from: John Newton Boucher, Old and New Westmoreland, vol. 4; New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918, pp. 1251.
"James Brett Hammond, youngest child of James and Elizabeth (Brett) Hammond, was born in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, April 18, 1867, and there yet resides, a prominent business man. He was educated in Bolivar public schools and Indiana State Normal School, completing his courses at the last-named with the graduating class of 1887. He taught school for a time after graduation, and was the first principal of the Bolivar schools. He next entered the employ of his father as bookkeeper for Reese, Hammond & Company, later becoming manager of the company's store at Bolivar, a position he held for two years. Both James B. and E. R. Hammond then acquired an interest in the company by purchase, James B. taking charge of the sales of the fire-brick department. E. R. being placed in charge of the store. In course of time incorporation became desirable and the various departments of Reese, Hammond & Company were consolidated and incorporated as the Reese, Hammond Fire Brick Company, James Hammond, the founder of the business, president; James B. Hammond, treasurer and general manager, an office he most efficiently filled for ten years. In 1906 he organized the Kentucky Fire Brick Company, of which he was the first and only president until 1917, when he resigned, but still retains an interest in the management of the company as a director. He has acquired large interests in fire-brick plants in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia, holding official position with the corporations owning and operating' them, with Southern headquarters at Rome, Georgia. His farm in West Wheatfield township, Indiana county, Pennsylvania, is one of his recreations, general farming and cattle-raising there being conducted along modern lines.

A Republican in politics until 1912, Mr. Hammond in that year was swept from his moorings by the wave of progressiveness which culminated in the nomination of Theodore Roosevelt as a third candidate for the presidency. He is a strong Prohibitionist as well, and in 1914 was the Progressive candidate for Congress from the Twenty-second Pennsylvania District, composed of the counties, Westmoreland and Butler, endorsed by the Democrats and running on a platform which declared for State and National prohibition of the liquor traffic. At the November polls, thirty thousand votes were cast, Mr. Hammond being defeated by but four hundred votes. But it has been such campaigns, conducted "by men whose devotion to the cause of prohibition has outweighed all other considerations, that have brought victory of defeat. and probably before another election day shall roll around prohibition will be the law of the entire land. Mr. Hammond served two terms as representative in the State Legislature; has been a delegate to both State and National conventions of the Republican and Progressive parties; was burgess of Bolivar when twenty-four years of age; served one term as borough treasurer; member of council twenty-two years until resignation in 1917, and member of the school board many terms. He is a member of Acacia Lodge, No. 355, Free and Accepted Masons, Blairsville, Pennsylvania; Coudersport Consistory, Thirty-second Degree, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, of Coudersport, Pennsylvania; Bolivar Council, No. 2071, Royal Arcanum; and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Bolivar, serving on the official board for twenty years until his resignation.

Mr. Hammond married Elsie May Brown, born September 16, 1875, daughter of Rev. John and Annie (Moses) Brown, both born in England, he a son of James Brown, who came from England, and settled at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he became a coal miner. ...
...Elsie May, educated in the public schools of the town in which her father was pastor, including Ashtabula, Youngstown, Salem, and Akron, finished college preparation at Akron High School, going thence to the Woman's College, Western Reserve University, at Cleveland, Ohio, married James Brett Hammond; ....
...James B. and Elsie May (Brown) Hammond are the parents of: Brett Roberts, born February 14, 1902; Virginia Brown, born November 24, 1904; Allen Williams, born June 28, 1910."