Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-16
ON EVE OF ITS
 7F-H ANNIVERSARY
New London County Mutual Fir. In. suranee Company Issues Historical Sketch.


 On the eve of it's 75th anniversary the New London County Mutual Fire Insurance company. which has always had it's home office in this city, has issued the following brief historical outline:
 As long as New England exists so long will endure the spirit of it's fore fathers, who built into it's earliest fab TIC the principles of industry and in- tegrtty which have been the founIa- ton of its solid business enterprises. AS the carly settlers nestled under the protecdve wing of the mother colony so In the course of time the business ventures Of the new country began 10 seek the financial protection of the earlier established commonwealths. not the least important of which was insurance against loss through the common enemy-f1re.
 Thus New England;s financial re- source soon began to stand as eI,ar antor of the business enterprises of Amerlca-and to a very substantial degree still maintains that position. Many fire insurance companies were organized and many failed Witness the fact that 1792 is the date of or ganization of the oldest American fire insurance company which has slIr Vlved and Is doing business today,
 Not only did New England early be- come a pioneer in the fire insurance business. but this is particularly true or our own state of Connecticut. By one more step we come to the fact that Norwich has been for nearly one hundred and twenty years the home of the second oldest insurance company in the United States; the Mutual As surance company of Norwich. organ lzed in 1795, and still doing business The only senior company is that re- ferred to above the Insurance Com pany of North America, which began business fin Philadelphia in 17e2.
 Norwich, then, has peculiar her itage in the fire insurance business and forms a fitting home for another time-honored institution, the New London County Mutual Fire Insurance Co. When this company was organ ized in 1s40 but six of the presen tWenty-four Connecticut companies were in existence. Four of these were mutual companies: Norwich Mutual Hartford County Mutual LitchfieId Mutual and 8Iiddlesex Mutual; two were stock companies; the Hartford Fire Insurance Go. and the Aetna h. surance Co.
 From the time of it's first meeting on July 1st, 1s40. for many years the company did primitive business: in fact it was almost entirely a connmu- nity mutual affair. as might be evi- denced by one of many similar entries in the early records, which is quoted herewith:
 May 1st 1891.
 Voted: That the secretary causa fine house of George Kelley to be painted at the end and the injury sustained by the late fire on said house repair ed.''
 This was action by the members of the company assembled.
 The agency stan, now numbering nearly sixty was at first composed of four representatives. Soon after; how ever, this quota was augmented by vote that Edward North of the City of New Yirk be appointed Agent for said City of New York with power to issue and renew policies" In 1850. ten years after Incorporation, the rec= ords show amount in hand $4,744.64. A striking comparison with the pres ent substantial assets of over $30o,-
 As fate as 1878 the premium income of the company was but $3,647.93 (and thte losses $s, ,454.31). Since that time the company has prospered and had steady growth, until the same fg- 65. losses $5S, ,605.54. Premiums for 1914 will exceed $10O. O.O00.
 Every son of Connecticut is proud of our own Hartford insurance com panies and their achievement They have carried the banner of the Nut meg state into every nook and corner and have exacted for it world wide recognition. Connecticut has also to be proud of her Mutual Fire Insur- ance companies which have been car rying the burden of dissolution from hre loss for three-quarters of ven- tury. oftentime with loss to themselyes but ever with fortftude and couraEs and the determination to furnish tC their policy holders and members, fire insurance at as near cost as their Cf-