stitching of any type continued to grow each year. While the principal
purpose for which they were utilized continued to be the manufacture of
clothing items, by the year 1900 they were also used for awnings, tents,
and sails; cloth bags; bookbinding and related book manufacture; flags
and banners; pocketbooks, trunks, and valises; saddlery and harnesses;
mattresses; umbrellas; linen and rubber belting and hose; to the
aggregate sum of nearly a billion dollars--$979,988,413.[82]
SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENTS
The growing popularity of the sewing machine offered still another boost
to the economy--the development of many minor, related manufacturing
industries. The repetitive need for machine needles, the development of
various types of attachments to simplify the many sewing tasks, and the
ever-increasing need for more and better sewing thread--the sewing
machine consumed from two to five times as much thread as stitching by
hand--created new manufacturing establishments and new jobs.
[Illustration: Figure 59.--SHANK'S patent bobbin winder, 1870.
(Smithsonian photo P-6398.)]
[Illustration: Figure 60.--SWEET'S patent binder, 1853. (Smithsonian
photo P-6396.)]
[Illustration: Figure 61.--SPOUL'S patent braid guide, 1871.
(Smithsonian photo P-63102.)]
[Illustration: Figure 62.--ROSE'S patent embroiderer, 1881. (Smithsonian
photo P-6399.)]
[Illustration: Figure 63.--HARRIS' patent buttonhole attachment, 1882.
(Smithsonian photo P-63103.)]
The method of manufacturing machine needles did not differ appreciably
from the method used in making the common sewing needle, but the latter
had never become an important permanent industry in the United States.
Since the manufacture of practical sewing machines was essentially an
American development and the eye-pointed needle a vital component of the
machine, it followed that the manufacture of needles would also develop
here. Although such a manufacture was established in 1852,[83] foreign
imports still supplied much of the need in the 1870s. As more highly
specialized stitching machines were developed, an ever-increasing
variety of needles was required, and the industry grew.
[Illustration: Figure 64.--THE TREADLE OF THE MACHINE was also used to
help create music. George D. Garvie and George Wood received patent
267,874, Nov. 21, 1882, for "a cover for a sewing machine provided with
a musical instrument and means for transmitting motion from the shaft of
the sewing machine to the operating parts of the musical instrument."
Although no patent model was submitted by the inventors, the "Musical
Sewing Machine Cover" was offered for sale as early as October 1882, as
shown by this advertisement that appeared in _The Sewing Machine News_
that month. (Smithsonian photo 57983.)]
Soon after the sewing machine was commercially successful, special
attachments for it were invented and manufactured. These ranged from the
simplest devices for cutting thread to complicated ones for making
buttonholes (see figs. 56 through 66).
[Illustration: Figure 65.--THIS FANNING ATTACHMENT was commercially
available from James Morrison & Co. in the early 1870s; it sold for one
dollar as stated in the advertising brochure from which this engraving
was copied. Other inventors also patented similar implements.
(Smithsonian photo 45513.)]
The first patent for an attachment was issued in 1853 to Harry Sweet for
a binder, used to stitch a special binding edge to the fabric. Other
related attachments followed; among these were the hemmer which was
similar to the binder, but turned the edge of the same piece of fabric
to itself as the stitching was performed. Guides for stitching braid in
any pattern, as directed by the movement of the goods below, were also
developed; this was followed by the embroiderer, an elaborate form of
braider. The first machine to stitch buttonholes was patented in 1854
and the first buttonhole attachment in 1856, but the latter was not
practical until improvements were made in the late 1860s. Special
devices for refilling the bobbins were invented and patented as early as
1862, and the popularity of tucked and ruffled garments inspired
inventors to provide sewing-machine attachments for these purposes also.
To keep the seamstress cool, C. D. Stewart patented an attachment for
fanning the operator by an action derived from the treadle (fig. 65).
While electric sewing machines did not become common until the 20th
century, several 19th-century inventors considered the possibility of
attaching a type of motor to the machine. One was the 1871 patent of
Solomon Jones, who added an "electro motor" to an 1865 Bartlett machine
(fig. 66). The attachments that were developed during the latter part of
the 19th century numbered in the thousands; many of these were
superfluous. Most of the basic ones in use today were developed by the
1880s and remain almost unchanged. Even the recently popular home zigzag
machine, an outgrowth of the buttonhole machine, was in commercial use
by the 1870s.
