USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 4 > Part 45
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founded the business now owned by his grandson, Edwin H. Hills. Hiram Hills' first shop stood on North Washington street, on the shore of what is now Plain- ville Pond, and just south from his home on Camp street. In order to avail himself of a suitable water power, Mr. Hills built a dam across the Pequabuck river, where it enters the pond, and dug a canal to bring the water to his shop. His first work here was sawing shingles, shaping wood for wooden locks made by the Stan- leys in New Britain, and sawing hame wood for Ira Stanley, of New Britain. A saw mill for heavier work was soon added, and the old distillery, built by his grand- father, was taken apart and set up near the other buildings. On September 6, 1853, the Plainville Water Power Com- pany was incorporated, and in this com- pany Hiram Hills subscribed for two hun- dred shares of stock. The object of this company was to furnish water power for such manufacturies as it was hoped might be induced to locate in Plainville, and to that end a dam was built quite near where Samuel Demming's original mill dam stood in 1785. The Plainville Water Power Company was not wholly success- ful, and shortly after the close of 1854 a large majority of its stock came into the possession of Mr. Hills, who thereupon moved his buildings to the north side of the new dam. Upon his removal to the new site, he used the old distillery build- ing for sawing hame wood and for the manufacture of window sash, blinds and doors, continued his saw mill, built a grist mill, operated the stone quarry, opened years before by John and Artemas Root, and soon added a small shop just south of the quarry to which the sash and blind work was removed. The sev- eral lines of business conducted here were reasonably successful, especially the manufacture of wood hames during the
Civil War, when large numbers of these necessary articles were made for the gov- ernment. In order to meet this demand, Mr. Hills extended his business to the south side of the river in 1862, and in that year built the present hame shop, so called, using as a part of the structure the shop built in 1854 by the Plainville Bit and Auger Company. In 1862 two sons of Mr. Hills, Burrett and Edwin, were given an interest in the hame business. Additional buildings were erected on both sides of the dam, and in 1871 the Hills family were operating the sash and blind shop, grist and saw mills, the quarry north of the river and the hame shop on the south side. In 1872 the hame busi- ness was further extended and "root hames," so called, a low-priced product, were made in one of the shops on the north side, under the oversight of Wal- lace Hills, youngest son of Hiram Hills, and Elbert Manchester. In 1874 Hiram Hills sold his entire interest in the hame business to his sons, Burrett and Edwin. and his son-in-law, Lorenzo C. Strick- land, who thereupon operated under the firm name of Hills Brothers & Company. On January 1, 1875, Edwin and Wallace Hills bought all the property south of the river, including the water power and the hame shop. On May 1, 1875, two months before the death of Hiram Hills, the buildings and water power north of the dam were purchased by Burrett Hills and his sister, Adelaide Strickland. The in- terests thus acquired were conducted, in part, for two years thereafter by Burrett Hills and Lorenzo C. Strickland, under the name of Burrett Hills & Strickland. In June, 1875. the sash and blind shop was rented to Crane & Andrews. In June, 1876, the saw mill was abandoned and the equipment sold to William L. Cooke, who removed it to White Oak. In the same year the grist mill was rented to Corbin
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& Eaton. Edwin and Wallace Hills, hav- ing purchased the property south of the river, continued in the hame business with their brother-in-law, L. C. Strickland, until 1877, when Mr. Strickland withdrew. In 1885 Wallace Hills sold his interest to his brother, Edwin Hills, who thence- forth conducted the business in his own nanie until his death in 1909.
Hiram Hills was very prominent in local politics, and took a keen interest in public affairs, and this, together with his well known probity, integrity and popu- larity, caused him to be selected by his fellow townsmen for public offices of great responsibility. He was the first representative of the town of Plainville to the State Legislature, and while in that capacity did much for the advancement of the interests of the community. He was a prominent member of the Plain- ville Congregational Church, and held office in that body for many years.
Hiram Hills married (first) Betsey A. Ludington, who bore him seven children, as follows: Justin; Burrett; Mariette, who became the wife of Elbert Manches- ter, of Bristol: Edwin, of whom further ; Adelaide, who became the wife of Lor- enzo C. Strickland ; Jane E., who became the wife of Charles Sutliff ; Wallace. Mr. Hills married (second) Mrs. Olive Augur.
