Morrill’s Corner in the 1940 Census

My grandfather (S. Ross Bustin) was fond of saying that he could stand in the middle of Morrill’s Corner in Portland, Maine, and see every place he ever lived.

When the 1940 census was taken he was 31, living at 1158 Forest Avenue, working as a truck driver for a food manufacturer (undoubtedly Cushman’s Bakery), right in the Corner, with my grandmother and my mother, age 8 (my grandmother, Harriet, and my mother (Marilyn Louise Bustin) are on the following page).

The apartment building now has a store front attached and is barely recognizable as a residence.

My great grandparents, Fred and Melvina Bustin, also lived at Morrill’s Corner in 1940, with their youngest son Marvin, at 827 Stevens Avenue. They appear on the same page of the Census, with my great grandfather working as a laborer for the steam railroad (He worked for the Maine Central Railroad for over 50 years).

In this fantastic picture, I believe that is my mother standing on the front porch,

 probably about 8 years old.

Childhood Friends - Dad in the 1940 Census

In 1940, my father was living at 81 Pine Street in South Portland, Maine, in what is known as Ferry Village, and attending Hutchins School.

The newly released 1940 U.S. Census shows the entire family:

Seavey, Howard C, age 43, with 1 year of high school completed, working as a laborer at the U.S. Post Office (my grandfather)

Seavey, Mattie L, age 34, with 2 years of high school completed (my grandmother)

Seavey, Richard P, age 9, with 2 years of school completed (my father)

Seavey, Pauline L, age 6, with 1 year of school completed (my aunt)

and

Lovell, Pauline M, age 59, with 8 years of school completed, working as a maid in a private home (my grandmother’s aunt, who raised her, a who lived with the family for as long as my dad remembered)

On the same page of the 1940 Census, at 75 Pine Street, appear some familiar names:

Thompson, Elizabeth K, age 73 (known as “Grammy” Thompson)

Griffin, Elizabeth, age 33 (her divorced daughter)

Griffin, Donald L, age 6 (her grandson)

and

Griffin, Beverly J, age 2 (her granddaughter)

Elizabeth Griffin, fondly known as “Lib,” was my grandmother’s closest friend. While she was going through her divorce, she would often send Don to stay with my father’s family.  It was during these childhood days, Dick at 9 and Donny at 6, that a friendship bloomed, a friendship that lasted until both were grandfathers themselves.

Daddy's Got a Brand New Ride !!

 

My dad (Richard P. Seavey, 1930-2010) went into the Navy right out of high school, but soon realized that he was desperately homesick. After his discharge in 1953, he returned by bus to South Portland, Maine. Without even a driver's license, he went right over to Forest City Chevrolet and paid cold hard cash for this 1950 Chevy Bel Air. How he drove it back to Bay View Avenue no one remembers! 

He also walked down to the RED & WHITE and bought a case of G.I. quarts of beer, which he hauled all the way back up the hill! Guess he was glad to be back in the Great State o' Maine.

Dad was never mechanically inclined. Luckily, his soon-to-be in-laws would take care of his cars very well over the years. But he WAS very protective of his car, constantly checking to make sure all the doors were locked before leaving it anywhere. He was even questioned once in my memory by a cop about his circling his own car, because he suspected Dad was trying to figure out how to break into it!

Those Places Thursday - Aunt Beck and Van on Deer Island, New Brunswick

On July 25th, 1932, Flora Vesta Bustin, always known as Beck, the oldest child and only daughter of Fred and Melvina Bustin, married Vanstone Tewksbury in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  A reception was held a week later at her parents' home, in what was then known as the Woodfords District of Portland:

They soon made plans to start their married life down east on Deer Island (Van's birthplace), at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay, between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada.  It is a ferry boat ride from Eastport, Maine out to the Islands.

Mr. and Mrs. Vanstone R. Tewksbury

 " Mr. and Mrs. Tewksbury (Miss Vesta Bustin) whose marriage took place July 25th, at Portsmouth, N.H., left this morning for their new home at Deer Island, New Brunswick.  They have been the guests for the past week of Mrs. Tewksbury's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Bustin, 815 Stevens Avenue, and have been pleasantly entertained at several attractive affairs."

Deer Island, just north of the "bump" in the yellow border line

A couple of picture postcards that Beck sent to her mother 

on the way back to Deer Island,

 after trips to Portland (1951 and 1952)

Later in their marriage, the couple moved to Portland, where, over the years, their marriage slowly deteriorated.  My grandfather, Beck's brother Ross, frequently had to retrieve Van from The Brass Rail Tavern in Morrills Corner. They divorced, leaving no children, after nearly 30 years.  Shortly thereafter, Beck succumbed to cancer in 1964, at the age of 56.

Beck and Van early in their marriage