Saturday, May 25, 2013

1890s Autograph Album of Student at East Vassalboro, Maine High School & Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine


1890s autograph album that apparently belonged to a student who attended East Vassalboro High School at East Vassalboro, Maine, and, subsequently, Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine.

None of the signers indicated a kinship with the owner that might have helped with identification.  Perhaps a reader familiar with the owner's family or familiar with East Vassalboro would know of a student who attended both of those institutions and who didn't sign a page in the album.


The album is approximately 7" x 4-1/5" with puffy covers and contains 60 pages of sentiments signed by instructors and schoolmates of the owner.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.

Miss Nannie Cates of East Vassalboro, Maine left a sunny sentiment on 23 October 1891.


R. B. Capen, president of Dirigo Business College, signed a page on 23 February 1892.  Someone, presumably the owner, left a penciled message that Mr. Capen died 25 March 1894.  See the list below for the names of other Dirigo Business College officials who signed pages in the album.


R. P. Kunze signed a page at Dirigo Business College on 9 February 1891.  I found his name online listed as R. Paul Kunze.


Nellie M. Dow of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed a page on 26 October 1891 and wrote the initials E.V.H.S., presumably East Vassalboro High School.


Addie W. Taber signed a page at East Vassalboro, Maine, on 18 March 1891 and mentioned the "China whistle".  The ink was very faint, so this image had to be tweaked for the sake of legibility.


Was the whistle from a railroad locomotive or a steamship on China Lake or was it perhaps a whistle calling workers to a factory?  

The owner made a note on three pages that the signer had died: 1) R. B. Capen, as noted above, died on 25 March 1894; 2) Nelson Shorey of Augusta, who died in 1894; 3) A. L. Marr of Canaan, Maine, who died in 1894.

If you have a theory as to the album owner's identity or information on any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Surnames (some appear multiple times)
Allen
Atherton
Blish
Bryant
Burgess
Butterfield
Capen
Cates
Cavanaugh
Chase
Clark
Crowell
Dishwater
Dow
Dyer
Foss
Fuller
Gardner
Given
Goddard
Gowen
Grant
Hamlen
Hanson 
Harvey
Hersom
Jones
Kelley
Kimball
Kunze
Leonard
Lord
Mansfield
Marr
Merrill
Moody
Moore
Moulton
Nelson
Nowell
Perkins
Potter
Pratt
Priest
Robbins
Shorey
Taber
Turner
Viles
Weeks
Woodward

