Person Page - 850

     Sarah Mary Hull was born in July 1835 at NY.^1,2 She married Irving H. Holcombe, son of Albern Holcombe and Elizabeth Thomas, in December 1853.² Sarah Mary Hull died in January 1907 at age 71.²

Sarah's mother died when she was an infant, her father when she was four. A surgeon in the days when nothing was known of asepsis or antiseptics, he pricked his finger during an autopsy and said, "In four days I'll be a dead man!" He was, too. Don't remember hearing what happened to Sarah and Charles, but when Mary was 12 years old Charles died and she fainted at the grave after the fashion of the day.

It was probably then that she went to live with "Uncle and Aunt Carver" whose portraits are still at Acidalia. apparently they were "wealthy" people and that may have been why the did not favor Irving Holcomb as their niece's suitor. The Benjamin Carvers had two sons, Frank and another, perhaps Benjamin also. And four daughters who became Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Leiter, Mrs. Remington, and Mrs. Campbell. Captain Campbell and his wife lived in England.

     Admiral Harold Romeyn Holcombe was born on 18 October 1896 at Oconomowoc, Waukesha Co., WI.^2,3 He was the son of William George Holcombe and Clara Alice Sears.² Admiral Harold Romeyn Holcombe married Mildred Gould Kuck in 1921.² Admiral Harold Romeyn Holcombe died on 6 January 1985 at Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., CA, at age 88.^2,3 He was buried at Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego Co., CA; Section L, Lot 180.³

From the LA Times 13 January 1985:

Headline: Adm. Harold R. Holcomb, 33-Year Veteran, Dies

January 13, 1985 - Harold R. Holcomb, a retired rear admiral who began his naval career as an enlisted man in World War I and ended it 33 years later as a combat veteran of both the Pacific and European theaters, died Sunday in Pasadena.

He was 88 and moved to this area from Arizona in 1979, shortly after the death of his wife. He had been a justice of the peace in Scottsdale and purchasing agent and hospital administrator for Maricopa County while there.

Holcomb retired from the Navy in 1950, ending a career that began when he enlisted in 1918, was discharged after the Armistice and then reenlisted in 1919 as an officer.

Between wars, he sailed with the fleet to quell an uprising in Nicaragua, helped evacuate the victims and quell the fires that followed the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and commanded recruit regiments at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois.

As World War II neared, he was given command of a destroyer division transporting lend-lease supplies to Britain, but with the outbreak of war, he was sent to the Pacific, where he commanded Destroyer Squadron 2, a force of 12 ships involved in such battles as Guadalcanal, Midway and Coral Sea.

Five of the vessels were sunk during combat.

His ships also provided escort for the carrier Hornet, which launched the Doolittle bombing raid on Japan in April, 1942.

Holcomb returned to the European theater for the Normandy invasion, commanding a Seabee regiment. After the war, he became deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Germany, and commander of the U.S. Naval Advance Base at Bremerhaven, West Germany.

His survivors include a son, Lowell; a daughter, Cynthia Holcomb Hall, a member of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals; five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Even though Wisconsin state birth records show his birth on the 17th, the family celebrates on the 18th, and the SS-5 he filled out when registring for Social Security shows the 18th.

When he filled out that SS-5 on 9 July 1951, Harold was employed by the Arizona Janitor Supply Co., and he was living in Phoenix.

His son Lowell spoke at the funeral:


Cynthia and I would like to share some things about the life of our father, Harold Romeyn Holcomb. He had four basic life periods; the first one being his childhood from 1896 to 1916, then 33 years in the United States Navy from 1917 to 1950, a public service career in Arizona from 1951 to 1978, and his last life period in Pasadena living with Judge Cynthia Hall from 1979 to 1984.

Admiral Holcomb was born on October 18, 1896 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. His mother was a school teacher with a specialty in the handicapped. His father was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard who left for the Spanish American War when our father was 2 years old and never returned. Our father operated his grandfather’s farm at the age of 11 and 12. After his grandfather passed away his mother, Clara Sears, moved to Pasadena, California from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Harold graduated from Pasadena High School and attended the California Institute of Technology before his training was stopped by World War I. He was also a lineman for the Pasadena Electric Power Company and, as a boy scout, a standard bearer for the early Rose Parades.

In 1917, he joined the Army Air Service and later transferred to the Navy. After trying civilian life at the end of World War I, he took an examination and became a regular naval officer at about 1920. In 1921 he married Mildred Gould Kuck and started what was to become a fantastic marriage. In 1925, I was born and commenced basic training immediately. At a later date, which I am not allowed to divulge, Cynthia was born and somehow avoided basic training.

