William E Holt and Terena E Griffin (grandson of 5 & 6, granddaughter of 7 & 8)

[Jen's paternal GGrandparents]
[Marylou Holt > grandson of 5 & 6, granddaughter of 7 & 8]

William Elliott Holt
BIRTH: 06 September 1907, Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine
DEATH: 17 April 1951

Terena Elizabeth Griffin
BIRTH: 10 January 1915, Portland, Cumberland, Maine
DEATH: 07 April 1997, Brunswick, Maine

William Elliott Holt
William E Holt born in 1907, the oldest of the children of Roxcillana Elliot Holt (1892-1939) and Arthur Holt (1882-1951) at Lewiston.  They had married in Mechanic Falls, Maine in 1906, when Roxcillana was 14 years old, and Arthur was 24.  At the time of William's birth, Arthur was employed as a shoemaker in Lewiston, working as a "blacker".  They were renting a house on Spring Street, the fourth family counted on the Census beyond Maple Street.  They were recorded to be unemployed for half the year during 1909.

abt 1916: Four Generations: Emma Melissa Parsons(1871-1925), Roxcillana Elliott(1892-1939), Abby Adeline Wardwell (1852-1926), and William Holt (1907-1989).

Siblings of William
1. William Elliott (1907-1989) m 1930 Terena Elizabeth Griffin (1915-1997)
2. Evelyn M (1924-??)  (uncertain marriage? m 1943 Forney m 1947 Brown)
3. Frederick A (1926-living) (uncertain marriage?  Sawyer('45), Smith('64), Allan('54) ??)
4. Emma (1932-living) m John A Gasper (1930-2001)
5. Dorothy ( 1933-2014) m. Charles R York (1929-1994)

After William was born, his parents waited about 15 years to have more children.  In 1920, the Holts lived at 25 Mill Street in Bridgeton Village (across from Elm St off of Main St).  Arthur had been working as dyer at the woolen mill there.   Meanwhile, William finished the 8th grade, but did not do any years of high school.

By 1930, the family had moved from the rural life to work for the City of Portland as a painter in the street department.  They lived at 24 Colonial Avenue, Portland. William would eventually take a job with the same department, also working for the public works department.  At the time, William lived with his parents and two younger siblings Evelyn and Frederick, with the Brackleys.  (Robert L or Martha A are married, and claim Roxie as a sister!  {This is unclear to me, from the historical records.})

Terena Elizabeth Griffin
Terena Elizabeth Griffin was born in 1915, also the oldest child.  Her parents, Stephen Harold Griffin (1889-1933) and Terena Elizabeth Dyer (1897-1967) were married in 1912 in Portland, and were both from fishing families on Cliff Island, Portland, Maine.  Terena's father Stephen had registered for the draft in 1917, but filed for a religious exemption.  In 1920, her parents were renting a house next door to her grandparents.  Her dad was a self-employed fisherman.  At some point before 1930, Terena Elizabeth Griffin's parents moved to the East End of Portland to work at the fish market, and rented an apartment at 6 Monument Street for $15 a month for them and their four kids.  Terena E finished the 8th grade.

Terena's Siblings
1. Terena Elizabeth (1915-1997) m 1930 William E Holt
2. Stephen A (1917-1930)
3. David F (1927-2007)

Life together
William E (23) had married Terena Griffin (15) on October 9, 1930, and had moved to 82 Myrtle Street, Portland.   Terena's father passed away in 1933, and the following year, her mother married Stephen's first cousin, Dwinal.

According to the 1940 Census, William was a sign painter.  Over the course of their marriage, William E and Terena E had four children:
1. Wilma Louise (1932),
2. William Elliott Jr. (1934),
3. Mary Lou (1937),
4. Elizabeth Lee (1939).

In 1940, William was still working as a painter in the Portland Public Works department (making $1061 in 1939).

William died in 1989 in Brunswick, Maine.
Terena died in 1997 in Brunswick, Maine.

Terena's Obituary:

Terena E. Holt Clark, 82, of Lawrence Street died Wednesday in a Brunswick hospital.

She was born in Portland, a daughter of Steven Harold and Elizabeth Dyer Griffin, attended Portland High School and graduated from Southen Maine Vocational Technical Institute's School of Nursing.

Mrs. Clark, a licensed practical nurse, worked several years at Maine Medical Center. She was an active member of the SeventhDay Adventist Church of Brunswick, and was a volunteer with Dorcas.

