USA > Maine > Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the state of Maine > Part 20
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For several years Mr. Weston served as a member of the School Committee of Belgrade, and for a time as one of the Selectmen. In 1873 he was sent to the Maine Legislature as Representative from the towns of Belgrade. Sidney, and Rome; and during one term of six years (1883 to 1889) he was a County Coin- missioner of Kennebec County, being for two years chairman of the board. While hokling this office he did the surveying for Kennebec County.
member of Belgrade Grange, No. 292. Patrons of Husbandry, and for five years he was Master of the grange.
He married on November 15, 1862. Miss Sarah A. Tucker, of Mount Vernon, Me .. dauch- ter of the late Isaac Tucker. Mr. and Mrs. Weston have two children, J. Powell Weston and Annie L. J. Powell Weston married on December 31, 1902, Miss Mertie B. Whitehouse. of Belgrade. He lives at home with his father and mother, and superintends the farmi. Annie L. Weston is a teacher in the public schools of Minneapolis, Minn.
Mr. and Mrs. Weston are members of the Free Will Baptist church of East Mount Vernon.
ON. VIRGIL ROSCOE CONNOR. of Fairfield, Somerset County, a retired lumber dealer and ex-Senator. was born in this town, January 10. 1 :47. a son of William and Mary (Bryant Corzos. He is a grandson of Simeon Connor. a native of the State and a former resident of Bowdoin. who was four times married.
William Connor, who was born in Bowdi October 10, 1806, came to Fairfield at the age of twenty-one, his first employment here bete as a lumberman on the river. He soon became a master driver, and afterward engaged in hunbering on his own account, having in bi- employ R. B. (now General) Shepher.L. of Skowhegan, D. C. Hall, Randall Hall. Charies and Henry Fogg, and other men who became well and favorably known here. Later he operated an extensive saw-mill industry. When the contract for building the railroad between Waterville and Fairfield was put up for bijis. Mr. Connor secured it, and afterward that for building the road between Newport and Dex- ter. These two roads were constructed under his direction and that of James Wall. his part- ner. Taking always a keen interest in politics. he was at first identified with the Whigs, and like most of the Northern Whigs joined the Republican party on its formation. In 1536 he was in the Legislature, when Hannibal Han- lin was speaker. Twenty years later. in com .- pany with James G. Blaine and Dr. Gareelon.
He is a Republican in politics, and for years served on the Belgrade Republican Committee. For a quarter of a century he has served as a trial justice. He is a charter | he represented the Fourth District in the con-
JAMES O. BUTMAN.
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vention at Philadelphia that nominated Fre- mont for the Presideney. He was State Senator in 1857-58, a capacity in which he proved most acceptable. In 1871 and 1872 he was Representative to the Maine State Legislature. In his long business life, having won general confidence, he was called upon to settle many estates. For many years he was the presi- dent of the Fairfield Savings Bank. He died .on November 30, 1889. Ilis wife, whom he married on September 4, 1834, died July 22. 1897. She was a native of Waterville and a daughter of Squire William and Lydia (Haley) Bryant. Her father, who was an early settler in Fairfield, served the town as Selectman for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. William Connor were members and active workers of the Universalist church. Their children were: Nancy, Ella B., Selden, Lindia A., Virgil R., Mary Elizabeth, Lucia H., Charles, and Lydia H. Ella B., Lydia H., and Charles are now deceased, Charles dying. young. Nancy, who married William A. Brooks, a dry-goods mer- chant, became the mother of four children- . Kate C., Charles S., William Allen, and George. Charles S. is deceased. William Allen married Helen Winchell, and is now a practising phy- . sician and surgeon in Boston. George Brooks is engaged in business with his father. Selden Connor, who is now pension agent at Augusta, Me., married Henrietta W. Bailey, of Wash- ington, D.C. They have had three children- Mabel, Rosamond, and one that died in in- fancy. Lindia A., Mary Elizabeth, and Lucia H. Connor reside with the subject of this sketch.