Edwin Hills was born at Plainville, Connecticut, March 11, 1842, and died November 9, 1909. Like his father, he made that town his home during his en- tire lifetime. He was an extremely alert and ambitious lad and made the best use of every opportunity that appeared. Upon completing his studies in the public schools of the town, he turned his atten- tion to the business of earning a liveli- hood and accepted a position in his father's mills for the manufacture of hames. He remained in this employment for a number of years, then, in company
with his brother, Burrett Hills, purchased their father's interest and conducted the business, as aforementioned. When the father founded the business the manufac- ture of hames was a comparatively primi- tive operation, these articles being made entirely of wood, but with the advance of technical knowledge and mechanical skill a great change has since come about. During the elder man's life, wood was the material used, and this continued for some time after the brothers had assumed con- trol. But Edwin Hills was a progressive man in spite of a strong strain of con- servatism in his character, and from the start it was his policy to keep his busi- ness abreast of the times, and accordingly, when iron took the place of wood in the manufacture of hames, he rapidly altered his equipment and accommodations to meet the change and proceeded along the new lines determined by the character of the demand. He worked up a large trade, employing over sixty hands in the plant at one time and turning out over three hundred pairs of iron hames a day. Nor did he confine himself entirely to the making of hames, but branched out into varied lines, including metallic parts for harness, household and kitchen utensils, and a number of his own inventions in hardware, so that at the time of his de- cease the demand for these articles ex- ceeded the capacity of his mills. The ex- tensive business thus built up has sur- vived Mr. Hills and is now operated by his son, Edwin H. Hills, with the highest degree of success.
A man of Mr. Hills' talents and abilities would naturally find it difficult to confine his efforts to any one enterprise, however important it might be, and this was the case with him. It was almost inevitable that he should be drawn into other inter- ests, both of a financial and public char- acter. He was a prominent figure in the
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business world generally, and was one of the most influential of the men who in the year 1909 founded the First National Bank of Plainville. After the successful organization of this institution, he was elected its first vice-president, an office that he continued to fill until his death. Always keenly interested in public affairs, he was a staunch supporter of the princi- ples of the Republican party, and in the year 1908 was its candidate for the State Legislature. He was successful in the campaign that followed and made his term of service in that body one of in- valuable work for his constituents and the community at large. He was well known for his wide and liberal benevo- lences and for the public spirit that always actuated him in his conduct.
Mr. Hills married (first) Alzina Welch, a native of Plainville, Connecticut, daugh- ter of Henry L. Welch, of that place. Two children were born of this union : Antoinette and Grace L. Mr. Hills mar- ried (second) June 3, 1881, Emma Bullen, daughter of William F. Bullen, a repre- sentative of an old English family. One son was born of this union, Edwin H., who, as has been remarked above, is now conducting the business which has en- dured through three generations of the family.
BROSMITH, William, Insurance Law Expert.
William Brosmith, general counsel of The Travellers' Insurance Company since 1901, has long been numbered among the recognized authorities on insurance law. He has taken an active part in the politi- cal life of Hartford, and in numerous po- sitions of trust and responsibility has ren- dered valuable public service.
He was born in the City of New York in 1854, and was admitted to the New
York State bar in 1876. Although en- gaged for a time in general practice, he soon gave special attention to corporation and insurance law, and in 1895 came to Hartford, where he has since resided.
When Mr. Brosmith came to Hartford he joined the legal staff of The Travelers' Insurance Company as attorney, and shortly after his arrival was admitted to the Hartford county bar. In 1901 he was promoted to his present position as gen- eral counsel, when his predecessor in that position, Sylvester C. Dunham, who later on became president of the company, was elected to the vice-presidency.
