Some lives read like a map. Carra Inez Tuttle—also recorded in some places as Clara Inez—is one of those lives: Vermont beginnings, a marriage that connects New England lines, years in Connecticut where children are born, and then a return to Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Vermont beginnings: the Tuttle and Robinson families#
Carra Inez Tuttle was born 27 July 1857 in Cavendish, Windsor County, Vermont.
Her parents were:
- Augustus Tuttle Jr., born 29 June 1830 in Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont, died 22 November 1885 in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts
- Elsie Maria Robinson, born 21 September 1835 in Weathersfield, Windsor County, Vermont, died 7 September 1903 in Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts
Family notes in the research file associate Augustus Tuttle with owning a store—exactly the kind of small detail that makes a paper trail feel human.
Augustus and Elsie married in 1863 (recorded as Vermont), and the family’s movement between Vermont and Massachusetts shows up repeatedly in later census-era records.
A marriage that links lines: Wheeler meets Tuttle#
Carra married John Edward Wheeler on 20 June 1878 in Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts.
John Edward Wheeler was born 22 November 1849 in Winchester, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and later appears in records tied strongly to Holyoke, Massachusetts.
This marriage becomes a bridge between multiple New England states—Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts—and then, for a time, Connecticut.
Connecticut years: children and a growing household#
Over the next years, Carra and John’s children were born in New Haven County, Connecticut, which gives us a good clue that the family lived (at least temporarily) in that area:
- Harry Edward Wheeler, born 30 May 1880 — New Haven, Connecticut
- Stanley Cushman Wheeler, born 28 August 1883 — Naugatuck, Connecticut
- Waldo Stanford Wheeler, born 29 October 1889 — Naugatuck, Connecticut
- Hazel Madeline Wheeler, born 22 March 1892 — Derby, Connecticut
- Howard Robinson Wheeler, born 5 June 1894 — Derby, Connecticut
Even without every detail filled in yet, the pattern is clear: this is a working family moving where work and opportunity take them, with the paper trail recording their changing towns through the births of their children.
Return to Holyoke — and a quiet closing#
Carra’s later life ties back to Holyoke, and she died there on 25 January 1924.
John followed not long after, dying in Holyoke on 21 March 1924.
Two deaths within the same spring feels like the closing of a long chapter—one that started in rural Vermont and ended in an industrial-era Massachusetts city.
A note on names#
In the GEDCOM research file, Carra appears under multiple recorded forms (including Clara Inez and Carra Inez). That’s not unusual in genealogical work: spelling, handwriting, indexing, and family usage can all create legitimate variants. When searching, it’s worth trying both.
Help strengthen this story#
If you have documents or references connected to this family’s Connecticut years (New Haven / Naugatuck / Derby)—or records that clarify Carra’s name usage—please reach out via the Contact page.
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