722 East End Avenue, Lancaster, Pa. 17602.
There is no doubt that the stories published today concerning
the building of the nation by its sturdy sons of yesterday, will
serve as the archives of tomorrow. And let us hope that the coming
generation may find herein an example in a still glowing spark, by
which they may be able to find their way out of the current
wilderness of bureaucracy, and depend upon their own ingenuity,
sound judgment, and self-support for the betterment and benefit of
all concerned.
As the roll is called of the names of the men who have been
responsible for keeping the American food production apace with the
increase in population, Mr. William F. Hovetter must certainly be
included. I know of no better example than he to those who lament
that they never had a chance, and sometimes declare that they do
not believe in the work ethic, and since they are not responsible
for being born, the government owes them a living.
Well, let us see how one man made the most of his opportunities.
On January 20, 1881, Mr. William F. Hovetter was born in Cumberland
County, Pa. His grandfather was a native of Holland, and his father
was a thresherman and saw miller. When Mr. Hovetter was two years
of age his mother died, and his father cared for him as best he
could since he still had to earn a living. Sometimes the father had
a housekeeper, and sometimes not. The consequence was that from age
two Mr. Hovetter very often accompanied his father over the country
on his various business trips.
In the year 1884 the elder Hovetter purchased from Frick Co. in
Waynesboro, Pa., a 10 hp Frick traction engine bearing Serial
#3610. This engine served him well until 1901.
By 1893 the elder Hovetter had two threshing rigs in operation
and William was twelve years old. Unfortunately, the father met
with an accident, and was compelled to carry his arm in a sling.
Well, the threshing must go on, so young William was called upon to
operate one of the rigs under his father’s supervision. Due to
his youthful stature it was necessary for him to stand on a soap
box under the steering wheel in order to run the engine which
pulled the thresher on the road. Thus at twelve years of age
William F. Hovetter was compelled to quit school while in the sixth
grade.
The elder Hovetter had a preference for Frick engines, and,
naturally made trips to the Frick shop in Waynesboro, accompanied
by his son William, who made his way around the shop and at the
same time made friends. He learned to know Oliver, Ezra, and Fred
Frick and well remembers their father, George Frick who founded the
company.
As the years moved on so did the ability, experience and
maturity of Will Hovetter, who was now being referred to as Bill,
and so he remains today. As his father aged, the son took over the
rigs and now was owner of his father’s business. He had not
been forgotten by Frick Co. who discovered they needed a service
man in the Carlisle area, and called on him to come to see them.
They offered him the position, which he refused to accept, because
of his own rig and investment.
Frick Co. well knew Bill Hovetter’s abilities and brought
pressure to bear for him to come to Waynesboro as a service man.
Eventually he agreed but only until June 1, when he would be ready
to move out on the road to thresh. Once during lunch hour at the
shop, he overheard a conversation from the office that his
neighbor, Lawyer Sharp of Chambersburg, was in need of a new steam
engine. He took a sales pad, called on Lawyer Sharp and made his
first sale in 1909. He was now in more demand than ever by Frick
Co.
Mr. Hovetter’s threshing run generally started around July
6, and after threshing over 100 farms the season ended around
January 9. He charged the farmer $1.02 per bushel to thresh oats
and $1.03 for wheat. He paid his crew with the rig $1.25 per day,
which was higher than average wages. Many times the day started at
4 a.m. and closed down at 10 p.m. except Saturday, when the rig
shut down promptly at 5 p.m.
In addition to threshing, Mr. Hovetter hulled clover seed. His
pay was by the ancient method of tolling, which consisted of Mr.
Hovetter taking a bushel of clover-seed for every seven bushels
hulled and cleaned for the farmer. This method of tolling was used
by many of the old grist millers, when they made flour for the
farmer.
Although Mr. Hovetter always used Frick engines, his threshers
consisted of Frick, Buffalo-Pitts, Aultman-Taylor, and
Peerless.
Frick Co. not being satisfied with the off season threshing time
that Mr. Hovetter was able to give, prevailed upon him to sell his
rigs. This he agreed to do and in 1910 went on full time with Frick
Co. He was soon made a Branch Manager, and sent to Harrisburg to
open a Frick Branch at 75 South Tenth St. His territory reached
from Tyrone, Pa. on the north, to the Md.-Va. border on the south
and from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to Shippensburg, Pa. on the
west. He became most successful with the Frick line. On one
occasion he sold six 9 x 10 Frick traction engines to the Sun Oil
Co. at Marcus Hook, Pa. He was sent to southern U.S. to introduce
the Frick rice thresher. Wherever a new machine or a tough problem
was to be solved, Mr. Hovetter was dispatched.
