I spent most of my time there looking thru old photos and was amazed at how many of them had identification written on the back. If only all my old family photos were identified! I bought a few that caught my eye and to see if I could identify the families of the individuals, and possibly to locate a living descendant who would like to have these photos. Please contact me if you are related to these people and would like the original photo.
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| Clarence Sidney Verrill M. Moulthrop, Photo. 298 Chapel St. New Haven, CT |
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| "Clarence Sidney Verrill 3 years old May 6 -80 Taken June 10 - 1880" |
Clarence Sidney Verrill was born 6 May 1877 in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the son of Addison Emery Verrill and Flora Louisa Smith. Clarence was the 5th of six children, and the 3rd son. Clarence's father, Addison was Yale University's first Professor of Zoology and later, curator of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
Clarence married Dorothy Lord Maltby in California in 1906, and their only child, Rae Maltby Verrill, was born 2 September 1907 in Soulsbyville, California.
A biography/obituary for Clarence was found in the Bulletin of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, issue 145, January, 1919, pages xlii - xliii, and available on Google Books. Clarence was a mining engineer and worked in many areas of the American west. He and his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia around 1910 where Clarence opened an office as a consulting engineer. He died in a wreck of the steamship, Princess Sophia, on 25 October 1918 as he was returning from a mine visit near Juneau, Alaska. At least 343 people were on board the vessel when it struck a reef and all died in this disaster. According to the biographical sketch, Clarence is buried in Juneau, along with many of the other passengers.
Clarence's daughter Rae Maltby Verrill married Ralph Gordon McDiarmid in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1928. They had at least one son, Neil Verrill McDiarmid who was born and died in North Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1976 at age 42.
Wendy: Please check out the email I sent you about this photograph yesterday (March 5th). I think I found you an excellent lead on the family of Clarence Sidney Verrill.
ReplyDeleteJohn - I just found this comment that was waiting on publishing. I don't know why it hasn't shown up before now (March 27). Also, I don't recall seeing any email from you. Maybe there was a black hole that day??
DeleteAnyways, I assume this is the information about GenForum that is in your comment from earlier today. I'm glad you were able to make the connection with descendants of Clarence. Thanks again!
Clarence Verrill is my great, uncle. My grandfather, George E. Verrill, was the eldest of Addison E. Verrill. I notice the Skinner name. My second cousin (also related through the Verrill line) is a Skinner.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous -
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to hear from a descendant of one of my 'found' photos! I would be happy to mail you the photo if you would like. How did you find my post? Was it a google search? Any idea how the photo ended up in an antique store?
Where are your Skinners from? My line descends from Thomas Skinner of Malden. My Skinners lived in Norton, MA, and then in the Cumberland, RI area after around 1830
None of my posts seem to be making it to your website. I provided a lot of background. Oh well, is there someway to exchange emails?
DeleteChristine
Another cousin and I received an email from a John Tew. I don't know how he found our emails.
Hi Christine - I received all of the following comments from you and your cousin (with lots of them duplicated) this morning - they may be out of order, and I suspect there was a glitch with either yours or mine email server. Does it look like I got them all now?
DeleteJohn Tew writes a wonderful blog called "Filiopietiism Prisim" - http://filiopietismprism.blogspot.com
where he talks about his mostly Rhode Island ancestors. I recommend it highly! He and I share many surnames and ancestor localities, but we have not as yet found a common ancestor. He might have found your email from these replies to my blog post or perhaps you have other information on-line somewhere? Maybe you and he have a common ancestor too!
Oh My! I just saw your other post about Doane Park. I am also a Doane descendant, as is my second cousin that is a Skinner. I've created a google account so I am no longer "anonymous".
ReplyDeleteThere is a Verrill Family cemetery in New Haven, CT that Addison E. Verrill started. Unfortunately, I interred my mother (Verrill) there about two years ago and then my father (per his wishes so he could be with mom) six months later.
Christine in Houston.
