Seller Story: Peter Marrocco, Cincinnati, OH
“My great-grandfather John A. Hillenbrand’s father, a German immigrant and woodworker, settled in the German-speaking community of Cincinnati before the Civil War. He relocated to Batesville, Indiana in 1861 and soon passed away, leaving his 16-year-old son orphaned with two infant sisters. John abandoned the family farm and began purchasing small sections of woodland, selling hardwood to the railroads for track ties, then selling the cleared land to farmers.
Like his father, John combined hard work and acumen to create several Hillenbrand family enterprises, including a general store. In 1906, he bought the Batesville Casket Company, founded in 1884, saving it from bankruptcy. He employed German woodworkers, carvers, and cabinet makers to build the coffins. In 1929, his son William started Hill-Rom, a hospital furniture manufacturing company. Batesville Casket Company and Hill-Rom would compose what would be Hillenbrand Industries, which has since become a Fortune 500 company.
My great-grandfather on my father’s side, Anthony Scola, was an Italian silk dyer. Many of the items came over from Italy with him between 1907 to 1912. The marble tables, Oriental carpet, marble bust, and a Spanish painting that dates back to the 15th century were among these. Scola built a famous mansion in Paterson, New Jersey on 178 Durrom Avenue around 1920. When he died, he left the property to the Roman Catholic Church and it was used as a Bishop’s mansion for the next 50 or 60 years. That’s where a lot of these items came from.” – Peter Marrocco, great-grandson
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Danish Modern Jo Hammerborg for Fog & Mørup "Zero" PVC Pendant Light, 1972
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Pair of Rookwood Pottery Art Deco Style Ceramic Candlesticks, 2019
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Waterford Crystal "Lismore" Liquor Decanter with Other Wine Bucket
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Persian Earthenware Yellow Ground and Blue Glazed Bowl
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Christian Dior Faux Pearl and Crystal Drop Earrings
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Mikimoto Five Pearl Quartz Wristwatch with Mother of Pearl Dial
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K Star Charm Ring
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Kathy Anderson Landscape Oil and Acrylic Painting Of A Rocky Shoreline, 2023
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
José M. Lima Oil Landscape Painting
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Outdoor Aluminum Octagonal Modular Picnic Table and Seating
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Offset Lithograph After Bernard Buffet "Bouquet"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Sterling Diamond Huggie Earrings with 10K Accents
Bala Cynwyd, PA
Lori Bartman Post-Modern Pottery Sculpture
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
William J. Greenwood Landscape Watercolor Painting, 1971
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Engraving After Wale and Gwynn of the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, London
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Bilston and Battersea Enamel Limited Edition "The Swan Lake Box"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Coach Enameled Metal Daisy Purse Charms Keychains
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Hollywood Glam Table Lamp Featuring Chrome and Glass
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Pastel Drawing of Lake Landscape, Late 19th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Thomas Whelan Benton Serigraph "Red Mountain," 1981
Where did your great-grandfather source some of the artwork?
John Hillenbrand funded and financed many artists in the early 1900s. Cincinnati was considered the Gateway to the West, and at one point was one of the largest cities in the world. For that reason, it drew many artists such as Ralph Blakelock, Henry Farny, Joseph Henry Sharp, and “Wild Bill” Hickock even had his residence here. My great-grandfather and his siblings would fund the artists’ journeys out to the American West, and when they returned, they’d give them some of their artwork as repayment. That artwork was passed down to my grandmother and then to my mother.
Was this dining table and chairs set part of the Batesville inventory?
Hillenbrand incorporated Batesville Cabinet Company in 1913 and focused this company on the production of dining room furniture.The dining room table and chairs were custom made by Batesville Cabinet Company for my grandfather and have been in our family since. I have many memories sitting around that table for dinners with my family. Anyone from Cincinnati or Batesville will find the items in this sale very historically relevant to them.