Jeffers Adding Machine
date: label: date made
content: 1864
name: label: patentee
content: Jeffers, Milton C.
label: maker
content: Jeffers, Milton C.
notes: label: Description
content: This U.S. patent model for a lever-set non-printing adding machine has a frame of two brown round end pieces joined by a central shaft and by two pieces of brass at the outside. The shaft carries six toothed wheels that may be rotated with the fingers. Each wheel has 30 teeth and is joined to a brass ring on its right. Around the rim of each ring is a slip of paper with the digits from 0 to 9 printed on it three times. One third of each ring is covered by a metal piece which has a window at the bottom and the digits from 1 to 9 engraved on it. To enter digits, wheels are rotated forward the distance indicated by these digits. Through the action of a carry mechanism, the total appears in the windows.
label: Description
content: Milton C. Jeffers, who took out this patent in 1863, was a resident of New York, N.Y. He is probably the Milton C. Jeffers who lived from about 1823 until dying in New York City in 1896, and who took out two further patents for agricultural machinery. A Milton C. Jeffers is listed in New York City directories of the period as an agent and as a broker.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: U.S. Patent 40,105, September 29, 1863.
label: Description
content: U.S. Patent 74,379, February 11, 1868.
label: Description
content: U.S. Patent 108,484, October 18, 1870.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
label: place patented
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Adding Machines
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content: Science & Mathematics
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.309322
label: accession number
content: 89797
label: catalog number
content: 309322
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adding machine
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic? (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel? (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 10 cm x 11.5 cm x 10 cm; 3 15/16 in x 4 17/32 in x 3 15/16 in