and there was a William Lister who lived in Ross County during the 1830 Census. However, thanks to Find-a-Grave, I see that Nancy and William are buried side by side at the New Holland Cemetery, so I am convinced this is the marriage of William to Nimrod’s mother.
Marriage to Leah Adkins
Ohio County Marriages indicate that William Lister married Leah Adkins on 23 April 1846.[iv] William’s first wife, Nancy (Strain), died on 23 November 1844. He was 53years old; Leah was 27. William’s son William was only 14 years old, so it is unlikely that he was the William that married Leah.
Unknown Source
One of the most interesting sources I’ve found is “unknown.” Rootdigger193 shared an image with Ancestry on 1 January 2011. It appears to be an excerpt from a probate or other legal proceedings book. It says it is from “Vol Three, Pages 296 – 298” from somewhere. It reads:
James Porter administrator of William Lister vs . Leah Lister et al. Petition to complete Real contract On 12 June 1850, a petition was filed by James Porter as administrator of the estate of William Lister dec’d. stating that during the lifetime of Willim Lister entered into a contract with Elacy Enis and William King by which he sold to them 50 acres of land in Monroe Township[v] for the sum of $450. The monies were all paid but William Lister died before he could convey the deed. William Lister died leaving his children: Nimrod Lister, Sarah Lister who intermarried Aaron Veyo, William M. Lister, James W. Lister and Elizabeth E. Lister. Also Leah Lister his widow. The title was conveyed by the heirs 1 July 1850.
These differences made me want to look closely at the sources of four items.
William’s birth date and location.
Was there a son James Alfred? If so, who was his mother?
What was the date of William’s marriage to Nancy Strain? – A review of the source document showed it reads 17 June 1822. I updated the profile on KJMH-VN5 to indicate a change from 30 May 1822 to 17 June 1822.
What was the birthdate for William Marcus?
As I mentioned, K8JH-PX9 has no sources cited, so I’ll look at the sources cited in KJMH-VN5.
[ii] Find a Grave, Find a Grave, William Lister, Pvt – 1793-1848. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38330408/william-lister: accessed 17 February 2022), memorial page for Pvt William Lister (1793–20 Nov 1848), Find a Grave Memorial ID 38330408, citing New Holland Cemetery, New Holland, Pickaway County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Dave M (contributor 46499754).
[iii] Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016, Family Search, Highland County Marriage Records 1821-1837, vol 1-2, Page 180 – #600 – William Sister [Lister] & Nancy Strain – Issued 17 June 1822. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZZ5F-7T6Z.
[iv] Ohio, County Marriages, 1774-1993, Ancestry.Com, William Lister & Leah Adkins. 23 Apr 1846 – Pickaway, Ohio.
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 of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is vital to analyze the pictures and information to identify the individual therein.[ii] My goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.
Marion Pearl Lothridge, née Lewis, circa 1934
The envelope this negative was in says, “Lothridge #178 “Virginia’s Friend” (No address given.) Envelope Package #177 is Virginia Nutter (again, no address).
Marion Pearl Lothridge, née Lewis, circa 1934
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1934 Portland City Directory lists Virginia Nutter, a hairdresser employed at 551a Congress, Rm 4 and residing at 130 Spring. The directory also lists Mrs. Marion P Lothridge as the proprietor at 551 Congress, Rm 4, living with her husband John C. Lothridge at 210 Congress. This photo must be of Marion.
The 1930 Census lists John and Marion Lothridge living on Congress Street. Marion is 27 years old and was born in Maine.
Maine Marriage Records, 1713-1922, list Marion Pearl Lewis marrying John C Lothridge on 18 April 1921. Marion was born in No. Vassalboro, Me. about 1903.
This photo is of Marion Pearl Lothridge, née Lewis, about 1934.
Ancestry has eight public trees that refer to Marion Pearl Lewis. Family Search has profile LRTJ-ZM8 for Marion Pearl Lewis, born 9 October 1903. I uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search Memories.
John Hutchinson Low, circa 1935
This negative envelope says, “Mr. John H. Low, 106 Congress Sq Hotel #632.”
John Hutchinson Low, circa 1935
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1940 US Census lists 37-year-old John H Low as an inmate at the York County Jail. It indicates he lived in Portland, ME, in 1935, when the photo was likely taken.
John Hutchinson Low was born on 10 June 1902 in Portland, Maine, to Frank and Annie (Hutchinson) Low.
This photo is of John Hutchinson Low about 1935 when he was about 33 years old.
Ancestry has four public trees that refer to John Hutchinson Low, born on 10 June 1902. Family Search has profile LR4C-TYL for John Hutchinson Low, son of Frank and Anna (Hutchinson) Low. I have uploaded two photos of him to his Family Search Memories.
