Year: 1886

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I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
Paul Joseph Schlicht residing at Rochester, in the County of Monroe and State of
New York, United States of America, Manufacturer) and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in Indexes, which improvements
are fully described in the following specification and the novel features thereof
specified in the claim hereunto annexed.
In the accompanying drawings I have represented two pages of a name or other
book, embodying these improvements in Indexes, the illustration showing a series
of surnames commencing with the letters Br arranged in sections indicated by the
first letters of the Christian names, and serving to point out the manner of carrying
this invention into practical use.
The pages on the right hand of a book provided with this improved index, have
tags attached to them or are otherwise marked to indicate the alphabetical divisions
as represented at 1 in the accompanying drawings. The number of pages in any
given alphabetical division is proportioned to the number of names which the book
is intended to contain when filled up suitable attention being paid to the relative
frequency of surnames commencing with any given letter.
As represented in the drawings, the letter of the alphabet is placed on the last of
the pages which are designed to be filled with the naines commencing with that
letter, thus in the row of letters 1 on the right hand page the letter B is affixed to
the last page of the second surname division so that when the book is opened at B
the sub-divisions indicated by Ba, Be, Bi, etc on the left hand margin at 2. are.
exposed to view.
Each alphabetical division is divided into such subdivisions as the whole number
of names in the book or the number of those commencing with any given letter
may demand. Thus in a book adapted to contain a total of above 6,000 names, it
has been found convenient to divide all the surnames commencing with B into the
following subdivisions :-Ba, Be, Bf, Bh, Bi, Bj, Be, Bo, Br, Bs, Bu, B as shown in
the drawings, the book being adapted to the indexing of foreign surnames com-
mencing with letters not usually occurring together in the English language. All
the alphabetical divisions of surnames are similarly divided.
In the drawings the book is represented as open at the subdivision of names
commencing with Br, and series of surnames commencing with these letters is given
in order to illustrate the manner of indexing them under the proper sections as

page_text: indicated at 3, 8, in the drawings. In the book represented in the accompanying
drawings I have divided the Christian names into twelve sections, each of which
has as heading one or more letters of the alphabet, under which Christian names
commencing with that letter are indexed. Thus George Branchman is entered
in section 5 under the letter G. The entries in the same section also serves to
illustrate the method of indexing firm or corporate names, for which purpose
I employ the first letter of the second essential word therein, to determine the
section in which the name shall be indexed. Thus the firm name Britten & Gurth
is entered under Br, in section 5 under the letter G with which Gurth commences;
Brunswick & Co is indexed in section 2 under letter O.
In case any one of the sections becomes filled up the names belonging to that
section are entered on any convenient space on the pages, or on any of the extra
pages with which the book is provided suitable reference by number of the section
of page being made to show where the additional names are to be found. Thus
in the illustration given, section 8 being full the remainder of the names belonging
in that section are entered under section 12, this fact being noted in the margin
opposite section 8. This makes it possible to use all the space on the pages, and
any particular name can be found without any unnecessary search. Instead of
indicating the pages containing the subdivisions of surnames by the notches as
shown in the accompanying drawings they may be pointed out by lettered tags
affixed to the appropriate pages. And the alphabetical index may be placed on the
left hand margin of the book although I prefer the arrangement represented in the
drawings.
Opposite the names are placed figures referring to the pages in a ledger or record
book on which the entries referring to the person in question are placed.
The advantages of this improved index will be readily appreciated by the
practical accountant. In fact the system on which the index is arranged is so
simple that it will be readily understood from a mere inspection of a book
embodying this improved index by a person entirely unfamiliar with it. By this
improved index a large number of names are so arranged in a name-book that
reference to any desired name can be made in the most expeditious manner
possible.
I am aware that many plans have been contrived for dividing large numbers of
names in an index into groups which were classified alphabetically and otherwise
but so far as I am aware I am the first to provide an index having the subdivisions
herein described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what
manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is,
The herein described indexed name-book, having first the marginal alphabetical
index of leading names 1; second the subdivision indexes of surnames 2, on the
margin of the pages indicated by index 1; and third the page sections or sub-
divisions 3 containing in alphabetical order the initial letters of Christian names or
the second name or word of firms corporations etcetera whereby the searcher is
enabled to select instantly not only a given surname but a surname with given
initials.