Patent Model for an Adder with Carry Invented by George Farmer
date: label: date made
content: 1867
name: label: patentee
content: Farmer, George
label: maker
content: Farmer, George
notes: label: Description
content: This patent model for an adder has three concentric, linked discs that revolve on a central pivot. The bottom disc is numbered from 1 to 99 clockwise around its toothed edge, to represent hundreds and thousands. Above it is a smaller disc, also with teeth around the edge, numbered from 00 to 99 clockwise to represent units and tens. A window in the third, top, largest disc shows the result on the dials below. The largest disc is numbered from 1 to 100 around the edge. Atop this disc is a rotating arm. Moving the arm counterclockwise advances the inner disc proportionally, allowing one to enter numbers up to 99.
label: Description
content: A lever extends from the side of the disc and bends over the top. If the arm rotates around a full 100 units, it pushes this lever, causing a carry. The lever also may be used to zero the hundreds and thousands digits. See U.S. patent 69,647 for “Improvement in Tallying Instrument.” According to the patent, the invention “relates to a new and improved method of registering or tallying the quantity of lumber measured, or keeping account of sums of money paid out or received . . .”
label: Description
content: There was a George Farmer (born about 1831 in England, died 1880 in Saginaw, Michigan) who worked as a miller and shingle maker in Illinois and in Michigan. He is listed in the 1860 U.S. Census as living in Elmira in Stark County, Illinois, working as a miller. That same year he received a patent on August 21for an improvement in harvesters (#29685). By 1870, he was living in Saginaw, Michigan, still working as a miller. In the 1880 Census he is listed as a shingle manufacturer. He and his son, Albion, ran a shingle-making business in Saginaw under the name of George Farmer & Son. It is listed in the 1878 city directory for the town. The George Farmer who received the patent for this adder was a resident of Flint, which is near Saginaw.
label: Description
content: Reference: George Farmer, “Improvement in Tallying Instrument,” U.S. Patent 69,647, granted October 8, 1867.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Michigan, Flint
label: place patented
content: United States: Michigan, Flint
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Adder
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content: Science & Mathematics
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.252692
label: accession number
content: 49064
label: catalog number
content: 252692
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adder with carry
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1.2 cm x 10.7 cm x 10.7 cm; 15/32 in x 4 7/32 in x 4 7/32 in