Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

the public schools of Goshen, and resided
there until he was nineteen years of age.
He went to Waterbury and entered the
employ of the Waterbury Lumber and
Coal Company ; in 1907 he went to Redding,
Connecticut, and became manager
of the Gilbert farm, which is connected
with the Connecticut Agricultural College.
After four years at this work, Mr.
Cooke located in Darien and for eight
years capably managed the farm of Mrs.
Anson Phelps Stokes. In 1919 Mr. Cooke
became manager and treasurer of the
Ring's End Fuel Company, which office
he now holds. He is possessed of con-
siderable business acumen, and is well
known among the business men of Da-
rien.
In politics, Mr. Cooke is a Republican
and takes an active interest in public
matters. Although not seeking to hold
office, Mr. Cooke is nevertheless anxious
to assist in any of those movements which
enhance the general welfare.
Fraternally, Mr. Cooke is affiliated with
Ark Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons,
of Georgetown ; Speedwell Lodge,
Knights of Pythias, of Waterbury; and
New Canaan Grange. While living in
Waterbury, Mr. Cooke was master of
Mad River Grange, and while at Georgetown,
served as master of Cannon Grange,
of Cannondale ; he has been master of the
Grange at Darien, and has been honored
as master of Pomona Grange, of Fairfield
county. Mr. Cooke is a member of the
Kiwanis Club.
Mr. Cooke married Bertha Williams,
daughter of Frederick Williams, of Go-
shen, and they are the parents of four
children : Irene M., Eleanor M., Dorothy
L., and Arthur H. The family attend and
aid in the support of the Congregational
church in Darien, and Mr. Cooke serves
as deacon and as a member of the business
committee.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
118
WEHRLE, John H.,
Business Man.
Wehrle is an ancient German name,
Heintz, a noted authority on nomencla-
ture, stating in his work, "Surnames and
Their Origin," that it was formed from the
word "Wer" and indicated one who would
protect himself and others in war or
danger. The varied spellings of the name
have been as follows :
Werle, Wehrle, and
Worle, also Warling, Werling, and Wehrlein.
The first of the family mentioned
by Siebmacher, a well known German
heraldist, are the brothers, Henry, Lippold,
and Nickolaus Werle in 121 1, Lu-
dolf in 1312, and Helmold in 1340.
They were large owners of real estate in
Halberstadt and also in Brunswick, losing
all of their estates in the fifteenth cen-
tury.
John H. Wehrle, of Norwalk, Connecti-
cut, is a son of Leopold Wehrle, his
grandfather a gentleman farmer of Germany.
Leopold Wehrle was born in
Berlin, Germany, in 1842, and died in
1906. He was reared on his father's farm
in his native land, and in young manhood
learned the trade of cooper, then coming
to the United States, locating in New
York City, and there for five years following
his trade. Subsequently he purchased
a farm in West Norwalk, Connec-
ticut, which he cultivated until his death,
also operating a cider mill where he produced
most of the cider and vinegar used
in that district. This developed into a
profitable business, and he also for sev-
eral years held a contract with the street
cleaning department of South Norwalk
in which he employed a number of men
and teams. Leopold Wehrle was a member
of the Sons of Herman. He married
Theresa Snyder, a native of Baden-Baden,
and they were the parents of: Robert L.,
of Bridgeport ; Lena A., of South Nor-