James Rumsey Promissory Note
name: label: Author
content: Rumsey, James, 1743-1792 (machinist, inventor)
label: Collector
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.).  Division of Transportation
label: Names
content: Rumseyan Society
label: Names
content: Stubbe, Robert
place: label: Place
content: Pennsylvania -- 18th century
topic: label: Topic
content: Loans, Personal -- 18th century
label: Topic
content: Steamboats
label: Topic
content: Machinists
label: Topic
content: Water transport -- 18th century
label: Topic
content: Transportation
label: Topic
content: Inventors -- 18th century
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
creator: label: Author
content: Rumsey, James, 1743-1792 (machinist, inventor)
setName: label: See more items in
content: James Rumsey Promissory Note
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: American machinist and inventor who developed an early steamboat which he successfully demonstrated on the Potomac (1788) and on the Thames (1792) before his death in England on December 23, 1792.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.15 Cubic feet (1 item)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1788 January 28
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Transportation (now Division of Work and Industry), 7/17/86.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0216
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Promissory notes
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by David Stevens, 1986.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Promissory notes
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: A promissory note of January 28, 1788 to Robert Stubbe for the sum of eighteen shillings and six pence, Pennsylvania currency.

See Rumsey's article, "A Short Treatise on the Application of Steam, whereby is clearly shewn, from actual experiments, that steam may be applied to propel boats or vessels of any burthen against rapid currents with great velocity. The same Principles are also introduced with Effect, by a Machine of a simple and cheap Construction, for the Purpose of rasing Water sufficient for the working of Grist-mills, Saw-mills, &c. and for watering meadows and other purposes of agriculture" (Philadelphia, 1888), 26 pp., in Dibner Library, NMAH (copies in Archives Center collection control file).