USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume III > Part 2
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The headquarters of the parent organization remain at Norwich, but the Thermos interests extend far beyond Connecticut. The English subsidiary, dating from 1907, is known as Thermos Limited. Canadian Thermos Products, Ltd., which also has a history of more than fifty years, began its existence as an independent company. Plastene Cor- poration in Indiana, and the Hemp Division in Illinois, both mentioned earlier, complete the Thermos family.
In respect to the construction of new plants, the company has likewise continued its forward strides. Most recent of these is a ware- house and assembly plant at Anaheim, California, begun in the year of the company's fiftieth anniversary, which provides an area of eigh- ty-three thousand square feet of floor space for offices, manufacturing and assembly operations, and storage.
The American Thermos Products Company has always main- tained a high standard of employee relationships. As early as 1925, it became one of the first companies to provide life insurance for its employees. Following the crash of 1929, a welfare association was formed to give financial aid to employees in difficult circumstances. and this fund is still in existence. A medical and hospital insurance plan was instituted in the 1940s, as was a retirement plan to provide a pension for employees after age sixty-five. The company has a modern testing program to match employees' skills to job require- ments. In September, 1948, the company established a separate per-
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sonnel division in the newly-created Employee Service Center to ad- minister all phases of employee relations. Both through its industrial putput, and through its beneficial influence among the citizens of the community, The American Thermos Products Company has contri- buted much to Norwich over the years past and gives every indication of continuing its contribution in the future.
THE ANDREW B. HENDRYX COMPANY
One of New Haven's older industries-now within a decade of completing a century of existence-is The Andrew B. Hendryx Com- pany. The firm has long specialized in the manufacture of bird and animal cages of all types, but in addition to its continuing operations as a leader in this field, it also produces a varied line of pet furnishings, such as dog collars, leashes, harnesses and leads, dog beds and other accessories.
The company was organized as a partnership by Andrew B. Hen- dryx in 1869, with a staff of two employees. Its first plant was at Ansonia, but after a decade there, manufacturing operations were moved to the present location on Audubon Street in New Haven -- a most appropriate address, since the street bears the name of a naturalist famed for his work with the feathered and winged spe- cies. The company has continued its steady growth throughout the nearly fourscore years since it arrived in New Haven. With the latest manufacturing and metal finish techniques, it produces top-quality cages of every type, for every species of domesticated bird, designed to meet the requirements of finches, parrots and parakeets, and exotic birds of all types as well as the more common canary. It also produces specially designed animal cages for squirrels, hamsters, white mice and guinea pigs. Its nationwide market draws not only upon individual owners of pets, but upon universities and other institutions which re- quire laboratory cages made to specifications.
In 1948, the company purchased the business of a New York City leather manufacturer, moved the production facilities to New Haven, and began producing a line of pet furnishings, such as collars and leashes, to round out its line of products for pets.
Early in its history, The Andrew B. Hendryx Company was called upon by the government to supply items for the armed forces. At the time of the Spanish-American War, it made canteen chains and mule rigs for the army ; and it has manufactured equipment used in every conflict since that time. In World War II, it produced more than sixty items connected with the nation's defense, including car-
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rier pigeon equipment for the Signal Corps, ship's running lights for the Navy, gun cleaners for Garand rifles, and machine gun barrel sleeves. It resumed its production of wartime needs at the time of the Korean War. For some years kitchen equipment used by the United States Navy has come off the assembly lines at the Hendryx plant.
On the payroll of The Andrew B. Hendryx Company are one hundred and fifty men and women, who benefit from progressive management policies. A number of these people have been with the firm a quarter-century or more. The company's health and accident program is outstanding. At only ten percent of cost, each employee is provided with life insurance, accident and sickness insurance, and surgical and medical expense benefits. In the early 1950s, a modern and fully equipped infirmary with part-time registered nurse was established. In 1951 the Company inaugurated a profit sharing plan for all employees.
The three chief executives of The Andrew B. Hendryx Company are all grandsons of its founder. President since 1945 is Tilton Edwin Doolittle, 2nd. Born in Spokane, Washington, on March 12, 1900, he is a veteran of naval service in World War I. A. H. Doolittle is vice president, while a namesake of the founder, Andrew B. Hen- dryx, holds the office of secretary.
