It's President's Day so a short post for today. I recently found these two early inventions for Barren Co KY that I thought you'd enjoy. From Journal of the Franklin Institute, Volume 14 By Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, Pa.) 1834. 35. For a machine for Breaking and Cleansing Hemp and Flax; Robert Miller, Glasgow, Barren county, Kentucky, May 23. "We have not examined the list of patents, but presume from the wording of the claim that this is taken for improvements upon a machine previously patented by the same person, as he says, "To my original invention is now added ten improvements, (for which, only, a right is claimed.) 1. Cogs in the form of an inclined plane; 2. Cast iron friction wheels; 3. Iron faced blocks; 4. stuffed head blocks; 5. Guards for the spring poles; 6. Regulators on the brakes; 7. Movable slats and their forms; 8. Finishing brakes of equal swords, both for the machine and hand; 9 Cleaning the offal; 10. Adjusting the triangles." Whether all these, including friction wheels, movable slats, &c., are new, and patentable, we shall not now stop to inquire; there are others, we presume, who can reply to a question upon the subject. And the next - same man - he was always working on things it appears. 26. For an improvement in Bedsteads; Robert Miller, Glasgow, Barren county, Kentucky, May 23. "Some pains have been taken with this and the preceding specification, and the drawing accompanying them are pretty well executed; yet they fail in giving a clear idea of the particular things intended to be patented. So far as we are able to judge respecting the bedstead, the rails are to be united to the posts by means of irons dropping into each other, in a manner not very unlike many other bedstead fastenings. The sacking bottom is to be tightened by revolving iron bars, or rods, placed within the rails, and extending their whole length, they having journals turning in proper holes, and ratchet wheels and palls to hold them in their places. The patentee, who ought to know its value, praises the affair very highly; he says that "it is firm to solidity, durable as wood and iron; nor is there a single invisible lodgment for one of those pestiferous vermin that have so long annoyed the human family; it never needs scalding, whence it is called the Clean, Firm, and Everlasting Bedstead. As the sailor said by the everlasting to make into trowsers, "in that case, let me have enough for two pair." Interesting - I wonder if either were patented! Sandi Sandi's Puzzlers: http://www.gensoup.org/gorinpuzzles/index.php Sandi's site: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/ Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky