WOOSTER, AUSTIN F.

Austin F. Wooster was a farmer and Justice of the Peace in Norfolk, Connecticut. He was noted as a naturalist, an antiquarian and collector of historic newspapers, clocks, Indian relics, and coins.

Austin F. Wooster (1849-1923), was born on May 6, 1849, at Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut, the son of Austin Wooster (1819-1898), and Rebekah Amanda Allyn Wooster (1822-1896). He was a frequent donor to the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1876 he attended the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia.

In 1877, he donated two specimens of the "Red Backed Salamander" (Plethodon cinereus erythronotus. Green) to the Smithsonian Institution.

Fig. 1. Wooster's want list of historic newspapers published in The Bookmart, Vol. 2, No. 3, August, (1884) : 365

In 1886 he donated two antique American Indian axes to the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1890, he donated a Spanish copper coin of 1870 to the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1894 he married Ettie Allyn, daughter of Abel Gallup Allyn and Adeline Capron, at Akron, Ohio. They had a daughter Gertrude Ruth Wooster (1896-1979).

Fig. 2. Wooster's correspondence with Frank Elmer Ellis, the original owner of St. Louis Stamp & Coin Company, postmarked December 26, 1900. Ellis had the practice of mailing coin rubbings rather than sending the coins directly on approval as the Chapman's did. Here he asks for a return of the rubbings along with his order. These were the days before online digital viewing, or sending photographs in lieu of the actual coins themselves. This is a real historic treasure and can grace the best private collection or institution. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, St. Louis Stamp & Coin Company file. Note all items in the Chapman Family Archive are for sale please write with your requests to john@numismaticmall.com. Get them while they last before the Hong Kong sale.

Figs. 3 & 4. St. Louis Stamp & Coin business envelope and letterhead with letter dated November 14, 1904. Ellis is listed on the letterhead as Manager. Johnson as his clerk most probably typed the letter. Both Ellis and Johnson are listed at the 1904 ANA St. Louis Convention. Dr. George Heath reported in The Numismatist his visit to St. Louis Stamp & Coin and meeting Ellis and Johnson. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, St. Louis Stamp & Coin file. Note all items in the Chapman Family Archive are for sale please write with your requests to john@numismaticmall.com. Get them while they last before the Hong Kong sale.

Fig. 5. Wooster correspondence with Henry Chapman, Jr., postmarked June 3, 1913. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive.

Fig. 6. Correspondence from A. F. Wooster to Henry Chapman, Jr., five months prior to Wooster's demise. Postmarked on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1923, Norfolk, Connecticut, franked with a very scarce Scott #413-A140, carmine type 1, with duplex cancel. This is a very special collectible item considering Wooster is the great numismatic notable at Norfolk, Connecticut and this is a very late heirloom worthy of any collection. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive. Sale price discount at $150. Note all items in the Chapman Family Archive are for sale please write with your requests to john@numismaticmall.com. Get them while they last before the Hong Kong sale.

Fig.7. Tomb of Austin and Ettie Wooster.

He died at age 74 on July 16, 1923, at Norfolk, Connecticut. The Norfolk Historical Society has the Wooster collection of antique mantel clocks.

Bibliography :

The Coin Journal, Vol. III, No. 1, January, February and March (1882) : 15

The Bookmart, Vol. 2, No. 3, August, (1884) : 365

Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 34 : The Batrachia of North America (1889) : 137

Register and Manual of the State of Connecticut (1893) : 152

The Numismatist, May (1924) : 370, notice of death

"A Farmer, a Sportsman, and a Diplomat : The Romance of Collecting, "Newsletter of the Norfolk Historical Society, Summer (2015) : 1 and 4

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