Friday, January 30, 2015

1858-1863 Autograph Album that Belonged to Amanda A. Higgins of Bangor, Maine, and Gray, Maine


1858-1863 autograph album that belonged to Amanda A. Higgins of Bangor, Maine, and Gray, Maine.  She married Thomas Low Libbey of Gray, Maine, in 1866.

The album is in rough shape, mostly unbound, and may be missing a few pages, including any ownership or title pages.  It measures approximately 7-3/4" x 6" and contains the sentiments of about 40 of Amanda's relatives, friends and, possibly, teacher, assuming that Amanda attended Girls' High School at Bangor, Maine, where Roger Strong Howard was then principal.


An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the signers, together with any personal information they offered, appear at the end of this post.  Photographs are affixed to three pages. Many of the signers were related by blood or marriage to Amanda or to her husband Thomas Low Libbey, or both.

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

Amanda A. Higgins was born April 11, 1841 at Bangor, Maine, the daughter of Arthur M. Higgins and Catherine L. (Fogg) Higgins.   Arthur died in 1849.  In March of 1858 Catherine married Jonas Doughty and moved to Auburn, Maine, and then to Gray, Maine.  Jonas, a widower, had previously been married to Susan (Fogg) Doughty, perhaps a sister to Catherine.

Among the relatives to inscribe pages were Amanda's paternal uncle and his wife, Jefferson Higgins and Elizabeth R. (Emery), "Lizzie".  Lizzie used the name "Lizzie Jefferson" but perhaps Amanda had more than one Aunt Lizzie, and this was a way to distinguish which aunt she was.



The Cousin Laura who inscribed page on February 12, 1860 was presumably Laura S. Higgins, daughter of Jefferson and Elizabeth R. (Emery) Higgins.  I haven't been able to decipher the place where she inscribed the page and would be grateful for any readers' interpretations.  It was likely, but not necessarily, at Bangor, Maine.



The 1860 Census found Amanda living at Gray, Maine, in another Doughty household, that of Charles Huntington Doughty and wife Emily Jane S. (Furbish) Doughty.  It was presumably their son Charles Huntington Doughty, Jr.,who left a sentiment for his "dear Sister".  The reference might have been due to the fact that they were living in the same household, or perhaps there was another relationship I missed.


On September 9, 1866, according to the "The Libby Family in America: 1602-1881", Amanda A. Higgins became the second wife of Thomas Low Libbey, son of James and Mehitable (Low) Libbey.  Thomas' previous wife Sarah M. W. (Oakes) Libbey had died in 1857.  Thomas and Amanda farmed at Gray, Maine, and had two children, daughter Katie Libbey, born April 10, 1868, and son Wilbert Thomas Libbey, born October 28, 1870.

Thomas died in 1901 and Amanda in 1918.

One of the pages with a photograph was that inscribed by composer Solon Wilder at Bangor, Maine, in March 1858.  Solon, a chorister with the Congregational Church on French Street, published a book of hymns in 1874.  In 1888 he and his family moved to Boston where he took a position with the Conservatory of Music.


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.  Many of the signers were related, either by blood or marriage, to Amanda and/or Thomas and/or each other.

Surnames in the Album

? [6]FMRW
BFossMann [2]RichardsonWilder
BurnhamFosterMorseS
CFurbishNSmall
Costellow [2]HNashSnell
CrockerHallowellPStanwood
DHeadParsonsT
DoughtyHiggins [10]PitcherThurston
DrummondHowardPlummerV
PomeroyV ? [2]