Her first husband, William E. Holt Sr., died in 1989.

Surviving are her husband, Fred Clark; a son, William E. Holt Jr. of Poland; three daughters, Wilma Louise Clifford of Sweden, Mary Lou Ishihara of Portland and Elizabeth Lee Shackett of Sterling, Mass.; a brother, David F. Griffin of Westbrook; four half-brothers, Dwinal of Standish, Alan of Casco, Theodore of Naples and Clifford Griffin of Auburn; a half-sister, Caroline Collins of Turner; seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Visiting hours will be from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home, 190 Woodford St., Portland, where a funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday. Burial will follow in Forest City Cemetery, South Portland.

Portland Newspapers Apr 10, 1997

Stephen H Griffin and Terena E Dyer (son of 7, daughter of 8)

[Jen's paternal GGGrandparents]
[Marylou Holt > Terena E Griffin > son of 7, daughter of 8]

Stephen Harold Griffin
BIRTH: 09 Jun 1889, Portland, Cumberland, Maine
DEATH: 7 OCT 1933, Portland, Maine

Terena Elizabeth Dyer
BIRTH: 22 Apr 1897, Portland, Cumberland, Maine
DEATH: 30 Jan 1967

Stephen H Griffin
Stephen Harold Griffin was born in 1889 to Alpheus C Griffin (1865-1936) and Minnie F Walker (1868-1906) on Cliff Island in Portland.  They lived in a house on Cliff Road five households down from L. Diamond.  His mother died to kidney disease when he was 17, and dad (Alpheus, a fisherman) married a woman named Minnie D. {unkown last name}.  By the time he was 20, he was a fisherman, and his father had gone to work with the Portland City Police department.


Siblings of Stephen H
1. Stephen Harold (1889-1933),  m. 1912 Terena E Dyer (1897-1967)

2. Alice B (b. 1896, d. 1897),
3. Sadie (b. Nov 1896 adopted before 1900 Census-??), and
4. Margaret (1904-??).

Terena E Dyer

Terena Elizabeth Dyer was born in 1897 to John Lemuel Dyer and Harriet A Hammond.  John was a fisherman living on Cliff Island.

Siblings of Terena
1. Inez Almera (Apr 1892-??) m 1908 Myles Leo O'Reilly (1881-??)
2. Christina A (May 1894-1965), died at Brunswick, me
3. Elizabeth Terena (Apr 1897-1967), m 1912 Stephen Harold Griffin (1889-1933) m 1934 Dwinal C Griffin (1890-1968)
4. Harriett J (Sept 1899-1921),
5. John F (1902-??). m Esther M (1908-2000)

Life Together
Stephen (23) married Terena Dyer (15) in 1912 in Portland.

He paid his fisherman licensing fee of $1 in 1914.

When he registered for the draft in four days before his 28th birthday in 1917,  he describes himself as  a self-employed fisherman, and claimed a religious exemption from the draft.  He was tall with a medium build, dark blue eyes, dark brown hair.  Even by the 1920 census, he is still a fisherman, working off his own boat.  They live next door to Alpheus and Minnie D, his parents.

Together they had three known children:

1. Terena Elizabeth (1915-1997) m 1930 William E Holt
2. Stephen A (1917-1930)
3. David F (1927-2007)

Stephen H Griffin, Terena E Dyer, father Alpheus Griffin, and granddaughter Wilma Holt, c 1933.

By 1930 Stephen and "Elizabeth" are renting a house at 6 Monument Street in the East End of Portland for $15 a month.  He no longer works off his own boat, but instead is a fisherman employed by the fish market.  He is listed as a non-veteran.

Their family experienced tragedy in 1930 when their son, Stephen A was in a train accident, wherein his legs were crushed by a freight train in Portland.  While they thought that amputation would save his life, Stephen did not survive the incident.

Stephen died young in 7 October 1933.  To help her raise her young family, Terena remarried the following year, November 1934 to Dwinal C Griffin a first cousin of Sephen (their fathers were brothers, children of grandparents David Henry Griffin and Caroline M Cushing).  At the time of their marriage, Terena was working at a Sea Food shop, and "Diny" was a fisherman.  Both were on their second marriage; Dwinal had been divorced, and Terena is listed as widowed.  They were married by Peter J. Hickey, Justice of the Peace, at Portsmouth, NH.  Incidentally, on that marriage record, John Dyer, Terena's deceased father, is listed as a shipper.  Her mother, Harriett Hammond Dyer is listed as 62, living in Portland.

