My grandmother's older brother was Clifford Henry Temm (1897-1973). I am uncertain where the name "Clifford" originated, as there are no other family members with that name. The middle name "Henry" comes from the middle name of his father, John Henry Temm. His mother, Hattie Morgan, also likely had an affinity for the name Henry, because her grandfather was named Henry Gray Morgan.
Clifford was the first of eight children born to Henry and Hattie. I believe he was born directly in Scarborough at the family farm at the Northeast corner of Beech Ridge Road and Dresser Road (the "1st Temm Farm"). This was land that had already been lost to foreclosure, but the Temms were still living there until 1920, when new land down the street (75 Beech Ridge Road) was purchased for the 2nd Temm Farm. Clifford never got to meet his paternal grandparents, as they had died beforehand. His grandmother Sarah Jane Temm had died just five years prior to Clifford's birth. His maternal grandparents, however (Emily Morrill-Morgan-Hall and William Sanford Morgan), were living separately in Portland, and it's likely that they got to meet this new grandchild.
Clifford wasn't the first child born to Hattie, however. Hattie had a previous marriage to James Downey, and had five children with him, two of which had survived. Annie was 8 years old and Maggie was 5, and they were living on the 1st Temm Farm with John and Hattie (their father James had died a few years prior). Clifford wouldn't be the baby of the family for very long, as the other 7 kids would be born in rapid succession until Clifford turned 10.
Clifford grew up on the 1st Temm Farm, and attended Beech Ridge School along with his siblings. The school was just a twenty minute walk from home. The kids likely walked together, along with their neighbors, the Bennetts, the Smiths, and the ever present Libbys.
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| Portland Press Herald January 12, 1918 |
In January of 1918, there was a measles outbreak at the Temm Household, and it affected everyone. We can thank the nosy reporters of back then for publishing this information in the paper, and the insinuation that perhaps he shared the disease intimately with Miss Sherwood. Additional such announcements were published about other family members, so that is the more likely story.
In June of 1918, Clifford joined the military. This family hadn't seen military service since his maternal grandfather joined the Civil War effort 50 years prior. I wonder if the Temms got pressure/inspiration from old William Sanford Morgan, who was a decorated war veteran. Either way, the law of the time stated that all men who had turned 21 needed to register for the draft by that June. Now, by this time, Clifford was the breadwinner of the family, manning the family farm for his then elderly parents. Nonetheless, he didn't claim an exemption for this on the WWI draft form. He was the first of the Temm kids to leave home (although his sister Adelaide had been out of high school for a few years and was finishing up her teacher training at Gorham Normal School).
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| Portland Press Herald October 1, 1918 |
Clifford was stationed at the newly established Fort Devens in Worcester, Massachusetts. By September, he had become ill, and it prompted a visit from his parents. Good old newspaper has us covered there too.
Clifford never served overseas, as the War came to a halt in November of that year. When he came back to the 1st Temm Farm, honorably discharged in early 1918, it wasn't long thereafter until his father purchased the >40 acres from the Dressers that later became known as 75 Beech Ridge Road. The 2nd Temm Farm was established by 1920, and the family moved there soon afterwards.
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| Portland Press Herald September 5, 1922 |
Apparently the house that was built there was burned by an exploding lantern in a shed, destroying all the buildings, and almost killed his father. It's likely that Clifford had to be the one to drag his father out of there. By now, his sister Adelaide was living up the street with her new husband, Toy Ahlquist, but the rest of the family was there, and survived the fire.
By 1926, he was living somewhere in Stroudwater, and married Susie Finney of Gorham. He moved in with the Finney family soon after the wedding. According to oral history, Clifford took Susie's family to court in order to succeed to title of the Finney house on Bar Mills Road/Hooper Road.
In 1927, Clifford bought some speculative real estate on Ainsworth Street - ten acres of farmland that he reportedly used for growing apple orchards. He held this property until his death in 1973.
