He was a "cooper", inventor of the "large oil barrell" (Desc. rec., Lois Oliver, Tarbell Martin, Frances Fleek, Who's Who in New England, 1938)

From His Obituary: "Titusville, Mar. 2, 1905, "Franklin S. Tarbell died at his home here last evening. He was taken sick while in Philadelphia during the holidays and was taken to Clifton Springs, NY for treatment. He was brought home about two weeks ago and gradually failed. Mr. Tarbell was born at Oxford, NY, October 21, 1827, and came to the oil country from Erie County in 1860, locating at Rouseville. He built the first wooden tanks for storing oil and carried on the business for ten years, with shops at Pithoe, Rouseville, and Shamburg. He was a producer along Oil Creek in 1867. He has resided in Titusville since 1869. He was for thirty years a member of the official board of the M. E. (Methodist-Episcopal) Church and a teacher in the Sunday School. He leaves a wife and three children: including William W., treasurer of the United States Pipe Line Co., with recognized ability."