Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-10-19
THE MCCORMICK REAPER
Descendants of Rockbridge Family
in Hot Controversy


AS referred to in our last weeks |
issue, the controversy among the |
descendants of the Mccormick fam
lily as to the real inventor of the
reaper is growing hot.
The Chicago Evening Post, Sep
TENDER 18th, presented facts aud
figures to prove that Robert McCor-
mick and not CYRUS II. Mccormick
invented the reaper which made the
family rich and famous and promises
to place one OF them in the Hall of
Fame. The heading of The Posts
ar icle is: Say Cyrus II usurped
Mccormick laurels from fathers
brow. Memters OF family declare
that son possessed himself of honors
that were peculiarly his parents.
Fame hinges on patent"
With this heading as an introduc-
ton, The Post proceeds TO discuss
the subject in three column article.
When Cyrus Ii. Mccormick, it
says, took to himself the credit for
the invent of the Mccormick
reaper. he lifted from the brow of
his father, Robert Mccormick, the
laurel which genius had placed
there, and also took from the mem
DRY of his parent the honors which
history gladly would have paid him,
is the view of other members of the
family who have set out to right
what they believe to have been
wrong. I'VE, the descendants OF
Robert Mccormick, claim that by
his great contribution to the arts
and crafts in the contest for human
honors, he has won the golden chal-
ice, gaining the victor's crown, and
earned a place immortal in the Hall
Of Fame"
The Post gives statements from
many persons. TO sustain the con-
tention that Robert Mccormick in
vente the reaper. Among the per-
sous quoted are William Steele Nc
Cormick, nephew of Robert McCor-
mick, who lived and worked with
him on the farm in Rock bridge from
the spring of 1929 to the fall Of 1881 !;
Mrs. Mary Caroline Shields who
says Ma persuaded father to give
the invention O. the reaper to Broth
er Cyrus, and it took a good deal of
persuasion, too" Mrs. Henrietta
Hamilton Mccormick, one of the
ckbridge Hamilton s, the wife of
Leanoer j. Mccormick; Colonel
Thomas Paxton. millwright and
farmer of Rockbridge, who was in
tlmately acquainted with Robert
Mccormick; James E. A. Gibbs, in
ventor of the Wilcox and Gibbs sew
ing machine, who was reared within
four miles of the Mccormick farm;
grand children of Robert McCor-
mick, and Mrs. Katharine Medill
Mccormick, wife of Robert s. Nc.
Cormick, former ambassador to
| France
Cyrus Mccormick claims are
also given by The Post, showing
that he insisted always that he was
the actual inventor; that his ma
chine was in every way different
from his fathers, and that his father
after trying his machine in 1916
laid it to one side as impracticable
that in 1881 he brought it out agar
and after trying it in the harvest o
that year, decided that it was fail
ure and never could be made sue
cessful.
Cyrus Mccormick is quoted a,
saying: In the summer OF 1881
my father constructed a machine TO
cutting grain entirely different from
mine and on which he made expert
ments years before, and by his ex
periments in 1881 he became salts
fed it would not answer q valuable
purpose, Notwithstanding it cut vel
. in straight wheat. Very suon afte
nv father abandoned the machine.
Thus it can be seen that a marke,
difference exists in the statement
of Cyrus Mccormick and his direc
decendents and other branches @
the family. Cyrus and his famil,