Wednesday, March 26, 2014

1880s/1890s Autograph Album of Bessie M. Barron of Topsham, Maine


1880s/1890s autograph album of Bessie M. Barron of Topsham, Maine.

See also the 1879/1880s autograph of Bessie's sister Hattie S. Barron of Topsham, Maine.


The album is approximately 8" x 6", is embellished with the word "Album" in metal on the cover and contains the sentiments of over 70 of Bessie's relatives, friends, teachers and schoolmates.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.  Many of the signers were students at Topsham High School, Brunswick High School and Hebron Academy, with this information noted in the list.

One of Bessie's teachers who signed was Frank Weston Sandford of Bowdoinham, who founded the religious colony Shiloh, later known as The Kingdom at Durham, Maine.  Frank pasted a photograph of himself on the page, dated January 13, 1888.



From online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions welcome!]

Bessie M. Barron was born 6 April 1874 at Topsham, Maine, the daughter of William and Mary Noyes (Hall) Barron, who were born at Topsham, Maine, and Brunswick, Maine, respectively.

Bessie's cousin Alice signed a page on November 10, 1891.


Bessie's cousin Frank H. Byrne of Boston, Massachusetts, signed a page on September 6, 1891.


Cousins Addie A. Byrne and Mabel A. Byrne also signed pages in the album.

Bessie was one of the Brick Sisters of the Brick Block who signed a group page.  She indicated she was a member of the class of 1896, presumably after she had graduated from high school and gone on to higher learning, possibly at Hebron Academy.


I don't believe Bessie ever married.  If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Bessie's pastor George W. Avery of Topsham, Maine, signed a page on June 25, 1891; his wife May E. Avery signed the facing page two days later.



In addition to Frank Weston Sandford, three other teachers signed pages in Bessie's album, including Frank's sister Josephine Grozier Sandford, who signed her page on January 20, 1888.


Irving W. Horne of Topsham, Maine, signed a page on January 24, 1887 and noted that Bessie was a "perfect student".


Teacher W. Lewis Gahan  of Brunswick, Maine, signed a page on May 4, 1887.


A clipping enclosed in the album:



Surnames in the album

?     [3]

Avery     [2]
Barron    [2]
Blondel    [2]
Bryant
Byrne     [3]
Caldwell
Carroll
Chandler
Coombs
Crocker     [2]
Daggett
Deering
Douglass
Foss      [3]
Gahan    [2]
Gatchell
Giveen
Griffin
Hale
Hayes
Heywood
Holman
Horne     [2]
Jack
Kessel
Larrabee
Lincoln     [2]
Loring     [2]
Mallett     [2]
McIntosh
Mitchell
Moody
Mountfort
Nason
Nudd
Nye     [2]
Owen
Patten
Pennell
Perkins
Perry
Philbrick
Pierce
Plummer
Richardson
Sandford     [2]
Silver
Spinney
Stetson
Stevens
Tebbetts
Thompson
Townsend
Tracy
Wells     [3]
White     [2]
Whitney
Wilson

Signers in the album     [Note: Given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]

?