Terena died in 1967, a resident of Cliff Island.  Dwinal died the following year (1968).

John Lemuel Dyer and Harriet A Hammond (couple 8)

[Jen's paternal GGGrandparents]
[Marylou Holt > Terena Elizabeth Griffin > Terena Elizabeth Dyer > couple 8]

John Lemuel Dyer
BIRTH: 12 January 1866, Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States
DEATH: 24 September, 1934, Maine, United States

Harriet A Hammond
BIRTH: Jun 1875, Cumberland, Maine, United States
DEATH: 1949

Cliff Island Cove, from here.

John Dyer
John L Dyer was born in 1866 to Moses Plummer Dyer (1834-1905) and Rosa P Johnson (1846-1871) on Long Island, Portland, Maine.

1870 Census shows John's father Moses as a Fisherman in Cumberland County, not owning his house, but $400 in personal effects.

Siblings to John Dyer
1. John Lemuel Dyer (1866-1934) m 1889 Harriet A Hammond (1875-1949)
2. Alonzo Gustavus Dyer (1867-1931) m 1897 Maggie Lucinda York (1879-1961)

Mother Rosa P died in 1871 at age 25, leaving father Moses with two young boys John and Alonzo. Moses and Alonzo are in Scarborough in the house of Lydia A Doughty in 1880 (Moses's fiancee), and her two children, Willie (b1874) and Harry (b1877).  John Lemuel may be living with other family.

Harriet Hammond
Harriet A Hammond was born on Crotch Island, Maine to Benjamin Hammond (1854-1916) and Almira F Pettengill (1854-1889) in June 1875. They had been married in 1870.  She is currently thought to be an only child.

1880 Census says Benjamin was a farmer, and he and Elmira F had a boarder named Benjamin W, who was actually Benjamin's father (age 63).  They listed their one daughter, Hattie.  They lived among the Smalls and Pettingills.

Almira died in 1889, and father Benjamin F (35) remarried to Mary G Ham on 3 November 1889.  Coincidentally, that was the same week that daughter Harriet (14) married.

Life Together
Harriet and John Dyer were married on 30 October, 1889 in Cumberland County, Maine.

1900 Census shows John and Harriet, married 10 years, with John working as a fisherman.  They own their house free and clear.

1910 Census shows John and Harriet, John is listed as a fisherman. After having been married for 20 years, they had raised five children, all still living as of 1910.  They are the first family from Cliff Island on the Census Register.

Children of Harriet and John

1. Inez Almira (Apr 1892-1983) m 1908 Myles Leo O'Reilly (1881-aft1940)

2. Christina A (May 1894-1965), died at Portland, (Brunswick?)

3. Elizabeth Terena (Apr 1897-1967), m 1912 Stephen Harold Griffin (1889-1933) m 1934 Dwinal C Griffin (1890-1968)

4. Harriett J (Sept 1899-1921), m 1917 Cecil Manford Doughty (1891-??) died in childbirth

5. John F (1902-1977). m Esther M (1908-2000)

1930 Census shows John and Harriett at an apartment on Gilman Street, Portland, also taking care of a granddaughter Thelma (child of Inez Dyer O'Reilley).

The same year of his death, in 1934, his daughter Terena married a second time, and on that application, she listed her father John as a shipper.

John was buried on Great Chebeague Island, Maine, in 1934, and Harriet was buried there also in 1949. 

A few years later, in 1938, Harriet married Merrill Crossman (also of Maine) who in his later years worked as a caretaker at a private estate in Cambridge, MA.  They lived at 140 Upland Road, Cambridge for a few years before her death in 1949.

Chebeague Island, from here.

On Chebeague Island, which seceded from Cumberland Maine in 2007, from Wikipedia: 

"These islands are sometimes referred to as an older, now archaic term "The Calendar Islands" because there was once a belief that the approximate number of islands was 365. The actual number is fewer than two hundred."

And about the "rusticators" who came to vacation:

"By the late 19th century and throughout the early 20th century, tourists from Canada, Boston and points south began to visit Maine in a phenomenon sometimes known as the "rusticators" movement.^[6] Cottages, rooming houses, and inns, such as the historic (but rebuilt) Chebeague Island Inn, were scattered around Casco Bay, served by steamboats from Portland where crowds of tourists from the industrial cities of New England could get back to nature for a few days or weeks"

 Chebeague Historical Society