During the 1920s and 19309s, Lieutenant Holcomb served on submarines, minesweepers, light cruisers, heavy cruisers, battleships and fleet tenders under such officers as Admiral Spruance and Admiral Mimitz. He served on just about every type of naval ship except aircraft carriers. During his time he graduated from the Naval War College. In 1937 when the Japanese sunk the Yangtze River gunboat, the USS PANAY, he left with the Pacific Fleet Scouting Force from San Diego to attack the Japanese Navy but was stopped east of Pearl Harbor by the President. In 1939, he commanded a destroyer leader, and later a division of destroyers in the North Atlantic, fighting U-boats that were hindering the lend-lease supply system between the United States and England. When Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States entered World War II, he was in command of Destroyer Squadron II, known as “Destron II”, which was escorting Canadian troops to Singapore who were soon killed or captured upon landing. He then participated in raids on the Marshall Islands and Gilbert Islands. Next his ships attacked Makin, Lae, Salamana, Tulagi and participated in the battles of Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Midway and Santa Cruz. His ships saved the majority of the crews of the sunken U.S. aircraft carriers, LEXINGTON, YORKTOWN and HORNET. Destron II was the destroyer escort for Jimmy Doolittle’s famous Toyoko raid.

After the Aleutian campaign, Captain Holcomb was considered by the Navy Department too old for destroyers, so he was sent ashore to set up a Navy Supply Base at Londonderry, Ireland under the direct observation of the Germans across the Irish border. Since he was too old for destroyers, he participated in the Normandy beachheads on D Day plus 3 by landing with his Seabee regiment at Cherbourg. Captain Holcomb’s regiment advanced with General Montgomery’s British Army up to the Breman enclave where he received the German surrender. Next he organized and commanded the U.S. Naval Advance Base at Bremerhaven and then became Deputy Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Germany where he participated in distributing the remains of the Germany Navy amongst the allies. He retired from the United States Navy in 1950.

His next career was a public service career in Arizona, where he worked for 25 years and then spent 2 years taking care of our mother until she passed away in 1978. His first job was Maricopa County purchasing agent where he developed for the first time a bid procurement system and a hiring system by examination. This raised many howls but resulted in efficient procurement and lower costs to the taxpayer.

His next job was as Administrator for the Maricopa County Hospital. I was able to help him in this new career since I was in the Army at the Brook Army Medical Center in Texas where I was able to pass on all kinds of hospital administration data, and also was available on several occasions to inspect the County Hospital for deficiencies which he noted to his staff the next morning, much to their surprise.

The last 8 years of his Arizona career he was Justice of the Peace for two four-year terms. He was the first Republican to ever be the Scottsdale Justice of the Peace and was greatly assisted by Cynthia who provided him with the basic essentials of being a judge. I remember that he treated everybody equal, whether they were children of leading citizens or people from the other side of the tracks.

In 1976 he retired from Justice of the Peace work and took care of our mother.

His last career was in Pasadena where he lived with my sister, Judge Cynthia Hall, and her husband, John, who had an unfortunate airplane accident on October 16, 1980. You can imagine how active it must be living with Cynthia. He took care of the house, the yard the food, the cars, and the constant travel to and from airports. He had reveille at 0500 hours every morning and worked hard every day with not enough naps until he died on January 6, 1985, while fixing breakfast.

In summary, Cynthia and I want to say that he practiced strong, Christian principles; he was always giving. Another thing we noticed is that he never complained, which is something I will strive to copy but will never achieve to the level that he did. He was loved by his ships’ crews, his associates, friends and family. Above all, he was courageous. He loved a battle, but was careful and concerned for all. His message to us is – “full speed ahead, but steady as she goes, and may be God be with you.”.

     Hannah Elizabeth Easton was born in 1829 at Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY; GS. She married William Sheldon Holcombe, son of Albern Holcombe and Elizabeth Thomas. Hannah Elizabeth Easton died in 1912; GS. Hannah is recorded in the 1870 census of Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY, living with her two surviving sons, as a widow.

     Edward Braman Holcombe was born in January 1850 at Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY.² He was the son of William Sheldon Holcombe and Hannah Elizabeth Easton. Edward Braman Holcombe married Mary E. Crist circa 1875.² Edward Braman Holcombe died in 1915; GS.

