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

Mile Markers Along the Old King's Highway

King's Highway mile marker in Scarborough, Maine

I came across a reference to this 18th century mile marker in Scarborough recently and realized that I pass it almost every day on my work commute.  Standing on a landscaped area between Maine Medical Center's Scarborough campus and Route 1, the plaque on this stone reads:

Milestone on Kings Highway
Boston to Machias
Set in 1761 by order of
Benjamin Franklin
Postmaster General
One of the six known in Cumberland County
This plaque erected by Cumberland County

Benjamin Franklin's name is often evoked in relation to these mile markers because of his role as Joint Deputy Postmaster under colonial rule and the first U.S. Postmaster General.  Franklin is credited with devising a system of charging for postage based on mileage, which may have prompted the placement of markers to measure each mile along major roads.  Many accounts describe Franklin himself leading a party of men through New England with an odometer and granite posts, but there doesn't appear to be any documentation of this occurring.  It is more likely that authorities in various towns placed these markers to aid travelers in navigating and planning for overnight stays along their routes.  Markers were usually carved with one or more letters and numbers, indicating the distance from other cities.  Markers along the King's Highway in Maine were usually carved with a 'B' and a number indicating the distance of that point from Boston.

King's Highway marker in South Portland

The King's Highway (also known as the Colonial Post Road or Boston Post Road) was first established around 1673 to address the need for a reliable route for correspondence between New York and Boston, and later between Boston and northern locations.  Stone mile markers were placed along this and other New England roads through the early 1800s.  Parts of the King's Highway in Maine can be traced along existing roads today, including large portions of Route 1.

The plaque on the Scarborough marker claims that it was one of six known markers in Cumberland County at the time the plaque was placed, but I have only found references to a total of four so far (click the links for information on locations):

1. Scarborough, Route 1
2. South Portland, Westbrook Street
3. Cumberland, 100 Middle Road
4. Cumberland, Route 88

Here are a few resources for learning more:

• Article about early roads in Scarborough on the Maine Memory Network
• Information about stone mile markers in New England from James and Mary Gage
• The King's Highway from Portland to Kittery; Stagecoach & Tavern Days on the Old Post Road by Herbert G. Jones (1953 book)

Close-up of South Portland marker plaque

"B 122" still visible on South Portland marker

Posted by Bjorn Swenson

Great time in New Sweden!

We really enjoyed the trip to New Sweden and "Maine's Swedish Colony" this past weekend!  While we didn't discover much more about the Swensons, some local folks were very helpful and able to get us a little further.

We went through all of the photos on display in the New Sweden Historical Museum hoping to find one of our ancestors, but no such luck.  Our next question was whether someone could help us pinpoint exactly where the Svensson farm had been.  One of the museum volunteers suggested that we speak to Alman McDougal, a long-time resident who would know something about this since he lived a couple of lots away from the old Swenson lot (according to the map showing the original lots).  First we knocked on the McDougals' door and were greeted by his wife Marilyn McDougal.  Mrs. McDougal explained that her grandparents had emigrated there from Sweden, but that we really should speak to her husband, who knows a lot more about the local history.  She gave us directions to Anderson's Garage, where Mr. McDougal was getting his car inspected.  When we caught up with Mr. McDougal, we showed him the map of the original settlers' lots, and were confused when he claimed that he knew the Swensons personally.  "But that's impossible," we were thinking - this was back in the late 1800s.  We decided to let it go after talking with him for a few minutes (more on this later...).

The next day we met Sven Bondeson, a local resident whose family dates back to some of the original settlers (you can see him directing the decoration of the May pole in the photos and videos below - he's the taller man in the Swedish folk costume).  He spent some time with us comparing property maps from 1870, 1922 and 1983, and helped us narrow down the location of the Swenson farm on Capitol Hill Road.  Another man overhearing our conversation mentioned "John Swenson" as having lived in that vicinity.  Suddenly, this "clicked" in my father's mind.. He remembered hearing about a family dispute when his grandmother had tried to talk John Swenson's widow out of her inheritance (she wasn't the sweetest lady), and that it involved a property "way up north."  My father had never met him or heard much more about him, but this John Swenson was his great-uncle, Sven Johan "John" Swenson, born in 1890.  Apparently, he was the last family member who lived on the old Swenson property in New Sweden.  Now, we realized that Mr. McDougal's comment the day before about knowing a Swenson personally made sense - he must have been thinking of John!  I did a search on FamilySearch.com later and found that John Swenson died in 1972.

Sven also suggested that we talk to Ralph Ostlund, whose house is right next door to the site of the Swensons' original farm lot.  Mr. Ostlund has apparently lived in the same place for a very long time and would probably remember John or at least know where the Swenson house had stood.  We were not able to track down Mr. Ostlund before we left town, but we will send him a letter to see if he can tell us anything. Comparing the landscape of the old Swenson property today (at least what we could see from the road) to some of the old property maps, it's clear that the original house is no longer standing, and a much newer house sits on the property now, set back from the road.

Based on genealogist Lynn Johnson's directions, we were easily able to find the un-marked burial plot where the first two generations of Swensons in New Sweden were laid to rest.  I am guessing that they were unable to afford a headstone at the time, and I would love to see to this sometime in the future.  Here is a link to Google Maps showing both the location of the grave site, and an approximation of where the Swenson farm was located:  Map of the Svenssons/Swensons in New Sweden, Maine

The last goal we had in mind was to see if we could confirm the oral tradition that my great-great grandfather Adolf Swenson had installed the bell in the town church.  We did confirm (with Lynn Johnson's research) that both Adolf and his parents were all charter members of the Gustaf Adolf Lutheran Church.  This church was the venue for the traditional Swedish smorgasbord on Saturday, so we arrived early to see if we could discover anything there.  We were referred to Arlene Ferguson who had done research on the church's history in the past.  She was in charge of collecting tickets for the smorgasbord, but she took down our contact information and said she'd try to see if there is anything in the old church records about our ancestors.  The woman who greeted us at the entrance of the church told me I could go upstairs and ring the church bell that our ancestor might have had a hand in installing, so of course I did!

