Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

handle. In association with Frank Fred-
erick Bacon, a sketch of whom follows,
he formed a partnership in this line of
business, under the firm name of Whit-
aker & Bacon. They do a large business,
owning forty-two head of horses and four
large auto trucks. With this fine equipment
and the spirit of progress which
they put into their work, they form a
significant part of the business life of
Hartford. Mr. Whitaker is a member of
Hartford Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, and a charter member of
Norwich Lodge, Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks, of which he was the
first secretary. He is a Republican in
political faith, and while still a resident
of Norwich was an active worker, but not
an aspirant for office. For a number of
years he served as secretary of the Young
Republicans' Club, in that city.
Mr. Whitaker married Susan, daughter
of Jacob Eberle, of Hartford, and they
are the parents of two children, George A.
and Walter E. The family are members
of the Church of the Good Shepherd.
A leader, keen of mind and possessing
exceptional executive ability, Mr. Whit-
aker is still considerate of those in his
employ, and a cordial friend of his busi-
ness associates.
BACON, Frank Frederick,
Transportation Business.
To be useful is to be great. There is no
man so useful to society as the man of
action. Let the line of effort be what it
may, the man who makes of his work in
life an active, progressive industry, and
rising from the ranks of the employee,
gains the eminence of the employer, places
the work he has done and tne position
which he holds on a basis of dignity as
well as usefulness. Too many men forget,
in the scramhle for easy, esthetic occupa-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
36
tions, the sturdy, upright manliness which,
through all the generations of our existence
as a Nation, the men of these United
States have devoted to those pursuits
which demand of a man physical stamina,
hardihood, and unremitting toil. The use-
fulness of such work cannot be gainsaid,
and the man who has foregone the lighter
responsibilities to give himself to duties
which are a service to mankind is a man
deserving of the highest honor. Frank
Frederick Bacon, of the firm of Whitaker
& Bacon, car men, of Hartford, is one of
those men who has chosen useful work,
and made of it a business which demands
more than passing recognition.
The surname Bacon is derived from the
Saxon word, buccen or baccen, meaning
beech tree. It is a very ancient family.
In 1082 William Bacon endowed the
Abbey of the Holy Trinity at Caen.
Among the early Bacons was Roger
Bacon, born in 1214. John Bacon was a
learned monk, and died in 1346, in Lon-
don. During the reign of Queen Eliza-
beth, Sir Nicholas Bacon was keeper of
the great seal, and was the first to be
created a baronet by James I.
Mr. Bacon's father, Andrew Bacon, was
born in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York,
and died in New York City, in 191 1, at
the age of seventy-nine years. He was
educated in the public schools of Buffalo,
and then followed the canal for some
years as captain of a canal boat. Later he
removed to Springfield, Pennsylvania,
where he engaged in farming for a num-
ber of years. After he retired from active
life he spent his declining years visiting
among his children. He was a Republican
by political affiliations, and held vari-
ous town offices at different times, but
was not a politician. He married Emily
Wohlgast, and they were the parents of
seven children : Louise, who married
Justin Coville ; Amanda, Charles A., Al-