AUGUSTA – Samuel Schoppee Silsby Jr., a longtime resident of Augusta, died at his home, with his family by his side, on Nov. 17, after a long illness.

He was born in Bangor, on Dec. 13, 1927, to Samuel S. Silsby M.D., and Ella Shorey Silsby, the oldest of five sons. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1949 from the University of Maine at Orono, and his law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1952. He served in the U.S. Army until 1954.

On Jan. 17, 1953, he married Frances E. Litchfield of Ellsworth. They were married for 55 years.

He had a long career in state government, serving as the assistant director of legislative research, and later as Maine’s first state archivist from 1966 until he retired in 1978. He was nationally recognized in his profession for his expertise in the management and preservation of public records.

He was an avid student of American and English history, and of the Silsby family genealogy. He was a passionate and lifelong collector of books and old hand tools. He was devoted to his family and to his pets.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Carolyn Silsby and her partner, Stanley Piecuch, of Camden, Joanna Wallingford and her husband, Mark, of Auburn and Nancy Owens and her husband, Scott, of Gorham; son, Samuel Silsby III and his wife, Victoria, of Manchester, Vt; 11 grandchildren; his brothers, James Silsby and his wife, Elizabeth, of Ellsworth and David Silsby and his wife, Eleanor, of Manchester; and a large extended family.

He was predeceased by his brothers, Carl Silsby and Paul Silsby.