Norwich bulletin., 1914-01-06

SHERIFF PRESTON B. SHELLEY.
against hope, the members of his fam
| lily and hundreds of friends in Daniel |
son and Windham county towns waited |
with deep anxiety from Friday night !
for a change for the better, but it did i
not come and on Sunday, when his |
condition had grown extremely grave, |
the near approach of death was fndi- |
Gated.
Tributes from Near and Far.
Scores of messages of confidence |
We're received following Sheriff Sib- !
leys death, many of these coming |
from various surrounding towns and |
from many points in the state. Tributes !
were paid to him by representatives |
of all religious and political creeds in |
just recognition of his due, and those |
who through long association and close |
friendship had come to know him as
the world at large could not know, and |
did not know him, were as generous
as men can be-and as deeply sor-
rowful-in giving expression of the
loss they felt. His long years Of faith
ful service to his native town, county
and state, his never failing interest in
all that pertained to the welfare of
state and county and his abundant en-
ergy and buoyant enthusiasm were all
recalled, as were the public ana pri-
vate benefits that accrued from his
years of Ceaseless endeavor to do the
most that man can do in meeting
squarely Hfe's obligations and oppor-
tunities.
A Man of Broad Charities.
Joining their tributes and their ex-
pressions Of sorrow with his multitude
of friends, are those of whom he said
| little but for whom he did much. His
charity was of the truly Christian
| kind. 1t was more than LIBERAL; it was
unostentatious. 1t was a, source of
| secret happiness for him. His helping
! hand was an active hand. 1t brought
more than the necessaries of life; it
| brought hope, encOura cement, reassur-
ance and ambition where those bless
| ings were dead or dying. Many are
those who will revere his memory al
| ways.
A Native of Eastford.
Preston B. SibIey. sheriff of Wind
! ham county, was one of the best known
men in Eastern Connecticut. and en-
| joyed as wide an acquaintance as any
| man, in the state The first of his
name in this country came from Eng
| land in 1929, and settled at Salem,
| Mass. They were John and Richard
| Sibley, brothers, and were married and
with their families. Both became
prominent in the affairs of the col
| ony
Preston Bishop Sibley was the son
| of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Sibley and
was born in Eastford Windham coun-
| ty, June %. 1870. There he attended
the local schools until II years of age,
| when he took charge of the home farm
and was engaged in it's cultivation I'M
| til he was IS years of age. At that
| time he turned his attention to the
work of a carpenter and for ten years
! continued in that vocation
Active in Political Affairs.
Mr.. Sibley cast his first vote as a
republican, and has served on the state
central committee. While still a resi-
| dent of Eastford he took a prominent
part in local affairs, serving as deputy
sheriff from 1859 to 1881, as select
man, and as a member of the state
! legislature in 1873 and 1874: he served
on the committees on new towns and
| probate districts and cities and Dor
! oughs. In March, 1881, he removed to
| Brooklyn to take charge of the coun-
ty jail under Sheriff Osgeod, a place
he held for Il years, when he was APP
pointed special agent of state factory
inspection serving under two admin
| istrations from July /, 1925 to his cleo
ten as sheriff in the fall of 1898.
Fourth Term as Sheriff.
So well did he discharge the duties
! of sheriff that he was thrice re-elect-
ed and was serving his fourth term at
the time of his death.
| Since 1895 Mr. S;bley had made his
| home in Danielson. where. as in Brook
lyn, he took an active interest in local
| affairs.
For several years he was director
of the Brooklyn Savings bank and for
many years was actively associated
with the Wiudham County Agricultural
society, of which organization he was
reelected president at the annual meet
ing last month after a very successful
administration of the affairs of the
| organization during 1918. He also
served as treasurer and as vice pres
ident of the society. For a time he
was secretary, treasurer and director
of which he was president at the time
Of his death.
Interested in the Grange.
! Sheriff Sibley was one of the most
prominent and active grangers in
Windham county and had held import
ant offices both in Killingly grange of
Danielson and in Quinebaug Pomona
grange, which includes all of the sub
ordinate oranges of Windham county.
He was the superintendent of the JU-
venile Changers in Connecticut.
| Sheriff Sibley was a member of the
! Westfield Con gregatiOnal church of
Danielson and had served on it's pru-
Dental committee.
He was united in marriage January
9. 1852 with Kate &, Noble. who sur
wives him He also leaves two sons.
Lewis p. OF New York, and Frederick
| o TGON1QSnCSs dISO q tSttl5iLt MIS-.
Mary NJ I4oomis. wife of Prof. Herbert
NJ Loomis OF Northampton, Mass
Borough Briefs and Personals.
Miss Mary Wheatley is entertaining
) Miss Muriel Fuller of Quincy Manor
Judge r. D. Pond of Brooklyn has
been invited to install the officers of
McGregor post G. A. r.
Captain William H, Stone, of the
seagoing tug Wsltham. now in Bos-
ton. visited relatives here Monday.
| John S. Horton left Monday for Dan