USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > New Haven > A modern history of New Haven and eastern New Haven County, Vol. II > Part 40
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EDWARD L. NETTLETON.
Edward L. Nettleton, engaged in the brokerage and mortgage loan business, president of The Lomas & Nettleton Company of New Haven, was born in West Haven on the 5th of October, 1858, a son of Hezekiah Edward and Emma Smith Nettleton. The father was a native of Milford, New Haven county, and at the age of eighteen years went to West Haven, where he embarked in merchandising, in which line of business he continued nearly to the time of his death, or for a period of over fifty years. He passed away in 1899, at the age of seventy-two years. His wife was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, where she was reared and married, and she, too, passed away in West Haven, the year of her demise being 1906. In the family were four children: Edward L .; Harry E., also engaged in the brokerage business in New Haven: Elwood W., who died in West Haven at the age of eighteen years; and one who died in infancy.
Mr. Nettleton is descended from Samuel and Maria Nettleton, who arrived in America from England a few years after the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth Rock. Later generations fought in the Revolutionary and Civil wars.
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After a public school education, Edward L. Nettleton attended a private school, and later he took up active business duties in connection with his father and after his father's death disposed of the business. In 1899 he entered into partnership with Mr. John E. Lomas, establishing a banking, brokerage and mortgage loan business, which business is now con- ducted under the name of The Lomas & Nettleton Company, who specialize in the handling of mortgage loans covering Connecticut property. They are now one of the leading com- panies of New England in this line.
On the 4th of November, 1884. Mr. Nettleton was married to Miss Eva M. Thomas, of Rushville, Illinois, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey T. Thomas. After their mar- riage they resided in West Haven for some years and in 1905 they removed to New Haven. Mr. and Mrs. Nettleton are the parents of three children. Kenneth E. Nettleton, born in West Haven in 1890, is a graduate of the Yale Law School and is now secretary of The Lomas & Nettleton Company. He married Miss Charlotte Cook, whose father. now deceased, was a banker and manufacturer of Elkhart. Indiana; they have one child, John Edward. Don- ald E. Nettleton, the second son of Edward L. and Eva Nettleton, was born in West Haven in 1896. He is now a sophomore in Yale. Elwood T. Nettleton, the third son, was born in West Haven in 1899, and is now attending the Sanford School at Redding Ridge, Connecticut.
Mr. Nettleton is a member of the United church, and in polities he is a republican. Wbile a resident of West Haven he served for several years as a member of the borough board. Fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason. He has membership in the Quin- nipiac Club, the Knights Templar Club, the New Haven Country Club, the New Haven Lawn Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and other business and philanthropie organizations, and is prominent and popular in club circles. His genial qualities win him warm friendships which are maintained through the genuine worth of his character, while in the field of business he has displayed such enterprise and determination that difficulties and obstacles have been overcome and he has advanced steadily to a position which makes his opinion con- cerning the mortgage business largely accepted as standard.
ALFRED N. WHEELER.
Alfred N. Wheeler, clerk of the superior court and a prominent attorney at law of New Haven, was born in Southbury, Connecticut, January 2, 1855. His parents, Elisha and Elizabeth A. (Leavenworth) Wheeler, were also natives of this state, where their ancestors had lived for many generations. In fact the Wheelers were among the first of the colonists in Connecticut, and Moses Wheeler was one of the original settlers of New Haven, in 1638, and shortly afterward removed to Stratford. Elisha Wheeler, the father, was a well known citizen of New Haven county, where he spent his entire life, from June 16, 1816, to January 1, 1877. He was a prominent and representative citizen of Southbury ; was a member of the legislature and senate, and held many offices of trust in the community. His wife, who was born February 29, 1816, died in Southbury, February 3, 1905, universally esteemed and sincerely mourned. She lived from the date of her marriage continuously in the family homestead in Southbury, for a period of sixty-five years. They had a family of seven children: James L., Frances E., Martha E., Mary S., Ralph E., Henry S. and Alfred N.