[Illustration: Figure 66.--JONES "ELECTRO MOTOR" PATENT MODEL of 1871 on
a Bartlett sewing machine. (Smithsonian photo P-63104.)]
Sewing-machine improvements have been made from time to time. Like other
mechanical items the machine has become increasingly automatic, but the
basic principles remain the same. One of the more recent developments,
patented[84] in 1933 by Valentine Naftali et al., is for a manufacturing
machine that imitates hand stitching. This machine uses a two-pointed
"floating needle" that is passed completely through the fabric--the very
idea that was attempted over one hundred years ago. The machine is
currently used by commercial manufacturers to produce decorative
edge-stitching that very closely resembles hand stitching.
THREAD FOR THE MACHINE
[Illustration: Figure 67.--SIX-CORD cabled thread.]
The need for a good thread durable enough to withstand the action of
machine stitching first created a problem and ultimately another new
industry in this country. When the sewing machine was first developed
the inventors necessarily had to use the sewing thread that was
available. But, although the contemporary thread was quite suitable for
hand sewing, it did not lend itself to the requirements of the machine.
Cotton thread, then more commonly a three-ply variety, had a glazed
finish and was wiry. Silk thread frequently broke owing to abrasion at
the needle eye. For the most part linen thread was too coarse, or the
fine variety was too expensive. All of the thread had imperfections that
went unnoticed in the hands of a seamstress, but caused havoc in a
machine. Quality silk thread that would withstand the rigors of machine
stitching could be produced, but it was quite expensive also. A new type
of inexpensive thread was needed; the obvious answer lay in improving
the cotton thread.[85]
In addition to the popular three-ply variety, cotton thread was also
made by twisting together either two single yarns or more than three
yarns. Increasing the number of yarns produced a more cylindrical
thread. The earliest record of a six-ply cotton thread was about
1840.[86] And in 1850 C. E. Bennett of Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
received a gold medal for superior six-cord, or six-ply, spool cotton at
the Fair of the American Institute. But the thread was still wiry and
far from satisfactory. By the mid-1860s the demonstrated need for thread
manufacturers in America brought George A. Clark and William Clark,
third generation cotton-thread manufacturers of Paisley, Scotland, to
Newark, New Jersey, where they built a large mill. George Clark decided
that a thread having both a softer finish and a different construction
was needed. He produced a six-cord cabled thread, made up of three
two-ply yarns (see fig. 67). The thread was called "Clark's 'Our New
Thread,'" which was later shortened to O.N.T. The basic machine-thread
problem was solved. When other manufacturers used the six-cord cabled
construction they referred to their thread as "Best Six-Cord"[87] or
"Superior Six-Cord"[88] to distinguish it from the earlier variety made
up of six single yarns in a simple twist. Another new side industry of
the sewing machine was successfully established.
MANUFACTURE AND EXPORT, TO 1900
Sewing machines were a commodity in themselves, both at home and abroad.
In 1850, there were no establishments exclusively devoted to the
manufacture of sewing machines, the few constructed were made in small
machine shops. The industry, however, experienced a very rapid growth
during the next ten years. By 1860 there were 74 factories in 12
States,[89] mainly in the East and Midwest,[90] producing over 111,000
sewing machines a year. In addition, there were 14 factories that
produced sewing-machine cases and attachments. The yearly value of these
products was approximately four and a half million dollars, of which the
amount exported in 1861 was $61,000. Although the number of
sewing-machine factories dropped from 74 in 1860 to 69 by 1870, the
value of the machines produced increased to almost sixteen million
dollars.
The number of sewing-machine companies fluctuated greatly from year to
year as many attempted to enter this new field of manufacture. Some were
not able to make a commercial success of their products. The Civil War
did not seem to be an important factor in the number of companies in
business in the North. Although one manufacturer ceased operations in
Richmond, Virginia, and a Vermont firm converted to arms manufacture,
several companies began operations during the war years. Of the 69 firms
in business in 1870, only part had been in business since 1860 or
before; some were quite new as a result of the expiration of the Howe
patent renewal in 1867.
