Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-05-05
.rN,,rscENcE OF LONG AGO.
Enown Family of Shipmasters
"e in the Early sixties.
,s.or the Marine Joar"at New York

-. post prosperous and eminent ship
sV'S SUI. a, New England. Cap. Lime
inner. who commanded the famous clip
ni, Great Republic, built by Donald
~ in East Boston just previous to
ss;y,l war. and the first four masted
'hs 80. huilt. was a native OF Brooks
vile. j, .
Next In proninence and later came the
,ranley brothers, VINO, II may De ssidt
- practically bora OF and on the sea.
60 we're eight in number, namely. Sim
Robert. Thomas, William, Abram,
o,orce Jerome and John Tapley, and
,sa;, photographs appear on this page,
ri,g heen taken at the old Tapley home
..sad West BrooksvilIe, in August, 1s9s,
go first reunion in forty-seven years,
"a tate decrsed it to be their last. AT
~. time they we're respectively Is, "a, u,
n 80. &c, 81 and 80 years OF age. Simeon
,.s the only landsman in this illustrious
group, having adopted the occupation OF
farmer. OF eight brothers there are only
,h,se living at present Thomas, George
and Jerome.
These hardy mariners had, during their
=, life. commanded first-class sailing
va.ssls and were part owners in nearly
sfot them. Capt. Robert Tapley during
ri. sea service was master OF the brig
po,ert Moore, bark Mark L. Potter and
.hin Hattie Z. Tapley, which was built
Tor him at Bangor in 1885,, Land which vessel
hs commanded until 1859, when he retired
from the sea.
Capt. Thomas Tspley's various COM
msuds were the briggs x. A. Moulton and
Beaver. the ull-rigged brig Clara Z.
G;hbs and bark Ironsides, from which he
retired in 1881. Capt. William Tapley
va. in the schooner Matte Holmes for
several wears, and in 1866 he left the sea.
Opt. Abram Tapley commanded the brig
Elmer and several schooners thereafter;
retiring in 1875, he located in Bangor, be-
coming manager OF the knickerbocker
Ice Co. e property on the Penobscot river
until his death in 1908. Capt. George
Tsuey began his career as master in the
brig Robert Moore, afterward the new bark
Ironsides, and later the ship Hattie 4.
Tspley, succeeding his brother Robert,
and he retired from the ship in 1882.
Capt. Jerome Tapley served as master OF
the briggs Abner Taylor, Nellie Clifford,
and the three masted schooner Lucy A.
Porter, from which he retired in 1892.
Capt. John Tapley in earlier life farmed
on the Tapley homestead in West Brooks
vile, caring for his aged parents and max
ing occasional cossting trips. Later in
life he commanded the schooner Kate
Walker and bark Ironsides, retiring from
the sea in 1880.
The father OF these strenuous sons,
Robert Tspley, was self-educated ships
easlker, and in the prosperous days of ship
building in Castine, just across the river
from where they lived, he and his brother
Job, winter and summer, would row those
two mile, to their work in the morning
and back at night, blow high or low, in
storm or in Sunshine, leaving home before
daylight in winter and returning after
dark
Those were the days in which New Eng
lands sons OF toll loved work, not only
for its money compensation, but to sat
isty the natural desire that existed in
them to be continually employed. Any
one who has had experience in the trade
Of caulking knows that it is one OF the
most back breaking jobs OF any in con-
nection with ship construction and repair.
notwithstanding this fact, il it was nee
cessary, after "Uncle Robert" or "Uncle
job had returned home from their hard
days labor over the river, they would
turn to and saw and split enough wood to
last the ever busy housewife the next day,
ana before retiring thank the Lord for
these blessings, which would be consid-
cred hardships by the wage-earner of the
present day.
The writer, then o schoolboy in the
same village, can remember envying these
townsmen the Drawn, muscle, energy and
ability they possessed with which to earn
sufficient means to provide for the needs
OF their large and growing families. The
1uil measure Of their reward for their in
dustry and frugality came afterward,
when these sons named above became
irons and mallet were relegated to the
attic, obsolete house furnishings con-
demned, new outfit purchased, the
iarder kept filled, and the old folks had
nothing to do in their reclining years but
watch and wait for the homecoming of
the "boys", whose inheritance from them
was rich in bright minds and sound
pooies, and in return they gave loyal SER
VICE and affectionate care to their parents
"usn their long, useful lives were ended
Inc editor OF the Ma inc Journal re-
ee'Ved his early sea training from four of
.ne brothers Tapley Thomas. George,
Horam and Jerome in different vessels
ouaet their command, and whatever suc-
oe's he may have had as seaman and
.'"'.er was to no small degree due to the
0aonings and example set him by these
oui saipmates, whose courage, ability,
uu superior seamanship made such an
:. IMPRESSION upon his youthful mind that
was impossible to do otherwise than
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