I saw these two photos back in 2006, but I could not find a single record of the girl. So I gave up. In the spring of 2010, having succeeded with more than a dozen children in Eastport, and having acquired some good sources of information in the city, I decided to give Minnie another try. I contacted the city clerk, who has been a great resource, but she could also find nothing on Minnie - no birth record, no marriage record, no death record - nothing.

I took note that Hine mentioned in his caption, "She lives in Grand Manan in the winter with her aunt, father and mother live here." Just before I shut off the computer for the night, I took a quick look to see if there were any online records for Grand Manan, a small island community that is part of New Brunswick, and is just a short ferry ride from Eastport. The first thing I came up with was a site called Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. It was name searchable, so I entered "Minnie Thomas' in the search engine, and her birth record popped up...just like that!

It said that Minnie Pauline Thomas was born on February 16, 1902, the daughter of Gilbert Tucker and Emeline Thomas (some records say Emmeline or Nettie Emeline). There was another record of the birth, which was identical, except that Minnie's last name was given as Tucker, which seemed more likely. I went to bed, wondering what the morning would bring when I turned on the computer and followed up. It turned out that the discovery opened up the floodgates, leading me on a frenzied marathon search that revealed one intriguing nugget of information after another. In the space of about four hours, this is what I found, all based mostly on the Provincial Archives, the US and Canada censuses, and records of border crossings between Canada and the US.

It all started with Minnie's parents. Gilbert Fenton Tucker was born in Grand Manan on September 18, 1875, the son of Angus Tucker and Teresa Holmes Tucker. Emeline Thomas was born in Grand Manan on October 20, 1876, the daughter of John Thomas and Harriet Guthrie (or Gutherie). Gilbert and Emeline married in Grand Manan on September 29, 1894.

They had at least four children, all born in Grand Manan: Cecil Fenton Tucker, born January 19, 1895; Evaline Tucker, born March 20, 1896 (per 1901 Canada Census, which also lists Gilbert's occupation as a fisherman); Minnie Pauline Tucker (several subsequent records say Thomas), born on February 16, 1902; and Burton Albert Tucker, born July 12, 1905.

On March 26, 1910, Gilbert Tucker went to Eastport, leaving his family in Grand Manan, possibly to work in the canneries, since spring usually signaled the beginning of the canning season. He crossed again from Grand Manan to Eastport a month later, still without his family. Perhaps he didn't find any work on the first trip.

In the 1911 Canada Census, Gilbert, Emeline and son Cecil were living in Grand Manan with Emeline's father, John Thomas. Minnie was not listed in the home (she might have been living with her aunt). In November 1916, Gilbert Tucker crossed again into Eastport, apparently without his family. In August 1917, Emeline, Minnie and son Burton came over, presumably to join Gilbert. Three months later, Cecil came over with his wife, Harriet. Interestingly, he listed his contact person in Grand Manan as his Aunt Millie Thomas. So I presumed that she was the aunt that Minnie was living with in the winter, as the caption noted.

In June 1918, something very interesting happened. Minnie (surname given was Thomas, not Tucker), crossed into Eastport, but was referred to authorities in the nearby town of Calais, and she was sent back to Grand Manan. No reason was given. Perhaps her parents couldn't accommodate her. Perhaps there was no work available. Perhaps we will never know the reason. Anyhow, she also listed her contact person as Aunt Millie Thomas. In the 1920 census, Cecil Tucker was living in Eastport with his wife and two children, Frank and Mildred.

On April 30, 1921, Millie Thomas died in Grand Manan, at the age of 31. Her parents were John and Harriet Thomas, who were also the parents of Minnie's mother, Emeline. So Millie was indeed, Minnie's aunt. She was listed as single.

According to the Maine State Archives, Minnie Tucker married Vaughn H. French in Eastport, on September 27, 1936. He was born in Grand Manan on May 14, 1905, to Clinton and Hannah Cook French. He appears in the 1930 census, in Needham, Massachusetts, where he was a lodger, and worked in a cotton mill.

Minnie's father, Gilbert Tucker, died in Grand Manan on February 25, 1948, at the age of 72. Her mother, Emeline, died on June 2, 1953, at the age of 76. I thought I had reached a dead end at that point. I could find no further records for Minnie (now French), or Vaughn French. So I tried searching Minnie's siblings.

Only Burton Tucker showed up in later records. He died in New Durham, New Hampshire, in January 1986 (exact date not given), according to the Social Security Death Index. I knew it was the correct Burton Tucker, because his given date of birth was the same as the one for Burton in the Provincial Records. But because I did not have the actual date of death, it was not likely that I could request his obituary from the local library in New Hampshire. So I put that aside and tried something else, which was a long shot.

I search the Social Security Death Index for all persons named Minnie, with an approximate year of birth as 1902, and the place of death as Maine. I guessed that she might have died with another last name (not Vaughn), so that's why I did not enter a last name in the search box. Surprisingly, there were 85 listings that fit this description, but it didn't take long to find what appeared to be the correct Minnie. Minnie T. McLellan died June 4, 1998, in Winter Harbor, Maine. Her date of birth was given as February 16, 1903. The Provincial Archives also gave her date of birth as February 16, but in 1902. Then I searched the death records in the Maine State Archives and found her there, too, as Minnie Thomas McLellan. That cinched it. So I immediately requested her obituary from the library in Winter Harbor. But when I received the obituary, I was back to square one. Minnie McClellan wasn't the correct Minnie. 

So I tried one more thing. I searched for her brother, Burton Tucker, at NewspaperArchive.com, and found the following in the June 12, 1948 edition of the Portsmouth (NH) Herald:

"Mr. and Mrs. Burton Tucker...marked their 16^th wedding anniversary this week with a family celebration. The couple were married June 9, 1932, in Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, Canada. The couple have two children, Evelyn Mae, 15, and Raymond, seven."

A few more clicks on the computer, and I found a Raymond Tucker who currently lives in New Hampshire. I called, and he turned out to be Minnie's nephew's, just as I thought. I had a long and revealing interview with him, with a few surprises. Stay tuned.

Important update: I have recently learned that Minnie's parents were not Gilbert Tucker and Emeline Thomas. Her mother was Elizabeth Thomas, Emeline's sister. Minnie was raised by Gilbert and Emeline. Minnie had a son in 1926, and I have just contacted a daughter of that son who is, of course, Minnie's granddaughter. She did not know about the Hine photos.