Wheeler Family, 1942
Oviedo (Fla.)
The Wheeler Family at their home, located at 340 South Lake Jessup Avenue in Oviedo, Florida, on February 15, 1942. Photographed from left to right are Louise Wheeler; Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. (1878-1954); Jean Maran; and George Lee Wheeler.<br /><br />Frank Wheeler was born in Dade City on January 2, 1878. After his father passed away in 1889, his family relocated to his mother's hometown in Oviedo. At age 16, Wheeler began working as a telegraph operator for the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad. In 1898, he purchased a seedling citrus grove that had been abandoned during the Freeze of 1894-1985. Wheeler soon became a successful citrus grower and celery cultivator.<br /><br />Wheeler married George Lee in 1908 and the couple later had three children: Clara Lee Wheeler Evans (1917-2010); Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Jr. (1920-2006); and Miriam Louise Wheeler (b. 1922). In 1908, Wheeler partnered with C .F. Brannon and Steen Nelson to operate the Nelson Brothers packinghouse. In 1923, Wheeler purchased the company and renamed it Nelson & Company, Inc. Wheeler also served on the Seminole County Commission and the Oviedo City Council. He was also seminal in organizing the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Citrus Mutual, and the Citizens Bank of Oviedo.
Original 5 x 3 inch black and white photographic print, February 15, 1942: Private Collection of Vicki Clonts.
Clonts, Vicki
Bruce, Mimi
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Home of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr., Oviedo, Florida
Jean Maran Wheeler and Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Jr.
Oviedo (Fla.)
United States. Navy
Navy
Veterans--Florida
World War II, 1939-1945
Wife and husband, Jean Maran Wheeler (1921-2001) and Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Jr. (1920-2006) around 1943. Wheeler was the son of prominent citrus grower, celery cultivator, and politician Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr. (1878-1954) and George Lee Wheeler. This photographer was taken at the home of Wheeler's father located at 340 South Lake Jessup Avenue in Oviedo, Florida.<br /><br />Wheeler graduated from Oviedo High School in 1938 and went on to attend Stetson University in DeLand until he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he returned to Stetson and earned his business degree in 1945 and later his honorary law degree. Wheeler took over the family businesses, Wheeler Fertilizer Company and Nelson and Company, in 1954, when his father passed away. Nelson & Co. grew citrus and cultivated celery in Oviedo, Florida. Wheeler's wife, Jean, died in September of 2001 and Wheeler himself died on November 30, 2006.
Original 2 x 3 inch black and white photographic print: Private Collection of Vicki Clonts.
Clonts, Vicki
Bruce, Mimi
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Home of Benjamin Franklin Wheeler, Sr., Oviedo, Florida