The last named became a pupil in General Russell's Preparatory School in 1869 and entered the Sheffield Scientific School in 1872, and was graduated in 1875 with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. He next entered the Yale law department and won his pro- fessional degree in 1877. He then entered upon the practice of his profession in New Haven. He at once gained a good clientage and was recognized as one of the successful attorneys of the city, remaining in active practice until 1907, when he was appointed assistant clerk of the superior court, which position he occupied until April, 1912. At that time he was appointed clerk of the court and still remains in that office, and is ex- officio clerk of the supreme court of errors. His official term has been characterized by marked capability and faithfulness in the performance of his duties. He has filled various other public and private offices of trust. He served as assistant state attorney for New Haven county from 1896 to 1907. He has been a councilman of New Haven and a member
ALFRED N. WHEELER
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of its board of health, and at all times he has been most faithful to the many duties which have devolved upon him.
On the 30th of September, 1891, Mr. Wheeler was married in New Haven to Miss Lillian E. Wilson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elisha Wilson of Elizabeth, New Jersey. They have three children: Richard E., who was born in New Haven, August 15, 1893, is a graduate of the high school, of the Choate School of Wallingford and of the academic department of Yale University in 1915. He joined the United States Naval Coast Defense in May, 1917, was commissioned as an ensign in September and was then transferred to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, for further intensive training in naval warfare. Elizabeth C., born January 12, 1896, is a graduate of Miss Johnstone's School in New Haven and for three years was a student in the Westover School at Middlebury, Connecticut. She was married October 2, 1915, to William S. Innis of Providence, Rhode Island, and they have one child, William G. (II), born October 30, 1916. Alfred N. Wheeler, Jr., born July 30, 1899, at Woodmont, Connecticut, and graduated at the Choate School in 1917, prepared to enter the academic department of Yale University. However, he joined the Red Cross Ambulance Service and went to France and served there for a period of six months.
The parents and all the children are members of Trinity Episcopal church, and Mr. Wheeler for several years has been a vestryman and treasurer of the parish. He is a member of the County and State Bar Associations, of the Graduates Club, and other clubs and organizations. He is much interested in all those questions which have to do with good government and public progress and loyally supports men and measures adapted to accomplish these results.
EDWARD DENNIS SANFORD.
Edward Dennis Sanford is a well known contractor of Hamden and has occupied a prominent position in connection with public affairs of his community, having served for ten years as first selectman, in which connection he rendered most important service on the side of progress, advancement and improvement.
He was born in Hamden, New Haven county, October 28, 1859, a son of Dennis Samuel and Mary Elizabeth (Rogers) Sanford. The father was born at Hamden, where he spent his entire life, devoting his energies to farming and to the ice business, which he conducted on an extensive scale, selling to both the wholesale and retail trades. He died in Hamden, as did his wife, who was a native of Guilford, Connecticut.
Edward D. Sanford acquired his education in the schools of Hamden, where he was also reared to the occupation of farming, which he followed up to the time of his marriage. He then engaged in the ice business as a producer, supplying the product to the wholesale and retail trades of New Haven, but disposing of the business on December 1, 1917. He is still actively engaged in contracting and in trucking, operating a large number of auto trucks. He has the contract with all of the large mills and factories in Hamden for their trucking and his business in this direction has reached extensive proportions. He is equally well known as a road contractor. Each department of his business is carefully and intel- ligently directed, with a recognition of the opportunities and possibilities of the trade, and his interests are now large and important, ranking him with the representative business men of his community.
