serving as a member of the water commission at the time of his death and that committee prepared a lengthy memorial in his honor. In every home of the city where he was known — and his acquaintance was wide — the news of his demise was received with sorrow and regret. He had attached himself closely to his fellow townsmen not only by reason of his public activities but by those personal qualities which win warm regard and enduring friendship. He was a man of fine personal appearance — an index of the larger life and broader spirit within.
SUMNER J. BARBER, D. D. S.
Dr. Sumner J. Barber, successfully engaged in the practice of dentistry in Portland, was born in Potsdam, New York, October 24, 1841. He is descended from Thomas Barber, who came from England in 1635 and settled in Massachusetts. He served in the Pequot Indian war of 1637. His descendants are scattered all over the United States and the information comes from one of the name in Boston, Massachusetts, that his investigations show that there are more than forty thousand descendants of Thomas Barber alive at this date. Ira S. Barber, the father, was born March 4, 1806, and died December 24, 1876. He had for only a few brief months survived his wife, Mary (Wright) Barber, who was born May 4, 1806, and passed away on the lOth of March, 1876. Dr. Barber supplemented his early education by study in the Canton Academy at Canton, New York, completing his literary course by graduation with the class of 1862. A review of the field of business, with the object of selecting a line which he wished to make his life work, led him to determine upon the prac- tice of dentistry, and with this end in view he entered the Philadelphia Dental College, where he pursued the regular course to his graduation in 1870. Win- ning the degree of D.D.S., he at once entered upon practice, and steady, hard work has constituted the basis of the success which he has attained. In the meantime he had rendered active service to his country in the Civil war. In early manhood he became a member of Company K, One Hundred Six New York Volunteers, with which command he participated in the campaign of West Virginia. He was also with the army of the Potomac at Shenandoah, and in all of the battles fought after the spring of 1863, and was in the front when Lee surrendered. At the battle of Cedar Creek he rode twice as far as did General Sheridan in the line of his duty. Twice he was struck by pieces of shell, once at the battle of the Wilderness and again at Monocacy, but was not seri- ously wounded. He remained continuously with his command during the last three years of the war and made an excellent military record by his unswerving loyalty. It was after the war that Dr. Barber took up the study of dentistry, in which field he has now practiced for four decades, his ability gaining him wide recog- nition in a liberal and extended patronage. He has been a resident of Port- land since 1875 and ranks here with the able representatives of the dental science, having continuously kept abreast with the onward march of the profession as experience, research and investigation have broadened the knowledge and pro- moted the efficiency of its followers. On the 29th of August, 1873, in Rochester, New York, Dr. Barber was united in marriage to Miss Ellen G. Barton, a daughter of William and Abiah Barton anrl a descendant of one of the first missionaries of northern New York. Their children are : Alice, the wife of Louis R. Alderman ; Lieutenant John R. Barber, A.B.. U. S. medical corps; Fannie L. Barber, A.B. ; Alvin B. Barber, U. S. engineer ; Joseph L. Barber, A.B. ; and Helen D. Barber. That the Doctor is a believer in higher education is indicated by the excellent opportunities which he has afforded his children in that direction, and the family record is one which reflects credit upon his name. His religious faith is indi-
