The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-05-15

Former Editor of the Old
Kenosha Telegraph to Get
Nation Wide Honor in
the Near Future.
INVENTOR OF TYPEWRITER

In a grave in Forest Home GENE
terry in Milwaukee, unmarked by any
Ipretentious monument lies Christie
'pher Latham Sholes, one time prominent
citizen and editor of Kenosha and the
inventor of the typewriter.
Sholes is one of the members of a
famous old Southport and Kenosha FAM
lily and his name appeares prominently
in the history of early Kenosha. As
editor of the old Kenosha Telegraph
to took q very important part in the
development of Kenosha and it was
in Kenosha that he made the first ma
chine for typewriting. None of the
members of the Sholes family remain
in Kenosha and only a few of them
are to be found in Milwaukee.
This year, in eommemoration of the
one hundredth anniversary of his birth,
the National Shorthand Reporters As
ISOLATION is engaged in raising funds
with which to erect monument to be
placed over his grave with a bronze
tablet, exhibiting the features of the
inventor and bearing the following in
scription:
Christopher Latham Sholes
1.-THE Father of the Typewriter
Erected by the National Short.
hand Reporters association, with
the assistance of many thouansh
the assistance of many thousands
Of men, women and children, in
grateful memory Of the man whose
genius has lightened labor and
brought comfort and happiness to
millions of toilers in the worlds
work.
AT the time he perfected his inven-
tion by which it was possible to tran
scribe letters and other forms of bust
ness correspondence, Mr.. Sholes was
collector of customs for the port of
Milwaukee and had long been lead
ing factor in the civic and political life
Of the city, where he had for many
years been editor Of The Milwaukee
Sentinel and the News later being ap
pointed postmaster of Milwaukee, com
missioner Of public works and collector
of customs, which office he was holding
when he began his inventive work on
the typewriter
From New England Stock.
He was of New England ancestry,
but was born in Columbia county, Penn
sylvania, February Ia, 1919. While en-
gagged with Samuel w. Soule in devel
oping machine for serially numbering
the pages of blank books, Carlos Gid
den, also an inventor, asked them why
it would not be possible to make a ma
chine that would write letters and
words instead Of figures only.
Here the germ of the idea that has
developed into the modern typewriting
machine was born and the three in
ventors at once set to work in an en-
deavor to perfect such machine, ur
aware of the fact that any previous
attempts had been made along the
same line. Even if they had possessed
such knowledge, however, there would
have been no infringement as all the
other machines constructed, notably the
one invented by William Austin Burt
Of Detroit in 1929, had proven too cum
bersome and expensive to pass from the
experimental stage.
Wrote in Capitals.
The crude model which Sholes and
his associates constructed had pivoted
types set in a circle and letter spac-
ing device. Tt was successful in that
it was able to write accurately and
with far rapidly, but all the letters
were capitals, aud much was left to
be desired While still in the early
stages letter written on it was sent
TO James Densorc Of Meadville, Pa, who
was so much impressed that he at once
agreed to help finance the project.
In 1877 the invention had progressed
to such an extent that B. Remington
& Sons, who operated gun factory at
lion, N. Y, undertook its manufacture.
Marketing problems were many the pub
lie was doubtful and the machine wrote
only capital letters. The double key
board obviated the last difficulty and
soon the venture was a commercial
success.
After living to see the success Of his
invention and the demand which was
created for it, Mr.. Sholes died in 1890
and was buried in the grave over which
it is now proposed to erect memorial
to his memory and to the service he
rendered humanity in presenting it with
a machine that makes for speed, accur-
acy and legibility in commercial in
terconrse.