Virgil R. Connor acquired his elementary education in public and private schools in Fairfield. He subsequently attended the West- brook Seminary, the Highland Military Acad- emy at Worcester, Mass., and Phillips Exeter Academy at Exeter, N.H. He then entered Harvard College, where he was graduated in June, 1871, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1872 he became interested in the lumber industry as a member of the firm of V. R. Connor & Co. Lumbering engrossed the chief attention of the concern until 1898, in which year that business was sold. Since then, under the same firin name, Mr. Connor
has been engaged in real estate operations, agriculture, and stock-breeding. He has about one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, and his stock consists mainly of registered Durham cattle. He is a director of the Fair- field National Bank, and for a number of years served as clerk of the board of directors. He was one of the promoters and is the present business manager of the Summit Springs Water Company; a promoter of the former Fairfield Textile Mill, now occupied and owned by the American Woollen Company; and a promoter of the Fairfield Electric Light Company, one of the first central lighting plants in the State of Maine. He was a member of the board of managers and active in carrying out the plans for the construction of what was formerly known as Fairfield Hall, owned and controlled by the Fairfield Hall Association, and now known as the Fairfield Opera House. He was also pron- inent and influential in the building of the plant occupied by the Whittemore Furniture Company at Fairfield, Me., which was finally burned down; and he is now a member of the board of directors of the Kennebec Water Dis- trict.
Mr. Connor is a Republican in politics. A public-spirited man, he has given freely of his time and energy to the public service. In 1872 and 1873 he was on the school board of the town, and in 1883 he was State Senator of Somerset County. He is a member of the Universalist Church of Fairfield, of the Sunday- school of which he has for a number of years been superintendent. His marked success in life has been gained through sheer force of his own native talent and ability, exercised in accordance with the strictest principles of honor and integrity, and he has long enjoyed in a high degree the confidence and esteen of his fellow-townsmen.
AMES OWEN BUTMAN, who has been profitably engaged in farming and fruit growing in the town of Readfield, Kennebec County, since 1866, was born in Vassalboro, Me., September 7, 1836. His father was Thomas Butman, a native of New Hampshire and a farmer and shoemaker by
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occupation, who resided in Vassalboro for a number of years, and who removed to Augusta, Me., in 1847. The Butmans were at one time members of the Society of Friends.
The subject of this sketch resided in his native town of Vassalboro until 1847, at which time, being then eleven years old, he removed with his father to Augusta, Me. His mother, Rebecca Robinson, daughter of Joseph Robin- son, had died when he was but two years oldl. He completed his formal education in the pub- lic schools of Augusta, ineluding the high school. Brought up to agricultural pursuits, he fol- lowed farming and dairying for some years in Augusta. In 1866, a few years after his marriage, he came to Readfield, where he has since been engaged in general agriculture and fruit growing. He raises some thirty varieties of apples, making a specialty, however, of Baldwins and russets. A thorough practical farmer and orchardist, he has met with well- cleserved success, and is now numbered among the prosperous citizens of the town.
Mr. Butman was married January 2, 1859, to Ellen Hilton, who was born in Augusta, Me., a daughter of Captain John and Mary (Ingham) Hilton. Mrs. Butman's parents at one time resided in Readfiekl, but subsequently removed to Augusta. Her father, familiarly known as "Captain" John Hilton and by oe- cupation a ship carpenter, died in 1859, the year of his daughter's marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Butman have two children: Lizzie E., wife of Frank Rollins, a well-known educator of New York City; and James Warren, a graduate of the civil engineering department of the University of Maine, at Orono, Me. Mr. and Mrs. Butman are members of Readfield Grange, No. 217, P. of H., of which Mr. Butman was Master for several years. He belongs also to Lafayette Lodge, F. & A. M., of Readfield, of which he has been Master. He is a steward in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which both he and his wife are members. They also attend the Sunday-school, of which he was at one time superintendent. He has been a Selectman of the town, serving for three years, two of which he was chairman of the board, and he has always been ready, with his vote, influence, or personal service
to help the cause of good local government. Mr. and Mrs. Butman have a large acquaintance among the townspeople, and their pleasant home is often the scene of social gatherings, where all find a genuine New England hospitality.
HILIP HENRY COOMBS, city engi- neer of Bangor, was born in this city, December 24, 1856, son of Philip and Sarah F. (Woodhull) Coombs. On the paternal side he is a descendant in the sixth generation of Philip Coombs, a native of the Island of Guernsey, who settled in Newbury- port, Mass. The line is Philip,1 William,2 Philip,3 Philip Henry,+ Philip," Philip Henry."
In the memorial church at Stratford-upon- Avon, England, there are tablets in memory of various members of the Coombs family, to- gether with the coats-of-arms denoting their achievements in days of chivalry. One of them is to John Combe, Esq., who is said to have been an intimate friend of Shakespeare, and whose epitaph gives the date of his death as July 10, 1614, recording his acts of charity, and coneluding with the Latin inscription, "Virtus post funera vivit."
