Ellsworth American., 1912-07-17
CAPT. THOMAS rApLEy.
Death of Last But One Of the Nine
Tapley Brothers.

l
Tapley Brothers.
Can't. Thomss Tapley, OF West Brooks
willie, died early Monday morning, aged
eighty-seven years. He was the last but
one OF the nine Tapley brothers. all com
manders OF deep sea vessels, and known in
all corners OF the navigab blee globe, all oi
whom lived to retire from the sea to then
comfortable homes in Maine.
The only survivor is Capt. Georre III
Tapley, the veteran town clerk OF Brooks
Vile. The other brothers who "crossed
the barr in advance of Thomas were
Timothy, Simeon, Robert, William,
Jerome, Abram and John. There were
| two sisters, both OF whom are dead.
Thomas Tapley was born in Brooksville,
June %, 1925. He went to sea as boy,
| and at eighteen years of age was captain
of a coaster. A few years later he was
master OF an off-shore vessel. For forty
four years he followed the sea, visiting all
parts OF the world. The vessels he at
various times commanded were the
schooner Apis, the brig r. II. Moulton,
the schooner Phoebe Ann, the brig Beaver,
the schooner Hattie Anna, the full-rigged
brig Clara p. Gibbs, built originally for
the slave trade, and very fast; the
schooner Matte Holmes and the famous
bark Ironsides.
In all his long sea- fsring life Capt. Tap-
ley never lost vessel nor man, except
one sailor who was killed by fall from
aioft. His only serious mishap was in
his last command, the Ironsides, dis
masted in hurricane of the English
coast. Capt. Tspley saved the vessel. He
retired from the sea thirty-one years ago,
and had since lived quietly at his COM
Portable farm home in West Brooksviile.
Capt. Tspiey married Lucy Littlefield
wasson, of West Brooksville, who sur
wives him, on Aug. "a, 1851. They cele-
brated their sixtieth wedding anniversary
last year, when all their seven children
| with wives, husbands and seven grand
children, gathered at the old home.
The children are Oscar L., postmaster
and merchant, Of West BrooksviIle; Capt
Ira w. Tapiey, of Brooklyn, n. ". OF the
Old Dominion line steamship Princess
Anne; Miss Lucy II. Tapley, president oi
Il
| Spelman seminary, Atlanta, Ga; Mrs
Henry Smith, of Sedgwick; omar w
Tapiey, who is in the insurance business
in Ellsworth; DIR. Thomas s. Tapley, oi
fremont, and DR.. Eugene ID. Tapley, oi
Belfast.
Capt. Tapley was a member CT the
Congregational church, and a regular
attendant. lie was one OF those who took
his religion into his daily life, and Lived
| by the golden rule. He will be sincerely
missed in the community. The funeral
| was held at 2 p. m. to-day.
| Capt. George l.. Norton, of New York,
teditor of the Marine Journal, who made
his first sea trip with Capt. Tapley, in the
last issue of his paper, anticipating the
death OF Capt. Tapiey, said of him:
| Capt Tapley possessed heart to the limi,
Of capacity, and q love for the strugglins
| sailor boy that we never saw equaled in 4
| shipmaster. In csrrying out this, to him
| agreeable task, he never sacrificed one iota OF
discipline. He was n bold sailor and deyout
| Christian. Perhaps II is to his faith in and
| devotion to the Great Captain that his life
has been prolonged to the ripe old age OF
| eighty seven. May his end be peaceful and
| painless, is the sincere wish OF the writer.