He has made an extensive study of all matters relating to insurance and has taken a prominent part in securing wise legislation and standard statutory regu- lations for the government of insurance. Mr. Brosmith is the president of the As- sociation of Life Insurance Counsel, and manager of the Bureau of Publicity, Cas- ualty Insurance. He is actively inter- ested in all organizations to promote uni- formity and betterment in company prac- tices, and has an extensive acquaintance and familiarity with all lines of insurance as conducted by the various companies in the United States. In 1906 Mr. Bro- smith was president of the International Association of Accident Underwriters, and later on of the International Associa- tion of Casualty and Surety Under- writers. At different times he has served on the executive committees of these or- ganizations, and of the Board of Casu- alty and Surety Underwriters. Profes- sional organizations to which he belongs are the Hartford Bar, the State Bar Asso- ciations of Connecticut and New York, and the American Bar Association. He served as president of the Board of Char- ity Commissioners of Hartford during six of the nine years in which he was a member of that body. He also served
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John HAHolcombe
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as a member of the Municipal Building Commission, which had in charge the erection of Hartford's beautiful Munici- pal Building. He is a member of the State Civil Service Commission and the Commission of Public Welfare of the State of Connecticut; a member of the board of directors of The Travelers' In- surance Company, the Travelers' Bank and Trust Company and the Dime Sav- ings Bank. His clubs are the Hartford, the Hartford Golf and the Country Club. He is a trustee of St. Francis' Hospital and St. Joseph's Cathedral Corporation.
In 1879 Mr. Brosmith married Hannah A. McBride. Mrs. Brosmith died March 13, 1913, leaving the following children : Allan E. Brosmith, who is engaged in the practice of law in the City of New York; Amy M. Brosmith, who resides with her father ; Arthur W. Brosmith, an inspector of the Board of Water Commis- sioners of the City of Hartford; Mary Brosmith, who is an Ursuline Sister, teaching in the College of New Rochelle, from which she graduated; Dorothy E., now the wife of William J. McEvoy, a fire insurance underwriter of Boston, and formerly of Hartford.
Both as a lawyer and a citizen, Mr. Brosmith has rendered able and worthy service.
HOLCOMBE, John Marshall,
President Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company.
The coat-of-arms of the ancestral fam- ily is thus described (Burke's Armory) :
Holcombe Arms-Azure, a chevron argent between three men's heads in profile, couped at the shoulders, or, wreathed about the temple, sable and of the second.
Crest-A man's head, full faced, couped at the breast, proper; wreathed around the temple, or and azure.
Motto-Veritas et fortitudo. (Truth and for- titude).
John Marshall Holcombe, of Hartford, president of the Phoenix Mutual Life In- surance Company, needs no introduction to the public either as a business man or citizen. Mr. Holcombe is a representa- tive of an ancient family which has given to New England and the United States many men distinguished in the learned professions and eminent in the sphere of public service.
(I) Thomas Holcombe, founder of the American branch of the race, was a mem- ber of an old English family. He came from England about 1630, and on May 14, 1634, was admitted a freeman of Dor- chester, Massachusetts. In 1638 he came to Connecticut and settled where the town of Windsor now stands. Among the de- scendants of Thomas Holcombe are: Amasa Holcombe, the scientist; Chester Holcombe, the diplomat; and the Rev. Frederick Holcombe, one of the founders of Trinity College. Among the collateral ancestors of John Marshall Holcombe are the following: John Webster, a Gov- ernor of Connecticut; Deacon Samuel Chapin, one of the founders of Spring- field, Massachusetts; William Phelps, a commissioner appointed by the Massa- chusetts Bay Colony in 1636 to govern the people of Connecticut, member of the council of the Pequot War in 1637, and a framer of the Constitution in 1639; Thomas Bliss, an original proprietor of Hartford; General Nathan Johnson, an officer of the War of 1812, a prominent lawyer of Connecticut, quartermaster- general for many years, and State Sen- ator ; General Johnson commanded twelve hundred soldiers when the beloved La- fayette visited Hartford in 1824; a feature of the occasion was the presence among them of one hundred veterans of the Rev- olution. Others among the collateral ancestors of John Marshall Holcombe were John Talcott, Sr., deputy of Massa-
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chusetts Bay Court, also Connecticut, many sessions, and treasurer of the colony of Connecticut ; John Wakeman, deputy and treasurer of the colony. It is an in- teresting fact that the two heroes of the hiding of the famous charter in the oak were ancestors of Mr. Holcombe-Cap- tain Joseph Wadsworth, and Lieutenant- Colonel John Talcott. Captain Wads- worth concealed the charter of Connecti- cut in the famous charter oak. Lieuten- ant-Colonel John Talcott was with Cap- tain Wadsworth when the charter was hidden in the oak; he was very promi- nent ; he was commander of the Connec- ticut troops in King Philip's War, and a tablet to his memory was recently erected at Great Barrington, Massachusetts; his daughter Elizabeth became wife of Cap- tain Joseph Wadsworth. The courage of these two famous men is found among their descendants.
