Hatfield Machine for Adding Numbers
date: label: patent date
content: 1854-09-25
name: label: maker
content: Hatfield, Aaron L.
notes: label: Description
content: Wooden paddle-shaped device mounted on one side with three brass concentric dials or numbered discs covered by a drop-shaped arm with small knob, angled metal strip and rectangular window cutout. The largest disc (stamped from 1 to 99 around its edge with a blank space for zero) is secured to the paddle while the middle disc (numbered from 100 to 9900 in increments of 100), the top disc (numbered from 1 to 99, each with corresponding nail mark) and the arm rotate around a domed fastener with brass pin at center; the metal strip and nail marks on the top dial act as a ratchet. Maker and patent information stamped in roman letters on front of arm.
label: Description
content: Maker is Aaron L. Hatfield of Lewisburg, PA, who received U.S. Patent No. 11,726 for his "Calculator" or "Machine for Adding Numbers" on September 26, 1854.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Lewisburg
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of John Paul Remensnyder
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1978.0939.007
label: accession number
content: 1978.0939
label: catalog number
content: 1978.0939.007
objectType: label: Object Name
content: device, number addition
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (discs; arm material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (metal strip material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (fastener; knob material)
label: Physical Description
content: mahogany (paddle material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 1/8 in x 9 5/8 in x 5 in; 2.8575 cm x 24.4475 cm x 12.7 cm