ANNHURST COLLEGE
Annhurst College at South Woodstock, chartered by the Connec- ticut State Legislature and conducted by the Daughters of the Holy Ghost, is a Catholic college for women-the only one of its kind in eastern Connecticut. Situated as it is in an historical and picturesque village, it benefits from a rural setting which provides an ideal atmos- phere of peace and tranquility most favorable to intellectual pursuits. Its two-hundred-acre campus lies three miles from the city of Putnam between Pomfret-South Woodstock Highway 93 and the Providence- Springfield Road 91. It is approximately two hours' distance from Springfield and Hartford, and one hour from Providence and Wor- cester.
Founded with the approval of the Most Reverend Maurice Mc- Auliffe, D.D., Bishop of Hartford, the college was formally opened in September, 1941. Two years later it was granted a state charter, empowering it to confer degrees in arts and sciences. It offers courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts; and its curriculum includes a pre-medical course and professional training for secondary school
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manufacturing of parts for war industry. In July, 1947, William Bassett began the production of a consumer item, namely, a Finger- nail Clipper, which was completely new in concept and design. Patents on the revolutionary features of Trim Fingernail Clipper were obtained and the new precision made clipper began to make its mark as a potent factor in the nail clipper field. From a few thousand clippers a day in 1947, the demand for Trim steadily increased until the factory today produces an unbroken stream of manicure implements running into many millions per year. Not only are Trim products going into thousands of diversified retail outlets throughout this country, but also into many foreign markets, and to our armed forces throughout the world.
The W. E. Bassett Company was incorporated April 23, 1947; under the laws of Connecticut, and the following officers were elected: William E. Bassett, President and Treasurer, Henry W. Bassett, Vice President and Doris M. Bassett, Secretary, with William E. Bassett as the major stockholder. Records of William E. Bassett and of Henry W. Bassett appear in the biographical section of this history. William R. Denton joined the firm in October, 1945, to supervise the sales activities. In October, 1952, Collins T. Dawson joined the firm in the capacity of Sales Manager to the Export and Advertising Spec- ialty Trade. The company outgrew their original facilities and in January, 1952, moved into their newly constructed plant with ap- proximately seventy employees. In 1960 the average number of em- ployees had grown to around one hundred seventy-five.
New items were added to the product line: Trim Toenail Clip- pers in 1954, Trim Trio Knives in 1956, Trim Tweezers and Trim Folding Files in 1958, and Trim Emery Boards in 1959. Other big additions to the product line were Trim Heirloom gift sets and the Kustom King business gift sets, sold through department stores and selected advertising specialty jobbers throughout the country respec- tively.
Through mutual cooperation between management and loyal em- ployees, The W. E. Bassett Company is today a recognized leader throughout the world in the manicure implement field.
THE BILCO COMPANY
The Bilco Company of New Haven is a firm which has prospercd on the basis of the successful production of one well-chosen product : the Bilco metal basement door. It is one of those Connecticut indus- tries whose management has been carried on by successive genera-
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tions of a single family. Its founder, who is still the president, is George William Lyons, Sr., who was born in New Haven on May 27, 1894. He is the son of Patrick and Bridget (Tighe) Lyons, deceased. George W. Lyons, Sr., received formal education only through the eighth grade, and he then started work as an apprentice in an iron and steel mill, after a short time spent in a printing office. He was able to resume his education through evening courses at Stone's Business College, which was at that time called the Yale Business School. He also took engineering courses by correspondence.
After gaining considerable experience in the architectural iron business, Mr. Lyons determined in the mid-1920s to enter business for himself. His personal experience in having to repair and main- tain the wooden basement entrance to his house served to direct his attention to the need for a door which would spare its owner such efforts. After experimenting with a braking press, welding torch, and some twelve-gauge sheet steel, he produced the prototype of the metal basement door for which a substantial market has since been built. Possessing confidence in his product, he formed an organization to mass-produce the door, and The Bilco Company was incorporated in 1926.
