Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

idge, Massachusetts. In political prin-
ciple he was a Democrat.
Mr. Clark married, June 3, 1870, in
Brooklyn. New York, Charlotte Amelia
McLean, widow of Joseph Ellison Mc-
Lean, of Nashville, Tennessee, and daugh-
ter of Salmon Skinner, a distinguished
dentist of Brooklyn, New York, originator
of the gas stove, a very public-spirited
citizen. She was born in Hudson, New
York, and now resides in Wethersfield.
Her mother, Rachel Miller (Gaul) Skin-
ner, was a native of Hudson, a daughter
of John and Rachel (Miller) Gaul, of that
city.
AXTELLE, John Franklin, M. D.,
Physician.
Although not a native of the city of
Hartford, Connecticut, Dr. John Frank-
lin Axtelle has attained a foremost place
in the ranks of its prominent and respected
citizens by virtue of his many
years of serving its residents through the
medium of his profession.
He was born August 28, 1854, in Morristown,
New Jersey, the son of Stephen
D. and Nancy (Sutton) Axtelle, and is
a lineal descendant of John Arstyle, who
was living in Hertfordshire, England, in
1533. Stephen D. Axtelle, father of Dr.
Axtelle, was a son of John Axtelle, who
in his day was celebrated as a teacher of
music and was also a well-known vocal-
ist in Morristown. Shortly after the close
of the Civil War the Axtelle family removed
to Minneapolis, and it was in that
city that the early education of Dr. Ax-
telle was received. Very early in his
career the tendency towards a medical
profession was strong, and as a consequence
he lost no opportunity to improve
his studies in this respect. He was under
the teachings of several most commend-
able instructors, among them being Pro-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
3i8
fessors Whitford and Clark, of The Ben-
nett Medical College of Chicago, and Pro-
fessor Davis, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Subsequently Dr. Axtelle was an interne
at the Bellevue and Long Island hospi-
tals, where he completed his course,
attaining high standing. He received his
degree of M. D. in 1878 from Long Island
College Hospital. In order to gain a practical
knowledge of his work, he was
assistant to his former instructor, Dr.
Davis, for one year. Believing that the
city of Hartford offered a promising field
for the practice of his profession, Dr.
Axtelle removed thither in 1879. Although
he was both young in years and experi-
ence, he had the courage of his convic-
tions and believed that he could establish
a clientele as soon as he had proven his
worth. For a dozen or more years he
applied himself diligently to this end with
the gratifying result of success. In addi-
tion to his regular practice he has served
as medical examiner of many fraternal
organizations and also for several of the
large insurance companies of Hartford.
Dr. Axtelle is a member of the Ameri-
can Medical Association, the Connecti-
cut State Medical Association, Hartford
County Medical Association, and the City
of Hartford Medical Association. Dr.
Axtelle has many times contributed
articles to the medical journals which
have been widely read and commendably
mentioned by the members of the pro-
fession. Fraternally, he is affiliated with
Washington Commandery, Knights Templar
; Connecticut Consistory ; Sphinx
Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; and
Knights of Pythias. He is also a member
of the Hartford Club and the Hart-
ford Yacht Club. The pleasing personal-
ity of Dr. Axtelle makes him a very pleas-
ant man to meet and he is very popular
among the members of his organizations.