Philip! Coombs, the New England immigrant, married some time before March 12, 1739, Lydia Johnson, daughter of William Johnson, a noted ship-builder of those days, whose will, dated March 12, 1739, left this daughter certain leg- acies. Philip Coombs was a ship carpenter, and probably worked in the Johnson yard, helping to spread the fame of the Merrimac built ships through the maritime world. In 1756 he and his son William, who also was brought up a carpenter, went with Stephen Cross, his nephew, and thirteen others from Newburyport, to build boats on Lake Ontario for the colonial government, and with his com- panions was taken prisoner at the surrender of Fort Oswego. Carried to France, he . there proved of much service to his fellow-prisoners, owing to his knowledge of the language, a dia- leet of which is used in Guernsey. Here, how- ever, with others of the company, he fell a victim to an epidemic of small-pox, dying at Dijon, January 22, 1757. He was a man noted for his strict piety, having been converted under the
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preaching of Whitefield, which so impressed him that for months he did not go to his work; and he became one of the founders and pillars of the Presbyterian church. His observance of the Sabbath was marked by a more than Jewish strictness, for he closed the shutters of his house and took little or no food; and it was his custom to remain in church for some time after the congregation had left, in order that his meditations might not be disturbed. His house was a place of weekly prayer-meeting, and he never left town on business without placing his hand on the head of his son William, and praying over him. On his voyage to France, a prisoner, through his influence the ship's steerage was divided into two apart- ments, and the soldiers belonging to a company on board, who had given evidence of profane and loose habits, were not allowed to mingle with the Newbury carpenters, "their conduct being such," says Stephen Cross's journal, "that there was no sympathy between us, though we were fellow-sufferers." A firm Protestant, he refused the Catholic sacraments, and his dying act was to push away the crucifix held to his lips by a ministering priest. However we of the present day may regard his doctrinal views, we cannot but admire his intense devo- tion to his convictions, his inflexible consistency, and his irreproachable character, which, with the sterner qualities already mentioned, united great generosity to the poor and universal kindness to all, so that he won the admiration even of his jailers, who spoke of him as the good Mr. Coombs.
His children were as follows: William, who will receive further mention in this article; Betty, who married William Bartlett, Esq .; John, who became a shipmaster and one of the leading West India merchants of Newbury- port; Lydia, who became the wife of William Knapp, the caulker; and Molly, who married Benjamin Knight, a ship carpenter of Ship Street.
William2 Coombs from his earliest youth evi- denced a peculiar and superior mind. Though not becoming a member of the church until reaching middle age, he had from early child- hood the religious inclinations of his father, which he carried with him wherever he went, main-
taining daily prayers on board the vessels he conananded-a rare practice, indeed. Like his father, he was a strict observer of the Sabbath, and in his justice, gentleness, generosity, and goodness an example for all. At first a car- penter, he afterward spent twenty years at sea, and then settled down to mercantile life for the remainder of his days. Of an inquiring mind, he had a wide acquaintance with books: and his zeal in the cause of education was of great benefit to the town. For many years on the School Committee, he was largely instru- mental in bringing the schools of Newbury- port into a condition of efficiency and excel- lence that acquired for them the reputation of being the best in the State. He was also a trustee of Dummer Academy, and a founder of the Massachusetts Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. He was an active presi- dent of the Merrimac Bible Society, the pro- jector and for many years president of the Marine Society, and a vice-president of the Humane Society. What he encouraged in others through this last society he was willing to perform himself. This was evidenced when he was seventy-six years old by his jumping into the river to rescue from drowning a boy, William Plumer, afterward a well-known sea- captain. For this gallant act he received a gold medal. He took an active and useful part in the improvement of the town and harbor, seeing to it that buoys were kept in the river and lights on Plum Island for the safety of vessels, encouraging and superintending the erection of the Essex Bridge, which was the wonder of the day, and performing faithful service in the Legislature and in various other trusts. His patriotism, of no limited or sec- tarian type, embraced the country at large. At the commencement of the Revolutionary War, seeing how destitute the country was of arms and ammunition, and how ill prepared it was for the contest it was engaging in, he volunteered his personal services to bring mu- nitions of war from the French island of Guad-' aloupe, and successfully performed this mis- sion at the risk of life and property, asking no recompense of the authorities. He afterward served on the Committee of Safety and Corre- spondenee until regular government was fo-
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stored. His home, a brick mansion, looking down on the wharf which he personally assisted in building, was a fine edifice for the time, and the scene of a genuine old-time hospitality, regulated by the most correct taste; and here he maintained to the last the character of an old-time country gentleman, persevering even in the old-fashioned dress of our Revolutionary forefathers after the younger generation had adopted more modern styles. Of a fine form and handsome countenance, this costume well became him: and his associates were accustomed to declare that no one excelled him either in personal appearance or in the goodness of his heart and life. He died in 1814 at the age of seventy-eight years.
