The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-30
THE LATE ]. OSCAR MAY
CAREER OF 4 PROMINENT NAU-
 GATUCK MAN.
Once was n Drug clerk in New Haven
 -BIshop Lines omciated at Funeral.

Once was Drug Clerk in New Haven
 Bishop Lines oniciated at Funeral.
 Naugatuek, Dec. 2S-James Oscar May, a prominent business man and one of Naugatuck's most respected cit izens, who died at his residence on Ter race avenue last Sunday morning, was a lifelong resident of the borough and a descendant of the first settler of the east side of the river. He was born on April g. 1853, at the old May home stead on the corner of May and High streets. On leaving school he was en- gagged as clerk in the old Naugatuck Drug company's store on Main street, and afterwards served three years in the pharmacy of A. F. Wood, of New Haven. While In the employ of the latter he attended chemistry lectures at Yale and perfected himself on the study of pharmacy. At this time the Naugatuck Drug company consisted of pr. Futile and s. c. Bartlett Mir. May. then minor, purchased the Bartlett interest in the concern and afterwards became sole proprietor by purchasing the stock owned by Dr. Futile. Mir. May then moved to Water street and built up large and lucrative business at the new stand, and in addition to his retail business originated a number of proprietary medicines.
 Eighteen years ago MT. May, in com pany with New York parties, estab- lished the Diamond Laboratory com pany, with factory on North Church street, Union City. Under the able management of Mir. May the business soon grew to large proportions. The deceased was also largely interested in { the development of land in different 1 parts of the country. notably near Yor- kers, N. r., and Brooklyn, L.>I., and also in his native town. He was an official in the Brooklyn Cooperative Building bank and was a member of the trolley syndicate at Portland, Me, i and president of gold mining com- pany operating in Alaska. He at one I time was president of the Naugatuck board of trade and represented the First ward of the borough as burgess from May 1903, until May, 1904. When Tracy Lewis, who succeeded him as burgess of the First ward at the spring borough election, moved to Beacon Falls, Mir. May was chosen as his suc- cessor, but on account of ill-health he did not attend any meeting. When John H. Whittemore declined the office of tree warden Mr. May was chosen in his place.
 As burgess MT. May was probably one of the best friends the taxpayers of the borough ever had. He was fearless and outspcken in the sense. of duty and right, and his death will be a severe loss, not only to his family and friends. but to the borough at large. He was a republican in politics, but was always as ready to critfcise the errors of his own party as those of his opponents, He was a member of Shepherd lodge, d F. and A. M, and of Gavel lodge. K of P. He is survived by q wife and two daughters, Pauline and Marguerite, aged seventeen and fourteen years, re- spectively; one sister, Mrs w. F. Smith, and a brother, Dr. Calvin May, of New York city. He also leaves two brothers, Robert Lee Isbell, Of Meriden, and Castle Q. Isbell. of Mil- ford.
 The funeral took place Tuesday aft- ernoon from the late residence on Ter race avenue and services were held, at St. Michael's church at ? o'clock The Right Rev. Bishop Lines, of Newark, N. J., assisted by Rev. w. Fl. Garth, officiated. The pallbearers were H. H. . Schofield and Joseph W. Reynolds, rep resenting the board of warden and bur gesses; Charles r. Lander and A. H. Dayton, representing Shepherd lodge, !. F. and A. M; Joshua w. Rogers and Charles Pearson representing Gavel lodge, K of P. The honorary pailbear- CTS were George A. Lewis, William T, Rodenbach, A. c. Futile Samuel E Hopkins, Leon Woodford and Dr. Fred. erick Spring. The remains were in .. tered in the family plot in Hillside cemetery.