The depression which followed shortly afterwards slowed the growth of the company. The founder recalls that at times the work- ing force consisted chiefly of himself and one or two of his sons. During that same period, however, he patented certain features of his basement door-its safety catch, spring lift and flanging, and its "knock-down" feature. "His foresight," as Carl Bissell wrote in his history of the company in Connecticut Industry Magazine, "has liter- ally given him the field to himself. He has had imitators, but they have ceased to be a problem."
The firm began its present era of growth in 1945, following the lifting of wartime restrictions on the use of critical metals. At that time it moved into an abandoned wire mesh mill in New Haven. At that time it had a production force of ten men, but it quickly outgrew the mill's twelve thousand square feet of floor space. In 1953 a larger plant became available, that which had previously been occupied by the Churchward Company in West Haven. There Steelcraft power boats had been manufactured, until the company ceased operation after a period of receivership. The plant has sixty thousand square feet of floor space, numerous unattached buildings, and a dock on the West River estuary. It has been occupied by Bilco operations since, and all the space is fully utilized.
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One reason for the growing popularity for Bilco basement doors is the fact that they have reached a market of home handymen as well as contractors. The product is shipped in a "knocked-down" state and can readily be assembled by anyone with a modicum of knowledge of construction procedures. It is manufactured in three sizes to fit the basement entrances which are standard in most modern dwellings. Fifty-four distributors throughout the United States now handle the product. While this item received major emphasis in the company's production schedules, the Bilco Company also manufactures a weather- tight, leadproof roof scuttle for schools, hospitals, industrial and business buildings, along with a waterproof sidewalk, floor access and pit door.
The Bilco Company is a family-owned corporation, being wholly owned by Mr. and Mrs. George W. Lyons, Sr., and their five sons and one daughter. Although the founder retains the office of president, his sons hold the key management and production posts.
B. W. BISHOP & SONS, INC.
While B. W. Bishop & Sons, Inc., is a comparatively new com- pany in the State of Connecticut, its roots are planted deeply in earliest Connecticut colonial history. It was in the year of 1639 that John Bishop immigrated from England, and became one of the founding settlers of Guilford, Connecticut. He was the first of a family that has left a proud and honorable record on the pages of the history of this state. Testifying to his prominence in the community is the fact that he was one of the twenty-five signers of the Covenant; one of the grantees of Guilford land, October 19, 1639, from the Indian Queen Menunketuck; and one of the four men in whom the civil gov- ernment of the early colony was entrusted.
Two others of the Bishop family settled in the infant colony of Connecticut : Henry, who settled in New Haven in 1644; and James B., who also settled in New Haven, in 1647. James later became Deputy Governor of the Colony.
Some two hundred years later the Bishop name became linked to that of the Leetes, descendants of Governor William Leete of Con- necticut Colony in the marriage of Nancy Leete to Walter Goodrich Bishop, the actual founder of the present-day Bishop industry. Walter Goodrich Bishop was a direct descendant of James B .; Nancy Leete was a direct descendant of John Bishop and Governor Leete. Walter started his career as a brass molder for Parker Brothers in Meriden. However, work in a brass foundry did not agree with his health, so
B. W. BISHOP & SONS FANCY FRUIT
BISHOP'S APPLES WHOLESALE & RETAIL SWEET CIDER
B. W. BISHOP & SONS, GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT
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he purchased a small farm in the vicinity of Orange, where he resided until 1871. In that year he returned to Guilford, where he purchased some more land, and continued his farming operations for the rest of his life. It was in the early 188os that he set out the first fruit trees that became the basis of the Bishop enterprise of today.
On January 25th, 1867, Walter and Nancy Leete Bishop had a son whom they named Burton Walter. Following in his father's foot- steps, Burton stayed close to the land all of his life. Starting with general farming with his father, he also started a small dairy business in 1907 and continued a milk route in Guilford until 1926. Adding to the fruit set out by his father, he planted his first commercial or- chard in 1909. Eleven years later he and his sons purchased another tract of land and set out twenty more acres of apple trees. In 1926 still more land was purchased, and more trees planted, and the family enterprise was a going concern.