I don't have any Doane ancestors, and no ancestors that I know are from the Cape. Doane Park is in Harwich Port, where my Skinner great-grandparents built a small vacation cottage in the 1920s. I think Doane is a common name on Cape Cod.
DeleteHere is a link to an old magazine article that talks about Clarence Verrill being the "strongman of Yale University"!
ReplyDeletehttp://books.google.com/books?id=e2tNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA545&dq=clarence+verrill+strong+man+yale+university&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XDUyU4S3HsnB2wXj0YHgCg&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=clarence%20verrill%20strong%20man%20yale%20university&f=false
Wow - what a great find! And he was quite the 'looker'! Do you know what ailment he had as a child that he recovered from? And great photographs! What fun to have something like this on an ancestor.
DeleteClarence Verrill is also my great uncle since Anonymous is my first cousin. Thank you for sharing the photo...we appreciate it. The grandmother of our second cousin Skinner, was Grandma Skinner Doane Adler, sister to our grandmother Amy Doane, George E. Verrill's wife. Our cousin's father was John Doane Skinner. Genetics information. He had heart problems from his early 40's til he died at 55 yrs, in 1968...three heart attacks. His brother Curly or Claire Skinner, had a heart attack and died in 1961. He also had a major drinking issue, which aided it along...
ReplyDeletehello Wendy! I am the second cousin my cousin is referring to...Marian Skinner Soderholm from Long Beach, CA...I am a Verrill and also a Doane by my Grandmother,Laura Grace Doane, and my father, John Doane Skinner....I am excited to see this photo!! and yes, we are related by Thomas Skinner, who is also in my line of family....I have to find my ancestry book as we just moved into Seal beach, CA. and al in boxes, but can let you know soon...I am the daughter of John Doane Skinner, granddaughter of Grace Skinner, who married Clarence Leroy Skinner , and the great granddaughter of Frank Skinner....my email address is: marian@natureoflearning.com if you want to contact me directly....and my second cousin whom you have been emailing is also a Verrill and a Doane...we are the family historians for each of our sides of the family and trying to put the whole thing together as our grandmothers were sisters...Look forward to hearing from you also...
ReplyDeleteHi Marian!
DeleteMy Skinner great-grandparents, John Francis (known as "Frank") and his wife Annie Betts Skinner lived in Valley Falls, RI as had Frank's father and grandfather (both named Zophar Skinner). Frank's great-grandfather (another Zophar) lived in Norton, MA as did his ancestors going back to Thomas of Malden. The line goes Zophar>Elijah>John>John>Thomas>Thomas. Where do you descend from Thomas?
Also, would either of you like the original photo? I would be happy to mail it to either of you - I buy photos like this from time to time in hope of returning them to family members.
DeleteThis is great to see all these connections and to know that the photo Wendy rescued is going home!
ReplyDeleteTo solve any remaining mystery, I located the connections Mary and Christine had to Clarence S. Verrill by going to the Verrill Family Forum on GenForum. GenForum is a very handy and often overlooked resource. It was on GenForum that I found the email addresses Mary and Christine left there for direct contacts back in like 2007/2008.
Thank you Wendy for the kind comments about my blog!
John
Hi John -
DeleteGreat idea about going to GenForum! I had forgotten about that - I have some very early messages there too. Thanks for looking for the Verrill descendants there. I also put the rescue photo people and several generations of their families on a public tree on Ancestry. I figure eventually people might find the photos there too.
And I love your blog! I even looked up where Cinnaminson, NJ was from your post a day or two ago. I grew up in Little Falls, in north Jersey near Paterson and Wayne.
Here is the link to the obituary of Gordon Colin McDiarmid, Rae Maltby Verrill's oldest son. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timescolonist/obituary.aspx?pid=173171747#sthash.4EvpWsC2.dpuf
ReplyDeletePerhaps one of his children might want the photo of their great-grandfather? The Maltby's are 6th or 7th cousins of mine.