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- [S4] Obituary.
The death of Daniel B. Wesson of this city, Saturday afternoon, in the ripeness of years and when the undertakings of his life had been perfected and yielded a great fortune, will not afifect the active business life of to-day. The great Smith & Wesson establishment will go on as before, with the two sons controlling it. In his personal relationship he will be pleasantly remembered, for he was of a friendly nature ; he gave much and cordially in a great variety of ways, while not always suiting his action to the things other people wanted him to do ; in the two great hospitals for which he provided, the Homoeopathic and the Maternity, there are left important and useful memorials of Mr. and Mrs. Wesson. It is expected that these will be further provided for in the will.
While not active in community life outside of his business, Mr. Wesson was not neglectful of the obligations of citizenship as this or that cause was brought to his attention. He was an intelligent employer of labor, masterful but progressive, and if at times of stress the men of his factory may have deemed him a stern employer, the story is that of fair dealing, and the record of the establishment, which was planted here in 1857, almost half a century ago, is one in which Mr. Wesson was justified in taking pride. His business went on with an even productive flow that was proof of a forceful leadership that remained in command. One personality dominated. The Smith & Wesson establishment has been a substantial element in the industrial life of Springfield, going on its quiet and successful way and giving employment to an army of men during the many years of its existence. To its directing spirit the city owes much.
As an inventor and mechanic Mr. Wesson took his place among the exceptional men. Not only did he devise and perfect the Smith & Wesson revolver, carrying it by personal ingenuity and resource to remarkable completeness, but the rifle made by the Winchester Arms Company, the favorite of frontiersmen, was also in its beginnings the product of Mr. Wesson’s inventive skill. In the industrial life of his time Mr. Wesson was a large figure, and factor in carrying the name of Springfield over the earth. In him there was the unusual union of an inventor who was also a competent manufacturer. Mr. Wesson was thus, albeit in his modesty he probably never stopped think it out, our most important and distinguished business man.
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1825 - 1906 (81 years)
. Sarah Jeanette WESSON, b. 21 May 1848, Hartford, Connecticut 
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