Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-10-18
BRATTLEBORO LOCAL NEWS.
DEATH oF E. H. WHEELER.
The Oldest Man in 8rattleboro-A
Resident Here Since 1922.

Resident Here Since 1922.
Franklin Hoar Wheeler, the oldest
, man in Brattleboro, and almost life
long resident of this village, died soon
after o'clock Sunday morning at his
home on Spring street. Mr.. Wheeler's
age was "a years, months. He was
/ born in Lincoln, Mass. April 3, 1907.
! His ancestors came to this country
from England in 1890, and he was of
! the seventh generation in descent.
The original family name was Hoar,
| but in early life Mr.. Wheeler's older
! brothers chose to adopt their
! mothers name before her marriage,
! and that branch of the family has
/ since been known as Wheeler. 1t is
| of the same English stock as that of
! Senator George f. Hoar of Massachu-
| sets, the father of the Senator and
/ the father of Mr.. Wheeler having been
| brothers.
| Mr. Wheeler's grandfather. John
! Hoar, was one of the "embattled farm
| ers." who withstood the attack of the
! English soldiers at Concord bridge on
the morning of April 49, 1775. His
! father, Leonard Hoar, was a soldier in
( the Revolutionary army when youth
! of II. Mr.. Wheeler came to Brattlc-
boTo March 10. 1922. at the age of Is.
/ to live with and work for his oldest
brother John IT, Wheeler. who then
kept a store in the Blake building
about where the Morris & Gregg store
now is. and who in 1885 erected the
store building now known as Granite
block Mr. Wheeler remained with
! his brother until 1871, when he and
! I.ucius G. Pratt bought out John II.
, Wheeler and continued the business
under the firm name of Wheeler e
/ Pratt. In 1919 the partnership was
! dissolved. Mr. Pratt taking the bust
/ ness. Mr.. Wheeler with a partner.
/ then opened a new store, and he re
/ NAMED in business until 1859. From
! 1866 to 1876 he was in New York with
! his brother-in-law. the late Wright
| Pomeroy. Since the last named year
he has lived quietly in his Spring
street home, occupying himself with
his garden and his other home affairs.
| He was one of the most expert garden
ers in Brattleboro, and his we'll known
plot of ground was a marvel of pro
/ ductiveness and painstaking cultiva-
ton. All through these years season
by season, he has shown the delight
of an enthusiast in the variety and ex-
cellence of it's products.
Mr.. Wheeler lost his hearing in mid
die life. and this infirmitv had shut
him away in large part from intimate
intercourse with those about him, but
his trim figure his well-kept person.
! and bearing of native dignity were
familiar sight on our streets. and he
! possessed a fund of Renaissance and
accurate memory of the old days in
Brattleboro equalled by no other resi-
dent. lie had seen Brattleboro grow
from the struggling village of 1922
! to its present size and compactness.
| He used often to relate that when he
first went to live on Spring street the
| tract above, where Green street now
! is, was an open country of pasture and
woodland. where in summer mothers
| thought it not safe for their children
to go alone to pick hlueberries Until
the last few months, when his evesight
had begun to fail, he was a diligent
reader, and kept himself accurately
! informed on all the affairs of the
world.
| Mr.. Wheeler married Elizabeth Pom
eroy of Newfane May 3. 1896. The
! Spring street house was bought and
! occupied by them in 1898. The death
! or MIS-. wheeler occurred in July, 1881.
! Mr.. and Mrs Wheeler had five chill
dren, three sons and two daughters
OF these Mary E. Dalton wife Of
James Dalton. whose home has always
been with her father at the home
stead, and Frank PomerOy Wheeler Of
! Chicago survive He had one grand.
child, Mrs. Stella Dalton Dodge Of
New York, and two great-grandchil.
dren, the young son and daughter Of
Mrs. Dodge, Mr.. Wheeler possessed
remarkable vitality, and has enjoyed
an unusual degree of health and ac-
tiyitv. His death was due to the
changes brought by old age,
The funeral was held at the house
Tuesday afternoon. Rev. f. Q. S. Os-
good officiating. Mrs. Dodge, the
granddaughter, arrived from New
York Sunday night, and Frank Pom
eroy Wheeler, the son. from Chicago
on Monday night.