Family Biographies - William H. Bristol

 

With over three pages of text, Uncle Will's biography may be the longest in the three-volume set. Because he had prepared this autobiography about one year before his death, it provides a relatively complete summary of both his career and what he considered his most important accomplishments. Like everything else about Uncle Will, it seems he had a very unique and distinguished signature. The write-up also includes a good account of family history going back to Henry Bristol in 1656.

William H. Bristol

(July 5, 1859 – June 19, 1930)

Family Background and Early Life

Professor William Henry Bristol, inventor, educator, manufacturer, founder of the Bristol Company of Waterbury, Connecticut and one of its most substantial and progressive citizens, was born in Waterbury, July 5, 1859. He is a son of the late Benjamin H. Bristol and Pauline Phelps Bristol, both of whom were of English ancestry. The first American progenitor of the Bristol family was Henry Bristol who was one of the earlier of the New Haven Colony where he settled in 1656 and died in 1695. His son, Daniel Bristol (1671-1728). His son, Richard Bristol (1708-1791), was a native of Milford where his son, Nathan Bristol, was born in 1752. Inscribed on his tombstone in the old Milford cemetery is the information: 'died April 25, 1826, at the age of seventy-five years.' Nathan Bristol married Anna Lombard. He was a soldier in the Revolution. His son, Nehemiah Bristol married Lorania Down in 1798. He died May 30, 1832. Hiel Bristol, the second son of Nehemiah, was the grandfather of William H. Bristol. He migrated from Milford to Newtown and then to Salem (now Naugatuck) where he married Chastina Potter. He was born September 5, 1803 and died May 30, 1871.

Education and Early Career

William Henry Bristol studied in the public schools in Naugatuck until 1876, when he became a clerk in a general store in that town working there until 1880. He had, from early youth, evinced decided mechanical genius, and had a scientific mind which he was ambitious to develop into something that would ultimately be of benefit to mankind. With this object continually before him he studied and determined to attend some school of higher scientific training. As soon as his savings were sufficient to avail himself of the scientific course at Stevens Institute of Technology, he entered that institution at Hoboken, New Jersey, working his way through by his own earnings and completing his course there. During his junior year Professor Bristol organized the manual-instruction department in the Workingman's School in New York City, and taught there, while continuing his courses at the Stevens Institute. In 1884 he was graduated with degree of M.E., after which he kept up his classes at the Workingman's School for two years. This school was founded by, and sponsored by, Professor Felix Adler who was one of the pioneers in manual training and the arts, and the first to promote that work in New York. In 1886 he was appointed instructor in mathematics at Stevens Institute, and two years later assistant professor in that department. In 1899 he was given the title of Professor of Mathematics.

Inventions and Industrial Achievements

While pursuing his studies at Stevens, Professor Bristol gave considerable time and attention to inventing, perfecting and manufacturing a series of recording instruments adapted to making continuous records of pressure, temperature and electricity. He was a pioneer in the manufacture of recording instruments in America. Success came to him. During the many years he has devoted to this work, he has developed a complete line of recording instruments adapted to meet almost every industrial requirement, covering the most complete variety of ranges for the measurement of pressure, temperature, electricity, speed, time, etc. These recorders are instruments of precision and their construction is based on scientific principles and unequalled for their simplicity and reliability. His recording pressure gauges, recording voltmeters, wattmeters, ammeters, recording thermometers, pyrometers and patent steel belt-lacing are in universal use.

The Bristol Company and Professional Recognition

In 1899 Professor Bristol founded the Bristol Company at Platt's Bridge, Waterbury, for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing his inventions. He has been the dominant figure in the progress and development of the company and its executive head to the present time, covering a period of 40 years. At the Chicago Exposition in 1893 Professor Bristol was awarded a medal and a diploma for an exhibit of recording instruments. He was awarded the Edward Longstreet medal in 1894 at Philadelphia. At the Paris Exposition in 1900 he was awarded a silver medal. At the St. Louis Exposition in 1904 his recorders were awarded a gold medal, and Mr. Bristol has received many other medals from various expositions all over the world, also recognition of the excellence of his inventions including the John Scott Legacy Medal which was awarded him by the Franklin Institute at Philadelphia in 1890. He was also awarded a medal at the Sesqui-Centennial at Philadelphia in 1926.

Sound Recording Innovations

Professor Bristol also invented a system of thermo-electric pyrometers for the measurement of high temperature and numerous other instruments for automatically recording extremely delicate movements of an indicating arm where the least friction would cause inaccuracy in a record. Professor Bristol is a pioneer in the field of sound recording devices and has devoted the major part of his time for several years to bringing it to the state of perfection now attained. In 1915 he conceived the idea of recording simultaneously what is seen and heard, in permanent form, so that such records may be reproduced at any future time or place as if the characters were really present talking and acting. The method he chose to accomplish this was to record simultaneously the sound on a phonograph disc at the same time that the motion pictures of the persons and scenes of action were photographically recorded on a 'movie' film. By reproducing the sound record and the film simultaneously, and synchronously the sounds and actions are heard and re-enacted as in the original. This method combines the two arts of phonograph recording and motion picture photography without involving any radically different methods of recording the sound or necessitating any change in the picture film itself. This method is far in advance of any other thus far advanced and has decided advantages over any other process in the production of both the sound and the photographic record. The design and development of the apparatus necessary for making and reproducing talking motion pictures of this type covers several fields of engineering science, and no man in the engineering world is more fully equipped in experience, invention, genius and knowledge of this subject than is Professor Bristol, who has devoted so many years of his busy life to the practical development of sound recording devices. In the invention and production of the Bristolphone he has perfected an instrument which has synchronized the human voice and other sounds with the motion incidental in moving pictures. This work has absorbed his attention beyond that of any other invention of late years. To perfect it Professor Bristol has expended nearly a million dollars in the construction of a fully equipped motion picture laboratory and studio near his plant in Waterbury, also in research and experimental work incidental to the successful development of the ambitious and stupendous project he is so heartily interested in and to which he devotes his personal time and attention even to the minutest detail. The individual character developed in the Bristolphone is unique, inasmuch as it combines all the elements of successful production necessary and the numerous patents, basic and otherwise, as combined in the Bristolphone are sound and all covered and recognized. The Bristolphone is in successful operation in hundreds of the best moving picture houses at the present time. One feature of the Bristolphone which no other invention has, is the certainty of precision in synchronization, which is regulated by a device for that purpose, that will at once rectify, by retarding or advancing the sound record, any error in the production of the sound or lip movement of the actors.

Professional Memberships and Personal Life

Professor Bristol is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, Society of Electro-Chemical Engineers, Society of Motion Picture Engineers and numerous others. He was first married to Miss J. Louise Wright in 1885 and she died three years later. June 28th, 1899, he was married to Elise H. Myers who was a granddaughter of General Michael Myers. She passed away August 5, 1924.