WILLIAM W. WHEATON was born in New Haven, Connecticut, April 5, 1833, and is the son of John and Grit C. (Johnson) Wheaton, and a direct descendant of Captain William Wheaton ford and also in New Haven, and at the age of sixteen entered the wholesale house of Charles H. Northern & Co.. of Hartford. In 1853. when twenty years old. he came to Detroit, and entered the employ of Moore. Foote & Co., wholesale grocers. In 1855 he became the junior partner of the firm of Farrand & Wheaton, wholesale druggists and grocers. From 1859 to 1862 Mr. Wheaton was in business by himself. In 1862 the firm name was Wheaton & Peck, and in 1863 he established the firm of Wheaton. Leonard & Burr, the firm changing in 1869 to Wheaton & Poppleton. In 1867 Mr. Wheaton was elected Mayor of the city, and re-elected in 1870. serving two terms. He subsequently served as chairman of the Democratic State Convention. In 1873 and for several years following he served as treasurer and general agent of the Marquette and Pacific Rolling Mill Company, and of late years has been engaged in a variety of enterprises. Source: History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan By Silas Farmer 1890