S. D. Woodruff & Sons
Orange, Connecticut

Stiles Denison Woodruff was a native of Orange, Connecticut born on November 27, 1837.^[1] A prominent farmer and seed merchant. He married Elizabeth M. (Clark) Woodruff and raised four children. They were:

1. Frank C. was a graduate of Yale College who worked in the company with his father. Frank married Julia Alling and together they had five children.
    

2. Robert J., who received the A. B. degree from Yale in 1896 and graduated from the law school in 1899, was a well known lawyer of New Haven and served as tax collector, prosecuting attorney of the court of common pleas and as a member of the legislature. He was also a prominent Mason and served as second lieutenant in a cavalry regiment of the Connecticut National Guard.
    

3. Mary R., the only daughter, is a graduate of Wellesley College.
    

4. Watson S., graduated from Hillhouse high school of New Haven in 1889. In 1892 he joined his father and his brother, Frank, at S. D. Woodruff & Sons. Like his father before him, he preferred farm life and owned three hundred acres of land in the town of Orange. He began by growing seeds on a small scale and increased the acreage over the years.

After serving in the Civil War, Mr. Woodruff, upon his return in 1865, began growing seeds. Selling at both the wholesale and retail levels, the company that he founded became one of the largest dealers of garden seeds in the east. 

They not only grew standard varieties of garden vegetables, but also did considerable breeding work and introduced several varieties. These included 'Country Gentleman' sweet corn, 'Early Ford Hook' tomatoes and the 'Ensign Bagley' and 'Admiral Foote' potatoes.

Stiles D. Woodruff led a life of service. For twenty years he has been a clerk and treasurer of the Orange Congregational Church and since 1900 was a deacon. In 1880 he was a member of the first legislature which met in the new state capitol.

He passed away on April 11, 1906, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife died March 8, 1906, at the age of sixty-six years.^[1]

Information Sources:

1. 1907 Seed Annual, S. D. Woodruff & Sons.

2. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctnhvbio/Woodruff_Robert.html

Copyright © 1998 - 2022 - Victory Horticultural Group, LLC - All rights reserved

Some of this information or images are republished, for educational purposes, under the fair use clause of the 1976 copyright act. Text and images carry the copyright of their respective authors, photographers, and publishers. This page may be freely linked but not duplicated in any fashion without prior written permission of the respective copyright holders.

Sponsor's Links