Alphabetical List of Signers: [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]
  • Carrie E. Allen of Augusta, Maine
  • D. F. Atherton of East Vassalboro, Maine "E.V.H.S.", presumably East Vassalboro High School
  • Annie H. Blish of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891  "All my best wishes are for thee"
  • Willie B. Blish of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 26 October 1891  "Remember me"
  • Annie Fuller Bryant
  • Abbie E. Burgess of North Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 26 October 1891
  • Bertha Butterfield of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891
  • R. B. Capen, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 23 February 1892  "Your truly"  Written in pencil along the edge: "Died Mch 25 '94"  He was president of Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine, which the album owner apparently attended, as well as several other signers.
  • Miss Nannie E. Cates of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891  "Be this thy motto, this thy guide.  Look ever on the sunny side."
  • L. Percy Cates of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 29 October 1891.  "E.V.H.S.", presumably East Vassalboro High School
  • B. Hallie Cates of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 26 October 1891
  • Charles Alton Cavanaugh of Windsor, Maine, signed on 10 November 1892  "Declimation Snow"
  • Carrie F. Chase of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College
  • Mattie G. Clark of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 20 October 1891
  • Minerva D. Crowell of China, Maine, signed on 19 October 1891
  • Florence Dishwater of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 13 February 1891  "Before I'd be an old maid."  "Diagonally situated"
  • Nellie M. Dow of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 26 October 1891  "E.V.H.S."  Presumably East Vassalboro High Schooledit
  • Lillias A. Dyer of Etna, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine, on 24 March 1892  "Your friend of Commercial Law Class"
  • A. P. Foss of Augusta, Maine, signed on 14 February 1891
  • S. Belle Fuller of New Vineyard,  Maine, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 14 March 1892 at Dirigo Business College
  • C. O. Gardner of Augusta, Maine, signed 23 February 1892 at Dirigo Business College.  Treasurer of the College.  "Yours truly"
  • Harry L. Given of South Windsor, Maine, signed on 10 November 1892  "Windsor Academy"
  • Robert N. Given of South Windsor, Maine, signed on 10 November 1892
  • O. E. Goddard of East Vassalborough, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891  "E.V.H.S.", presumably East Vassalboro High School  Likely she was Ora E. Goddard
  • Etta M. Gowen of Windsor, Maine, signed on 2 June 1893  "Your friend"
  • Elwin Grant of St. Albans, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College in 1891
  • Miss Blanche Hamlen of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891
  • J. G. Hanson of weeks Mills, Maine, signed on 17 March 1891  "The degree of success depends largely upon the amount of courage possessed."
  • Jennie E. Harvey of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 13 February 1891
  • Miss Effie L. Hersom of Belgrade Mills, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 13 February 1891  "Remember Sat. Feb. 7, 1891"  "Your friend"
  • Carrie E. Jones of South China, Maine, signed on 8 October 1891  "Ever your true friend."
  • Carrie E. Kelley of North Whitefield, Maine, signed on 14 March 1892 at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine  "Yours truly"
  • Ina Kimball of Windsor, Maine, age 7
  • Blanche E. Kimball of Windsor, Maine, signed on 10 November 1892
  • R. P.  Kunze,  signed 9 February 1891 at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine  "On the broad highway of action Friends of worth are far and few, But when one has proved his friendship, Cling to him who clings to you.  Yours truly"  R. Paul Kunze
  • R. G. Leonard of Augusta, Maine, signed on 11 February 1891  "Yours truly"
  • Sadie F. Lord of Belgrade, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College  "Remember the lecture at the State House Feb. 7, '91"
  • Jennie E. Lord of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine, on 13 February 1891
  • Angie M. Mansfield of Orono, Maine, signed on 22 February 1892 at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine  "Yours Truly"
  • Carrie E. Mansfield of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 14 March 1892  "Your Friend"
  • A. L. Marr of Canaan, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 12 February 1891  " 'By hook or by crook I'm the last i your book.'  Yours Truly"  "176 bbls"  "McGinty" Written in pencil along the edge: "Died '94"
  • Herbie Merrill of Windsor, Maine, signed on 10 November 1892  "Yours truly"
  • Jennie Merrill of Windsor, Maine
  • Berton O. Moody of South Windsor, Maine, signed at Augusta, Maine, on 13 February 1891  "Remember Feb. 7th"  "McGinty"
  • Jennie B. Moore of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 16 March 1893  "Don't get flustrated" "Yours Truly"
  • E. S. Moulton of Augusta, Maine, signed in 1891
  • George A. Nelson of St. Albans, Maine, signed on 20 February 1892
  • Alice W. Nowell of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 21 October 1891
  • Niles L. Perkins of Windsor, Maine
  • Miss Bell Potter of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891
  • Clara A. Pratt of Windsor, Maine, signed on 10 November 1892  "Ever your friend"
  • Sadie A. Priest of North Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 27 October 1891
  • Miss Mary F. Priest of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 23 October 1891  "May all thy life be blest with the joys thou lovest best"
  • Alice M. Robbins of Riverside, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine, on 17 March 1892  "C.L." "Truly your friend"
  • Nelson Shorey of Augusta, Maine, signed at Dirigo Business College on 17 February 1891  [Written in pencil along the edge: "Died '94"  "I've looked These pages o'er and o'er To see what others have wrote before And in This quite [perhaps he meant "quiet"] little spot, I plant one sweet 'forget-me-not' "
  • Addie W. Taber, signed at East Vassalboro, Maine, on 18 March 1891  "With pleasant memories and beautiful flowers May your pathway through life be strewn and while you are enjoying these, do not forget the charming music of the China Whistle"
  • E. S. Turner, signed at Augusta, Maine  "Respectfully"  Business Manager at Dirigo Business College.
  • Gertrude E. Viles of Flagstaff, Maine, signed on 14 February 1891  at Dirigo Business College at Augusta, Maine
  • Lottie L. Weeks of East Vassalboro, Maine, signed on 22 October 1891  "Remember me"
  • An Woodward, A.F.A.

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3 comments:

  1. All of the Cates’s are my relatives. My family’s homestead is a block from the former East Vassalboro Highschool. My cousin, who lives in the house, gave me a ton of old calling cards that were in a box marked “Nannie Cates” and some of the names listed in your post are also on the calling cards in the box.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting about the Cates homestead. Love those old calling cards!

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  2. Carrie Mae Jones was my grandmother and I recognize the Dow and Priest contributors as friends of hers. Carrie married Robert Ross Webber of East Vassalboro. They were both educators.

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