Michael Lucariello, circa 1936
This negative envelope says, “Mr. Michael Lucariello, 76 Illsley St #1100.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Michael Lucariello, circa 1936
The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Michael, Grace, Vincenzo, and Jennie Lucariello living at 74 Illsley. Michael is an attendant at 534 Wash Av, Grace is a teacher, and Vincenzo is the proprietor at 608 Congress.
The 1940 Census lists the Vincenzo family living at 74 Illsley Street; Michael is the 22-year-old son.
This photo is of Michael A. Lucariello, circa 1936.
Ancestry has three public trees that refer to Michael A Lucariello, son of Vincenzo and Jennie (Glasso) Lucariello. Family Search has profile L2RM-64J for Michael A Lucariello, born 11 April 1917. I uploaded a photo of him to his Family Search Memories. That photo was somewhat damaged. There are also a couple more images of Michael that are severely damaged that I can provide if asked. (Use the comment form below.)
James Richard Lyna, circa 1936
This negative envelope says, Mr. Richard Lyna, 57 Allen Ave #1039.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
James Richard Lyna, circa 1936
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Richard J Lyna as an employee at 73 Bell and residing at 57 Allen Ave. Also living at 57 Allen are Dorothy M Lyna, a clerk, and Louise B., the widow of James H. Lyna.
The 1930 US Census identifies the James H Lyna family with his wife, Eliza, and son Richard. Richard is 15 and was born in New Hampshire.
I believe this photo is of Richard. J Lyna, circa 1936.
Ancestry has 12 public trees that refer to James Richard Lyna, born 31 Oct 1914 to James Henry and Louise Bell (Sloan) Lyna. Family Search has profile LTNT-WTX for James Richard Lyna. I uploaded two photos of him to his Family Search Memories.
Eleanor Lou Duran, circa 1936
This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Fred Loyne, 4 Horton Place #508 – Eleanor Lou Duren.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
Eleanor Lou Duran, circa 1936
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Frederick P Loyne and his wife Elena S. living at 4 Horton Pl.
Frederick and Elena St Clair (Thomson) Loyne had a daughter, Audrey Thomson Loyne, on 8 Jan 1910. Audrey married Dean Richardson Duren on 24 February 1929. On 11 September 1929, they had a daughter Eleanor Lou Duren. Eleanor would have been about six when this photo was taken about 1936.
I am sure this photo is of Eleanor Lou Duren, the granddaughter of Mrs. Fred (Elena) Loyne.
Ancestry has four public trees that refer to Eleanor Lou Duran. Family Search has profile GHVN-P9F for Elanor L. Duran (1929-2013). Interestingly enough, I uploaded a photo of her and her mother, Audrey, to her Family Search Memories in February 2021. This photo was taken on another day, apparently a few weeks before the picture of mother and daughter. I uploaded this photo to the Memory also.
Conclusion
I fully identified all five All of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
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.
Darling-Swayze-Walker Line Census Sunday
By Don Taylor
I had one follow-up task after my “Walter’s in the 1830 Census” research. I wanted to Investigate Elizabeth Walter’s marriages and determine when she married Charles Stockard and James Gurley to know if the woman I found in James Gurley’s household was likely Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Walters married Charles Stockard on 24 June 1815 in Rockingham County, Virginia.[i] I also learned that Charles died on 24 November 1820 and was buried in the Ottervein United Methodist Church Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio. The 1820 Census was taken on 7 August 1820, so I’d expect Elizabeth to be with Charles. Finding her with 2nd husband in the 1830 Census makes perfect sense. Children of Elizabeth born before August 1821 are likely Charles’. According to Charles’ will, he had two children. They are presumed to be with Elizabeth.
With that task out of the way, I can focus on the Walter’s in Fairfield County during the 1820 Census. Fairfield became a county with the creation of Ohio as a state in 1803. The county lost area in creating several other counties between 1804 and 1818. Then it remained stable in size until 1850, when Hocking County was enlarged.[ii]
The date for the 1820 census was 7 August. So I would expect to find:
James and Margaret Ann (Swann) Walter were married.
James was 68
Margaret was 60.
Children
Martin was 41
Nancy was about 32 and likely married to FNU Lewis.
Elkanah was 31 and married to Rachael Decker (age 30). They have two boys (Harvy & James).
Catherine was 26 and married to David Swayze. They have two girls.
Elizabeth was 23 and married to Charles Stockard. They had two children.
James C. was 20. He may or may not be married to Polly LNU.
John was about 16.
Several Walker family members made it to Ohio before the 1820 Census.
1820 Censuses
Elkanah Walters – Richland, Fairfield County, Ohio.
