Shawnee County KS Archives Biographies.....Holcomb, O. A. 1855 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com September 26, 2006, 7:45 pm

Author: James L. King (1905)

O. A. HOLCOMB.

    O. A. HOLCOMB, general manager of the Topeka Foundry Company, of Topeka, and
a leading business man of this city, was born in Sangamon County, Illinois, in
1855, and is a son of Myron and Dorcas C. (Winchell) Holcomb.

    The parents of Mr. Holcomb came to Kansas from Bloomington, Illinois, in
1869, and now reside in Topeka township, Shawnee County. Our subject is the
eldest of their four children, the others being: Carrie G., wife of Prof. E. A.
Popenoe, entomologist at the State Agricultural College; Elizabeth, wife of
Benjamin Ost, of Los Angeles, California; and Mina E, wife of E. G. Miner, who
was one of the organizers of the beneficiary society of Knights and Ladies of
Security and was a member of the executive board at Topeka.

    Mr. Holcomb was educated at Topeka and is one of the members of the first
class to graduate at the High School. After completing his education, he taught
school and was deeply interested in educational affairs for a number of years;
He taught the district school east of the cemetery, for one year, and the
schools at Rochester and Indianola, and for five years was principal of the
Lincoln School, Topeka, and for three years of the old Washburn School on
Jackson street. During this time he took up institute work every year and was
known in educational circles all over the county.

    Since the establishing of the Topeka Foundry Company, in 1885, Mr. Holcomb
has been connected with it. It began business as Newby & Company, at the old
Capital Iron Works, the organizers being: A. S. Newby, president; George R.
Millice, vice-president and O. A. Holcomb, manager. They met with success from
the start. By 1887 they were obliged to provide larger quarters and built on
First avenue, opposite the Rock Island Depot and did business until 1889 as the
Topeka Stove Repair Foundry. Two years later they added to their machinery to
the amount of $3,000, changing the name of the business to that of the Topeka
Foundry Company, Mr. Newby having dropped out three years before. In 1894 the
increase in business made enlargement of space and facilities necessary, and
they moved to the corner of Second and Jackson streets, where they remained 10
years. At this time the property was sold, which made still another change
necessary. They then built their present plant at Nos. 318-20-22 Jackson street,
a great building 75 by 115 feet in dimensions, equipped it with all kinds of
modern machinery and now carry on a vast amount of business. They manufacture
machinery castings, a soil packer for agricultural purposes, a line of creamery
supplies and do a general repair business in the line of machinery. It is the
best equipped foundry in the city and its success reflects credit upon Mr.
Holcomb, who has continued manager of the business through all these years.

    Mr. Holcomb was married January 28, 1879, to Sarah E. Fowkes, who is a
native of Springfield, Illinois, and they have six children, viz: Berenice, who
is the capable bookkeeper for the Topeka Foundry Company; Helen, who is a
teacher in the Euclid School; Myron (who bears his grandfather's honored name),
who is a senior in the High School; and Inez, Ruth and Katherine. The
comfortable home is a handsome residence at No. 1213 Fillmore street, which Mr.
Holcomb built and in which he has resided for the past 25 years. Mr. Holcomb's
success demonstrates the value of an educated man at the head of any kind of
business, the trained faculties and broadened view being of inestimable value.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF SHAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS
AND
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

EDITED AND COMPILED BY
JAMES L. KING
TOPEKA, KANSAS 

"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples"

PUBLISHED BY
RICHMOND & ARNOLD,
GEORGE RICHMOND; C. R. ARNOLD.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
1905.

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