Background
Hiram Hayden was born on February 10, 1820, at Haydenville, Massachusetts, United States, the son of Joseph Shepard and Ruhamah (Guilford) Hayden. His father was a skilful mechanic.
Hiram Hayden was born on February 10, 1820, at Haydenville, Massachusetts, United States, the son of Joseph Shepard and Ruhamah (Guilford) Hayden. His father was a skilful mechanic.
Hiram grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut, attending the academy.
Hiram Hayden was known as a capable mechanic and when the firm of J. M. L. & W. H. Scovill began the manufacture of chased gilt buttons, he was asked to assist in this new work. In 1838 he went to Wolcottville in the employment of Wadhams & Company, manufacturers of buttons, but returned to Scovills & Company as a die maker in 1841. At Wolcottville the Wolcottville Brass Company was making kettles by the battery process, which was not entirely satisfactory. Hayden became interested in this work and spent much time on the development of a better method. In this process a disk of thin sheet metal is fastened to a die which is the exact shape of the article to be formed. The die with the disk of metal is then rotated at high speed while a tool is brought to bear against the disk, rolling the metal over until it has conformed very closely to the shape of the die. Because of it the business of the Wolcottville Brass Company was undermined, and the Waterbury Brass Company to whom Hayden sold the process in 1853 became one of the most important firms in the industry.
In 1853 Hayden with Israel Holmes, John C. Booth, and H. H. Hayden organized Holmes, Booth & Haydens, to cast, roll, draw, and manufacture brass. In this firm Hiram Hayden had charge of the manufacture of sheet brass into finished articles. At this time the introduction of petroleum as a cheap and satisfactory illuminant increased the demand for brass lamp burners and fittings. In order that the company might command as much of this new business as possible, Hayden with L. J. Atwood, an employee, made a study of the requirements for efficient lamp burners and designed some that could be made cheaply from sheet brass. This was the first extensive use of sheet brass for this class of articles and Hayden and Atwood took out many patents for improvements in the field, becoming known as authorities on oil-lighting. Hayden continued with this firm until his death, developing many improvements in brass-manufacturing methods, including a machine for making solid metal tubing.
Hayden married Pauline Migeon, daughter of Henri and Marie (Bandelot) Migeon at Litchfield, Connecticut. They had three children.