Edward was recorded in the 1870 census of Cedarville, Litchfield Twp., Herkimer Co., NY, as a farmer, living with his widowed mother, Hannah and brohter, William Leland. He was a farmer and dealer in agricultural implements; served as a county Supervisor for Herkimer, 1891-2.


Edward and Mary were enumerated in the 1880 Litchfield, Herkimer Co., NY, federal census. He was a farmer, age 31, she was 27. Children in the household were Ernest 2, and Lillian 7 months. Mother Hannah, widowed age 51, was also in the household.

Edward B. and Mary E. were enumerated in the 1900 Tihaca, Tompkins Co., NY, federal census. He was a janitor, age 50, she was 47. Children in the household were Ernest S. 22, and Edith M. 15. Only 2 of Mary's three children were still alive; Lillie must have died before 1900.

     William Leland Holcombe was born on 28 August 1850 at Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY. He was the son of William Sheldon Holcombe and Hannah Elizabeth Easton. William Leland Holcombe died on 26 July 1872 at age 21; McPherson notes that the record of the death must have been meant as 1861, but then contradicts herself by noting that William was recorded in the 1870 census.

     Charles Fremont Holcombe was born in 1856 at Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY. He was the son of William Sheldon Holcombe and Hannah Elizabeth Easton. Charles Fremont Holcombe died in 1864; GS.

     Jennie Holcombe was born in 1858. She was the daughter of William Sheldon Holcombe and Hannah Elizabeth Easton. Jennie Holcombe died in 1863.

     Mary E. Crist was born in 1851 at North Winfield, Herkimer Co., NY. She married Edward Braman Holcombe, son of William Sheldon Holcombe and Hannah Elizabeth Easton, circa 1875.¹

     Lillian E. Holcombe was born in 1879 at Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY. She was the daughter of Edward Braman Holcombe and Mary E. Crist. Lillian E. Holcombe died before 1 June 1900.¹

     Edith May Holcombe was born in February 1885 at Cedarville, Herkimer Co., NY.² She was the daughter of Edward Braman Holcombe and Mary E. Crist. Moved to California and died there.

     Ernest Selah Holcombe was born in May 1878 at NY.^2,3 He was the son of Edward Braman Holcombe and Mary E. Crist. Ernest Selah Holcombe was graduated in 1901 at ME; Cornell University. He married Jane Willis Fleming on 15 June 1937 at Milford, PA. Ernest Selah Holcombe lived at Croton-On-the-Hudson, NY. Ernest served as a tester for the General Electric Co., Schenectady, NY, 1901-02; Asst. Engineer, 1902-06, Engineer, 1910-11. Westinghouse; lecturer, Electrical Engineering, Columbia Univeristy, 1906-07, electrical construction engineer, Interborough Rapid Transit Co., NY City since 1913. Office at 600 W. 59th St. NY City.

     Jane Willis Fleming was born February 3,1882 at Bayonne, NJ. She married Ernest Selah Holcombe, son of Edward Braman Holcombe and Mary E. Crist, on 15 June 1937 at Milford, PA.

     Silas Raymond was born in 1783. He married Philura Holcombe, daughter of Selah Holcombe and Sarah Wilcox, in 1809. Silas Raymond died in 1827.

     Albern Raymond was the son of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe.

     Daniel Raymond was born at Ilion, Herkimer Co., NY. He was the son of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe.

     Mary Raymond was born at Ilion, Herkimer Co., NY. She was the daughter of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe.

     Louisa Raymond was born at Ilion, Herkimer Co., NY. She was the daughter of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe.

     Lucretia Raymond was born at Ilion, Herkimer Co., NY. She was the daughter of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe.

     Elvira Raymond was born at Ilion, Herkimer Co., NY. She was the daughter of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe. Elvira Raymond married Walden Wing on 12 January 1837. Elvira Raymond lived at Conocton, Steuben Co., NY. She was MIGRATION before 1870 at Geneva, Rollin Twp., Lenawee Co., MI.

     Walden was recorded in the 1850 census as a farmer. Walden Wing married Elvira Raymond, daughter of Silas Raymond and Philura Holcombe, on 12 January 1837.

     Stephen C. Wing was born on 13 June 1838 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. He was the son of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond. Stephen C. Wing died on 7 June 1846 at age 7.

     Oscar E. Wing was born on 31 January 1841 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. He was the son of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond. Oscar E. Wing died on 14 September 1842 at age 1.

     Philura H. Wing was born on 25 August 1843 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. She was the daughter of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond.

