Ancestor Sketch – Margaret Ann Swann (1760-1826)

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Don Taylor

Darling Research
Darling-Swayze-Walter-Swann Line
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.[After looking at her husband, James Walter, her daughter, Catherine Ann Dent Walter, her son, Elkanah Walter, and a cursory look at several of her other children, I still don’t know much about the life of 5th great-grandmother Margaret Ann Swann.

Family Search has profile KZHN-T1Y for Margaret. Ancestry has a confusing number of trees for Margaret. Some indicate she was born in 1758 or 1760 in Charles County, Maryland. Other trees suggest she was born in 1771. Some have the correct parents, some different parents.]

Howell/Darling – Ancestor #102

List of Grands

  1.  Robert Harry Darling(1907-1969)
  2.  Rufus Harry Darling(1857-1917)
  3.  Elizabeth Jane SwayzeWiseman Darling (1818-1881)
  4.  Catherine Ann Dent Walter(abt 1790-1868)
  5. Margaret Ann Swann (1760-1826)
  6. Samuel Swann (1676-1743)*
  7. Edward Swann (1633-1708)*

*  Individuals marked with an asterisk have not been researched by me and are tentative or speculative.

Margaret Ann Swann Walter (1760-1826)

Birth

Birth records for colonial women are sparse. A DAR application for her husband indicates she was born in Maryland, and an “Excerpt from a Book of Remembrance” indicates she was born in 1760. I tend to believe DAR accepted facts are accurate for Patriots, but I’m not sure I think their info for spouses of Patriots is to be trusted. Similarly, I’ve not found the source for A Book of Remembrance. I’ll ask the individual who added the info to Margaret’s FamilySearch Memories for further source information.

Various researchers have other dates for Margaret, daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Dent) Swann.

One suggests Margaret was born in 1758, but sources that fact to a record showing her parents to be Thomas & Ann Swann.

Others suggest Margaret was born in 1771 or 1772 without cited source records. If so, Nancy would have been born when she was 16. They also don’t provide for any marriage date. My records indicate Margaret and James married in 1783. Being married at 11 is very unlikely in colonial America, so I suspect the 1771 & 1772 birth dates are incorrect.

I’ve decided to accept 1760 in Maryland as Margaret’s birth information tentatively. Hopefully, further research into the Swann line, particularly her parents and siblings, will shed additional light on Margaret’s Birth Information

Siblings

FamilySearch indicates that Samuel and Catherine (Dent) Swann had 17 children, including Margaret. (Margaret is the 10th child.) Siblings include John Robert, Basil, Alexander, Zephaniah, Ann, Josiah, Henry, Leonard, Charles, Samuel Hatch, Edward Burch, Philip, Anna, Elizabeth, John, and Thomas Mercer Swann. However, my records indicate Samuel and Catherine had 11 children, and Margaret was the 3rd.

Marriage

Margaret and James Walter married “after the war.” (Which ended 19 April 1783.) Nancy Ann was born about 1788, so I suspect Margaret and James were married about 1787. However, the Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolutions Buried in the State of Ohio indicates that James married Margaret Ann Levan, suggesting she was married earlier. Martin Walter, born in 1779, could be James’ or Margaret’s child from a previous marriage. 

Children of James and Margaret Ann (Swann) Walter

Name Born Married Died
Nancy Ann 1788 FNU Leevir (or Sevir)[i] 1849
Elkanah S. 1789 Rachel Decker 1852
Catherine Ann Dent 1794 David Swayze 1868
Elizabeth Rebekah 1796 Charles Stockard 1876
James C. 1800 Polly _____ 1838
John 1804 Belinda Reese (unk)

Adulthood

Much of the information known about Margaret comes from the will of Samuel Swann. In the will, dated 1807, he gave 1/8th of his property. The distribution of the will in December 1809 included 1/8 of the sundry property going to Margaret.

After the marriage, Margaret and James and Margaret lived in Frederick County, Virginia, before locating to Fairfield County, Ohio.

Death/Burial, etc.

Margaret died in 1826 at New Salem, Ohio at the age of 66.

