31 October 2010

Lucy Merrill

Lucy Merrill (b. 8 Apr 1835) married Joseph L. Newcomb (b. 1840, BMN #1312) in 1867. Her obituary in the Boston Globe indicates that her first husband's name was McGee, whereas the old Newcomb books give it as McPhee. More research is needed.

27 October 2010

Joseph or Josephine Stubinger

Samuel Newcomb (BMN #296) was born 4 May 1775, the son of Cyrenius Newcomb (BMN #116, b. 15 Jan 1749). The old Newcomb books say Samuel's wife was Joseph Stubinger, but I wonder if  she was really named Josephine.

21 October 2010

Frank Turner Newcomb (1861-1930)

From Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties Connecticut (Chicago IL, J.H. Beers & Co., 1903):

FRANK TURNER NEWCOMB, who is a man of prominence and influence in both financial and political circles, was born Nov. 21, 1861, in Tolland, Conn., where the family had lived for several generations.

Cordial Newcomb, the great-grandfather of Frank T., was born in Tolland, and was a life-long farmer. His reputation as a man of an exacting conscience survives in the tradition that under no consideration would he accept more than twelve cents a dozen for his eggs. In 1824, 1826, and in 1835, he was a member of the General Assembly, and for many years was a selectman in the town. He married Mary Deming, and by her had the following family: William C., Eliza, Albert, Charles, Laura, Ralph, Samuel, and Henry.

William Crocker Newcomb, son of Cordial, was born in Tolland, Conn., Oct. 24, 1806, and he died there Feb. 4, 1864. In his younger days he was a school teacher, and he lived on the Willimantic river until 1838, when he removed to the Lord farm. An active and enthusiastic Democrat, he represented the town in the General Assembly in 1842 and 1843, and was senator from the old 20th district in 1859. For many years he was first selectman, and from time to time held various town offices. In 1807 [sic] he married Maria Trumbull Merrick, a daughter of Samuel and Olive (Greenslit) Merrick, of Willington. They had the following children: (1) William Burt, who became a prominent lumber and brick merchant in St. Paul, Minn., where he was associated with the firm of Griggs, Newcomb & Hills, married Emily Brown, and died in St. Paul in 1872; (2) John Mortimer, died in infancy; (3) Trumbull, born Nov. 4, 1833, died in Rockville, Sept. 5, 1881, where he was in business as a hardware merchant; he married Jane E. Keeney, a native of Rockville; (4) Loren is mentioned below.

Loren Newcomb, son of William Crocker and father of Frank Turner, was born June 5, 1836. He acquired his education in the district school, and remained on the homestead farm until the spring of 1865, when he settled on the old Paulk homestead, located about a mile and a half south of the Centre, and there he lived until the spring of 1901. The farm contained 144 acres, and Mr. Newcomb carried on in connection with his general farming, a dairy establishment, selling his milk during that time to the Vernon Creamery. Mr. Newcomb is a Democrat and cast his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas in 1860, but he is not a silver Democrat. He has served on the board of selectmen three years, and was assessor several terms. For one term he was on the board of relief, for two years held the office of constable, and he has also been justice of the peace and collector of taxes. In 1868 and again in 1883 he was a representative in the General Assembly, serving on the Prison committee in both terms. He was also a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1902. On March 5, 1857, Mr. Newcomb was married to Anna Turner, who was born Aug. 7, 1838, a daughter of Orrin and Lydia (Edgerton) Turner, of North Coventry. They were parents of three children: Frank Burt, born Aug. 18, 1858, died Feb. 7, 1860; Frank Turner and Anna T., born Sept. 10, 1867. Mr. Newcomb and his family attend the Congregational Church.

Frank Turner Newcomb was born in Tolland and received his education in the district school and in the Brookdale Academy, finishing in the Rockville high school. At the age of seventeen he began teaching in the 7th and 9th Districts, which were combined, where he was employed during the winter term of 1878. Then having opportunity to enter the Tolland County National Bank, he left the schoolroom to become the teller of the Bank. This was in 1878, and in 1884, he was made cashier of the Tolland County National Bank, and treasurer of the Savings Bank of Tolland, the two banks being conducted in the same building. Two years later the Tolland County National Bank suspended business, and since that time Mr. Newcomb has continued to be the treasurer of the Savings Bank of Tolland, which was given by the Legislature the privilege of doing a checking business, and is the only one in the State doing business on that basis. Mr. Newcomb has been an official of the bank for twenty-four years, acting first as teller and then as treasurer.

In 1887 Mr. Newcomb purchased the old Elijah Stearns homestead on Tolland Street, and here he has since made his home. The farm buildings and the family residence have been greatly improved, and the acreage increase by purchase, until now Mr. Newcomb owns 293 acres, having at his first purchase only thirty acres, but in 1902 he purchased all the real estate in Tolland formerly owned by Charles Underwood. He started a creamery in the fall of 1898, in connection with his farm, keeping about forty cows and shipping his produce to the Vernon creamery. On his farm is transacted a general farming business of considerable magnitude, and it is said that he raises more corn than any two other men in Tolland; he has the largest herd in this section of the county, having in addition to the cows above mentioned about thirty-five head of other stock. With his family he attends the Congregational Church of Tolland.

