Small Notebook Given Out by J. & A. Murray of Calais, Maine; Dress Goods

Reprinted, with permission, from the Heirlooms Reunited blog

Small notebook given out as a favor by J. & A. Murray of Calais, Maine.  Importers of Cloaks, Dress Goods, Shawls and Fancy Goods; Umbrellas Re-covered and Repaired.

J. and A. Murray operated from about 1886 to 1925. The Murray brothers were natives of Glasgow, Scotland, who came to St. Stephen, New Brunswick, across the St. Croix River from Calais, Maine.  They were:

• James Murray (1855-1924)
• Alexander Purdie Murray (1858-1941)

The name Edna appears on the first page of handwriting. The item came with others from eastern Washington County, Maine, including some items that belonged to Edna Davis of Robbinston, Maine - but there's no guarantee that this notebook belonged to Edna's family.

Other possible names include: 

• Will Nash - interestingly, there was a William I. Nash (1849-1921) in nearby Robbinston, Maine
• ? Johnson - possibly Malk Johnson - who may have been Malcolm Johnson (1841-1918) of Calais, Maine
• W? Holland - Winny, Wm., ?
• E? Gove - Earn, Ern, Em?

If you can tease out other possibilities for any of these names or if you have information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.

c1900 Photograph of Jimmy Raeish, "friend of Carl Ross"; by a studio in Calais, Maine

Reprinted, with permission from the Heirlooms Reunited blog

c1900 photograph of a young man identified as "Jimmy Raeish, friend of Carl Ross". The photograph was taken at the studio of H. D. McKay of Main Street, Calais, Maine.

 From brief online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested:

James Albert Raeish (1884-1929) was born  in Auburn, New York, son of Albert Raeish and Ada (Lyon) Raeish. The 1900 Federal Census of Calais, Maine, shows that James was living there with his mother and father, who was working as an electrician.

In 1910 in Oregon, James, by then an attorney, married Melva Jane Johnson, a native of Saint John, New Brunswick.  She was the daughter of Margaret Gertrude (MacLellan) and John M. Johnson, who moved the family to Calais, after Margaret's death. 

Carl Ross was presumably Carl Wilbur Ross (1883-1950), a native of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, across the St. Croix River from Calais, and son of Henry Butler Ross and Lilia Miranda (Bridges) Ross.  In 1908 in Massachusetts, Carl married Eva Celeste Fraser, also a New Brunswick native, daughter of John A. Fraser and Florence Melva (MacLellan) Fraser.  Carl and Eva then moved to Portland, Oregon.

The MacLellan connection between Melva and Eva presumably explains how James and Melva came to meet.

Melva died in 1950 in California. It appears that James married twice after that. He died in 1974 in Alameda, California.

If you have information on any of these people, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.  

1881 Letter from Fox & Kellogg of San Francisco, California, to Freeman Hale Todd in Calais, Maine

Reprinted, permission, from the Heirlooms Reunited blog

1881 letter from the law firm of Fox & Kellogg in San Francisco, California, to merchant and lumberman Freeman Hale Todd in Calais, Maine.

Transcription

March 18th 1881

F. H. Todd, Esq.

Dear Sir:

Your favor of March 4th did not reach us until the afternoon of the 15th - owing to a delay of overland trains. Mr. Pike having previously written that you expected to be present at the Omaha meeting, we have waited to hear from Mr. Fox, who was then on the way. If you came, Understanding his telegram that you are at Omaha he has probably answered your inquiries fully - as he had the accounts ___ the matters you speak of. By the Feb. account you will notice the need of the balance in January acct referred to in your letter. The account of debts existing prior to January 8th, when F. W. Pike turned over the affairs, has been much greater than supposed from  inquiry and examination at the time.

We are anxious to and shall transmit every dollar as fast as proceeds permit.

Hoping you have learned from Mr. Fox the information desired. 

___ [Yours & ?] Fox & Kellogg

From brief online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested:

F. H. Todd was presumably Freeman Hale Todd (1809-1885), son of William Todd and Hannah (Worthley) Todd, and husband of Hasadiah U. (Grant) Todd and Adeline (Boardman) Todd.

F. W. Pike - there are many references to a Fred A. Pike but I didn't find a F. W. Pike in Calais, Maine, or St. Stephen, New Brunswick, not that there wasn't one. Perhaps F. W. Pike lived out of the area.

Law firm of Charles Nelson Fox (1829-1904) & Marmaduke Burnell Kellogg (1847-1907) in San Francisco, California.

If you have corrections and/or information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.