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| Ralph Temm (1928-2013) About 1946 |
In September of 1928, while living in Gorham, Clifford and Susie welcomed the birth of their first child, Ralph Edwin Temm. His middle name appears to have been chosen for Susie's father, but coincidentally was also the name of Clifford's brother. Ralph was also a volunteer fire fighter with Engine 5 in North Scarborough. Like his Uncle Carlie, he served his country in Germany during WWII with the U.S. Army. Ralph and John Olson were the only two survivors of his platoon, and kept in touch with each other until Ralph passed. Also like his Uncle Carlie (and some of his Temm cousins), after the war, Ralph worked at the S.D. Warren paper mill. He worked there for 30 years, and was also a member of the Masons and the Odd Fellows.
In September 1930, Clifford & Susie bought land from the Martha Briggs Estate at the northeast corner of Saco Street and Buxton Road/County Road, with the address of 79 Old County Road, at an area which used to be called the "Coal Kiln Corner". The property was with the Temm family until 2014.
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| Vera Temm (1932-2014) About 1950 |
In August of 1932, they welcomed their second child, Vera Estelle Temm. Vera was an instant favorite among the Temm and related families. People still talk of her charm and friendliness to this day. She was a personal friend to my mother, and I was honored to have known her. She was also known for having excellent penmanship. She practiced drawing and calligraphy and frequently made pies using strawberries from the farm out back. She would sell the strawberries to neighbors for 5 cents a quart! Vera also was known as "The Cat Lady of Coal Kiln Corner" due to her love of caring for stray kitties, which were kept out in the shed (not in the house). She lived her entire life at the house on Old County Road, and died in Springbrook Nursing Home in 2014, surrounded by friends.
In April of 1934, at the home of Susie's parents in Gorham, they welcomed their third and last child, Clayton Henry Temm, who tragically died six months later. Neither Ralph nor Vera had any children, so there are no descendants alive from Clifford's immediate family. They all lived out the rest of their lives in the old house. Ralph and Vera are both buried at Forest City Cemetery.
Clifford made his money on pine shingles. He installed a shingle mill on the property at some point early on, and both of his children worked there with him. He was known for being an extremely hard worker, a shrewd businessman, and not the friendliest sort of fellow to most who met him, but he certainly had his share of close relationships with the family, neighbors, and friends. He was known for strange eating habits as well. He would peel a raw onion and eat it like an apple. He told one town local that "a fried salt pork sandwich and a hot cup of tea was a lunch that would give a man energy to run that shingle mill till supper time". He lost his fingers at one point, likely due to work at the shingle mill. He would put homemade donuts on his finger stubs, dip them in hot lard out of a cookie tin, and eat the donuts just like that!
Clifford died in 1973, and his Estate went to Susie, who died in 1985. In 1974, Susie sold the 10-acre Ainsworth Street property to the Shaw's corporation. This became part of what was later known as Westgate Shopping Center. Cliff's brother Edwin had died a few years prior, and his two younger brothers, Carl and Bill, with whom he was very close, died in 1974 and 1975, respectively.
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| 79 Old County Road Scarborough Maine (after Vera's death) |
Upon Vera's death, the old house got a lot of attention by the Town in two FB posts. The Scarborough Fire Department used the house for fire drill practice for a while before the new owner got the demolition permit in order. When the land was sold, the house was razed in 2024, and the shingle mill was relocated. Even though it was the last shingle mill operating in Cumberland County at the time, the Town of Scarborough didn't want to preserve it, due to it being too dangerous. There was a beautiful old maple tree which got removed, and now the property houses an Aroma Joe's drive-through coffee.
I wonder what happened to all the objects in the house. I seem to believe that there were many files owned by Vera, and potentially some valuable old family photo albums. I'd always wanted to get a look at this, and have copies made. Perhaps some really old Temm photos are in there, maybe even some of Clifford's parents and grandparents. I'm hoping someone reading this post could help me understand what happened with these objects.