Originally the farm was operated by Burton and his four sons. However, the oldest son, Rufus Walter, became a poultryman in Guil- ford, a pursuit he still follows; and George Burton, the youngest son became associated with the Southern New England Telephone Com- pany. From 1942, B. W. Bishop and Sons was a partnership between two remaining sons, Arthur Frederick and Charles Remington, and on January 1, 1957, the firm was incorporated. Charles Remington became President; his son, Charles Eugene, is Vice President and Orchard Manager; Arthur Frederick is the Treasurer of the Corpora- tion; and his son, Albert Brewer, is Secretary.
On January 21, 1942, Burton Walter Bishop passed away. Behind him were many years of active service in his community. Previous to the Spanish-American War he had been Bugler in the Guilford Bat- tery. He had been a Grand Juror from his early years; and for many years was a Justice of the Peace. He also served many years on the school committee. In the 1920s he was First Selectman for the Town of Guilford. Fraternally he was a Past Master of the Grange, a mem- ber of the Masonic Lodge, a member of the Odd Fellows and of the Encampment.
Burton was joined in marriage to Lillian R. Remington, who died in 1935. Six children were born to their marriage : Helen Mariette, Rufus Walter, Arthur Frederick, Charles Remington, Grace Louise (died May 25, 1924), and George Burton.
The present members of the firm of B. W. Bishop and Sons con- tinue in the active life of the community that has become almost syn- onymous with the Bishop name:
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President Charles Remington Bishop, was born in Guilford on January 15, 1898. After graduation from Guilford High in 1915, he continued his work with his father and brother, taking time out in 1920 for a short course at Massachusetts Agricultural College. A Republican, he was on the Guilford Planning and Zoning Commission. He is Secretary-Treasurer of the New Haven Vegetable Growers' Association ; a Past President of the New Haven County Farm Bureau (1947-1948) and a Past Director of the Connecticut State Farm Bureau. At present he is President of the New Haven County Agri- cultural Center. This organization has purchased a house in Walling- ford which they have rebuilt for permanent offices for agricultural organizations in the county. Mr. Bishop is also Treasurer of the New Haven County Co-operative Auction Association; Treasurer of The Connecticut Vegetable Growers Association and was formerly a member of the Farmers' Security Administration and of the Farmers' Home Administration which succeeded the former organization. In 1953 he was appointed by Governor Lodge to the State Board of Agriculture, a position he held for four years. As his father, he is a member of the Odd Fellows and Encampment; a Past Master of the local Grange (1920), and twice has been Master of St. Albans Lodge 38, A. F. & A. M. (1937 and 1941). A member of the First Congregational Church of Guilford, he has served as Sunday School Superintendent and as a teacher. He has been an active member of Eagle Hose Lodge No. 2 (Volunteers) since 1926.
On March 23, 1931, in Guilford, he was wed to Mary Margaret Mercer, daughter of a Congregational minister. Their three children are :
Charles Eugene, born January 26, 1933, in Guilford. A graduate of Guilford High, he also attended the University of Connecticut, and is now Vice President and Orchard Manager of B. W. Bishop & Sons. He is married to Jane Ellen DuPaul. They have two children : Jonathon Brett and Kimberly Ann.
Carolyn Ruth, born August 19, 1935, in Guilford. She also is a graduate of Guilford High, and attended the University of Con- necticut, as well as Stone Business College. She and her husband, John Zurkus, reside in Guilford. They have one child, Karen Ruth.
Margaret Elizabeth, youngest child of Charles Remington, was born January 3, 1939 in Guilford and attended Guilford High and Fisher Junior College, in Boston. She is married to Gerald Dostie of Guilford, and has two children : Linda Jeanne, and Gerald Eugene.
Arthur Frederick Bishop, Treasurer, and the second senior mem-
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ber of the Corporation, may have been the pattern for his next younger brother. Graduating from Guilford High, he immediately went into full-time operations with his father, with whom he had been working outside of school hours since "just a kid." He, also, took a short course at Massachusetts Agricultural College. Arthur is a past mem- ber of the National Agricultural Conservation Program; was Com- munity Committeeman one year, and County Committeeman for seven years-two years as Chairman of the County Committee. He is an active member of the Republican Party, a Mason, a Past Master of the Grange (1932-1933), a Past Noble Grand of the Odd Fellows, and a Past Chief Patriarch of The Encampment. He is a member of the First Congregational Church of Guilford. In 1924 he was wed to Nettie Fowler Brewer, who died in August, 1945. To their marriage were born three children :
Grace Louise, born June 23, 1926, in Guilford. Grace graduated from Guilford High and attended the University of Connecticut. She is married to Ernest Elmer Russell, and lives in Corning, New York, where he is a Quality Production Engineer for Corning Glass. They have four children : Grace Louise, Martha Elizabeth, Michael Arthur and Douglas Elmer.