In later years the Frick rice thresher became popular in Cuba,
but the shipments ended with the advent of Castro.
It is of passing interest to note here that he signed up George
Sellers of Gap, Lancaster County, Pa., as a dealer to handle the
Frick line. Adam Young and his son Arthur were employed there.
Arthur was also a thresherman and owned an A very engine (still in
operation at the Old Thresher-men’s Reunion every summer at
Kinzers).
The following year Arthur S. Young left the Sellers
establishment and opened a shop at Kinzers, Pa. He was then signed
up as a Frick Dealer by Bill Hovetter.
Hovetter continued to expand the Frick name by selling 18 steam
engines in one year and Eclipsing’ some competition. Out of 50
Frick salesmen in the U.S., Mr. Hovetter was never below sixth
place. As a result of this he supervised the building of the first
Frick Branch building at the site of 75 South 10th St.,
Harrisburg.
As the Industrial Revolution continued to go full steam ahead,
new problems arose with the enactment of the ‘Workmen’s
Compensation Law’. Now none of the current insurance companies
would accept threshermen or saw-millers, because it was felt that
these vocations were too hazardous. But the Pennsylvania
threshermen and saw millers long accustomed to opposition and
always ready to improvise, were not about to be defeated.
William F. Hovetter, Jacob A. Rose, F. R. Moyer, and Ira M. Hart
met and discussed plans to organize their own insurance company to
cover threshermen and saw millers. As they were all machinery men
they agreed to start organization procedure, and so informed the
Pa. Insurance Commissioner. Here they struck their first knot in
the log of organization. Mr. Sam Mc-Collough, the Pennsylvania
Insurance Commissioner, informed them that it would be necessary to
post a bond of $50,000.00. In 1916 to these threshermen, this was
an exorbitant sum of money for them to raise.
These resourceful men did not plan to have their businesses
destroyed, and put forth a plan whereby they would ask each
thresherman and saw miller in Pennsylvania to lend, on a note,
whatever he could afford at 6% . In this manner they raised
$35,000.00. Mr. McCollough said it was not enough but since they
were all sincere and insistent, he would look the other way and
approve it, so they could incorporate. All threshermen and saw
millers were invited to Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania Threshermen
and Farmers Insurance Company was incorporated in 1917. The first
officers were:
Harry Kauffman, Millersville, Pa.-
President William F. Hovetter, Walnut Bottom, Pa.
– Vice-President Jacob Brubaker, Rohrerstown,
Pa.- Treasurer Jacob A. Rose, Harrisburg,
Pa. -Gen. Manager
The new headquarters consisted of 10 x 12 foot square office
with one pine desk and a girl as stenographer. This was located at
the Huber Branch at 19 South Tenth St., Harrisburg.
In due time all notes were paid and the new company could
conform to the Workmen’s Compensation Laws. Threshermen,
sawmillers, and farmers, who refused defeat could now be covered by
insurance.
In 1941 Mr. Jacob A. Rose died and Mr. William F. Hovetter was
unanimously elected to be the new General Manager of the
Pennsylvania Threshermen and Farmers’ Mutual Casualty Co.
Mr. Hovetter’s duties were such that it was necessary to
devote full time to the Insurance Co., and upon accepting the new
position he also tendered his resignation to Frick Co. as Branch
Manager. When he assumed the new position in 1941, the young
company had assets of $5,000,000. During his administration as
General Manager, Bill Hovetter assumed the responsibility of
building the new $1,000,000 insurance company headquarters building
at 19th and Derry St., Harrisburg. Mr. Hovetter served as General
Manager until 1956 when he tendered his resignation. The company
assets then stood at $36,000,000. The company is known today as
Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Company.
And so Mr. William F. Hovetter, with a 6th grade education, who
has served on the board of Dauphin Deposit Trust Co. since 1953,
and still retains his position on the bank board, can look back
with satisfaction and pride at his successful accomplishments. At a
hale and hearty 95 years he still lives in the stone house that he
built at Walnut Bottom. He is surrounded by the homes of his
daughter and two sons. The latter two are employed by the Insurance
Company which their father helped to found.
Mr. Hovetter asks any of his old customers or business
associates, who may read this, to drop him a card or letter. His
address is William F. Hovetter, Walnut Bottom, Pa.
17266. And so we all wish you well, Mr. Hovetter.
