Ezra S. Conner of the crew of the USS Constellation
Ezra served in the Navy from Penobscot during the War Between the States. (- "History of Castine - The Battle
Line of Four Nations," George A. Wheeler [Second Edition; Cornwall, NY: The Cornwall Press, 1922], list opposite Appendix.)
He was a seaman, following his father to the Grand Banks as a fisherman. He married in a double ceremony with his sister,
Elizabeth, at Penobscot before Justice of the Peace James Leach. His grandson Gerald reported that Ezra served on the USS
Constellation. (USS Constellation is a 22-gun sloop-of-war built in 1854. During the Civil War [when Ezra was aboard], the USS Constellation was assigned to the Mediterranean Sea where it showed the flag, maintained foreign relations, and protected American commerce. In late 1864, the ship was briefly
sent to the Gulf of Mexico. Upon arriving in the Gulf it was inspected by Adm. David G. Farragut who ordered the ship to
return to Norfolk. The ship did not participate in the blockade of the southern coast. USS Constellation is the last all
sail warship built for the US Navy, and the last vessel active in the Civil War still afloat. She is also the last vessel of her type on the planet which participated in the suppresion of the slave trade from Africa. The ship's launching was
commemorated on a US postage stamp issued 29 June 2004.) His obituary reports: "Capt. Ezra Conner, after a long illness,
passed away at his home.... From a young man he has followed the sea, and was in the government employ for six years.
His later years have been spent on vessels coasting up and down the Penobscot river. ...He was a member of Charles Stevens
Post, Grand Army of the Republic.... The services were held at the Methodist church at 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon.
Rev. Mr. Lowell officiated."
Via email 26 Aug 2003 from Kennedy Hickman (khickman@constellation.org): "Our records, which are taken from the
US Navy muster rolls for the ship, show that an E.S. Connor, age 20, enlisted at Castine, ME, on Feb. 2, 1862 for a term of three years.
He is described as having blue eyes, brown hair, a ruddy complexion, and standing 5'5". He was given the rating of ordinary seaman,
meaning that he had been to sea previously either in the naval or merchant service. If you have any additional information regarding
Erza Connor, I would appreciate you sharing it with us. If you have any questions regarding the ship, please feel free to drop me a line.
Best wishes, Ken Hickman. Curator/Historian, USS Constellation Museum (Pier 1, 301 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202-3134
- http://www.constellation.org)."
Ezra married Ada Ordway 17-Nov-1867 in Penobscot, ME. She was b. ca. 1854, d. 9-Apr-1935.
Ezra's Parents
Father: William Henry (Jr.) Conner, b. in 1807, was a sea captain and fisherman. He d. 3-Oct-1884 in Penobscot, ME.
William's family history is given in "A Family of the Bagaduce: The Ancestry and Genealogy of William Conner, Jr....," by Albert E. Myers
(Harrisburg, PA, 1976). His middle name is Henry per plaque under his portrait in the Wilson Museum, Castine, Maine; this plaque notes that
Capt. Conner sailed clipper ships to the West Indies and other ports, and later sailed to the Grand Banks. He is not to be confused with person
of the same name in coastal Waldo County, Maine. The ship William H. Conner, built in Searsport, was named for this other William H. Conner,
who d. 13 Sept 1875 at age 57, resident of Belfast, ME, merchant and shipbuilder (m. Caroline R. Porter 22 Sept 1839, she d. 13 Sept 1875)
- the ship was the largest and last full-rigged ship built at Searsport [launched in June, 1877, 210' long, 40' beam, 24' depth, 1496 tons].
A fine description of fishing on the Grand Banks under sail is given in Chapter 26 of "Coastal Maine: A Maritime History," Roger F. Duncan
(New York: W.W.Norton, 1992). Also see "Maine Sea Fisheries: The Rise and Fall of a Native Industry, 1830-1890," by Wayne M. O'Leary
(Boston: Northeastern University Press). By 1860 Castine was the wealthiest town in Maine, due to its fishing fleet. He married Emaline Snowman
on 17-May-1829 in Penobscot, ME.
Mother: Emaline Snowman, b. 16-Jan-1811, d. 16-Oct-1880. Emaline Bank in the Grand Banks off of Newfoundland, a prominent fishing spot,
was named for her.
Further genealogy is provided by a family member: click here
His grandson Gerald reported that Ezra served on the USS
Constellation. (USS Constellation is a 22-gun sloop-of-war built in 1854. During the Civil War [when Ezra was aboard], the USS Constellation was assigned to the Mediterranean Sea where it showed the flag, maintained foreign relations, and protected American commerce. In late 1864, the ship was briefly
sent to the Gulf of Mexico. Upon arriving in the Gulf it was inspected by Adm. David G. Farragut who ordered the ship to
return to Norfolk. The ship did not participate in the blockade of the southern coast. USS Constellation is the last all
sail warship built for the US Navy, and the last vessel active in the Civil War still afloat. She is also the last vessel of her type on the planet which participated in the suppresion of the slave trade from Africa. The ship's launching was
commemorated on a US postage stamp issued 29 June 2004.) His obituary reports: "Capt. Ezra Conner, after a long illness,
passed away at his home.... From a young man he has followed the sea, and was in the government employ for six years.
His later years have been spent on vessels coasting up and down the Penobscot river. ...He was a member of Charles Stevens
Post, Grand Army of the Republic.... The services were held at the Methodist church at 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon.
Rev. Mr. Lowell officiated."