Beecher & Bennett
130 YEAR HISTORY OF HELPING FAMILIES
1894
1894 Henry W. Beecher and James M. Bennett came to New Haven Connecticut and started a funeral business bearing their names Beecher & Bennett, Funeral Directors and Embalmers. From a simple store front at 280 Elm Street, this was the beginning of 130 years of helping families of all faiths who have lost loved ones.
Henry W. Beecher
James M. Bennett
1917
1917 In those days funerals and “wakes” were typically held in a family’s home. As families became larger and the population grew, Beecher and Bennett recognized the need for funeral dedicated facilities.
In 1917 the beautiful Georgian Colonial Building was constructed at 100 Broadway, on the corner of Howe Street in New Haven.
This purpose built “Funeral Home” served families until 1983. Many New Haven families remember their loved one’s funeral from this landmark building.
Times certainly have changed since the horse and buggy days!
Iver A. Erickson
James M. Bennett
1924
1924 in 1924 at the age of 66, Mr. Beecher succumbed to a heart attack, leaving the business to Mr. Bennett. In spite of the depths of the great depression in 1932, Mr. Bennett’s funeral business was growing. Bennett decided to hire Iver A. Erickson as Assistant Funeral Director after Erickson graduated from embalming school in New York. Iver Erickson worked with James M. Bennett until Mr. Bennett’s death in 1958.
1958
1958 After Mr. Bennett’s death in 1958, Iver A. Erickson became president and owner of the frm, hiring his son Carleton V. Erickson.
1977
1977 Iver continued Beecher & Bennett’s valued tradition of service until 1977, when Iver’s son Carleton V. Erickson —who had joined the firm in 1958— became president of the firm. Charles E. Roderick was the appointed vice president at that time.
2005
Carleton V. Erickson
Arthur I. Erickson
2005 Carleton‘s son Arthur I. Erickson is the 3rd generation of the Erickson family to serve as President of Beecher & Bennett Funeral & Cremation Services. Arthur strives diligently along with the rest of the professional and caring staff—including his son Jonathan who is a funeral director at the firm—to proudly maintain Beecher & Bennett’s tradition of exceptional service to people of all faiths who have lost loved ones..
2024
Left to right: Jonathan Erickson, Richard Aszklar, Erin Brown Hastings and Arthur Erickson
2024 From its humble start in 1894, the tradition of Beecher and Bennett’s exceptional service continues today—to help families of all faiths pay tribute to their lost loved ones. Beecher & Bennett has two convenient locations in South Central Connecticut:
Beecher and Bennett Funeral and Cremation Service,
2300 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 06518
(203) 288-0800
Beecher and Bennett Flatow Funeral Home,
48 Cook Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451
(203) 235-4152
Beecher & Bennett’s dedication to helping Connecticut families in need, established the foundation for the principles Beecher & Bennett would carry forward to 2024, marking their 130th year in business!
Hamden Location