At Hamden on the 2d of January, 1879, when not yet twenty years of age, Mr. San- ford was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Broomhead Broadbent, who was born in New Haven and when seven years of age removed to Hamden with her parents, James Radcliff and Saralı (Rawling) Broadbent, who were natives of England and of Virginia, respectively. The father became a farmer of the town of Hamden and there Mrs. Sanford was reared. By her marriage she became the mother of a son and a daughter: Ralph Dennis, who was born in Hamden and who married Sarah Bradley, of Fairhaven, while in business he is as- sociated with his father; and Mabel Elizabeth, the wife of Wilfred Lagrenade, a well known jeweler of New Haven.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Sanford hold membership in the Hamden Plains Methodist Episcopal Vol. II-15
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church, in the work of which they take a very active and helpful interest, Mr. Sanford formerly serving as superintendent of the Sunday school, while at the present time he is financial secretary of the church. In polities he is a pronounced republican and is recog- nized as one of the party leaders in his community. He served as tax assessor for five years and for four years he was chairman of the republican town central committee. In October, 1907, he was elected the first selectman of the town of Hamden and by reelection was continued in that office until 1918, or for a period of ten years, in which he has made a most excellent record that has reflected credit upon himself and proved highly satisfactory to his constituents. As a selectman he put forth every effort to improve the district through the exercise of his official prerogatives. He built up the roads and instituted many improvements of permanent worth, the endorsement of his service and of his progressive labors coming to him in his frequent reelections. He displayed marked ability in that direction, taking cognizance of every public need and meeting it to the extent of his power.
EVERETT BRYAN CLARK.
Everett Bryan Clark, the founder and for many years the head of The Everett B. Clark Seed Company of Milford, passed his entire life in that town and was a descendant of one of the prominent families of Connecticut. His father was Bryan Clark and Everett B. Clark was reared at home and after completing a public school education turned his atten- tion to farming, which he followed until 1857, when he went into the seed business, being the pioneer in that line of activity in this part of the country. He recognized the demand for garden seeds of uniformly high vitality and as the seeds which he sold gave satisfaction the business grew rapidly. In 1862, however, his commercial career was interrupted by service in the Civil war, as he put aside all private interests and joined Company G, Twenty - seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, with which he was at the front for nine months. While guarding breastworks he, with other members of his regiment, was taken prisoner at Chancellorsville and spent the following night at Guiney's Station, within a few rods of the place where Stonewall Jackson breathed his last. Later our subject was forced to walk to Richmond, a distance of fifty miles, and for two weeks was in Libby prison, after which he was paroled and sent to City Point, on the James river, where he remained until mustered out of the army, July 22, 1863.
Mr. Clark returned home and engaged once more in seed raising, which he followed throughout the remainder of his life. In 1890 he was joined by his sons and the firm name became Everett B. Clark & Sons, which in 1897 was changed to The Everett B. Clark Seed Company. With the incorporation of the concern Mr. Clark of this review became president, in which office he continued until his demise. In 1905 he was suceeded in that office by his son Herbert A., with another son, Frederick M. Clark as secretary and treasurer. The incorporators of the concern were Everett B., Charlotte W., Herbert A., Arthur B. and Frederick M. Clark. The company has followed the policy of not only raising seeds of the most popular varieties of vegetables, but also of experimenting in new varieties and has been very successful in that line. The business is now of national scope and branch houses, growing stations and warehouses are located in East Jordan, Michigan; Green Bay, Wis- consin: St Anthony, Idaho; Bozeman, Montana; and Denver, Colorado. Especial attention is given to the raising of sweet corn, peas and beans and the business of each branch is most systematically managed. The company is one of the most important concerns engaged- in the seed business in the United States and it enjoys the highest reputation for reliability. The company now has eight hundred acres of land in Orange and its vicinity and the equipment for the raising, storing and distribution of the seeds is complete and modern.
Mr. Clark married Miss Charlotte C. Woodruff, a sister of Stiles D. Woodruff, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. She still survives and is highly esteemed by all who know her. By her marriage she became the mother of five children: Herbert A., de- ceased; Walter E .; Frederick M .; Charlotte MeDonald, of Omaha, Nebraska; and Arthur B.
Mr. Clark gave his political allegiance to the republican party and represented his town in the state legislature, in which capacity he did much effective and farreaching work for
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the public good. Pride in his town and willingness to work for its advancement were among his salient characteristics and he gladly cooperated with all agencies seeking the upbuilding of the community. He held membership in the Plymouth Congregational church and its teachings formed the guiding principles of his life. He was honored not only as a business man of unusual ability but also as a good eitizen and a loyal friend.
