Leonard Mariner Hills
Leonard Mariner Hills was born on January 8, 1803 in Ellington, Connecticut. His first wife was Amelia Gay. She was born on February 24, 1812 in Connecticut. They married in Stafford, Connecticut on November 26, 1829. Their children were:
Amelia G. Hills Jr., born on Feb. 1832, death unknown
Henry F. Hills, born on Nov. 8, 1833, died on April 25, 1896
Emily A. Hills, born on May 28, 1835, died on July 1, 1870
Laura Hills, born on Aug. 6, 1838, died on May 1, 1866
Mary E. Hills, born on Dec. 4, 1840, date of death unknownAmelia Gay died in 1840.
Betsy Hunter was Leonard M. Hills' second wife. They had one child:
Leonard Dwight Hills, born Feb. 4, 1845
Leonard M. Hills and his son, Henry F. Hills, were the owners of the largest palm-leaf hat manufacturing business in America. Their first year as owners of the hat factory was in 1829. They made $5,000. In 1871, a year before Leonard's death on February 8, 1872, they earned $300,000. Around 600 dozen straw hats and eighty dozen Shaker Hoods (a new product) were made in 1871.
Leonard Hills was the president of the First National Bank in Amherst from when it was founded until his death. He was also president of the Amherst-Belchertown Railway Company and supported many other public enterprises and his liberal donations were received by many, including the Agricultural College, the First Congregational Church and parish and a fund for poor working women in Amherst and Pelham.
Leonard's house had the same design as his son, Henry's, but he intentionally made each room a foot bigger on each side. He built it after his son and it was finished in 1864. The house is located at the end of Triangle Street.