Horace A. Briggs was born in 1820. He was only a few months old when his father died. He was brought up in Plainfield, CT, educated in the common schools, and while still very young, learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he followed for a number of years in Windham and Middlesex counties in Connecticut and in Massachusetts. In 1849, after working at Daniel Wesson’s gun shop in Hartford for about two years, he went to Norwich, where he worked at Horace Smith’s gun shop. Mr. Briggs relocated to Worcester for two years, working as a gunsmith, and returned to Norwich in 1858. He spent one year making whale guns for Tracy & Brand (a.k.a. Charles Tracy and C.C. Brand), followed by three years in Norwich and New Haven working for Smith & Wesson, which was later succeeded by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

His next position was with the Manhattan Arms Company, where he had charge of the concern until he started in business for himself. In 1859 he became connected with the Bacon Manufacturing Company, at Yantic Falls, and was thus engaged till 1868, when he sold out.

In 1868 the Bacon Manufacturing Company was succeeded by the Hopkins & Allen Manufacturing Company, formed largely through the efforts of Colonel Charles A. Converse, and included Charles H. Allen, Charles W. Hopkins, Samuel S. Hopkins, and Horace A. Briggs; sometime later, H. H. Hopkins joined the firm.

Mr. Briggs was elected president of the new company and served in that position for 28 years.