The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-09
". R. ABERCROMBlE
Obsequies of Late Inventor Held at Bereaved Home Tn Presence of Borrowing Assemblage.

1 The funeral of William R. Aber- crombie, the well known inventor of the Singer Sewing Machine company. one of the largest that has been wit messed in this section for many months was held at 2:30 yesterday after noon from his home, 28 Putnam street, where a host of relatives and friends 1 with delegations from the Singer com pany, Harris lodge, |. O. O. F., and Bridgeport lodge, No. 36, B. P. O. E., to pay last tribute to their comrade and friend.
 I Rev. Frank c. Rideout, pastor of the Second Baptist church, off1ciated, pay ing high tribute to the qualities of the ldeceased. whose demise was so unex- I pected.
 I Of attractive personality and affable I in disposition, he made himself the centre of a large circle of friends, who will greatly miss his genial and enter taining company.
 He came to Bridgeport in 1881 from Scotland, where he had held 1 position in Her Majesty's Customs for some time previous.
 His connection with the Wheeler & Wilson Company began in the ear T ly 8a's under the Nate William Hay | don in the sewing room, and later in I the buttonhole machine department with his brother. c. M. Abercrombie, 1 where his adaptability to and ability 
 to the trade was taken notice of, and he was made the representative of i that branch, placing successfully many machines in territories extending from Bridgeport through New York State, towards Chicago in the South,4 in Fl Montreal, Quebec, and surrounding El adjacent states.
 His readiness to assinni1ate, and gain
 business friends made him a valuable
 and responsible representative of the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Go, and brought him into intimate and trespected association with the late Hon. Nathaniel Wheeler. who held
 him in high esteem, and later the
 same cordial feeling was extended Ito him by S. H. Wheeler. his son. Fl Of naturally observing nature,
 and quick to adapt himself to condi-
 tions and witha1 resourceful and in | genious, he became converSant with the
 Requirements of the sewing machine trade generally, and by meeting the needs of the various complications, he in the field which was large and var
 fed, and thus held under his super
 vision quite a variety of machines of distinctive types and capacity. Re liable and trustworthy, his advance nent to that Of an expert in the line \ of specialties wherein his natural con- structive capabilities were brought into service. he produced a variety of valuable accessories to the trade For the last eight years his duties
 have confined him to the factory, now
 the Singer Manufacturing CO, where
 he maintained the position which his |I native resourcefulness and continued
 applications to the object in view. had
 placed him.
 To the family. whose circle which,
 Poughkeepsie, N. r., has remained complete, the loss is very great and
 greatly deplored.
 William R. Abererombie was born
 in Oyster Bay, L. l., of Scotch par
 ents and possessed a sagacity of a peculiar nature that made his decis- ions of value and worthy of adoption,
 and so in the passing away of one so helpful and generous, of a sympathet- ic nature ever ready to assist helneedy a severe loss has fallen upon, the com trnunity wherein his lot was east, but
 most severely upon his beloved wife, Ida.
 He leaves in the city five brothers,
 John, c. M. A., A. V. A., T. r. A. and
 F. J. Abercrombie.
 Il Rarely have more beautiful floral
 tokens spoken Of the absence of a loved one than adorned the bier and | room wherein the casket containing
 the remains reposed. The impressive
 tribute of the clergyman left a deep impress upon his hearers Services 1 at the grave in Park cemetery were conducted by Harris lodge and the
 Elks. The Elks quartette sang three appropriate hymns following the rit- tualistie ceremony which was beaud-
 fully exernp1ihed. The bearers were fpersonaI friends selected from the two
 organizations with which he was iden-
 tided, Joseph c. Ivers, Charles J Mer-
 cer and James L. McGovern acting for
 the Elks.