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.