Probably due to the termination of many of the major patents, there were
124 factories in 1880, but the yearly product value remained at sixteen
million dollars. The 1890 census reports only 66 factories with a yearly
production of a little less than the earlier decade. But by 1900, the
yearly production of a like number of factories had reached a value of
over twenty-one million, of which four and a half million dollars worth
were exported annually. The total value of American sewing machines
exported from 1860 to 1900 was approximately ninety million dollars. The
manufacture of sewing machines made a significant contribution to the
economic development of 19th-century America.
FOOTNOTES:
[73] _Eighth Census, 1860, Manufactures, Clothing_ (United States Census
Office, published Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1865).
[74] _Eighty Years of Progress of the United States_ (New York, 1861),
vol. 2, pp. 413-429.
[75] GEORGE GIFFORD, "Argument of [George] Gifford in Favor of the Howe
Application for Extension of Patent" (New York: United States Patent
Office, 1860).
[76] Op. cit. (footnote 34).
[77] _Eighth Census, 1860, Manufactures_ (United States Census Office,
published Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1865), "Women's
Ready-Made Clothing," p. 83.
[78] Ibid., p. 64.
[79] National Archives, Record Group 92, Office of the Quartermaster
General, Clothing Book, Letters Sent, volume 17.
[80] The author wishes to acknowledge the valuable help of Mr. Donald
Kloster of the Smithsonian Institution's Division of Military History
for the preceding four references and related information.
[81] Letter of Nov. 4, 1871, to Col. Theo. A. Dodge, USA (Ret.), Boston,
from Quartermaster General M. C. Meigs, in the National Archives, Record
Group 92, Quartermaster General's Office, Letters Sent, Clothing
Supplies, 1871.
[82] _Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900_, vol. 10,
_Manufactures_, Part 4, Special Reports on Selected Industries (United
States Census Office, Washington, D.C., 1902).
[83] CHARLES M. KARCH, "Needles: Historical and Descriptive," in
_Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900_, vol. 10, _Manufactures_,
Part 4, Special Reports on Selected Industries (United States Census
Office: Washington, D.C., 1902), pp. 429-432.
[84] U.S. patent 1,931,447, issued to Valentine Naftali, Henry Naftali,
and Rudolph Naftali, Oct. 17, 1933. The Naftali machines are
manufactured by the American Machine and Foundry Company and are called
AMF Stitching Machines.
[85] See Appendix V, p. 135, "A Brief History of Cotton Thread."
[86] _The Story of Cotton Thread_ (New York, The Spool Cotton Company,
1933).
[87] J. and P. Coats spool cotton.
[88] Willimantic spool cotton.
[89] New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky.
_Eighth Census, 1860, Manufactures_ (United States Census Office,
published by Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1865.)
[90] Sewing-machine manufacture in the South was just beginning to
blossom when it was curtailed by the outbreak of the Civil War. See
Lester sewing machine, figure 109 on page 102.
II. American Sewing-Machine Companies of the 19th Century
During the latter half of the 19th century, there was a total of two
hundred or more sewing-machine companies in the United States. Although
a great many manufacturing-type machines were sold, this business was
carried on by relatively few companies and most were primarily concerned
with the family-type machines. A representative number of these family
machines together with information concerning both the company and
serial-number dating are found in figures 68 through 132. A great many
of the companies were licensed by the "Combination," but, in addition,
some companies were constructing machines that did not infringe the
patents, other companies infringed the patents but managed to avoid
legal action, and there were numerous companies that mushroomed into
existence after the "Combination" was dissolved in 1877. Most of the
latter were very short-lived. It is difficult to establish the exact
dates of some of these companies as many of their records were
incomplete or have since disappeared; even a great many of the
"Combination" records were lost by fire. A summary of the existing
records kept by the "Combination" is given in figure 37.
As will be noted in the subsequent listing, only a small percentage of
the companies were in business for a period longer than ten years; of
those that continued longer, all but a few had disappeared by 1910.
