Philbrook, Rufus B., 1832-1887

Philbrook and Hardy were hunting and trapping friends. Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, a Maine author, was daughter of Manly Hardy.

From the description of The letters of Rufus B. Philbrook to Manly Hardy, compiled by Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, ca. 1945. (Maine Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 475039112

Rufus B. Philbrook was a fur trapper and hunter from Maine. He was born around 1832 near Brownville, Maine, where his family ran the Philbrook shanty on the Nahmakanta supply road used by teamsters to carry supplies to lumber camps in the area. After the death of his father, Rufus Philbrook farmed in the summers and trapped for furs and killed moose for their hides in the other seasons. He became acquainted with Jonathan Hardy and his son Manly Hardy of Brewer, Maine, when he traveled to Brewer to sell furs to Jonathan Hardy. Over the years he became one of Manly Hardy's closest friends. Rufus Philbrook bought a house in Brownville, Maine, but sometime in the 1860s he moved his family to St. Anthony, Minnesota. There he hunted for a few years and then became a farmer. He married and had two children there.

From the description of Diaries, 1859-1867. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122940977