William Coombs had twelve children, most of whom died young. At their death he wore no mourning, having entered into an agreement with other leading citizens to set the example of dispensing with it, clothing being expensive and the custom burdensome to the poor. One of the surviving children, Jane, who married Ebenezer Greenleaf, and who lived to the age of eighty-five years, was noted for her fervent piety, good works, and saintly life.
Philip3 Coombs resembled his father in per- sonal appearance, and was like him a merchant. He also lived to the same age-seventy-eight years. About. 1810 or 1811, with the Hon. Jeremiah Nelson and others, he explored the Penobscot country, and, foreseeing its impor- tance and speedy settlement, determined to migrate thither, which he did, becoming one of the founders of the present city of Bangor. At one time he and Captains Wyatt and Hol- land, of Newburyport, owned a large portion of what is now the second city in Maine. His business was finally ruined, owing to the loss of several vessels laden with flour, which were taken by the French. In the years of his pros- perity he gave the "Common" (now its best park) to the city of Bangor, and a thousand dollars to the seminary at its establishment. He inherited and perpetuated the general traits of character of his paternal ancestors, his chil- dren being well endowed mentally, physically, and morally.
Philip Coombs died of apoplexy, November 13, 1848. His wife Elizabeth, who was daugh-
ter of Benjamin Harrod of Newburyport, died January 21, 1850, aged seventy-five years and four days. Of their six children four reached adult age, namely: Mary Jane, who was the wife of Frederick Hobbs, Esq., of Bangor; Philip Henry, further reference to whom will be found elsewhere in this article: John James, who died in California, leaving a wife and one child, Pierre Le Breton Coombs; and William, who was active in the practice of Civil Engineering and Surveying in Maine during his life. He married a native or resident of Greenfield, N.H., and had two children, William and Elizabeth. Pierre Le Breton Coombs, above named, mar- ried Mary Dodd, daughter of Theodore Dodd, and had two children, Theodore and Lena.
Philip Henry Coombs, grandfather of the present bearer of that name, was born in New- buryport, Mass., in 1804, and died at the age of sixty-seven years, November 22, 1871. His wife, Elizabeth W. Boardman, of Newburyport, was born in 1805 and died at the age of 67 years, September 4, 1873. They had five chil- dren, but two of whom reached maturity: Frederick Hobbs, for many years one of the leading Civil Engineers in Maine, who died De- cember 16, 1887; and Philip,5 who is next in this line of descent.
Philip5 Coombs was born in Bangor, Me., August . 5, 1833. Making choice of business pursuits, he became a book-keeper, which oc- cupation he has since followed, being now a resi- dent of his native city. He married January 3, 1856, Sarah F. Woodhull, who was born in Thomaston, Me., a daughter of the Rev. Richard and Sarah (Forbes) Woodhull. Her parents were married in 1829. Her father died in Ban- gor, November 12, 1873, aged seventy-one years. Born in Fairfield, Conn., he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1827, and subse- quently from the Bangor Theological Seminary. He was ordained minister of the Congregational Church of Thomaston, Me., July 7, 1830; and removed to Bangor in 1855. He was treasurer of Bangor Theological Seminary, and a member of the board of overseers of Bowdoin College. His wife. Sarah Forbes, born March 11, 1809, was the fifth child and eldest daughter of Cap- tain William Forbes, a native of Westboro, Mass. (born March 27, 1763; died May 15,
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1843), and son of Daniel and Persis (Crosby) Forbes. Daniel Forbes moved to Brookfield while his son William was young. The latter after he grew up established himself as a mer- chant in Greenfield, Mass., where he prospered until ruined by the embargo. Moving to Ban- gor in 1799, he bought the Jedediah Preble Truck house (which was the first farmhouse erected there), and was postmaster of the city in 1804, keeping the office at his own house above-mentioned, which stood near the water works. He held inany local offices, and was one of the founders of the Unitarian Society in Bangor. He married March 1, 1794, Lucy, a daughter of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Martin) Griffin, of Hampton, Conn., born July 21, 1779. She died April 23, 1850, having been the mother of seven children. The children of Philip and Sarah F. (Woodhull) Coombs, all born in Ban- gor, were as follows: Philip Henry, whose name begins this article; Sarah Harrod, born April 1, 1859, who died in August, 1860; Eliza Board- man, born January 31, 1861, who is the wife of the Rev. James D. Smiley, of New Haven, Conn .; Mary Woodhull, born November 15, 1862, wife of Frederick N. Brown, M.D., of Providence, R.I., who has two children-Caroline, born May 20, 1867, who married Henry A. Kelly, of Bangor, and whose children are Henry and Frances; and Helen, born March 28, 1868, who is unmarried.