Today there are about sixty United States sewing-machine companies. Most
of them manufacture highly specialized sewing machines used for specific
types of commercial work; only a few produce family or home-style
machines. Foreign competition has increased, and the high cost of
skilled labor in this country has made competition in this
consumer-product field increasingly difficult. The countless varieties
of American family sewing machines, so evident in the 19th century, have
passed away.
First Made Discontinued
Manufacturer or Earliest or Last
Sewing Machine or Company Record Record
Aetna Aetna Sewing Machine ca. 1867 ca. 1877
Co., Lowell, Mass.
Aiken and ----, Ithaca, N.Y. ca. 1855 before 1880
Felthousen
Alsop ---- -- ca. 1880
American American Sewing 1854 --
Machine Co.
American Buttonhole, American Buttonhole, 1869 ca. 1874
Overseaming and Overseaming and
Sewing Machine Sewing Machine Co.,
(fig. 68) Philadelphia, Pa.
Later New American Sewing ca. 1874 ca. 1886
American Machine Co.,
(fig. 69) Philadelphia, Pa.
American Magnetic American Magnetic 1853 1854
(fig. 70) Sewing Machine
Company, Ithaca, N.Y.
Atlantic (fig. 71) ---- 1869 ca. 1870
Atwater (fig. 87) ---- 1857 ca. 1860
Avery Avery Sewing Machine 1852 185-
Co., New York, N.Y.
Avery Avery Manufacturing 1875 1886-1900
Co., New York, N.Y.
A. Bartholf Manfr. A. Bartholf, ca. 1850 185-
Blodgett & Lerow manufacturer,
patent 1849 New York, N.Y.
(_see also_)
A. Bartholf Manfr. A. Bartholf, 1853 ca. 1856
Howe's patent, manufacturer,
1846 (fig. 72) New York, N.Y.
Bartholf A. Bartholf, 1857 1859
manufacturer
Bartholf Sewing 1859 ca. 1865
Machine Co.
Bartlett (fig. 73) Goodspeed & Wyman 1866 ca. 1870
Bartlett Sewing Machine ca. 1870 1872
Co., New York, N.Y.
Baker ---- -- before 1880
Bartram & Fanton Bartram & Fanton Mfg. 1867 1874
(fig. 74) Co., Danbury, Conn.
Bay State ---- -- before 1880
Beckwith (fig. 75) Barlow & Son, New York, 1871 1872
N.Y.
Beckwith Sewing Machine 1872 ca. 1876
Co., New York, N.Y.
Blees Blees Sewing Machine 1870 1873
Co.
Blodgett & Lerow O. Phelps, Boston, 1849 1849
(fig. 21) Mass.
Goddard, Rice & Co., 1849 1850
Worcester, Mass.
(fig. 20) A. Bartholf, 1849 185-
manufacturer, New
York, N.Y.
Bond ---- -- before 1880
Boston J. F. Paul & Co., 1880 --
Boston, Mass.
Later New Boston Boston Sewing Machine -- after 1886
Co., Boston, Mass.
Boudoir (fig. 76) Daniel Harris, 1857 ca. 1870
inventor and patentee
Manufacturer--several
Bradford & Barber Bradford & Barber, 1860 1861
manufacturers,
Boston, Mass.
Brattleboro Samuel Barker and ca. 1858 1861
Thomas White,
Brattleboro, Vt.
Buckeye Wilson [W.G.] Sewing ca. 1867 ca. 1876
Later New Buckeye Machine Company,
(fig. 77) Cleveland, Ohio
(_see_ Wilson)
Buell, "E. T. A. B. Buell, ca. 1860 --
Lathbury's Patent" Westmoreland, New York
Burnet & Broderick Burnet, Broderick and 1859 ca. 1860
Co.
Centennial Centennial Sewing 1873 1876
(fig. 78) Machine Co. (_see_
McLean and Hooper),
Philadelphia, Pa.
Chamberlain Woolridge, Keene and 1853 ca. 1854
Moore, Lynn, Mass.
Chicago Singer Scates, Tryber & 1879 1882
Sweetland Mfg. Co.,
Chicago, Ill.
Later Chicago Chicago Sewing Machine 1882 ca. 1885
Co.
Chicopee
(_see_ Shaw & Clark)
Clark (fig. 42) D. W. Clark, ca. 1858 after 1860
Bridgeport, Conn.
