VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
949
August 21. iS6i. in luiltimore, Maryland,
where he was educated, and as a youth
served an apprenticeship in the printing
office of the John Ryan Type Foundry, in
his native city. In 1882 he engaged in
business on his own account, making a spe-
cialty of newspaper and magazine printing.
To this he devoted himself most assidu-
ously, and in 1888 his health failed on ac-
count of over work. \\'hile recuperating he
was invited to go to Hampton, Virginia, to
help organize the Hampton Young Men's
Christian Association. In September of
1888 he visited Hampton, accepted a call as
general secretary of the Young Men's Chris-
tian Association, returned to Baltimore, and
disposed of his business, and on October i.
1888, was in charge of the association at
Hampton. In i8qo Mr. Gumming purchased
the Hampton "Monitor," a weekly news-
])aper, and re-entered newspaper work. In
1902 he established the Newport News "Ad-
vance," which was published at his printing
ofifice in Hampton. Subsequently the two
papers were combined in the "Monitor-Ad-
vance," and m 1903 Mr. Gumming began the
publication of a daily newspaper in Hamp-
ton, which continued for seven months,
long enough to satisfy the editor that
Hampton would not support a daily paper.
In 1896 he engaged in the real estate and
insurance business, still continuing the pub-
lication of his paper, but sold out the news-
jiaper and printing office when the "Daily
Press" of Newport News entered the field.
He first began making a specialty of city
subdivisions in August, 1897, when he pur-
chased a large tract, which was sold oft' in
city lots, and his enterprise was marked
with success from the first. A year later he
opened a branch office in Phoebus, Virginia,
and, seeing the necessity of advertising that
section, purchased the entire plant of the
\\ est Point "Virginian," which he moved
to Phoebus. There he began the publica-
tion of a weekly newspaper, called the Phoe-
bus "Sentinal," making the first issue,
March 4. 1899. Through his executive abil-
ity and influence the Phoebus Business
Alen's Association was organized in his
office, and the Bank of Phoebus was also
organized in his ofifice, where were held the
meetings of this association, which resulted
in the incorporation of the town of Phoe-
bus, in which Mr. Gumming took an active
part. He has taken an active interest in
every movement looking to the development
and uplifting of Hampton and the surround-
ing country. In January, 1907, he disposed
of his insurance business in order to give
his entire time to the development of a pro-
posed railroad connecting Old Point and
Washington, and to look after his interests
in the Peninsula Pure Water Gompany, of
which he was president, and the Public
Service Corporation of Virginia (which sup-
plies Hampton with gas), of which he was
vice-president. The financial panic of 1906-
07 swept away the financial agents of all
these companies, and Mr. Gumming again
resumed the real estate business, handling
only his own properties. He is interested
in agriculture, and has a large farm on the
outskirts of Hampton. His winter home is
on South King street, in Hampton, while
the summers of the family are passed at his
country place on Ware river in Gloucester
county, \'irginia. He is now guardian of
the heirs of the large estate of the late James
S. Darling ; has served several terms as a
member of the Hampton town council, di-
rector of the Bank of Phoebus, and treas-
urer of the Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation. He has been superintendent of the
Hampton Presbyterian Sunday school,
chairman of the Givic League of Elizabeth
City county, secretary and treasurer of the
Hampton Educational Association, and sec-
retary' of the Greater Hampton Association.
He is interested in sports of all kinds, and
is secretary and treasurer of the Deal's
Island Ducking Club, Incorporated.
Mr. Gumming married, in Hampton, Vir- ginia, October 14. 1891, Grace Darling, born May 28, 1870, in Hampton, died there, April 4, 1913. Children: Grace Darling, James Sands Darling, Mary Frances. Frank Darl- ing. Daniel Randolph, Hamilton, William McLean.
George Conquest Anthony, D. D. S. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of an English father, through his mother, Eliza Jane Arnold (Conquest) Anthony, Dr. An- thony traces descent to old \'irginia fami- lies, also of English descent. One of his ancestors, William Whittington, whose name appears on records preserved in the British Museum, was a captain of horse in the English Army of Virginia in 1664. An- other ancestor, Bartholomew Mears, served as a gunner on the Accomac Galley in war