Elkanah appeared as “Elkana” in 1820 with no surname. It was indexed as “Elkana Warner” because the entry did not have his surname entered, and the transcriber used the surname above his entry.
The household consists of four people
1 Male 16-26 I believe this to be an entry error. Elkanah might be 31.
1 Female 26-46 This should be Rebecca, age 30.
2 Males <10 This should be Harvy, Age 2
This should be James, Age 4 mos.
Catherine Ann Dent Walter, wife of David Swayze – Richland, Fairfield County, Ohio 7 August 1820
The Swayze family of 1820 should consist of David, age 24, and Catherine, age 26, plus two children, both girls, Elizabeth, age 2 & Emily age seven months. It is unclear where they lived. They were in New Salem, Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1822 and in Virginia about 1818. So it is unclear when they removed to Ohio.
One David Sweazy Family consisted of the following:
Males – Under 10: 1 Unknown Male
Males – 16 thru 25: 1 David Swayze, Age 24
Males – 26 thru 44: 1 Unknown Male
Females – Under 10: 1 Elizabeth, age 2 – Emily Missing
It is possible that Emily was enumerated mistakenly as a male. And that siblings or boarders were living with David and Elizabeth making up the two unknown people (maybe a sibling and spouse). However, I am not confident that David and Elizabeth were in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1820. Because of the inconsistencies and uncertainty, I cannot accept this as my 3rd great-grandparents and family. It could be a different, heretofore unknown, David Swayze.
David Swayze, Sr.
David’s father, David Swayze, and his mother, Alice, moved to Fairfield County, Ohio, about 1805.
Their family should consist of David (age 58) Alice (51), and their children: Mary (age 26), David (24), Jane (23), Sarah (21), Evan (18), Elizabeth (16), Edith (13), Daniel (10), and William (6).
The 1820 Census lists two David Swayze families in Fairfield County, Ohio.
One David Sweazy Family consists of the following:
Males – Under 10: 2 William (6) and Daniel (10)
Males – 16 thru 25: 1 Evan (18)
Males – 26 thru 44: 3 Three unknown males were born (1776-1794)
Sarah, Jane, and Mary are old enough to have married, thus expected to be elsewhere.
David and Alice were married on 20 January 1792 in Cecil, Maryland, so the three males are unlikely to be children of Alice.
Other Walkers
I found no evidence that James and Margaret Ann (Swann) Walker had located in Fairfield County before the 1820 Census.
Neither I have found Martin, Nancy (& FNU Lewis), Elizabeth (and Charles Stockard), or John in Fairfield County in the 1820 Census.
Conclusion – The Walter family in 1820
I successfully found two of James and Margaret’s children in the 1820 Census in Fairfield County, Ohio
Elkanah Walters Family – Richland township.
Catherine Ann Dent Walter, wife of David Swayze in Richland Township.
Also, I discovered David Swayze’s father, David, in Richland Township.
I did not find James or Margaret in either the 1820 Censuses nor did finding their children in those records help find any additional information regarding them.
Follow-up
Continue Researching James and Margaret (Swann) Walker.
Sources
1820 Census, 1820 Census – Ohio, Fairfield, Richland – David Sweazy [Jr.] – (Image 2 of 3, first page, 3rd name). 1820 US Census; Census Place: Richland, Fairfield, Ohio; Page: 188; NARA Roll: M33_87; Image: 140.
1820 Census, 1820 Census – Ohio, Fairfield, Richland – David Sweazy [Sr.] – (Image 3 of 3, second page, 4th name). 1820 US Census; Census Place: Richland, Fairfield, Ohio; Page: Richland, Fairfield, Ohio; Page: 189; NARA Roll: M33_87; Image: 140. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/28330642?h=a50c67.
Endnotes
[i] John Walter Wayland, Virginia Valley records (Shenandoah Publishing House, , 1930), Ancestry, Rockingham Supplement – Page 28. Marriages in Rockingham County.
Darling-Huber-Trümpi-Dürst-Hefti-Böniger-Zopfi-Tschudi Line
By Don Taylor
Forebears indicates that Tschudi means “one who sat in judgment, a judge.” And that it is Swiss in origin.
Geographical
Forebears indicates there are approximately 1,448 people in the world who share the Tschudi surname. The vast majority of them live in Switzerland. In the United States, the most significant number (51) live in Minnesota, where 1 in 122,569 people share the surname.
There are several variations of the name, the most common of the variations being Tschudy.
Aegidius Tschudi, writing c. 1570, “fleshed out” the William Tell legend, which entered the public consciousness as William Tell, the expert crossbow marksman.[ii]
“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspapers articles and advertisements regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and Donna Darling). I am always excited when I learn of a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s. 