Events by Location

Margaret relocated westward about 350 miles during her lifetime.

  • Maryland (prob. St. Mary’s County)      Birth (1760)
  • Ohio, Fairfield County, New Salem        Death (1826)
  • Ohio, Fairfield County, Lancaster          Death of husband (1838)
  • Virginia, Frederick                                        Birth of Catherine (1794)
  • Virginia, Frederick, Winchester              Birth of Elizabeth (1796)
  • Virginia, Montgomery, Big Spring         Marriage, Birth of Nancy, Elkanah                                                                                        (1787-1789)

Further Actions / Follow-up

  • Determine if Martin Walker is the child of James, Margaret, or them together.
  • Determine Nancy Ann’s husband and if the surname was Levan instead.
  • Determine BMD information on Margaret’s children.
  • Research Margaret’s parents & siblings.

Sources

  • Daughters of the American Revolution – DAR “Descendants” Database, Member: Helen J. Roy – National # 455124 – Ancestor # A120153 – Accessed; 30 December 2016. https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=3.
  • Daughters of the American Revolution – Supporting Documentation, DAR, A120153 M455124 – Pages 6-9 – Deed of Trust. Daughters of the American Revolution All Rights Reserved. Copy Services A120153 M455124.
  • FamilySearch Memories, Family Search, Margaret Swan – Stories – Excerpt From Book of Remembrance. Contributed by Brian_Scheewe – 13 February 2022. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KZHN-T1Y.
  • FamilySearch Memories, Family Search, Margaret Swan – Stories – Great-great Grandfather – Written by Emily Swayzee McCarty. Contributed by Brian_Scheewe – 13 February 2022. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KZHN-T1Y.
  • Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999, Hall of Records, Annapolis, Samuel Swann – 20 November 1807. Wills – 1777-1820 vol 1-3 – Image 543 of 743Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999,” images, FamilySearch: Accessed 20 May 2014), St. Mary’s > Wills 1777-1820 vol 1-3 > image 543 of 743; Hall of Records, Annapolis. Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999,” images, FamilySearch: Accessed 20 May 2014), St. Mary’s > Wills 1777-1820 vol 1-3 > image 543 of 743; Hall of Records, Annapolis. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYMH-9WF4?i=542.
  • Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolutions Buried in the State of Ohio, (1929), Walter, James. Revolutionary Soldiers 1775-1783 – Page 385. (Archive.org).

Endnotes

[i] Levan is suspiciously similar to the surname Leevir (or Sevir) that Nancy Ann married.

 

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Ethel Wight Collection – Part 71

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Don Taylor

Keddy, Kennedy, Kenney, & Kimball

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.[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] Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.]

Dorothy Mary Keddy, circa 1937

This negative envelope says, “Miss Dorothy Keddy, 106 Pine #1018.”

Miss Dorothy Kiddy, Circa 1937

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Dorothy M Keddy, a clerk at 117 Middle, residing at 106 Pine.
  • The 1940 US Census lists 28-year-old Dorothy M Keddy and her mother, Margaret M, living at 230 Bracket.
  • Ancestry Family Trees suggests Dorothy Mary Keddy, daughter of Simeon Orrin and Margaret May (Hyson), was born on 10 August 1911 in Bethel, Oxford County, Maine.

This photo is of Dorothy Mary Keddy about 1937.

Ancestry has 23 public trees that refer to Dorothy Mary Keddy. Family Search has profile LKD9-G5V for her. I uploaded two photos of Dorothy to her Family Search Memories.

Confirmed to be Dorothy Mary Keddy by a close relative.

Richard Vaughn Kennedy, circa 1937

This negative envelope says, “Mr. Richard V. Kennedy, 56 Sherman St, #1067.”

Mr. Richard V. Kennedy, Circa 1937

  • The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Richard Kennedy as a clerk residing at 56 Sherman St. Another Richard Kennedy lives at 38 Chamberlain ave.
  • The 1940 Portland City Directory and US Census records list 23-year-old Richard V Kennedy living at 776 Congress, apt 6. He lived with his mother, Pauline O Kennedy, and siblings Clarence and Marjorie. The other Richard Kennedy died.
  • Ancestry Family Trees identify Richard Vaughan Kennedy, born 6 August 1916 in Boston, MA. As the oldest of three children of Clarence (and Pauline Durloo) Kennedy.
  • Photos of Richard Vaughan Kennedy on Ancestry confirm this photo is of Richard.

