Funeral of John C. Mead

1. The pallbearers were:

• Lester L. Ensworth
• Waston H. Bliss
• James Campbell
• J. Hurlbut White
• George B. Fisher
• William H. Bulkeley
• John R. Hills
• W. E. Cone

2. The funeral was well attended, and attendees included:

• S. E. Chamberlain
• David Clark
• Charles M. Gross
• Joseph R. Hawley
• John E. Higgins
• James L. Howard
• Silas Robbins
• John G. Root
• Joseph H. Sprague

3. Groups in attendance included

• The directors of the First National Bank
• 75 of Mead’s former employees, who occupied the center aisle in the church

4. Floral decorations were arranged around the chancel, and they were sent by, among others:

• A representation of a compass, triangle, and T-square on a background of yellow and pink roses and white carnations from Charles C. Cook.
• Roses, heliotrope and immortelles with a banner across the surface reading “Our Employer” from Mead’s employees.
• A broken shaft of roses, chrysanthemums, and carnations from George B. Fisher.
• An anchor made of pink, white, and yellow roses from Harriet Pond.
• An exquisite but simple representation of a sheaf of wheat trimmed with roses from Alonzo Easton.
• An anchor of pink and white roses with a banner reading “Friends” from an unknown source.
• Lucy Burdett gave a basket of red roses.

Charles M. Gross was probably Charles E. Gross, as Mead designed his house on Asylum Avenue.

Brief services for Mead’s relatives and immediate friends were held at Mead’s house prior to the funeral.

1. “The church was crowded and the assemblage was of a very singularly representative character.”
2. From Potter’s remarks:

• “There are many of us here this afternoon whose journey through life has been made easier because he lived.”
• “I know that I but echo the feeling of the clergymen of this city when I make public mention here of John C. Mead’s kindness to his fellowmen. If we ever went to him for a wretched family, a destitute girl or a ragged boy his answer sometimes was:  ‘How much do you want?’  But oftener still he took out his pocketbook and handed it to us with the words, ‘Give them what they want.’”

Unattributed.  “John C. Mead,” Hartford Courant, September 21, 1889, page 1.