     Henry S. Wing was born on 8 April 1845 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. He was the son of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond. Henry S. Wing died on 11 May 1846 at age 1.

     Mary Louisa Wing was born on 9 October 1848 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. She was the daughter of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond. Mary Louisa Wing died on 12 June 1919 at age 70.

     Crosby W. Wing was born on 11 August 1851 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. He was the son of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond. Crosby W. Wing died on 9 June 1878 at age 26.

     Clarence was in the US Postal Service, Grand Rapids, MI, for 17 years. Clarence Oscar Wing was born on 19 June 1858 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. He was the son of Walden Wing and Elvira Raymond. Clarence Oscar Wing died on 28 December 1921 at age 63.

     Elvira Susan Wing was born on 21 December 1884 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI.² She was the daughter of Clarence Oscar Wing and Martha Lucretia Beal. Elvira Susan Wing married Rolin Wesley Shaw, son of Solomon Benjamin Shaw and Etta Ellen Sadler, on 24 May 1911 at Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI.² Elvira Susan Wing lived at Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI. She lived at Phoenix, Maricopa Co., AZ. She died on 5 January 1943 at Phoenix, Maricopa Co., AZ, at age 58.²

Elvira had traced her ancestry back to many different immigrants and held memberships in the Wing Family of America Association, and the American Legion Aux.

     Elizabeth May Wing died unmarried. She was born on 10 February 1899 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. She was the daughter of Clarence Oscar Wing and Martha Lucretia Beal.

     Clarence Walden Wing was born on 7 June 1892 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI. He was the son of Clarence Oscar Wing and Martha Lucretia Beal. Clarence Walden Wing died on 4 February 1893.

     Walden Thomas Wing was born on 8 April 1900 at Rollin, Lenawee Co., MI.² He was the son of Clarence Oscar Wing and Martha Lucretia Beal. Walden Thomas Wing died in September 1977 at Phoenix, Maricopa Co., AZ, at age 77.²

     Rolin Wesley Shaw was born on 17 April 1883 at Greenville, Montcalm Co., MI.¹ He was the son of Solomon Benjamin Shaw and Etta Ellen Sadler. Rolin Wesley Shaw married Elvira Susan Wing, daughter of Clarence Oscar Wing and Martha Lucretia Beal, on 24 May 1911 at Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI.¹ Rolin Wesley Shaw died on 10 March 1969 at Phoenix, Maricopa Co., AZ, at age 85.¹ Rollin served as a 1st Lt in the Infantry in the First World War and as a Major in the Quartermaster Corps in the Second World War.

     Henry Jackson Dewey was born on 6 October 1826 at CT.¹ He married Laura Searles. Henry Jackson Dewey died on 22 September 1913 at West Granby, Hartford Co., CT, at age 86.

     Laura Searles was born circa 1835 at MA.¹ She married Henry Jackson Dewey.

     Buell Taylor Holcombe was born on 30 March 1874.¹ He was the son of Chauncey Dayton Holcombe and Hannah Irene Buell. Buell Taylor Holcombe died on 2 November 1949 at Middletown, Middlesex Co., CT, at age 75.² He was buried at Simsbury Cemetery, Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.³

The proprietor of Twin Farms, West Simsbury, CT, and a breeder of thoroughbred Guernsey cattle.

     Stanley Sutton Shaw was born on 29 March 1912 at Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI. He was the son of Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing. Stanley Sutton Shaw married Mary Olava Melby on 7 September 1935. Stanley Sutton Shaw died on 25 June 1983 at Coshocton, Coshocton Co., OH, at age 71.²

Stanley served as a 1st Lt, QMC, in the 2nd World War.

     Evelyn Martha Shaw was born on 11 September 1913 at Phoenix, Maricopa Co., AZ.² She was the daughter of Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing. Evelyn Martha Shaw married Lee Elverton Munsil on 14 April 1932 at Flagstaff, Coconino Co., AZ.²

     Elizabeth Melissa Shaw was born on 19 August 1915. She was the daughter of Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing.

     Laura Grace Shaw was born on 5 November 1916. She was the daughter of Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing.

     Revelle Walden Shaw was born on 12 January 1919. He was the son of Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing. Revelle Walden Shaw died on 17 June 1919.

     Arthur served as a 2nd Lt. as an army fighter pilot in the 2nd World War. Arthur Fordney Shaw was born on 2 May 1920. He was the son of Rolin Wesley Shaw and Elvira Susan Wing.