Marion Florence Melanson

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Unfortunately, my grandmother, Florence Irene Poor, was estranged from her mother, Marion Florence Melanson, as well as from her Poor family. I did not see Nana Hoyt, as she was known, very often, but I fondly remember visiting her apartment when I was very small (even though she called me by my mother's name, Nancy).

Nana Hoyt died in 1980 at the age of 89. Because of the estrangement, however, we never knew where Nana was buried. We had been told that she had been buried "with her people," by which we assumed her parents, whom we supposed were buried in Sts Peter and Paul Cemetery in Lewiston, Maine. The cemetery was huge, and with the office closed, we had no hope of finding her. We searched a number of other Catholic cemeteries, but to no avail. Nana's was my first real genealogical mission.

In the spring of 2001 we at last discovered her location. With the help of many people, including friendly strangers, we learned that although Marion Florence Melanson and Arthur Poor divorced in 1927, and Marion Florence married and divorced again, she is buried in the plot next to Arthur, her ex-husband, in the Pine Street Cemetery, Auburn, Maine. Her grave is unmarked; we will try to rectify that. In the meantime, we remember her in the picture of Arthur's grave.

Update: My mother has installed a small brass plaque near Arthur's tombstone to mark Nana's grave.

I include instead a photograph of four generations of Melansons/Poors/Bucks that includes Nana Hoyt (Marion Florence Melanson), Grammie Buck (Florence Irene Poor), Nancy Buck Cole (Wright), and me, when I was about eight. It's a pretty goofy picture on several fronts, but nevertheless, it is one of the only pictures I have of Nana.

I have also recently discovered another picture of Nana holding my mother as an infant. I will include that here as well.

Arthur Poor
Pine Street Cemetery
Auburn, Maine Nancy Buck Cole (Wright)
Florence Irene Poor Buck
Kathrine Ann Cole
Marion Florence Melanson Poor (Hoyt)
College Street
Lewiston, Maine Nana Hoyt (Marion Florence Melanson)
holding infant Nancy Elaine Buck
Lewiston, Maine

For more information about Marion Florence Melanson, go to the Home Page. You can locate Florence by using the search feature in the Surnames section.

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Arthur Poor Pine Street Cemetery Auburn, Maine		Nancy Buck Cole (Wright) Florence Irene Poor Buck Kathrine Ann Cole Marion Florence Melanson Poor (Hoyt) College Street Lewiston, Maine	Nana Hoyt (Marion Florence Melanson) holding infant Nancy Elaine Buck Lewiston, Maine