History of North Granby, (Hartford County) Connecticut United States of America

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Amasa Holcombe, scientist, was born in North Granby, Conn., June 18, 1787; son of Elijah 2d and Lucy (Holcombe), and descendant in the sixth generation from Thomas Holcombe, the immigrant, who settled in Boston in 1630, and in the fifth generation from Nathaniel and Mary (Bliss) Holcombe, of Springfield, Mass. He was both a student and teacher of civil engineering, surveying, mathematics and astronomy, and while conducting a private class in astronomy he constructed a telescope for its use. Prof, Benjamin Silliman, who saw the instrument, advised young Holcmobe to manufactnre similar ones for sale. This he did, and his reflecting telescopes were the only ones manufactured in the United States between 1828 and 1842. His skill as a maker of telescopes was recognized by the city of Philadelphia, which municipality presented him with the Scott medal in 1835, and the Franklin Institute silver medal in 1838. The American institute, New York city, presented him with a gold medal in 1839 and a diploma in 1840. He represented the Southwick, Mass., district in the state legislature for three years, and was a state senator in 1840. He constructed a camera, and with it took the first daguerreotype portraits produced in America, the instrument being one he made for a New York order. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Williams college in 1837. He was a licensed Methodist preacher for thirty years and a justice of the peace for thirty-two years. He died in Southwick, Mass., Feb. 27, 1873.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of North Granby, (Hartford County) Connecticut

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