Family Biographies - Introduction

 

The following posts consist of five family biographies from 1929, including those of Uncle Will and his four nephews: Sam, Howard, Carlton, and Franklin II. During that time, each of them held important roles within Bristol Company.

The biographies were published in “Connecticut History Makers,” which consists of three leather-bound books highlighting the achievements of prominent Connecticut citizens at that time. Many of the featured gentlemen exhibit the fancy facial hair that was fashionable during that period. The books were found while cleaning out my grandparent’s house in Middlebury, Connecticut.

The "Connecticut History Makers" books were published during the “Roaring Twenties,” at a time of great industrial progress and economic prosperity in the US and prior to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Recent innovations included the automobile, radio, telephone, and assembly line. The intent of the books was to provide biographies of “men who have contributed to the progress of the state” and the books note that “in this era of prime economic importance of manufacturing, Connecticut holds an outstanding leadership."

Rarely missing an opportunity to promote both his family and professional endeavors, Uncle Will may have written much of the five biographies himself, highlighting their many achievements and the success of the Bristol Company.