DEACON SAMUEL NEWCOMB was born December 20, 1813 in Shepody, New Brunswick, and died July 27, 1897 in Blenheim, Kent County, Ontario, Canada. He married ELIZABETH SCAFE December 01, 1840, daughter of JAMES SCAFE and ELIZABETH.

Children of DEACON NEWCOMB and ELIZABETH SCAFE :

OBITUARY:

Newcomb - Died at the home of his daughter Mrs. Geo. Morgan, in the town of Blenheim, Kent County, Ont., on the 27^th July (1897), Samuel Newcomb, in the eighty-fourth year of his age.
Deacon Samuel Newcomb was born in Shepody, N.B., Dec. 20^th, 1813. He came with his parents in 1834 to Harwich, Kent County, then Upper Canada, and settled on a farm on the Ridge Road, midway between Ridgetown and Blenheim, where he resided until 1880, when he removed to Blenheim. He married Elizabeth, daughter of James and Elizabeth Scafe, Dec.1, 1840. His wife's death was reported in the Baptist last February.

Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb had a family of three sons and two daughters. The sons preceded their father and mother. The daughters are still living. Mr. Newcomb was converted to God shortly after his marriage, having married a woman whose Christian life and great influence on him.

So zealous was he to follow the Master that he and his wife went to St. Thomas, a distance of fifty miles, to be baptized, there being no Baptist Church near. He with others organized the Palmyra Church. Not satisfied with this he worked at home for the conversion of souls and opened his house for worship, by which means the Harwich Church was organized, and by his untiring efforts it grew until it was divided into the Blenheim and Ridgetown Churches. He believed that the Lord's work required sacrifice and he showed his faith by his works, and we may say his giving was a joy to him. Although he gave a great many hundreds of dollars he always said he was not any poorer for it. He was a reformer in the true sense. What was a benefit for the masses it was his pleasure to labor for. He was a staunch temperance worker, and never tasted whiskey or tobacco. He was a subscriber for the Canadian Baptist from its first publication. He never gave up family worship on account of pressing business but always night and morning, when his family was with him, the Bible was handed to every one, each reading in concert. He never gave up this privilege, and when too weak to kneel he would sit in his chair and thank God for love and care. He was a man of strong constitution and never was in bed a day on account of sickness until two days before his death. He was a deacon for over fifty years, and was carried to the cemetery by six deacons, two of them being from Ridgetown; the others from his own church. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. J.B. Moore, assisted by Rev. Mr. Prosser of Ridgetown. The text was 2 Timothy iv. 7, 8. This being so very forcibly illustrated in his life made Paul's words very appropriate.
 

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Thomas H. Semelbauer / Kalamazoo, Michigan
February 14, 1999 / tsemelbaue@aol.com
converted to html Febuary 14, 1999, Ken Newcombe