Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-03-01
Che freeman.
MONTpLLIEE VT,
WEDNESDAY, MARCH !. 1876
Obituary..

MAN - last week. WAS born in Eden. Yer
mont. January ~. AID. 1922. His father
WIS Martin Whcelock. and the son, one of
a family Of five sons and two daughters,
had the advantages Of common school cd
uration.
When about Is years Of ~, lie went into
the Office Of the st. -1btrs " S%e"gcr,
where he learned the printers, trade and
remained until August, 1871. He then
went to Bradford. and remained in the Of
ice of the Grecn Nol1i,tiu Ga:ettc for
about five years
Mr. Whcelock came TO Montpelier in
Ictlully.lN So. and wa. at once established
IS foreman Of the printing office Of the
GHEES MOUNTAIN FREEMAN, Of which
the late Hon d. =. Thompson wa, pro
!rietor and editor. and remained in charge
e. that Office. ~ foreman. during the pro.
Irirtorship of Judge Thompson, and that
f s :. Bovcr. anil from April. l>Gl. to
January. 1863. while Mr.. Willard owned
the paper. Mr.. Boyce, during his owner
ship Of the FIREMAN, purchased the
subscription list, and became the publisher
OF the VERMONT CHRISTIAN MESSENGER.
and the MEssENGtE ha, been published
ut the FREEMAN Office since that time
On the first Of January, 1863, Mr.
Whcclock became half owner Of
the FKIEMAN and ME>>ENGEK subscrip-
ton list and printing establishments,
and from that time had the entire
management, Of the business Of Tie Office,
and the practical management of the pa
pcIs until january, 1873, when he pur-
chased Mr.. Wizards remaining interest
in the business, and became and remained
managing elitor and proprietor until his
decelsc
1t VIII be seen from this brief sketch
that Mr.. Whcelock active life was in the
printing office. and was Identified with his
craft. Few men have had a buster life,
or one into which more work has been
crowded. While lie WAS in the employ of
others he never spared himself in the
smallest degree. For many wears subject
to an niirmty which made office W ork of
ten painful and wcarisome, he not only
never favored himself, never shirkcd any
Of the responsibilities Of his elton. bat
often insisted against the advice and re-
monstrance of his employers. on undertake
ing work that could only be done by civ
ing his own time and labor at unusual
hours, both early and late, to i, compile
ton; indeed in that respect, he always
held his personal ease and comfol
wholly subordinate to his devotion to the
business he had in hand. In fact. Inc
seemed more sulicitous to make his scrvic,
for others profitable, than to spare himself
and when he became owner Of the print.
ing establishment, almost for the first ime
began to take some relaxation and an oc.
casional rest from the exacting duties OF
the office; vet he never. until compelled &c
keep away from the office by Iii. tinaI
illness, quite surrendered an immediate
supervision of the printing office, as in
the former days when. as foreman. no de-
tail of the work escaped his notice, and
his hand was ready at the case, at til,
makeup, or at ;he press. AZ the exigencv
might require.
lie seemed to have no ambitions out
side of his profession; Vet he had, TN
doubtedly. the aspiration of the true mrr
of his profession to become the owner nnt
manager Of IN influential newspaper. and
he deservedly reached that position But
unfortunately. his strength was then to,
much broken by the gathering forces O
th disease that he had fought against g
s.Outly for years, to admit of his doing fo
tn. papers he managed, what he woul,
Otherwise have done. He appeared to an
ticipate this, and h. STATED as to the Dur
chtse of Mr.. Willarl's half of the papc1
because he feared his health va, gradual
ly but surely failing him. and finally m.d
the venture rather to establish his sons il
business than on his own account. Viii
the valuable acquaintance with public mcl
and public affairs which his lon" connrr
ton with newspaper at the Capital Of tn
State gave him, and with the higher ecu
cation rs an editor which an inelIicen
man gets in Il printing otihc better thai
anywhere else, Mr.. Wheeloc1 was a. wei
fitted to be the manager Of Il leading Yer
mont newspaper as any person in tn
State; but the printing office drew lin
quite too much away from the cditoria
room for hi, own reputation Us a writer an
editor. While Mr.. Willard was editor {
the FREEMAN, ME WHEELOck wroteman
articles for which others got undesery
ed credit. some Of them having been copie
rs widely and with rs much appreciated
rs anything ever written for the FRFEN>>
His style ~ II writer was clear, sufficient
compact Tor newspaper readers, easy an
graceful in lis turns Of expression. I'm
forciblc and pointed enough to leave n
doubt of his meaning u compliment th,
cannot always be paid to editorials i
either country or city newspapers. II
had, moreover. what his readers have o
ten appreciated and will readily call t
mind, II vein of Wit AMI hu!nor. both i
idea and expression, which made some {
his descriptive articles highly enioyabl,
and established for him u rcput,tio
among his contemporaries rs one who la
few equals and no superior, in that real
difficult, yet very popular kind of new
paper writing. IF he had devoted himsc]
as he was often advised to do, more
editing his paper, and less to printing
he would have achieved reputation Sc,
ond to that of no editor in the State. nm
would very likely have prolonged a life
4 large degree useful to his friends and
the public.
Mr.. Wheclock's residence, for most
the time he was connected with the FRI
MAN, was just on the south side of III
Winooski river, in Berlin. He was for a Ion
time Clerk and Treasurer OF that town.an
represented IT two wears in the otris l,turf