Introduction Dr. William Blanding, one of several Blanding family members to come to Camden from Massachusetts, arrived on the scene in 1806. His dental surgeon relative, Dr. Shubel Blanding, arrived in town by 1820 and will be discussed later in this column. William’s brother, Abram, preceding him in Camden in 1797, read law under Judge Joseph Brevard, and in the 1820s-30s, maintained a satellite law office in Camden.