(II) Lieutenant Nathaniel Holcombe, son of Thomas Holcombe, was born in 1648, was a farmer of Simsbury, and served six terms in the General Court. He married Mary Bliss, and among their children was Nathaniel, mentioned below.
(III) Sergeant Nathaniel (2) Hol- combe, son of Lieutenant Nathaniel (1) and Mary (Bliss) Holcombe, was born in 1673, and served four terms in the Gen- eral Court. He married Martha Buel, and among their children was David, mentioned below.
(IV) Lieutenant David Holcombe, son of Sergeant Nathaniel (2) and Martha (Buel) Holcombe, was born in 1705, and was a farmer and inn-keeper of Simsbury. He married Mehitable Butolph, and among their children was Reuben, men- tioned below.
(V) Reuben Holcombe, son of Lieu- tenant David and Mehitable (Butolph) Holcombe, was born in 1728, married Susanna Hayes, and among their children was Phineas, mentioned below.
(VI) Phineas Holcombe, son of Reu- ben and Susanna (Hayes) Holcombe, was born 1759, died 1833. He was a soldier of the war of the Revolution. He mar- ried Elizabeth Moore, and among their children was Phineas, mentioned below.
(VII) Phineas (2) Holcombe, son of Phineas (1) and Elizabeth (Moore) Hol- combe, was born in 1783, died 1814. He married Nancy Smith Huggins, and among their children was James Hug- gins, mentioned below.
(VIII) James Huggins Holcombe, son of Phineas (2) and Nancy Smith (Hug- gins) Holcombe, was born August 31, 1806. He studied for the profession of law, was admitted to the bar, and began the active practice of his profession i Hartford, Connecticut, in 1833. Forty years later, in 1873, he went to Italy, and from that time until his death in 1889 made his home in that country. He mar- ried Emily Merrill, daughter of General Nathan and Sarah (Merrill) Johnson, and among their children was John Marshall. mentioned below.
(IX) John Marshall Holcombe, son of James Huggins and Emily Merrill (John- son ) Holcombe, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, June 8, 1848. He com- pleted a course of public school study in his native city by graduating from the high school. Entering Yale University, he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts with the class of 1869, and forty years later his alma mater conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. Though educated for the profession of law. Mr. Holcombe's choice was for busi- ness, and in 1869, not long after his grad- uation, he entered the service of the Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, whence he was called to act as actuary of the State Insurance Department, serv- ing in that capacity from 1871 to 1874. He made life insurance not only a busi- ness but a study, devoting special atten-
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tion to its scientific side. In the course of time he became one of the best known life insurance men in the State, and by reason of this was appointed actuary of the Connecticut State Insurance Depart- ment. Mr. Holcombe's work in this posi- tion brought him into prominence as an exponent of the mathematical, statistical, and actuarial principles of life insurance, and caused his services to be sought by the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Com- pany of Hartford. In 1874 he became assistant secretary of that organization, succeeding in 1875 to the office of secre- tary. This position he retained until 1889, when he was elected vice-president, and on December 28, 1904, he was chosen president of the company, an office which he still most capably fills, the success and standing of the company testifying to the wisdom of its executive management. The outside business interests of Mr. Holcombe are nearly all with Hartford corporations, and include the Phoenix National Bank, Phoenix (Fire) Insurance Company, National Surety Company of New York, in all of which he holds direc- torships; is a director and past president of the Fidelity Trust Company; vice- president of the Mechanics' Savings Bank, also occupying a seat on its board of trus- tees, and treasurer of the Hartford Re- treat.
As a writer and lecturer on insurance, Mr. Holcombe has gained a national repu- tation in the world of finance and insur- ance. He was one of the promoters of the insurance course at Yale University, and has been a regular lecturer there ever since its establishment. He was one of the charter members of the Actuarial So- ciety of America, and has been a trusted counsellor of insurance commissioners of his own and other States and of legisla- tors. This was true at the time of the New York State investigation in 1902,
and at the passage of the New York State laws emanating therefrom, Mr. Holcombe being consulted with in regard to certain features of the proposed enactments. His own company, the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, passed the ordeal triumphantly, receiving the high- est commendation.
