Halbert Stevens Greenleaf was born in Guilford on this day in 1827. He grew up on a farm, taught school by 19 and worked in a brick-yard for extra money.

At 23, Greenleaf got a job on a whaling vessel at sea for six months, and then settled in Massachusetts. He landed a job manufacturing locks, finding he had a penchant for locks and business.

He organized the Yale & Greenleaf Lock Company, which would eventually become Sargent and Greenleaf. Greenleaf served briefly during the Civil War, and then settled in New York to manufacture locks, and upon request, served New York in the U.S. Congress.

Image courtesy Men of Vermont by Jacob G. Ullery.