52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Madness Monday - The Perils of Pauline

One of my most intriguing ancestors has been my Great Aunt Polly (1880-1958). What I have been told about her makes me want to know more about her life. My dad remembered her as "coming from New York" to live with them when he was a kid. Or perhaps it was that my grandmother, Mattie, always felt some degree of gratitude to Polly, as she had helped raise her, once her own mother, Polly's sister Alice (1886-1957), remarried and began a new family.

I have heard mentions of her working as a housekeeper and as a secretary to a doctor. She never married, but may have had a few gentlemen friends. In any event, I will always be fascinated by the kind of life this woman led.

Recently I came across a scrapbook of my grandmother's, which contained several pictures from her childhood. I am pretty convinced that this is Alice and Pauline, probably from the 1920's or so.



I was so thrilled to find this clipping of her obituary from the Portland Press Herald just the other day.  I suppose she will always be a woman I wish I knew more about.


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2 comments:

  1. Interesting - I wonder if there are any "social" newspaper articles that might help you learn more about her life?

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  2. Yes, I think the lady on the right in the photo above could be the lady in the obituary. Is that the one you think is Pauline? Don't you wish they put names on the photographs!

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