The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-06-30
JOHN H. POWERS,
LAUNDRY OWNER
/ DEAD, AGED 81
Highly Respected Business Man
of Bennington
NATIVE OF PETERSBURG
Had His New Laundry Just in Opera
ton After Being Burned Out
Last December.
NATIVE OF PETERSBURG

John II. Powers, proprietor of the
bennington Sanitary Laundry and
one of this communitys leading clti-
zens. died at O'Clock this morning
at his home on Washington street.
He had been in poor health for sew
eral months but the direct cause OF
his dea h was typhoid fever of which
he had been i'll for nearly four weeks.
MIR. Powers was confined to his bed
at the time of the fire which de-
stroyed his plant on North street
and his vitality was undoub edly un-
dermined by the loss and the unusual
strain incident to the re-establishins
of the business.
John Henry Powers was born at
Pe.ersburgh, N w. June 6, 1856, the
son of John Il. Powers and Angeline
Bacon, and was therefore in his Goth
year. When a boy Of II years he LETT
his home at Petersburgh and came
to Old Bennington where he entered
the employ of c. r. Sanford who con-
Quoted a general store and undertake
ing establishment. He left Benning-
ton in the early 7Os when his paren,s
moved from Petersburgh to Sunder-
land and located near the Arlington
town line.
During his residence in Sunderland
he was employed fer the larger por-
tion of The time at the plant of the
Hale Manufacturing company at East
Arlington. He was frequently elect
81 IN off htr Of
Sunderland and was also representa-
tive during one term of the state
legisla ure. Some time after his
marriage he moved from Sunderland
to the village of East Arlington and
from East Arlington went to North
Adams where he took up the business
in which he was engaged during the
remainder of his life. He was fore.
man of the R. L. Henry Laundry in
North Adams for Is. years. Four
teen years ago the first Of next
August he came to Benning on and
purchased the Wright laundry on
North street.
Soon after coming to Bennington
Mr.. Powers added a steam equip
ment to the laundry and gradually
made other improvements so that at
the time OF the fire December 19,
the plant was modern in every re-
spect.
After the fire the business was
moved to one of the Tiffany buildings
on Scott street, new machinery was
added to tina, portion CT the equip
ment saved from the fire and the
plant was well established in its new
location when he was stricken with
his last illness.
October Il, 1881, Mr. Powers mar
ried Miss Martha A. Shufleton Of
Arlington, who with one son, j, Bur
ton Powers who was associated
with his father in business, two broth
ers, Mar in A., of Hartford, Conn,
and Noel e., of Montreal, P. c., and
one sister, Mrs. John Tatro Of North
Adams, survive. Two daughters died
when young children.
Mr.. Powers was one of the thor
oughly reliable business men cf Ben
nngton, exceptionally Industrious,
upright in all his dealings and re-
spected by all He was an Odd Eel
low in all branches and took a keen
interest in the activities Of tha. order.
lie was member of the Second
Congregational church and of Ben
nington lodge of Elks. A notice of
the funeral will be published in a
latter issue cf the Banner,