Spurling - Elmer Adelbert Spurling (1901-1984)

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Spurling - Elmer Adelbert Spurling (1901-1984)

Elmer Adelbert Spurling (1901-1984) was born on June 28, 1901 to Warren Albert Spurling and Ella Florence (Bulger) Spurling at Cranberry Isles, Maine. Elmer first married Hilda A. Bulger (1902-1987), daughter of Oscar Spurling Bulger and Millie Adell (Harding) Bulger, on June 28, 1922 at Cranberry Isles. Elmer married second Eleanor Gertrude Young (1908-1999), daughter of William A. Young and Lucinda (Stewart) Young. Elmer Adelbert Spurling died in February 1984 at Islesford, Maine.

Elmer’s father, Warren Albert “Bert” Spurling and a cousin by marriage, Irving R. Spurling (1894-1984), bought the Islesford Dock from Grace and Russell Hadlock in 1928. Grace was the daughter-in-law of Gilbert Theodore Hadlock (1837-1917), who apparently built the dock. Bert sold the dock to his son, Elmer, in 1949. Elmer sold bait and fuel from the dock, bought lobsters and ran a ferry and mail service.

"His [Elmer's father Warren's] boats included the "Vagabond," "Hobo,” "Rascal," "Eleanor G," and the Islesford Ferry. His wife Eleanor ran a snack bar serving steamed hot dogs and lobster rolls, home baked brownies, filled cookies, ice box cookies and gingerbread. A cooler in the office held soda bottles with caps displaying names such as Down East, Coca Cola, Fanta, Grape Nehi and Orange Crush. On the other side of the dock were huge wooden barrels of salted herring for lobster bait, and a small building known as the bait shed." - “Cranberry Report” by Barbara Fernald, The Working Waterfront site, 06/01/2009, Accessed online 12/11/12; http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Cranberry-Report/13171/