Politically Mr. Newcomb is a Democrat, and devoted to Jeffersonian principles as enunciated by that great leader. In 1884 he was appointed a notary public by Thomas M. Waller, Governor of the State. He was appointed county treasurer in 1887 by a board of Republican commissioners and has been re-appointed each time by a like board, with an exception of the year 1895, when the board was Democratic, and he is still holding that position. The same year he was appointed town clerk and treasurer to fill an unexpired term, and he has been elected to that position continuously since that time. He has also acted as school visitor and has been treasurer of the school deposit fund since 1888. He was appointed postmaster of Tolland by President Cleveland, but resigned after a three years' term on account of pressure of private business. In 1886 and 1887 he represented the town in the State Legislature, where he served on the committee on Banking. Mr. Newcomb has been chairman of the Democratic town committee since he was twenty-two years of age, or since 1883.

On Jan. 27, 1886, Mr. Newcomb was married to Addie L. Millard, a daughter of Milo and Lucy A. (Chapman) Millard, of Mansfield, Conn. They are the parents of the following children: Harry Arthur, born Dec. 8, 1886; Philip Trumbull, born July 3, 1888; Pauline Louise, born May 3, 1891; and Lilla Adelaide, born Nov. 1897.

Mr. Newcomb has been one of the most successful men of Tolland of later years, and he is in every sense self-made.

14 October 2010

Charles Henry Newcomb (1874-1947)

Reported by B.M. Newcomb and the Trapshooting Hall of Fame:

He started competing in 1901 and became one of the most prominent clay-target shooters in the early part of the 20th century, collecting over 1,000 prizes during his career.

1907, Member of winning team at Pennsylvania state championship; 1910,  World’s Championship Cup in Atlantic City; 1914, Indoor Championship, Madison Square Garden; 1915, Clay Target title at the Grand American in Chicago; 1915 and 1918, singles championship at Pennsylvania state tournament; 1917, Canadian National Exhibition champion; 1931 and 1933, doubles championship at state tournament; 1933, Pennsylvania state champion. He held the high state singles averages six times from 1913 to 1922; his 1913 average of .9527 was second in national ranking. Newcomb also led singles averages in the Philadelphia Trapshooting League four years between 1905 and 1915. He was average leader at several tournaments and clubs, including the Pinehurst Midwinter. Eastern Handicap, Westy Hogans, Southern Handicap, Boston Athletic Club, Quaker City GC, Penn Athletic Club and two state shoots. He was active in the Pennsylvania State Sportsmen’s Association and was one of the founders of the Quaker City Gun Club of Philadelphia in 1920.

Newcomb set two world records. In 1914 he broke 494x500 during a three-day tournament in Pittsburgh; and on July 7, 1916, he was part of a record-setting squad of 497x500, one better than the previous record set in 1907.

He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 1991, and the National Trapshooting Hall of Fame in 1999.

Newcomb was also a talented basketball player. He was a guard on the Camden Electrics team in the National League, the first organized professional basketball league.

09 October 2010

Gardner D. Newcomb

A reader named axybob wrote:

Gardner D Newcomb. He is my great grand father on my mother's side. Born in Maine, went to Ohio, enlisted in Co. 1, 62nd Regiment Ohio Volunteers, December 1861. Was wounded Fort Wagner S.C., honorably discharged August 24, 1865. I have copies of all of his military commissions as well as a photo of him. If anyone is interested to receive copies, I am happy to send through. His son was George Newcomb of Creston, Iowa. The only pharmacist in town.

06 October 2010

Fay A. Newcomb

Fay A. Newcomb (BMN #2586a) was born 27 Apr 1884, according to his WWI draft registration (which gives his middle name as Alva). According to B.M. Newcomb, he was born 25 Apr 1889, in Carrollton MO, the son of Matthew Dickey Newcomb (b. 12 Oct 1847, BMN #1518) and Aurilla Moulton (b. 29 Jul 1859).  However, he does not appear with them in the 1900 census, when he would have been between 11 and 16 years old. Their other children are listed. The 1900 census does list Alva F. Newcomb, born Apr 1888, living with his divorced mother, Ida M., in Carrollton, living with her family, the Chapmans. Missouri marriage records show a marriage between Matthew D. Newcomb and Ida W. Chapman 5 Aug 1877 in Carroll MO. The 1880 census shows Matthew D. and Ida M. Newcomb in Carrollton with their child Ona (one of the children BMN listed with Matthew and Aurilla) and an infant son. Were there two different Matthew D. Newcombs in the same area at the same time, both of whom happened to have a child named Ona, thus confusing B.M. Newcomb? Or did Matthew have two wives (possibly marrying one before divorcing the other)?

01 October 2010

Charles Newcomb (1818-1899)

B.M. Newcomb wrote: Soon after his father's death, Mr. Newcomb went to live with his aunt, Joanna (Newcomb) Jones of Holden ME. He moved to Orrington in 1837; in mercantile business for twenty-five years, following successful lumber business at E. Orrington; in 1861 moved to Brewer, where in partnership with Mr. Robinson he had extensive grocery and ship chandler business under firm name Charles Newcomb and Co. He retired in 1883 and returned to E. Orrington. In 1870 he represented the towns of Orrington and Brewer in Legislature of Maine.