Ancestry has 14 public trees that refer to Richard Vaughn Kennedy. Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Richard Vaughn Kennedy. So, I have added this photo of him to Dead Fred and a different picture of him to my Flickr Photostream. 

Eleanor Jane Kennedy, circa 1937

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Jack Kennedy, 100 Presumpscott St. – #793.”

Eleanor Jane Kennedy, Circa 1937

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Herbert J Kennedy living at 100 Presumpscott St. (Also Edward A Schumacher.)
  • The 1940 US Census found 49-year-old Herbert J Kennedy and his wife Thelma, living with his two daughters, Eleanor J (age 7) and Caroline J. (age 4).
  • Based upon the photo package number, 793, the photo was probably taken about 1937 when Eleanor was about 4 or 5.

Neither Ancestry nor FamilySearch have public trees that refer to Eleanor Jane Kennedy, daughter of Herbert and Thelma Kennedy. So, I have added her photo to Dead Fred. 

Paul, Florence Caroline, and Jacqueline Kimball, circa 1935.

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Lawrence Kimball, 67 Virginia St #511.”

Paul, Florence, and Jacqueline Kimball, circa 1935.

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1936 Portland City Directory lists Lawrence H Kimball, and his wife Florence I, living at 67 Virginia.
  • The 1940 Census lists Lawrence and Florence Kimball living at 111 Virginia. With them are their four children, Paul (age 17), Caroline (Age 15), Jacqueline (age 9), and Lawrence Jr.(age 4).

This photo was taken about 1935 when Paul was 12, Caroline was 10, and Jacqueline was 4.

  • Ancestry has seven public trees that refer to Paul True Kimball, born 6 May 1922 in Maine.
  • Ancestry has five public trees that refer to Florence Caroline Kimball, born 6 August 1924.
  • Family Search has profile GS8B-QLJ for Paul Kimball and profile GS8B-QLP for Florence Caroline Kimball.

So, I  have uploaded a photo of them to their Family Search Memories.

Ruth Audrey Kenney, circa 1937

This negative envelope says, “Mrs. Lewis Kenney, 40 Emerson St. #987.”

Ruth Audrey Kenney, circa 1937

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1940 US Census lists Lewis Kenney living at 40 Emerson Street in Portland. Living with him are his wife, Mattie, and his seven-year-old daughter, Ruth A.

Based on the photo ID number, it was taken about 1937, when Ruth was about four years old.

Ancestry has three public trees that refer to Ruth Killinger, the daughter of Lewis & Mattie Kenney, who was born in 1932. Family Search has profile LBFR-CL3 for Ruth Audrey Kenney. I uploaded a photo of her to her Family Search Memories.

 

 

Conclusion

  • I fully identified all seven individuals in the packages. Four of them have Family Search profiles, so I uploaded their images to their Family Search Memories
  • For the two individuals that did not have FamilySearch profiles but did appear in Ancestry trees, 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.

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Elkanah Walter & the Early Censuses

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Don Taylor

Census Sunday
Darling-Swayze-Walter Line
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.[As I began my research of the life of 5th Great-grandmother Margaret Swann, I saw I knew virtually nothing about her life. One of my goals with ancestor sketches is to follow the individual through all the censuses. Early census records are always tricky, and following women is challenging as it requires following the men in their life. Margaret was born about 1754, the daughter of Samuel Swann. She married James Walter “after the war” (Revolutionary) and died in 1826. James died after Margaret, so I would expect Margaret to have been enumerated by sex and age in James’ household. Unfortunately, I have not found James in any census records. My next step is to try to follow the children of James and Margaret. Hopefully, documents from their lives will shed some light on my research of James and Margaret.]

James and Margaret Ann (Swan) Walter had six (or seven) children.

