The Worcester of eighteen hundred and ninety-eightFifty years a city . anch at 50 Foster street, wheremost of the printed bookbinding is done, leaving the blank-book work atthe old place, where the business office remains. Mr. Wesby married Annie E. Puffer, who died October 26, 1898. Thechildren of this marriage, two sons and a daughter, survive their parents. John Whitaker was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, July 5, 1839. Hisfather was a silk-printer in that city, and soon after the birth of John thefamily moved to Staten Island, New York. In 1849, when the Californiagold fever broke out, the
The Worcester of eighteen hundred and ninety-eightFifty years a city . anch at 50 Foster street, wheremost of the printed bookbinding is done, leaving the blank-book work atthe old place, where the business office remains. Mr. Wesby married Annie E. Puffer, who died October 26, 1898. Thechildren of this marriage, two sons and a daughter, survive their parents. John Whitaker was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, July 5, 1839. Hisfather was a silk-printer in that city, and soon after the birth of John thefamily moved to Staten Island, New York. In 1849, when the Californiagold fever broke out, the father departed for the Pacific coast, and was neverafterwards heard from. The son was thus early thrown upon his ownresources, and began at the age of eleven to keep books for a time later he was sent to Worcester to attend school, and within a fewmonths his mother followed him. After his schooling was completed, he engaged himself to J. Brown, whohad a shop on Mechanic street, to learn the machinists trade, and continued 794 The Worcester of JOHN WHITAKER. in that situation until he arrived at the ageof twenty-one, when he began businessfor himself as a manufacturer of loom-reeds, in which he continued to the endof his life, and in which he achieved greatsuccess. At one time he added rail-mak-ing to his business, but this was not con-tinued. His loom-reeds were supplied toall sections of the country, particularly tothe South, in the equipping of the newmills there. In the manufacture he keptpace with all the modern improvements,and in all his methods he was systematicand practical. At his death he had ac-quired a handsome competence, the resultof his industry and enterprise. In early years Mr. Whitaker receivedan injury which resulted in a permanentlameness, which did not, however, affect his activity. He was a man ofgenial temperament and social disposition, and made many friends. Hewas a 32° Mason, a life member of the Worcester County MechanicsAsso
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