Graduation Day, 1915

I bought this photo at an antique store a couple of weeks ago (Gurley Antiques in Scarborough), especially since all of the names are labeled on the back. This was the 8th grade graduating class of 1915 from the Cummings School on Ocean Ave. in the East Deering area of Portland. I’m planning to donate it to the historical society, but I wanted to do a little research first.

The Cummings School was built in 1899 to serve as a grammar school for the Lunt’s Corner neighborhood. This was the same year that the Town of Deering was annexed by the City of Portland. The school was expanded with a new addition in 1909. Today, the building is a day treatment private school operated by Spurwink Services.

The students in the photo were mentioned in the Portland Evening Transcript and Advertiser on Thursday, June 24th, 1915: 

The graduating period in Portland schools has reached its height this week with the concluding exercises of the school year in progress at all the Grammar Schools. Interesting exercises were held at the Cummings School this afternoon at 2.30, when the following pupils were graduated: Eva Baker, Minnie Bruns, Lillian Conley, Adelaide Connor, Gladys Dunham, Adelaide Dunton, Christine Grey, Helen Jordan, Ida Kern, Margaret Knowles, Elsie Morang, Reta Packard, Thelma Sanborn, Maud Wilson, Ruth Williamson, Queenie Ellinwood, Kathleen Mason and the Messers. John A. Archambeau, Albert J. Ashnault, Holman F. Bell, Edgar E. Brown, Philip F. Chick, Lawrence L. Deering, Delmar Ellinwood, Roy Harvey, Herbert W. Hill, Harold C. Huskins, Seward J. Jacobson, Guilbert Little, Thomas McMulkin, Thomas Miller, Otto Rosenwald, Floyd Smith, Arthur N. Young, Barton Ellinwood, John Bloomer.

The photographer was Frank Adams, who ran a professional photography studio on Congress Street. The two people who stood out to me from the photo were the teacher, labeled as “Miss Elwell,” and the student Ida Kern, whom I assumed once owned the photo since the last name “Kern” is also stamped on the back.

I found that the teacher, Mary Abbie Elwell, was the only daughter of William Elwell, a house carpenter, and Asenath (Libby) Elwell, born in Portland on October 14, 1856. She graduated from Portland High School in 1874, started her teaching career in Ossipee, New Hampshire, and then returned to Portland where she taught and also served as principal for 45 years. 

I found a few glimpses of her teaching career. The Portland Evening Express of March 1st, 1917 mentioned, 

Another of those delightful entertainments given by the Portland Recreation Commission in the interest of the children and parents of Portland will be given at the Cummings Grammar School tomorrow evening at 7.20 o’clock. The speaker of the evening will be Dr. H.J. Everett, and a splendid musical and vocal program has been arranged by Miss Mary A. Elwell, the head teacher, and Professor George T. Goldthwaite, of the music department in the public schools… During the evening one of the novel features will be be the singing of popular aires and patriotic songs and a folder will be passed around by the commission containing the songs.

On June 30th, 1918, the Portland Sunday Telegram reported,

The graduates of the Cummings School enjoyed a picnic at Willard Beach last Wednesday. Rowing, fishing, and bathing were enjoyed. The children were chaperoned by Miss Mary Elwell and Miss Emma McCarthy.

Miss Elwell saved the day in March of 1920 when part of the school caught on fire:

Undaunted by the small clouds of smoke that started to drift down from the burning roof that had caught fire by a spark from the chimney, Miss Mary A. Elwell, superintendent of the Cummings School, placed a record on the talking machine in the assembly room and calmly directed the rapid dismissal of the 400 pupils. As the tots strolled into the street, the clanging of responding apparatus mingled with the musical strains of the talking machine… Anxious parents, who saw the fire apparatus pull up in front of the school building, rushed to the scene. A laughing group of children greeted them. They were all wrapped up in the activities of the firemen.

Outside of her teaching career, Miss Elwell was often mentioned in Portland newspapers for her involvement in The Elite Club, which was a local women’s social club. On April 22nd, 1906, the Sunday Telegram reported, 

Miss Mary Elwell entertained the Elite Club at her home on Saunders Street at its last meeting. The two papers read by Minnie Soule and Mattie Archambeau were on Holland and Amsterdam. At close of meeting Miss Elwell served a delicious lunch.

46 Saunders Street in 1924 and 2025. Miss Elwell bought this house for herself after living with her parents down the street at 22 Saunders Street.

She was also a member of the Maine Teachers Association, the Gorham Dames, and Woodfords Congregational Church, which was a short walk from her home on Saunders Street. Unmarried, Mary Elwell taught at Cummings School right up until her death at 71 from a brief illness in 1928. She was buried beside her parents at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland. A strange epilogue to her story is that the lawyer who managed the settlement of her estate was disbarred for stealing over $4,000 from the estate for himself. His name was Gerry L. Brooks of the firm of Chapman & Brewster at Monument Square.

The “Kern” stamp on the back of the class photo is cut off - I’m guessing the matte was cut down to fit a frame at some point. After some sleuthing on Ancestry.com, I figured out that the photo was owned by Lillian M. Kern, who was five years older than her sister Ida, who appears in the lower left corner of the photo. Lillian and Ida’s parents were John and Lina (Landert) Kern who had immigrated to Maine from Switzerland, first living in Farmington, and eventually settling in Portland where they ran a successful meatpacking business. Their home and farm was at 901 Washington Avenue where the Rainbow Mall business complex is located today.

 

Images of "Farmer Kern's" property at 901 Washington Avenue in 1924

Ida Kern would have had a short walk to the Cummings School from home. After graduating from Deering High School, Ida worked for many years in the City of Portland tax assessor’s office, eventually becoming the head clerk, and later worked as an accountant for the Maine Bonding & Casualty Company just down the street from City Hall. Ida also served with the Women’s Army Corps in England during World War II. At the time the Cummings School photo was taken in 1915, Ida’s sister Lillian (then 19 years old) was working as a bookkeeper on Commercial Street for the Forest City Packing Company. Later, Lillian joined her family’s meatpacking business, John Kern & Son, as bookkeeper, and continued as bookkeeper for Jordan Meats when they acquired the business in 1958. 

Lillian M. Kern

Ida, Lillian, and their sister Alice lived together for many years at the farm where they grew up on Washington Ave. As a side business, they designed and sold jigsaw puzzles. Like their teacher at the Cummings School, none of them ever married. (There were other Kern siblings who eventually started their own families.) Ida died at age 63 in 1965, and Lillian died at 93 in 1989. They are buried in their family plot at Evergreen Cemetery.

Hopefully relatives of other kids in the photo will find this at the historical society someday! I am glad I was able to rescue it.

Mary Elwell’s profile on FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/128747598/mary_abbie-elwell

Ida Kern’s profile on FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118580007/ida_elsie-kern