  • Alice, signed on November 10, 1891; Bessie's cousin
  • S. E. K., signed on May 21, 1891
  • Ellen M. Comey or Corney of Dorchester, Massachusetts, signed on May 31, 1896
A
  • George W. Avery of Topsham, Maine, signed on June 25, 1891; Bessie's pastor
  • May E. Avery, signed at Topsham, Maine, on June 27, 1891
B
  • Bessie M. Barron of Topsham, Maine; album owner
  • Bessie M. Barron, '96; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Grace M. Blondel of Topsham, Maine, signed on February 10, 1887
  • Blanche G. Blondel of Topsham, Maine
  • Blanche M. Bryant of Brunswick, Maine, signed on June 9, 1890
  • Frank H. Byrne of Boston, Massachusetts, signed on September 6, 1891; Bessie's cousin
  • Addie A. Byrne, signed at Boston, Massachusetts, on November 3, 1891; Bessie's cousin. Addie's middle initial could be H.
  • Mabel A. Byrne, signed at Boston, Massachusetts, on October 4, 1891; Bessie's cousin
C
  • Bessie M. Caldwell, '96; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Edith B. Carroll of Boston, Massachusetts
  • Claribel P. Chandler of Brunswick, Maine
  • Ada L. Coombs of Hurricane Isle, Maine, signed at Topsham, Maine, on July 15, 1892
  • Mary S. Crocker of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 5, 1887
  • Marcia Crocker of Topsham, Maine, signed on July 5, 1888
D
  • F. E. Daggett of Topsham, Maine, signed on September 27, 1906
  • Belle S. Deering of Biddeford, Maine, signed on August 16, 1887; mentioned Ferry Beach Park, Circus, Old Orchard Beach
  • Carrie M. Douglass, '96; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
F
  • Marian E. Foss of Portland, Maine, signed on April 27, 1890 [or 1896]; B.B. & K.F. + M.F. Roommates
  • Katherine Foss, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Katherine M. Foss of Portland, Maine, signed at Hebron Academy on November 17, 1895; Class of 1898; mentions Singepole, presumably a mountain climbing or mineral hunting trip, on October 19, 1895
G
  • Miss R. B. Gahan of Brunswick, Maine, signed on May 4, 1887
  • W. Lewis Gahan of Brunswick, Maine, signed on May 4, 1887; Bessie's teacher
  • Bessie M. Gatchell of Brunswick, Maine, signed on April 28, 1890; B.H.S. '93, presumably Brunswick High School
  • Charles I. Giveen of Topsham, Maine, signed on September 27, 1906; Charles Ingraham Giveen
  • Kate A. Griffin of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 8, 1887
H
  • Emma N. Hale of Hebron, Maine, signed on March 19, 1896; H.A. '97, presumably Hebron Academy
  • Florence S. Hayes, '96; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Almeda Frances Heywood of Waterborough, Maine, signed on November 15, 1895 at Hebron Academy; Hebron Academy '96. '"When the cat's away the mice will play"; when Prof. went to Waterville."
  • Nellie Holman, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Irving W. Horne of Topsham, Maine, signed on January 24, 1887; Bessie's teacher who called her "a perfect student"
  • Mrs. I. W. Horne of Topsham, Maine, signed on January 24, 1887; not sure of first initial
J
  • Alice L. Jack of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 8, 1887
K
  • Carl A. Kessel of Brunswick, Maine, signed on August 29, 1889
L
  • G. H. Larrabee of Bridgton, Maine; not sure of the initials are they're very ornate.
  • Alice V. Lincoln of Brunswick, Maine, signed on April 3, 1890
  • Willie R. Lincoln of Brunswick, Maine, signed on August 29, 1889
  • Florence L. Loring of Brunswick, Maine, signed on May 1, 1890; Class of 1890 at B.H.S., presumably Brunswick High School
  • Abbie C. Sweetsir Loring of Brunswick, Maine, signed at B.H.S., '90; presumably Brunswick High School
M
  • Harry D. Mallett of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 9, 1887
  • Allie S. Mallett of Topsham, Maine, signed on February 11, 1887
  • Mary L. McIntosh of West Newbury, Massachusetts, signed on September 3, 1890. B.A.
  • Francis S. Mitchell of Brunswick, Maine, signed on January 11, 1890
  • Lottie Moody, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Ida Mountfort of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 9, 1887
N
  • Ella M. Nason of Canton, Maine, signed at Topsham, Maine, on March 5, 1897; mentions June 24, 1896 graduation