Signers in the Album         [Note: Given name within a specific surname might not be in alphabetical order.]
  • Very faint; name is possibly Susie H., signed at Gray, Maine, on July 23, 1861
  • Louise, signed at Auburn, Maine, on July 8, 1858
  • Susie
  • Susie; extremely faint
  • Stanwood H., signed at Portland, Maine, on August 30, 1859
  • Etta, signed at Gray, Maine, on July 24, 1861
B
  • The name T. R. Burnham, written in what looks like a more contemporary hand than the era of the album.
C
  • Gussie Costellow, signed on February 19, 1858 at Bangor, Maine
  • Ellen O. Costellow, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 19, 1858
  • Belle Crocker, signed at Bangor, Maine, in March 1858
D
  • Charles H. Doughty, signed at Gray, Maine, on July 8, 1860; inscribed to "My Dear Sister".  Presumably Charles Huntington Doughty, son of the Civil War veteran by the same name.  Amanda was living in the Doughty home at the time of the 1860 Census, which is perhaps the origin of the term "Sister" ?
  • S. W. Drummond, signed at Bangor, Maine, on March 17, 1858; inscribed to "sister"  Possibly Sarah Webster Drummond, daughter of Alexander and Sarah (Webster) Drummond.  Not sure about sister relationship.
F
  • E. Foss, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 27, 1858
  • H. E. Foster
  • E. Furbish of Boston; not sure of surname. He affixed his photograph - boy
H
  • S. M. Hallowell, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 8, 1858
  • Lizzie Head, signed at Bangor, Maine, on March 12, 1858
  • Amanda, album owner Amanda A. Higgins; nicknamed "Mandie"
  • Uncle Reuben, presumably Reuben Higgins, brother of Amanda's father Arthur M. Higgins; signed on May 1, 1859.  Either he inscribed two pages on the same date, or his son inscribed one, but they were both inscribed by "Uncle Reuben", so the father seems more likely.
  • Uncle Reuben, presumably Reuben Higgins, brother of Amanda's father Arthur M. Higgins; signed on May 1, 1859.  Either he inscribed two pages on the same date, or his son inscribed one, but they were both inscribed by "Uncle Reuben", so the father seems more likely.
  • Aunt Mary; possibly Mary Higgins, sister of Amanda's father Arthur M. Higgins.
  • Uncle Jefferson, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 12, 1860.  Presumably Jefferson Higgins, a brother to Amanda's father Arthur M. Higgins.
  • "Sister Marion". Amanda's sister Marion H. Higgins, who married James Freeland Newman in 1875.
  • Cousin Charlie, signed in July 1859.  Possibly Charles Melville Higgins, son of Jefferson and Elizabeth R. (Emery) Higgins.  Jefferson was a brother to Amanda's father Arthur M. Higgins.
  • Cousin Laura, signed at ? Hill, on February 12, 1860. Her photograph affixed.  Presumably Laura S. Higgins, daughter of Jefferson and Elizabeth R. (Emery) Higgins.  Jefferson was a brother to Amanda's father Arthur M. Higgins.
  • Aunt Higgins, signed at Bangor, Maine, in March 1858.  Presumably the wife of a brother to Arthur M. Higgins, but not Jefferson, whose wife was Lizzie.
  • Aunt Lizzie Jefferson, signed on April 22, 1858.  Presumably Elizabeth R. (Emery) Higgins, wife of Jefferson Higgins; not sure why she wrote her name the way she did, unless there was more than one Aunt Lizzie.
  • Roger S. Howard, Girls' High School, Bangor, Maine, signed on February 8, 1858. Roger Strong Howard (1807-1880), Principal of Girls' High School.
M
  • Augusta S. Mann or Augusta S. Munn, or ?, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 24, 1858
  • William E. Mann, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 25, 1858
  • M. E. Morse, signed at Gray, Maine, in July 1860
N
  • Mary E. Nash of Gray, Maine, signed on September 2, 1863
P
  • Hetta W. Parsons, signed at Gray, Maine, on July 25, 1861
  • Annie C. Pitcher, signed at Bangor, Maine, on December 27, 1859
  • Katie M. Plummer, signed at Auburn, Maine, on July 2, 1858
  • S. L. Pomeroy, signed on March 24, 1864
R
  • James P. Richardson, signed at Gray, Maine, on July 28, 1860
S
  • Mary S. Small, signed at Gray, Maine, on July 4, 1862
  • Sarah H. Snell, signed at Bangor, Maine, on January 25, 1860
  • G. L. Stanwood, signed at Portland, Maine, on August 4, 1859
T
  • H. M. Thurston, signed at Bangor, Maine, on February 10. 1858
V
  • W. H. V., signed at Gray, Maine, on August 1, 1860. Not sure of middle initial.
  • H. L. V., signed at Gray, Maine, on August 2, 1860
W
  • Solon Wilder, signed at Bangor, Maine, in March 1858. His photograph affixed. 


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