  1. Nancy Anne Walter was born in 1788.
  2. Elkanah Walter was born in 1789. He died in 1852.
  3. Catherine Ann Dent Walter was born on 15 Jun 1794. She married David Swayze on 30 Jan 1817 in Fairfield County, Ohio. She died on 16 Apr 1868 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at her daughter’s residence.
  4. James C Walter was born in 1800; he died in 1874.
  5. Elizabeth Walter was born in 1796.
  6. John Walter was born before 05 Jan 1804.
  7. There may be another son, Martin Walter, born in 1779, but he may be the child of another wife.

Elkanah is an unusual name, so I thought I’d take a look at his life first. Also, he was the oldest male child, so he might have more available records. I found he is buried at the Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo, Michigan[i].

1850 Census[ii]

Elkanah died in 1852, so the 1850 Census was a good place for me to begin. He is found in Kalamazoo Village, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. His household consisted of:

Name                           Age            Occup.      Property    Born

    • Elkanah Walters        61     M      None         $3,000      Va
    • Rachael                         59     F                                                “
    • Caroline Strong          26     F                                               O
    • Charles     “                 2/12  M                                              Mich

Although the 1850 Census does not include relationships, it is clear that the family consists of Elkanah, his wife Rachael, his daughter Caroline, and her son, Charles.

1840 Census[iii]

In 1840, Elkanah’s family should consist of:

  • Elkanah – Age 51
  • Rachel – Age 50
  • Catherine – Age 10
  • Margrate – Age 11
  • Adaline – Age 16
  • Caroline – Age 18
  • James – Age 20
  • Harvy – Age 22

1840 Census – Elkanah Walters – Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan

– – – – 1 – – 1  ||  – 1 2 – – – – 1

Males

  • 20-30      1     (Either James or Harvy)
  • 50-60      1     Elkanah

Females

  • 5-10        1     Catherine
  • 10-15      2     Probably Margrate & Adaline
  • 50-60      1     Rachel

Either James or Harvy, ages 20 & 22, appear to have left home by 1840
Caroline  – Age 18, appears to have left as well (probably married).

1830 Census

In 1830, Elkanah’s family should consist of

    • Elkanah – Age 41
    • Rachel – Age 40
    • Catherine – Age 0
    • Margrate – Age 1
    • Adaline – Age 6
    • Caroline – Age 8
    • James – Age 10
    • Harvy – Age 12

1830 Census – Elkanah Walters – Rushville, Fairfield, Ohio

– 1 1 – 1 – 1 || 1 2 – – – 1

Age    Male Female

    • <5        0       1       Presumed to be Margrate (age 1)
    • 5-10    1       2       Presumed to be son, James, & daughters, Caroline & Adaline.
    • 10-15  1        0       Presumed to be Harvey (Age 12)
    • 15-20 0       0
    • 20-30 1       0       Unknown male, born 1799-1810 (might James C Walter)
    • 30-40 0       1       Rachael (age 40)
    • 40-50 1       0       Elkanah (age 41)

Catherine hadn’t been born yet.

1820 Census

In 1820, Elkanah’s family should consist of

  • Elkanah – Age 31
  • Rachel – Age 20
  • James – Age 0
  • Harvey – Age 2

And the family should be living in Fairfield County, Ohio.

My search for Elkanah found “Elkana” in Richland, Fairfield County, Ohio. His entry has no last name, so it was assumed by the indexer to be the same surname as the person above, “Warner.”

1820 Census – Elkanah [Walters] – Richland, Fairfield, Ohio

2 – – 1 – – || – – – 1 –  1 in Ag.

 Males

    • Under 10         2          James & Harvey, ages 0 and 2
    • Age 16-26        1          Elkana (should be 31) mistaken entry?