FRED W. COMSTOCK, M. D.
Dr. Fred W. Comstock, a physician and surgeon of New Haven, was born December 2, 1888, in New York city, and while still a young man he lias attained a position which many an older practitioner might well envy.
His father, Walter E. Comstock, was born in Essex, Connecticut, and belongs to an ancient and prominent Connecticut family of English descent. The grandfather, Merritt Con- stock, was a farmer by occupation and is a Civil war veteran, now living retired on a pension. Walter E. Comstock engaged in business as a manufacturer of metal polish. He married Miss Grace Payne, a native of Lyme, Connecticut, and a daughter of Fred C. and Elizabethi (Slate) Payne. The father was a veteran of the Civil war and is now with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad as superintendent of the Air Line division. All of the grandparents of Dr. Comstock are still living as are his parents. His father has long figured prominently in politieal circles as a supporter of the republican party and is a most public-spirited citizen, doing much to further general progress and improvement. For eight years he served as superintendent of the Free Employment Agency in New Haven. To him and his wife were born three children: Edna E., Charles Merritt and Fred W.
The last named attended the public schools until graduated from the New Haven high school, after which he became a student in Tuft's Medical College, from which he was grad- uated in 1913 with the M. D. degree. He afterward became assistant professor of hygiene and sanitation in the Norwich University, in which he remained for a year, and while there he also acted as captain of the hospital corps of the national guard. For sixteen months he was interne in Grace Hospital of Boston and also in the Roxbury Lying-In Hospital of Boston and was connected with the Haymarket Relief Station of Boston. All this brought him broad, varied and valuable practical experience. He entered upon private prae- tice in New Haven in 1914 and has since followed his profession here. He is serving on the New Haven fire board and is an examiner for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Com- pany. He also enjoys a large private practice, and his ability is constantly increasing because of his broad reading and his wide experience, the former keeping him in touch with the trend of modern professional thought and investigation. He belongs to the New Haven County, Connecticut State and the American Medical Associations. On January 5, 1918, he was commissioned first lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps.
On the 12th of September, 1913, Dr. Comstock was married to Miss Marian E. Hynes, a native of Boston and a daughter of Louis Hynes, now deceased.
In politics Dr. Comstock is a republican, interested in the work and in the success of the party and always keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He belongs to the Alpha Kappa Kappa, a medical fraternity. His public interests have led him into active connection with those measures and movements which work for public ben - efit and which have to do with higher standards of citizenship.
CHARLES ROGERS TREAT.
Charles Rogers Treat is a prominent and successful farmer of Orange, Connecticut. in which town he has largely lived, and he is also prominent in political circles and was a mem- ber of the state legislature at the session of 1917.
He was born in Orange, Angust 2, 1872, a son of Leverett and Julia (Rogers) Treat, also natives of Orange, where the father engaged in agricultural pursuits. The family is descended from Governor Robert Treat, who was born in England and in 1638 accompanied his
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father, also named Robert, to Connecticut. The son was for many years one of the most influ- ential citizens of the colony and in 1639 was appointed to survey and lay out the lands of the town of Milford. He represented that district in the general court for six years and following his removal to Newark, New Jersey, was a member of the assembly of New Jersey for five years. He also laid out Newark and in 1916 his memory was highly honored in a big pageant re-enacting scenes from the history of Newark. Later he returned to Connecticut and was a magistrate in the New Haven court and for eight years assisted in the conrt of Con- necticut. For seventeen years he was lieutenant governor of the colony and for thirteen years governor. His death occurred on the 12th of July, 1710, and he was laid to rest after a long life filled with high achievement. The Treat family have for generations been large landowners in the town of Orange and have also been largely influential in promoting the civie advancement of their community.
