Bertha Archer, born 1879, Cherryfield, Maine area

Two large photographs of Bertha Archer, born December 1879, probably in Cherryfield, Maine, the daughter of Charles Henry Archer and his wife Drusilla (Wilson) Archer. Bertha graduated from Castine Normal School and was listed as a School Teacher in the 1900 Census of Cherryfield, Maine. In 1906 she married Thomas N. Wilson.

Below are a reprint of a blog post about Bertha with photos and genealogy, from the blog Heirlooms Reunited, and a family tree.

If you have any corrections, additions or insights regarding the information presented below, please leave a comment or contact Todd House directly. Thanks!

Two large photographs of Bertha Archer of Cherryfield, Maine. Each was taken by the Tuttle studio of Belfast, Maine.

Identification on reverse: Aunt Bertha Archer when she graduated from Castine Normal School.

Different dress in the photograph above, but same rug and background.

Identification on reverse: Aunt Bertha, Carrie Archer Tracy's sister.

Bertha Archer was born in December of 1879 in the Cherryfield, Maine area, the daughter of Charles Henry Archer, born in Steuben, Maine in 1845, and his wife Corella Leighton, born in Cherryfield, Maine, also in 1845.

Bertha's paternal grandparents were Eliakim and Jane (Barfield) Archer. Her maternal grandparents were Ebenezer Jordan Leighton and his wife Drusilla (Wilson) Leighton.

On the 1900 Census of Cherryfield, Maine, Bertha's occupation was listed as School Teacher. On 31 December 1906, she married Thomas N. Wilson, who was possibly born in Worcester, Massachusetts. After this event, I lost track of them. Hopefully a reader will clear up the mystery.

Bertha had two sisters and a brother. Her brother Frank was born in July of 1877. I read online that he drowned in Friendship, Maine, on 4 July 1903. I searched online for a newspaper account of this but had no luck. I wonder if a Fourth of July event had any significance in this tragedy, mystery #2.

Bertha's sister Frances "Fanny" was born 5 March 1872 in Cherryfield, Maine. In 1897, Fanny married Eben E. Sawyer or Elmer E. Sawyer. I've included both possible names for her husband, as he is shown as Eben E. in the Maine Marriages online database, but in all other references I found, he was Elmer E., mystery #3.

Bertha's sister Carrie Archer, mentioned on the reverse of one of the photographs, was a twin to Fanny, born 5 March 1872 in Cherryfield. I found a marriage for a Carrie Archer and Alfred Tracy in the Maine Marriages online database; both gave their residence as Stacyville, Maine, which is located some distance from the Cherryfield area, though it's possible.

There's a lot of confusing information about Carrie Archer and Alfred Tracy online. In one place a researcher referenced a marriage between Carrie Vesta Archer and Alfred Leslie Tracy, but the information for Carrie was partially incorrect, and her birth state was given as Vermont.

If I have the correct Alfred Leslie Tracy, he was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, 8 November 1873, the son of Foster Jacob Tracy, who was born in Cherryfield, Maine, in 1840, and his wife Melissa (Leighton) Tracy, who was born in Unionville, Maine, in 1843.

I believe that Carrie died in 1910, and that Alfred then married, in 1911, Ida "Margie" Tourtelotte, who was born in Cherryfield, Maine, in 1873. But, as in mysteries #1, #2 and #3, I'm hoping that a reader will come forward and solve the mystery of Carrie (Archer) Tracy, mystery #4.

If you have any corrections, additions or insights regarding the information presented above, please leave a comment in the comments box or contact me directly. Thanks for stopping by!