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Wheeler Genealogy

What Was A. & O. S. Tuttle? A Research Note on the Cavendish Store and Holyoke Dry Goods

·380 words·2 mins

Claim (working summary)
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Evidence indicates that Augustus Tuttle and his brother Oscar S. Tuttle operated a business under the name A. & O. S. Tuttle, beginning as a general store in Cavendish village, Vermont (1857) and later moving to Holyoke, Massachusetts (fall 1863) where the business focused on dry goods.

Evidence we have
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1850 census (baseline occupation)
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  • Augustus Tuttle listed as farmer in Weathersfield, Windsor County, Vermont (1850).

Secondary narrative source (strong lead)
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A biographical sketch of Oscar S. Tuttle states:

  • In 1857, “A. & O. S. Tuttle” opened a general store in Cavendish village, Vermont.
  • In the fall of 1863, the firm moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts and focused on dry goods.

Holyoke merchandise signal (later business context)
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A later Holyoke-era business description for O. S. Tuttle lists apparel and “small wares” and gives a High Street address. This likely reflects the later Holyoke continuation of the venture, and it helps define what “dry goods” meant in practice.

What we still need to prove (primary sources)
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To confidently answer: What was the store? Where was it? What was sold?

Cavendish (1857+)
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  • Newspaper ads (Windsor County papers)
  • Town tax lists (merchant vs farmer)
  • Deeds/land records (store lot or commercial property)
  • Local maps / atlases showing commercial buildings

Holyoke (1863+)
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  • City directories (Holyoke) for A. Tuttle / O. S. Tuttle / A. & O. S. Tuttle
  • Newspaper ads for dry goods and store location
  • Sanborn maps for storefront footprint once an address is confirmed

Next actions (practical research plan)
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  1. Pull Holyoke city directory entries for the years surrounding 1863–1870 and extract:
    • business description
    • address
    • partnership name changes
  2. Search Holyoke/Springfield papers for “Tuttle” + “dry goods” + “High Street.”
  3. Search Cavendish-area papers for “A. & O. S. Tuttle” and “general store.”
  4. Confirm identity:
    • Ensure the A. Tuttle in the business sources matches Augustus Tuttle Jr. (same person in the family line), not a different “A. Tuttle.”

Sources (genealogy-friendly)
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  • 1850 U.S. census, Weathersfield, Windsor County, Vermont, Augustus Tuttle (occupation: farmer).
  • History of Windsor County, Vermont (1891), biographical sketch of Oscar S. Tuttle (A. & O. S. Tuttle store in Cavendish, 1857; moved to Holyoke, fall 1863; dry goods).
  • Holyoke dry goods business description for O. S. Tuttle (apparel and small wares; High Street address).