Both by influence and by personal service, Mr. Holcombe has borne his full share of responsibility as a citizen. He has been a member of the Court of Com- mon Council of Hartford, and presiding officer of both branches thereof ; inaugur- ated the movement that resulted in the establishment of the Hartford Board of Health, and served as commissioner for several years ; was a member of the Hart- ford Board of Finance, and is now a mem- ber of the City Plan Commission. By right of ancestry, Mr. Holcombe is a member of a number of organizations, including the Society of Colonial Wars, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Society of the War of 1812, and the So- ciety of Colonial Governors. He is an ex- president of the Hartford Municipal Art Society ; president of the Insurance Insti- tute ; ex-president of the Yale Alumni As- sociation of Hartford, and chairman of the Yale Loan Fund of that association ; and member of the Wolf's Head Society of Yale, the University Club, New York City, and of the Hartford and Hartford Golf clubs. In religious faith he is a Con- gregationalist, continuing through suc- cessive generations an unbroken line of membership in the ancient First Church of Christ, Hartford. Among its founders twelve of the names are those of his ancestors.
When, in 1909, the honorary degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon Mr. Holcombe by Yale University, Professor William L. Phelps, in awarding the de- gree, said that in giving a degree to Mr.
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Holcombe Yale was recognizing one of her own sons, one of the foremost citizens of a neighboring city, and one whose reputation had become national; during the years since his graduation, so many Yale men had gone into business that it was highly appropriate that success hon- estly won should receive academic re- ward. Yale trains men for the cloister and the hearth; for political, legal and medical schools of activity, and for the fierce competitive strife of business where men bear the burden and heat of the day. In the enormous activities of modern life insurance, one of the most complex and difficult subjects to master, Mr. Holcombe has achieved eminence ; he possesses that optimism which is the philosophical basis of his vocation ; he has added reputation to a city which, with less than one hun- dred thousand inhabitants, has never hesi- tated to insure the entire world. And subject to attack from the reformers' standpoint, Mr. Holcombe has been true to the name he bears, the name of the greatest judge in American history -- John Marshall.
Mr. Holcombe lives in the house in which he was born, and where five gener- ations of his family have resided. The house was built in 1815, and an advertise- ment of it, describing its charms, and say- ing it was built on "Lord's Hill" and "fitted to accommodate a genteel family of about twenty-eight persons," was printed in the daily papers. In 1915 a century celebration party was held.
Mr. Holcombe married, in Brooklyn, New York, January 29, 1873, Emily Sey- mour Goodwin, daughter of Edwin Olm- sted Goodwin, of Brooklyn, whose biog- raphy appears in this work. Mrs. Hol- combe organized Ruth Wyllys Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution ; is a charter member of the Society of Colonial Dames; was a member of the
National Board of Lady Managers of the Louisiana Purchase Expedition, and had charge of the Connecticut buildings at that exposition and at the Jamestown Ex- position of 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Holcombe are the parents of three children : Harold Goodwin, born November 23, 1873; Emily Marguerite, born October 24, 1877; and John Marshall, Jr., born May 4, 1889. A grandson, Harold Goodwin, Jr., was born November 3, 1915.
The history of insurance for the last forty years abundantly proves that in his choice of an occupation Mr. Holcombe made no mistake. His record is that of a business man and public official who has been true to the traditions of an honorable ancestry.
HOLCOMBE, Emily S. (Goodwin), Prominent in Patriotic Societies.
Mrs. Emily Seymour (Goodwin) Hol- combe, of Hartford, Past Regent of Ruth Wyllys Chapter, Daughters of the Amer- ican Revolution, and ex-president of the Connecticut Society of Colonial Dames of America, has proved herself a true descendant of patriotic ancestors. The Goodwin family is one of the oldest in New England, and from an early period in our Colonial history has been identified with the most vital interests of the city of Hartford.
The name Goodwin is of very ancient origin, and is to be found in most of the northern countries of Europe. Its deriva- tion is not clear, but it evidently signifies "good friend," or "God's friend." The name is of record in England as early as 1238, and researches indicate that the ancestors of the first American Goodwins belonged to the Essex family of Goodwin, whose history is traced to about the middle of the fifteenth century.
(1) Ozias Goodwin, founder of the
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