Females

    • Age 26-45        1          Rachel (age 30)

Because of the possible mistaken entry, I find this to be tentative and speculative. The five people on each side of Elkana in the 1820 Census are:

    • Wm Lovill, George Tester, Solomon Lenvale, [Page] Wm Mark, James Warner
    • Jonathan Palmer, James Palmer, Levi Roberts, John Price, & Thomas Lina 

The five people on each side of Elkana in the 1830 Census are:

    • John Sulivan, Edward Murphy, Edward Cruze, Paul Cummings, & Henrietta Swayze
    • John Rutherford, Jacob Drum, Mary Blake, William Marsh, & William Sager

With none of the likely neighbors being the same and his age being incorrect, I suspect this is a different Elkana. 

1810

Find-a-Grave indicates that Elkanah emigrated to Ohio in October 1815, settling ten miles from Lancaster in Fairfield County[iv]. If true, I would not expect Elkanah to be in Ohio during the 1810 Census. Rather, he would be in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington DC. Also, his only being 21 years old in 1810 suggests he is likely counted in his father’s record.

Conclusion

I’ve followed Elkanah from the East to Ohio and westward again to Michigan. I have not seen any evidence that his parents lived with him.

This research provided one new source, six new citations, seven images, and six new individuals that were added to my tree.

Follow-up

Next: Look at James C. Walker’s Census records and see if I can follow him through time.

Review Gateway families: Ancestors and descendants of Richard Simrall Hawes III and Marie Christy Johnson by Christy Hawes Bond & Alicia Crane Williams.

Endnotes:

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Ethel Wight Collection – Part 70

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Don Taylor

Karnes, Kasper, Katz, & Kearney

Photo Friday
Ethel Wight Collection
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.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] Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.

Nurse Eileen W. Kearney, circa 1935

The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Eileen Kearney, ME Eye & Ear Infirmary #260.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Eileen Kearney as a student nurse at 79 Bramhall (Maine Eye & Ear Infirmary) and residing at 804 Congress.
  • The 1936 Biddeford City Directory lists Eileen Kearney as a nurse working in Portland and residing at 42 Orchard. Meanwhile, the Portland City Directory lists Eileen Kearney as a graduate nurse.
  • The 1940 US Census places 36-year-old Eileen living with her father (Patrick), two sisters (Ethel & Rose), and two brothers (J. Emmel and Michael) at 42 Orchard. She is a trained nurse in private duty.

According to Ancestry public trees, Eileen W Kearney was born in Maine in 1903 to Patrick and Catherine (Healey) Kearney. I am confident this is a photo of Eileen about 1935 when she graduated from nursing school.

Ancestry has three public trees that refer to Eileen. Family Search has a profile for Eileen W. Kearney, daughter of Patrick Carney “Kearney” and Katherine Welch or Healey.  So, I  have uploaded two photos of her to her Memories G9RH-JZ2.

Jean Katz, circa 1936

This negative envelope says, “Miss Jean Katz, 79 Cumberland #1096.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1930 US Census lists Lewis A. Katz as the head of the household living at 79 Cumberland. Living with him are four sons and two daughters, 19-year-old Ida and 17-year-old Nettie. Lewis was born in Austria, and all of the children were born in Maine.
  • The 1920 US Census lists Isaac L (age 50) and Bessie Katz (age 35) living with their six children (Jessie, Moses, Harry, Ida, Nettie, and Reuben) at 230 Fore Street, Portland, Maine. Nettie was five-years-old (born in 1914).
  • The 1940 Census lists 26-year-old Nettie Katy (Katz) living at 79 Cumberland with her father Louis, two brothers, and her sister Ida.

Alternative Individuals

The name written on the envelope might be Jenn, Jenu, or Jena. If so, I still haven’t been successful in finding either Nettie or Ida ever was known as Jenn, Jenu, or Jena. (Ida’s birth record indicates she was born Ida Sarah Katz on 10 Feb 1911 in Portland.) None of the records I’ve encountered include Nettie’s middle name.

Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Ida, Nettie, or Jean Katz. However, it does have a profile for I Louis Katz (GCYH-MC2) that includes Isaac, his wife Bessie, and three of his sons, Jessie, Moses, and Harry, but does not link to any siblings, parents, or his daughters.

I was unsuccessful in finding any Ancestry public trees that refer to the Isaac Lewis Katz family of Portland, Maine. I have added one photo of Jean/Jena to Dead Fred. I uploaded a second photo of Jean Katz to my Flickr photostream.

