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The Industrial Hobarts

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This is a remarkable book of ingenuity and diligence by the formidable family of Hobarts. Peter Hobart, grandson of the founder Clarence Charles Hobart, or his co-author, Michael Williams, must have had Galsworthy's Forsythe Saga in mind when writing this book. Like Galsworthy's classic it traces three generations of a family and its encounter with the culture, the civic environment, the wars and political events, the business successes and disappointments; moreover it covers much of the same calendar periods from the late nineteenth century, and into the twentieth century with the one difference that it proceeds on to the dawn of the twenty-first century. It paints a picture of the early years of the community in and around Troy, Ohio, in much the same way as does Galsworthy 's Victorian age in London.

This family provided leadership for several industrial enterprises all but one of which survive today. Hobart Manufacturing Company which dates back to 1897 is the well known producer of household appliances, best known for its KitchenAid trademark. The Hobart Brothers Company, known to all of us in the welding industry, originated first as Hobart Electric Company. Its founder, referred to as "C.C." Hobart, became entranced with the controversies in the late nineteenth century between use of alternating and direct current for domestic and municipal street lighting and decided to focus on electricity for the growth of his new company.

While it was Galsworthy's purpose to write fictional novels of a multi generation family, Peter Hobart expresses his purpose at the close, saying, "this book is intended to provide important teachings to future generations to help avoid the mistakes of the past, and to document what was a Golden Age for American industry, a very happy and rewarding period of those who lived it."

Submitted for use by Amazon by
R. David Thomas, Jr., PEng.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work. It is a fascinating mixture of family saga, industrial development, and small town progress in the 20th Century.
Clarence Charles (C.C.) Hobart founded five different companies in his lifetime, which, in turn, spawned other companies, e.g., KitchenAid, or invented new equipment such as the portable arc welder, or pioneered inventions like steel houses.
These companies were either sold to others or managed by the children and grandchildren of C.C. Hobart through the last century.
This enjoyable and easily read volume is replete with photos of people, places, and inventions. In addition, it includes information from interviews with many former employees of the companies involved. It is not difficult to follow, even by the general public not well versed in industrial history, yet it is well documented for the historian or enthusiast wanting to follow up on sources.
Mr. Peter Hobart and Mr. Michael Williams work well together in that Mr. Hobart has much knowledge of the events, as well as, personal remembrances of the people involved, while Mr. Williams brings a historian's objective viewpoint to the events, described, including difficult situations.
If anyone is unfamiliar with the people and events of this work it is okay because the authors start at the "beginning" during C.C. Hobart's early years of formation and his advent in Troy, Ohio, and it allows the reader to "grow up" with the family, companies, and Troy as the book progresses.
A recommended book for anyone interested in the Hobart family, industrial history, or small Midwestern town development in the 20th Century.

I am pleased to recommend The Industrial Hobarts: One family's story through the American Century. Both authors are Ohio natives. Michael Williams is a lifelong Ohioan and currently resides in Vandalia. Peter Hobart was born in Troy, Ohio, and is a dual citizen of the United States and Italy. His family has been an important part of Ohio industry for over a century.

The Industrial Hobarts tells the story of one of Ohio's most influential families. The book documents not only the growth of their business from small family concern to international corporation, but also traces the lives of the people who built one of Ohio's great businesses. It is an important work that connects the achievements of Hobart businesses to the American story of the past century.

Documentation sets this book apart. Hobart and Williams relied on many primary sources, including company archives and dozens of personal interviews, and the narrative flow reflects this first person information. Endnotes that include sources, a detailed index, and bibliography are often not included in company histories but are supplied here. The Industrial Hobarts is an important work of Ohio history.