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Philip Henry6 Coombs, after attending the public schools of Bangor, studied civil engineer- ing under his uncle, Frederick Hobbs Coombs. On the latter's death, in 1887, he succeeded to his business, which he has since continued with much success. He has served about thirteen years as City Engineer of Bangor. Having been assistant engineer from 1875 to 1SS3. he was elected City Engineer, and thus served from 1883 to 1894, when he resigned. He was re-elected in 1899 for one year, and again in 1901, since which time he has continued to hold the office. From 1883 to 1893 he was Superin- tendent of Sewers of Bangor. In politics he is a steadfast Republican. As a Free Mason, he is a Pastor of Rising Virtue Lodge, F. & A. M .; Past High Priest of Mt. Moriah Chapter, R. A. M .; Past T. I. Master, Bangor Council, R. & S. M .; Past Commander Saint John's
Commandery, K. T.,-all of Bangor: and he has also taken the Scottish rites, including the thirty-second degree. He is likewise a member of the Bangor Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Coombs married, February 1, 1883. Millie M. Field, daughter of Samuel B. and Mary Proctor (Burr) Field, of Bangor. He has two children, both born in Bangor: Grace Fieki. September 6, 1886; and Leola Woodhull, March 10, 1889.
OAB W. PALMER, a retired business man of Bangor, was born in Lincoln County, Maine, March 10, 1821. His parents, Elisha and Sarah (Rollins Pahner, had six children, three sons and three daughters, of. whom Joab W. is the only survivor. The father, Elisha Palmer. was a lifelong resident of Lincoln County. where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Joab W. Palmer remained on the home farm until he was fourteen years old, when he came to Bangor, where he completed his education. Establishing himself in business on his own account in 1842, as a lumber man- ufacturer and dealer, he continued thus en- gaged for more than half a century. In fact. he was connected with the lumber business from the time he was fourteen years of age until he was seventy-four. From 1862 until 1876 he employed from two hundred to two hundred and fifty men every working day in the year, cutting and manufacturing spruce. pine, and hemlock lumber. For twelve years he was president of the Penobscot Lumbering Association and Boom Company, which em- ployed about three hundred men during the summer season. He was also president of the Mattawamkeag Log Driving Company, which employed one hundred men; and he was like- wise prominent in various other operations. For four years he was Collector of the Port of Bangor. Diligent and capable, he attained an honorable success that enabled him in 1596 to retire from active pursuits with a competency. As a politician, he has been loyal to the princi- ples of the Republican party since its forma- tion, and has faithfully performed the duties
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devolving upon him in an official capacity. For two years he served the city of Bangor as Alderman, for five years he represented this city in the State Legislature, and for two years he was State Senator. He attends the Third Congregational Church, and in 1902 was one of the building committee that superintended the erection of its new and beautiful house of worship.
Mr. Palmer married first, in 1846, Betsey S. Hinman, of Bangor, Me., a daughter of the late Rev. William and Susan (Stinchfield) Hinman. She died in early life, and Mr. Palmer subse- quently married her sister, Susan H. Hinman. Their father, the Rev. William Hinman, was formerly a Baptist minister in Bangor. Mr. Palmer by his first wife had three children - Walter E., Charles F., and one that died in childhood. Walter E. Palmer, who was born in Bangor, is now Deputy Collector of Customs at Vanceboro, Me. He married Abbie Catonaud, of Bangor, and has three children-William W., Richard H., and Josephine. William W., an insurance agent in Bangor, married Eliz- abeth Boutelle, daughter of Congressman Bou- telle, of Maine. They have two children -Addison Boutelle and Elizabeth Boutelle. Richard H. is connected with the Bangor & Aroostook Railway Company as director of excursions. Charles F. Palmer, the youngest son, resides in California, where he is engaged in business as an insurance agent and a broker. He married Minnie Dole, a native of Massa- chusetts. Mr. Palmer has no children by his second marriage. Mrs. Palmer is a member of the Third Congregational Church.
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