The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-04-15
No Memorial Day Games.
obituary.
PerIeY Dodge Cummings.

In the brief obituary notice of Mr.. Cum.
mings in the PRESS of Monday. an error oc-
ours, which it seems proper to correct, also
to add few particulars concerning this old
resident. Perley was never connected in
business here with his brothers. For few
years he was of the firm of Cummings &
Littlefeld, who had a planning mill and pat
tern shop at che foot of Chatham street.
After the dissolution of that firm he carried
on business for himself as a machinist. pat
tern maker and inventor, until about five
years ago, when he concluded to take some
rest; but his vigor of mind and body was
unimpaired, and with Mr.. Conant since then
he has been engaged in perfecting various
inventions connected with corn-packing,
among them being the wonderful corD-
husker, entirely the child of his genius. His
many inventions in previous years, as well
as these, were of practical. labor-saving
kind, some of them freely given away by
him and others appropriated. so that he was
no exception to the rule that the real invent
or reaps but small harvest. Money getting,
however, was not the chief object in this
mans life.
The Cummings family is of Scotch descent !;
the first emigrant settled at Duxbury, Mass.
Daniel, the father of Perley, came to Free
port, Me-, nearly 100 years ago; he was a
Joiner by trade, but took up farming on a
large scale, at the same time carefully train
ing his sons in the use of tools, SO that they
eaiys BBfIYee ataB Baptist meeting house in
Ereerort, with little assistance in any way.
the father followed them; he died here about
1854 upwards of so, and leaving widow /;
his wife was a Dodge, of the same family
whence Abigail Dodge. better known as Gail
Hamilton, descended.
The children of Daniel were Clarissa, mar
ried Green Merrill Elizabeth, married Isaac
Randall, John B., Thomas, Freeman G., Per-
ley D., Daniel; Louisa, married William
Means; Mary, married Daniel Plummer !;
and Joseph. One son died in infancy Jo-
New Orleans; Louisa Means is still living
in Ohio, so years Of age, the only survivor of
this large family, most of whom reached
good old ages. Their grandfather died at 50.
Perley d. spent six years in Cuba. where
he became proficient in the Spanish tongue.
After he returned to the States he spent
some years in the Southern and Western
States, but finally came back TO Maine to
pass his days. About 1916 he married Anna
E;, daughter Of Edward Bugbee Of Boston.
died in infancy; the others being Edward B.,
civil engineer, of this city, and Alice E.,
wife of Frank K. Rogers.
Mr.. Cummings was close student all his
life. No branch of knowledge escaped his
researches. With powerful and accurate
memory, he was at home on all subjects. A
helper to his fellow men. he stinted not his
efforts to assist, without thought Of reward !;
he scorned base thoughts, lying tongues and
ignoble deeds;, passionately loved nature
and her marvellous and beautiful works, in
to which he prcbed deeply. He never wea-
ried in directing the attention and thoughts
of others to these ennobling objects; he
found his highest happiness in making others
happy. V.
Reuben Kent.
The death of Reuben Kent on the 18th
inst, removed one Of Portland's Oldest and
most respected business men. Mr. Kent was
the son of Reuben Kent Sr., and came to
Portland from Cape Cod in early youth, and
commenced an apprenticeship with Chase q
CORY, in the bakery business, in 1929. In
1886 he bought out the bakery on Fore street
and continued the business until 1886. when
he retired, having carried on the business on
his own account for fifty years, and upon
the same spot for fifty-seven years.
Few men in the past half century have
been found more regularly at their place OF
business, early and late, than Reuben Kent,
and few possessed more even demeanor
and affable disposition. Though of a retir-
ing and modest disposition, he was always a
pleasant and social companion. and enjoyed
the highest regard and confidence of the bus
mess men of the city. Mr.. Kent y was Sua
declined to accept further honors in the mu,
nicipal government. He was a member OF
the Board Of Trade, and also of the Maine
Charitable Mechanic Association, and for
merly of the old Mercantile Library Associ-
alton.
In all of his private, as we'll as in his busi-
ness relations, Mr.. Kent enjoyed the kindest
regard and highest respect of all who came
| in contact with him, and in his death good
man and Christian gentleman is removed
| from our midst. Mr.. Kent leaves widow,
one son, Edward W., and daughter to
mourn his loss. H.