Albert Brewer, born March 15, 1931 in Guilford. He graduated as salutatorian from Guilford High in 1949, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from the University of Connecticut, Class of 1954. While in high school and college he participated ac- tively in 4-H, Future Farmers of America, National Junior Vegetable Growers Association and Alpha Zeta. He won the NJVGA National Judging Contest in 1950, the NJVGA National Production Contest in 1951 and was elected Vice President and later President of the NJVGA in 1952. From ROTC in college, Albert went on active duty for two years as a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and served in Germany. Albert returned to civilian life in 1956 and is now Secretary of the firm of B. W. Bishop & Sons, Inc.
He is a member of the Congregational Church, Eagle Hose No. 2 Volunteer Fire Company and Junior Chamber of Commerce. He is married to Barbara Juniver. Their three children are: Keith Brewer, Craig Alan, and Diane Lynn.
Harold Remington, born June 29, 1935 in Guilford. He gradu- ated from Guilford High School in 1953 and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from the University of Connecticut in 1957. Harold also was active in 4-H, FFA, National Junior Vege- table Growers Association and Alpha Zeta in college. He merited the
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state farmers degree in FFA, served as secretary of the Connecticut State FFA, won the Woodward Award made to the outstanding agri- culture junior at the University of Connecticut, and was Chancellor of Alpha Zeta, Honorary Agriculture Fraternity, in 1956-57. He is married to Nancy Wakeman, and they have one daughter, Carrie Lynn. Following in the family "trade," Harold now lives in Wood- stock, Connecticut where he has recently purchased an orchard of his own.
In 1951 Arthur Frederick Bishop was married a second time, to Ruth Whittier, who was born November 22, 1901 in Beverly, Massa- chusetts.
B. W. Bishop and Sons, Inc., now has over 275 acres under cul- tivation. While apples are their primary product, they also raise some other fruit and a comparatively large amount of vegetables. They supply many retail outlets along coastal Connecticut, and have their own large retail fruit market at the home place in Guilford. On good days during the fall and early winter you may have difficulty finding a place to park as people come from many miles around to purchase Bishop fruit and fruit jellies and preserves, as well as their apple cider.
Nor is this the end of the road. Seemingly a new crop of "Bishops" is always coming along, following in their fathers' footsteps, and bringing with them increased knowledge and science in the field of horticulture, helping to make B. W. Bishop & Sons, Inc., one of the finest fruit-growers in the northeast.
CHAMBERLAIN COMPANY, INC.
A New Haven mercantile concern, Chamberlain Company, Inc., has the distinction of being the oldest firm in the United States devoted to the retail sale of furniture. In the course of its history, six genera- tions of the Chamberlain family have capably managed it, adhering to the same high standards of service to home makers, a record no other retail furniture firm can duplicate.
Actually, forebears in the Chamberlain line were engaged in making furniture long before the present organization was founded in the early 1830s. Their early ancestry is English and Norman French, the Count DeSaulsville of Normandy having gone to England with King Henry II, the first of the Plantagenets, as a chamberlain. It was from his occupation that the family name was derived. One of his direct descendants, Edmund Chamberlain, came to this country in the early Seventeenth Century and was an original settler at Woburn, Massachusetts, later moving to Woodstock, Connecticut.
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HOME OF ABIEL CHAMBERLAIN, CABINETMAKER, 1774-1832 WOODSTOCK, CONNECTICUT PRESENT RETAIL STORE, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 1925-1960
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The family lived there for several generations, and Abiel Chamberlain, great-grandson of Edmund, fought for the colonies in the Revolu- tionary War. Before that time, however, he had selected cabinet making as his trade, which he was following as early as 1757. Through- out the intervening period of more than two hundred years, members of this family in successive generations have been directly engaged in the same line of work.
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