In 1962 my father closed the insurance agency that had been in existence since 1856 and that had been in our family since 1885.
The business was started by John W. Eddy on July 1, 1856 in North White Creek. In turn the business became know as Eddy & Wilson in 1882, Eddy & Joslin in 1884, and Jerome B Joslin in 1885.
[note: in 1866, the two communities of North White Creek (east end) and Cambridge Corners (west end) united to form the current village of Cambridge].
On July 1, 1885 my great, great grandfather, William E Hitchcock, purchased the business and operated as Hitchcock & Sons from the A. Worth building, what in 2008 is 1 East Main Street, the Wrigley Building and home of the Eagle Newspaper and Battenkill Books.
In 1888, upon the death of William E, his sons William L and Henry operated under the name Hitchcock Bros at 34 East Main. Following construction of the Hitchcock Building the agency was relocated. The agency was bought out by William L when Henry died in 1913.
[note: in October 1954 all house numbers in the village of Cambridge were changed to comply with new postal regulations. The even/odd numbers on East Main Street were flipped to the other side of the street. For example, my home, which had been 26 East Main, became 39 East Main.]
My grandfather became owner upon William L’s death in 1920, renaming the agency H. Herman Hitchcock Insurance. My father married Charlotte Hitchcock in 1944 and became associated with the agency in 1947, taking ownership in 1950 upon Herman’s death.
Over its 106 year history, the agency has been affiliated with many insurance companies. They include Aetna Fire Ins Co, Glens Falls Ins Co, Hanover Ins Co, Phoenix of London, Niagara Fire Ins Co, Continental Ins Co, Northern of London, Royal Ins Co, Aetna Casualty and Surety, and Boston Ins Co.
The Agricultural Insurance Company was represented since March 1, 1878 through J. R. McClellan, Jerome B. Joslin, and the Hitchcocks. The Glens Falls Insurance Company was represented since May 1, 1864 through E. Bowen, L. Bristol, G. H. Teller, and the Hitchcocks. The Aetna Insurance Company was represented since July 1, 1856 through John W. Eddy, Eddy & Wilson, Eddy & Joslin, Jerome B. Joslin, and the Hitchcocks.
My grandfather and then my father used to smile with pride at the plaques from Glens Falls Ins and Agricultural Ins proclaiming my family’s long relationship with the companies. Today I proudly display the plaques in my office.
In 1962, my family sold the Hitchcock Building to Walt Kinnan., who expanded his pharmacy by combining the original LeGrys’ Drug Store and the Hitchcock store. The store had served as the home of the Hitchcock insurance agency, the Hitchcock clothing business, and the Cambridge Water Works.
In 1962, a small red office was relocated to our front yard, serving as the home of the Cambridge Water Works until 1998. Although the insurance business was closed, the lettering on the building proudly proclaimed Kenneth A. Gottry, Insurance as a reminder of the past.
When we relocated the office to our backyard in 2005, painted it green and turned it into a potting shed, we may have painted over the lettering but if you look closely it still is a reminder of the family insurance agency.
