Inventors – 1861 to 1900
Daniel McCree (1800?- ?)
Born in Chicago, Illinois in the early 1800s Daniel McCree is best known for patenting of the portable fire escape...
Robert Scott (ca. 1840-~1930)
Prolific inventor Robert P. Scott was most likely born somewhere between 1840 to 1850. Little information is known about his...
Lyda Newman (1885- ?)
Inventor and women’s rights advocate Lyda Newman is best known for a newly-designed hairbrush patent and her effort to fight...
Alexander P. Ashbourne (1820-1915)
Alexander P. Ashbourne was an early inventor. He was born into slavery in Philadelphia around 1820. There are very few...
John Lee Love (?-1931)
John Lee Love was an African American inventor, most known for his invention of the hand-cranked pencil sharpener, the “Love Sharpener,”...
Samuel Raymond Scottron (ca. 1843-1905)
Samuel Scottron was an inventor of the late 1800s, best known for his invention of the curtain rod. It is...
Leonard C. Bailey (1825-1918)
Leonard Bailey was an African American inventor and businessman in Washington, D.C., in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1825 to an impoverished...
William B. Purvis (1838-1914)
William B. Purvis was an American inventor, best known for his patented improvements to the fountain pen in 1890. Purvis was...
Sarah Boone (1832-1904)
Sarah Boone was an American inventor best known for her patented improvements to the ironing board. She was one of the first...