  • Bertha E. Nudd of Brunswick, Maine, signed at June 12, 1890; Class of 1893 at B.H.S., presumably Brunswick High School
  • Priscilla M. Nye of 16 Kensington Street, Roxbury [presumably Massachusetts], signed on September 3, 1906
  • Marion B. Nye of 16 Kensington Street, Roxbury [presumably Massachusetts], signed on September 3, 1906
O
  • Mabel A. Owen of Brunswick, Maine, signed on June 10, 1890; B.H.S. '92, presumably Brunswick High School. Not sure of middle initial.
P
  • Lillian Patten of Topsham, Maine, signed on July 16, 1889
  • Nellie M. Pennell of North Harpswell, Maine, signed at Brunswick, Maine, on April 29, 1890; B.H.S. '92, presumably Brunswick High School
  • May Perkins, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Sherman Perry of Camden, Maine, signed at H.A., presumably Hebron Academy, on May 24, 1896
  • Ethel B. Philbrick, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Ada L. Pierce of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 9, 1887
  • Jula E. Plummer, or Julia E. Plummer, of Brunswick, Maine
R
  • Mary E. Richardson, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
S
  • F. W. Sandford of Bowdoinham, Maine, signed on January 13, 1888; Bessie's teacher. He pasted a photograph of himself on the page. Presumably Frank Weston Sandford who founded Shiloh, also known as "The Kingdom", a religious group at Durham, Maine.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sandford
  • J. G. Sandford of Topsham, Maine, signed on January 20, 1888; Bessie's teacher; presumably Josephine Grozier Sandford, sister of signer Frank Weston Sandford
  • Ina M. Silver, '98; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Inez Pearl Spinney of Brunswick, Maine, signed on November 21, 1889
  • Ida M. Stetson of Brunswick, Maine, signed on June 10, 1890
  • Emma C. Stevens of Andover, Maine, signed at Hebron Academy on November 16, 1895
T
  • Alice M. Tebbetts of Bloomfield, Vermont, signed at Topsham, Maine, on "9-12-1890
  • William H. Thompson of Brunswick, Maine, signed on August 29, 1889
  • Nellie M. Townsend of Brunswick, Maine
  • Angelia S. Tracy of Lewiston, Maine, signed on October 17, 1888
W
  • Frances E. Wells; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Bessie S. Wells, '97; one of thirteen "Brick Sisters" of the Brick Block
  • Bessie S. Wells of Minot, Maine, signed on May 20, 1896; Hebron Academy '97
  • Lucien H. White of Topsham, Maine, signed on February 25, 1886; T.H.S., presumably Topsham High School
  • Llewellyn White of Topsham, Maine, "One of The Rigsville crowd"
  • Carrie J. Whitney, signed on February 1, 1887
  • Hattie E. Wilson of Topsham, Maine, signed on March 9, 1887


Thanks for stopping by!

4 comments:

  1. Is this album for sale? I am especially interested in F Sandford's signature (even if you would consider just selling that one). Thanks in advance! Please feel free to email me at jl399@exeter.ac.uk

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    1. Will send you the image of that page, no charge. Yes, I think I still have the album, but sounds as though your only connection is to F. Sandford, so you may not need it.

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  2. TERRIFIC and useful artifacts! Pam, here I STILL owe you an email and must confess to having done some wonky google searches on William Neal Hall last night. Would you believe one of those searches brought me here!?! Both this artifact and that of her sister are very useful for family research. I can't thank you enough for all you do on this and other sites for all-things Maine genealogy in general. Harriet (Noyes) Neal, Bessie's grandmother, was my paternal 4th g-grandfather's sister. She had a twin, Mary. I look forward to reading these pages in greater detail. https://noyesgenealogy.net/getperson.php?personID=I6269&tree=noyes

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    1. Have to admit, autograph albums are my favorite! Sometimes I find that the inscriber died not long after, so the inscription might be their only surviving imprint in this world. Other inscribers might have led a hardscrabble life with few records to outlive them. What I especially love are the albums where the owners added notes later on, with information on marriages and deaths.

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