Beyond all of the discussions about our family history, the Midsommar festival was the focal point of the day on Saturday.  I have posted some photos and video clips of the festivities and historic sites we visited:

• Photo gallery

• Video clips on YouTube

Maine's Swedish Colony, the organization that put on this event, also has a Facebook page where they have posted a few links to videos, etc. about the event.  One of the other interesting people we met was Paul Carlson - he was selling Swedish and Swedish-American antiques (many were connected to the New Sweden area).  He had been a teacher for some time in the area (although he is originally from the Chicago area) and has a summer home there now.  Later during the folk dance performances, I heard him confidently singing along with all of the Swedish songs.  When I asked him about this, he said that he learned many of them as a teenager when he studied away in Sweden (he is of Swedish decent himself).

Just after the Midsommarstång (midsommar pole) was raised, someone introduced Henry Thomas to the crowd, explaining that Thomas is the grandson of New Sweden's founder William Widgery Thomas, Jr.  I kept thinking I must have heard that wrong - how could the grandson of someone born in the 1830s be alive?  But sure enough, I did some searching online, and he is indeed the grandson (children in the next generations were born late).  I ran into Mr. Thomas later in the day and introduced myself - he said that he has three sons and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren all living in the Portland area (Thomas himself lives in Freeport).  

We had a great time up there, and I look forward to going back again in the future.  The next step in our family history quest is to try to discover more about John Swenson, the last relative to live on the Swenson farm, and also to get some help from my mother's relatives in Sweden to see if we can take the family line back beyond Sven Andersson of  Träslöv in Sweden.  I'd also like to try to track down what happened to Adolf Swenson's other children, and whether any of them remained in New Sweden.  This could potentially put us in contact with someone who might have photographs or other information from the family.  But I'm not holding my breath!

Finding my roots in New Sweden, Maine

Posted by Bjorn Swenson


This weekend we're heading up to Aroostook County ("the County," as us Mainers say), to explore my Swenson roots in the town of New Sweden.  Although I know a lot now about the Swedish ancestors on my mother's side of the family (a relative in Sweden has us traced back to the mid-16th century), I have never known much about my father's Swedish ancestors.


Until recently, all my father knew about the Swenson family history was that his great-grandfather's name was Adolf Swenson, that he had lived in New Sweden, was deaf, and had supposedly hung the bell in the town church.  Eventually our Swensons ended up in Millinocket, South China, and later, Bucksport, Maine where my father grew up.  A couple of years ago I consulted some online census records and found an entry for Adolf living with his parents, Anders and Britta Svensson (the original spelling) in New Sweden in 1880.  The census indicated that all three of them had been born in Sweden, and that Anders had arrived in 1870, which would have made him one of the first 51 immigrants to settle the town that year.  I had tried to use other online databases to discover more, but with no luck.  There seemed to be a million Anders Svenssons born in Sweden around the same time.


New Sweden has an active Swedish-American community to this day, and holds an annual Midsommar festival.  We figured this would be the ideal time to make the trip to New Sweden since there would be some activities and food to enjoy while we try to do some family research.  I found the website for Maine Swedish Colony, an organization dedicated to preserving the history and cultural heritage of New Sweden and the surrounding communities (they organize the Midsommar Fest), and found that they were advertising an email address one can contact with genealogy questions.  I sent off a brief email with what little I knew about our relatives, and within a couple of hours researcher Lynn Johnson (who actually lives in California but is connected to New Sweden and the historical society there) had already responded that she was on the case.


After what must have been many hours weeding through copies of church, burial, emigration, and census records, both online and in print, and solving a few puzzles along the way - Lynn was able to take us back further than we have ever been able to go before.  In her four-page report where she explains her process and the sources she consulted, she reveals that Anders, Britta, and Adolf had all come from the parish of Träslöv, Hallands län, in Sweden.  What is strange to me about this is that I have actually been within a few miles of this place - when I went to visit my mother's second cousin Anders in Varberg (it looks like Träslöv is now part of the larger city of Varberg today).  Now we know the names of Anders' parents and their birthdays, and I am hoping this will help to take it back even further.  (View a chart of the information - it starts with my grandfather Alfred August Swenson.)


Lynn also described how to find the locations of the Svenssons' original property in New Sweden (one of the 100-acre plots offered tax-free to Swedes who were willing to make the trip to Maine) and their burial plot in the town cemetery.  I am hoping we might be able to find some more tidbits while we are there this weekend. (Are there any Svensson houses still standing? Does the museum have any photos of them? Is it true that Adolf hung the bell in the church?...) 


Reading about the general history of Maine's Swedish "colony" has been fascinating - here are a few sources of information online:

• Narrative on the Maine Memory Network (an online project of the Maine Historical Society)

• History of the colony on the Maine Swedish Colony website

• Photo gallery from the New Sweden Historical Society on Maine Memory Network

• Map of the colony area with points of interest

• The Story of New Sweden, published for the 25th anniversary of the settlement

• Sweden and the Swedes, colony founder William Widgery Thomas Jr.'s book in which he tried to introduce Americans to the (at the time) largely unknown country (he also published a version in Swedish)

Read the next post about how it went here.