Miss Kasper, October 1942

This negative envelope says, “Miss Kasper – Oct 1942.”

Rather than a standard photo, this group of seven photos appear to be copies of pictures brought in for reproduction in October 1942.

What I found out regarding this individual.

  • The 1942 Portland City Directory lists only one family named Kasper, Fred & Mildred, who lived in Old Orchard Beach.
  • The 1940 US Census lists Mildred Kasper living at 45 Fern Ave, Old Orchard Beach, with her daughters Isabell (age 21) and Helen (age 16).
  • A youthful image of Isabell Kasper of Old Orchard Beach does not look enough like this Miss Kasper, in my opinion, to be correct.
  • Similarly, the 1943 Portland city directory failed to yield any “Casper” surnamed candidates to be this Miss Kasper.

I failed to identify Miss Kasper any further than her surname. I uploaded two photos of “Miss Kasper” to my Flickr photostream.

Miss Kasper, October 1942

This negative envelope says, “Miss Kasper – Apr 6 – 1942.”

This is a second package of three negatives of Miss Kasper brought in for reproduction in April 1942.

Again, I have been unable to identify Miss Kasper other than her surname.

I uploaded two more photos of Miss Kasper to my Flickr photostream. 

Ruth Karnes, Nurse, circa 1936.

This negative envelope says, “Miss Ruth Karnes, St Barnabas Hosp #775.”

Why I believe this to be the individual.

  • The 1937 Portland City Directory lists Ruth Karnes, a student nurse at 231 Woodford (St. Barnabas Hospital), residing at 20 Norwood.
  • The 1938 Portland City Directory lists Ruth A Karnes living and working as a nurse at 485 Cumberland, Apartment 11.
  • Ruth A Karnes married Russell E Severance on 23 May 1938 in Maine.
  • Ancestry public trees indicate Ruth Anna Karnes, wife of Russell Evert Severance, was born 21 Jul 1915, Haynesville, Aroostook, Maine, to Samuel Henry and Mildred Lovina (Reed) Karnes.

Ruth Anna Karnes is found in 20 Ancestry public trees. Family Search has profile LRN1-ZT7 for Ruth A Karnes. So, I  have uploaded two photos of her to her Family Search Memories.

Conclusion

This was one of the worst weeks I’ve ever had in my photo identification project.

  • I identified only two of four individuals and uploaded some of their images to their Family Search Memories.
  • I confirmed one individual’s name and residence; however, I could not place that individual within a family. As such, I updated her photos to my Flicker photostream.
  • Finally, there was one individual (two negative packages) for whom I couldn’t determine the first name. I uploaded four of 10 photos of her to my Flickr photostream.

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 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.

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Donna Darling Collection – Part 87

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Don Taylor

Donna, Canoes, and a Cloche

Treasure Chest Thursday
By Don Taylor

For this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday, I’m looking at five photos from the Donna Darling Collection

Donna Montran in a Canoe

This first photo is a photo of Donna. She is in a canoe and holding a canoe paddle. I’d guess she is in her mid to late 20s in the photo, making the photo about 1920 or so.

Donna Montran in a Cloche.

Again, obviously Donna. This photo was severely damaged and required considerable editing to get it this good. It appears she is wearing a scarf and a heavier coat. She looks in her 30s in this photo, so I’ll guess the image is from after 1925.

Unknown Woman in a Canoe – Possibly Donna.

Again, this photo was severely damaged and required editing. It appears to be a different canoe (the ribbing is different). The woman seems to be wearing a bathing cap, and her hair is wet. I think this is Donna, but I’m not 100% certain. Again, I’ll guess about 1920 or so.

Unknown Woman on Street– Probably Donna.

Again, I’m not 100% certain, but I think this is Donna again. Whoever it is, she’s looking fashionable standing next to a 20s vintage car.

Unknown couple in a Canoe.

Donna didn’t have many photos of other people in her collection, so I guess this couple was important to her. I don’t know the daredevils are, but I’ll keep a close lookout for potential candidates.

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