Clark's Revolving Lamson, Goodnow & Yale, 1859 1861
Looper [double Windsor, Vt.
thread] (fig. 79)
(_see_ Windsor)
Clinton Clinton Brothers, ca. 1861 ca. 1865
Ithaca, N.Y.
Companion Thurston Mfg. Co., 1882 --
Marlboro, N.H.
Crown Florence Sewing Machine 1879 after 1886
(_see_ Florence) Co., Florence, Mass.
Dauntless (later Dauntless Mfg. Co., 1877 after 1882
New Dauntless) Norwalk, Ohio
Davis J.A. Davis, New York, ca. 1860 --
N.Y.
Davis Vertical Davis Sewing Machine 1869 after 1886
Feed Co., Watertown, N.Y.
Davis Vertical Davis Sewing Machine after 1886 1924
Feed and Co., Dayton, Ohio
Rotary Shuttle
Decker (_also_ The Decker Mfg. Co., -- before 1881
Princess) Detroit, Mich.
Demorest Demorest Mfg. Co 1882 1908
(formerly N.Y.
Sewing Machine Co.)
Diamond (formerly Sigwalt Sewing Machine 1880 --
Sigwalt) Co., Chicago, Ill.
Domestic Wm. A. Mack & Co. and 1864 1869
N. S. Perkins,
Norwalk, Ohio
Domestic Domestic Sewing Machine 1869 [A]
Co., Norwalk, Ohio,
acquired by White
Sewing Machine Co. in
1924 and maintained
as a subsidiary at
Cleveland, Ohio.
Dorcas John P. Bowker, Boston, 1853 185-
Mass.
Du Laney (fig. 80)
Also called
Little Monitor
(_see_)
Durgin Charles A. Durgin, New 1853 after 1855
York, N.Y.
Eldredge Eldredge Sewing Machine 1869 1890
Co., Chicago, Ill.
Elliptic
Sloat's Elliptic George B. Sloat and Co., ca. 1858 ca. 1860
Philadelphia, Pa.
Sloat's Elliptic Union Sewing Machine 1860 1861
Co., Richmond, Va.
Elliptic Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. 1861 ca. 1867
Co.
Elliptic Sewing 1867 before 1880
Machine Co., N.Y.,
N.Y.
Empire (fig. 86) Empire Sewing Machine ca. 1860 1869
Later Co., Boston, Mass.
Remington-Empire
Empress Manufactured on order 1877 --
through Jerome B.
Secor, Bridgeport,
Conn.
Estey Estey Sewing Machine ca. 1880 1882
Co.
Estey, Brattleboro Sewing 1883 after 1886
Fuller-Model Machine Co.,
Brattleboro, Vt.
Eureka (fig. 81) Eureka Shuttle Sewing 1859 --
New York, N.Y.
Excelsior Excelsior Sewing Machine 1854 1854
Co., New York, N.Y.
Fairy (figs. 51, 52) Madame Demorest, New 1863 ca. 1865
York, N.Y.
Finkle, M. (fig. 82) M. Finkle, Boston, 1856 ca. 1859
Mass.
Finkle & Lyon Finkle & Lyon Sewing ca. 1859 1867
Machine Co., Boston,
Mass.
Later Victor
First and Frost First and Frost, New ca. 1859 ca. 1861
York, N.Y.
Florence (fig. 83) Florence Sewing Machine ca. 1860 after 1878
Later Crown Co., Florence, Mass.
Folsom Folsom, J. G., 1865 ca. 1871
(_see_ Globe and Winchendon, Mass.
New England)
Fosket and Savage Fosket and Savage, 1858 1859
Meriden, Conn.
Foxboro Foxboro Rotary Shuttle ca. 1882 --
Co., Foxboro, Mass.
Franklin Franklin Sewing Machine 1871 1871
Co., Mason
Village, N.H.
Free Free Sewing Machine 1898 [A]
Co., Chicago and
Rockford, Ill.
Gardner C. R. Gardner, 1856 --
Detroit, Mich.
Globe (figs. 84, 85) J. G. Folsom, 1865 1869
Winchendon, Mass.