Charles R. Treat received the best educational advantages, as, after attending the Hill- honse high school, he became a student of engineering in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale, from which he was graduated in 1894. In that year he went to Nevada and followed his profession for two years in and around Delamar, then a prosperous mining camp. At the end of that time he returned to the Sheffield School and on the successful completion of post graduate work was given the degree of Civil Engineer. He decided, bowever, to turn his at- tention to agricultural pursuits and is now known as the best and most progressive farmer in the town of Orange. He has large land holdings and specializes in the raising of hay, po- tatoes and seed sweet corn. He brings to bear upon the solution of agricultural problems a highly trained intelleet skilled in scientifie thinking and he firmly believes that the farmer of the present day in order to succeed must be willing to utilize the discoveries of investigators and also must give careful attention to the systematic management of the business phase of his work. His achievements as a farmer have won for him a place on the state board of agriculture, of which he has been a member for the past four years. Throughout New Haven county and in fact throughout the state his name is associated with all movements that have tended to raise farming to a higher level of efficiency and to better the conditions of farm life. Since the declaration of war he has been especially active in work to increase production and conserve the erops. In addition to farming he deals in native lumber.
Mr. Treat was married in 1896 to Miss Daisy M. Clark, a daughter of Elias T. Clark, also a prominent farmer of Orange and a representative of a family that has been widely and favorably known in the county for many generations. To Mr. and Mrs. Treat have been born two children, Julia R. and Charles R., Jr.
Mr. Treat is one of the leading republicans of this section and in 1917 represented his town in the state legislature, in which connection he made an enviable record. He is an organizer, director and member of the executive committee of the New Haven County Farm Bureau and was also a member of the committee which opened a camp for boys under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association. The record of his public activities proves beyond a doubt his marked interest in all that affects the general welfare. In religious faith he is a Congre- gationalist and his life has constantly measured up to the highest moral standards.
SHERWOOD ODLE PRESTON.
Great good came to the world through the labors of Sherwood Odle Preston, now deceased, who for more than thirty years was agent for The Organized Charities Association of New Haven. Aetnated by a spirit of broad humanitarianism, he was constantly extending a helping hand where aid was needed and there are hundreds who have reason to bless and cherish his memory. He became widely known thronghont the state in connection with bis work for organized charity and to him might be applied the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, who wrote concerning one of his elassmates:
"You see that boy laughing, you think he's all fun, But the angels laugh, too, at the good he has done."
Mr. Preston was born in Fairfield county, Connecticut, his birth having occurred on Beaver street, now Fairfield avenue, in Bridgeport, December 30, 1848, his parents being James Henry and Abbie Jane (Bouton) Preston. His opportunities to acquire an education
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were limited to the district school and he was only eleven and a half years of age when he started to work, his first employment being in the saddle tree shop of Captain William Peck, then located where the Bridgeport depot now stands. He received a wage of two dollars per week and little tips which were given him by the workingmen, for whom he did errands. Later he worked on the farm of his grandfather, Odle Bouton, through the summer seasons and for a short period attended school in the winter months. He after- ward found employment with the Wheeler & Wilson Company of Bridgeport in the manu- facture of needles and later worked for the Winchester Armory at Bridgeport, rifling gun barrels for a year. He was next engaged with the same company in slowboring gun barrels and, removing to New Haven, he continued with the Winchester Arms people, being after- ward employed in the carriage hardware factory of M. Seward & Sons, with whom he continued for a brief time. Ile then returned to the Winchester Armory, where he remained until his eyesight became impaired and his health failed, obliging him to give up work. He was then tendered the position of agent for the Associated Charities, with office at No. 23 Church street. This was on July 25, 1885, when the association became The Organized Charities Association. He began at a salary of fifty dollars per month and received the appointment through the influence and encouragement of the late Hon. Francis Wayland, president of the association. Mr. Preston continued to occupy that position until his death. In 1903 he was oppointed probation officer of the city courts by Judge E. C. Dow and was later appointed to the same position in the courts of common pleas and superior courts, continuing to serve until 1906, when he resigned, feeling that his time was demanded by his other duties. In his official capacity as agent of The Organized Charities Association he was not alone known in his own state but thoroughout many other states of the Union by reason of his reputation in connection with his New Haven work.
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