Harriet Tracy
Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy (December 6, 1834 – May 30, 1918) was an American inventor who patented at least 27 inventions between 1868 and 1915, including six elevator and 17 sewing machine patents. Her first patent was for a crib attachment for bedsteads. Her patented elevator was put into everyday use at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[1][2]
In her obituary it was noted that she was also "gifted as a writer of verse and prose", contributing frequently to "magazines and periodicals".[3]
Personal life
Born Harriet Ruth Brisbane in Charleston, South Carolina to William Brisbane (1809-1860) and Julia Hall Lowndes (1811-1847). The noted abolitionist William Henry Brisbane (1806-1878) was her first cousin once removed.[4]
She moved to New England before the Civil War with her family. In 1860 she married Cadwallader Colden Tracy (1830-1921),[5] a baseball player who had been a member the New York Knickerbockers in 1854.[6] From about 1860-1890 she lived on Staten Island, New York in the village of New Brighton. With her husband she had four daughters.[4] She moved about 1890 with her family to Paris, France, and then to London, England. She died in 1918 at Isleworth.[2][7][3]
References
- ^ Hughes, Debra (February 20, 2017). "Woman Inventor: Harriet Ruth Tracy's 19th Century Patents". Hagley Museum. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ a b van der Bijl, Hanno (March 26, 2015). "Elevator Women". Elevator World. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Eduardo Haviland Hillman (1874-1947 (17 July 1918). "Death of Mrs. Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy". Charleston News & Courier.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Eduardo Haviland Hillman (1913). "The Brisbanes". South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Society, Charleston.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ Thorn, John (Fall 2012). "Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game". 6 (2): 214.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
Further reading
- Stanley, Autumn (1995). Mothers and Daughters of Invention: Notes for a Revised History of Technology. Rutgers University Press. p. 708. ISBN 9780813521978. Retrieved March 1, 2017.