Gold Medal Gold Medal Sewing 1863 1876
(chainstitch) Machine Co., Orange,
Mass.
Gold Medal ---- 1863 ca. 1865
(running stitch)
Gold Hibbard Hibbard, B. S., & Co. 1875 --
Goodbody (sewing Goodbody Sewing Machine 1880 ca. 1890
shears) Co., Bridgeport, Conn.
Goodes Rex & Bockius, ca. 1876 before 1881
Philadelphia, Pa.
Goodrich H. B. Goodrich, Chicago, ca. 1880 ca. 1895
Ill.
Grant Brothers Grant Bros. & Co., 1867 ca. 1870
(fig. 90) Philadelphia, Pa.
Greenman and True Greenman and True Mfg. 1859 1860
(fig. 91) Co. Norwich, Conn.
Morse and True 1860 1861
Green Mountain ---- ca. 1860 --
Griswold Variety L. Griswold, New York, ca. 1886 ca. 1890
N.Y.
Grover and Baker Grover and Baker Sewing 1851 1875
(figs. 34-36, 92) Machine Co., Boston,
Mass.
Hancock ---- 1868 before 1881
(figs. 93, 94)
Heberling Running John Heberling 1878 ca. 1885
Stitch
Herron's Patent ---- 1857 --
(fig. 95)
Higby Higby Sewing Machine ca. 1882 after 1886
Later Acme Co., Brattleboro, Vt.
Home Johnson, Clark & Co., 1869 after 1876
Home Shuttle Orange, Mass.
Homestead ---- ca. 1881 --
Household Providence Tool Co., 1880 ca. 1884
Providence, R.I.
Household Sewing ca. 1885 1906
Machine Co.
Howe (figs. 96, 97) Howe Sewing Machine Co., 1853 1873
New York, N.Y.
(company of A. B. Howe
sold to Howe Machine
Co.)
Howe (fig. 98) Howe Machine Co., 1867 1886
Bridgeport, Conn.
Howe's Improved Nichols and Bliss, 1852 1853
Patent (fig. 107) Boston, Mass.
J. B. Nichols & Co. 1853 1854
which became Nichols, Leavitt & Co., 1854 1856
Leavitt Boston, Mass.
N. Hunt, which N. Hunt & Co., Boston, 1853 1854
became Hunt and Mass.
Webster (figs. 99, Hunt and Webster, 1854 1857
100) Boston, Mass.
Later Ladd and
Webster (_see_)
Improved Common ---- ca. 1870 --
Sense (fig. 102)
Independent Independent Sewing 1873 --
Noiseless Machine Co.,
Binghamton, N.Y.
Jennie June June Mfg. Co., Chicago, 1881 1890
Ill. Later
Belvidere, Ill.
Jewel Jewel Mfg. Co., Toledo, 1884 after 1886
Ohio
Johnson (fig. 103) Emery, Houghton & Co., 1856 after 1865
Boston, Mass.
Keystone Keystone Sewing Machine before 1872 ca. 1874
Co.
Ladd & Webster Ladd, Webster & Co., 1858 ca. 1866
(fig. 101) Boston, Mass.
Ladies Companion ---- 1858 ca. 1858
(fig. 115)
(_see_ Pratt's Patent)
"Lady" (fig. 104) ---- 1859 --
Landfear's Patent Parkers, Snow, Brooks 1857 --
(fig. 105) & Co., West Meriden,
Conn.
Langdon L.W. Langdon 1856 --
Lathrop (fig. 106) Lathrop Combination 1873 --
Sewing Machine Co.
Leader Leader Sewing Machine 1882 --
Co., Springfield,
Mass.
Leavitt (fig. 108) Nichols, Leavitt & Co., 1855 1857
Boston, Mass.
Leavitt & Co. 1857 ca. 1865
Leavitt Sewing Machine ca. 1865 1870
Co.
Leslie Revolving Leslie Sewing Machine 1881 --
Shuttle Co., Cleveland, Ohio
Lester (fig. 109) J.H. Lester, Brooklyn, ca. 1858 early 1860
N.Y.
Lester Mfg. Co., early 1860 late 1860
Richmond, Va.
Union Sewing Machine late 1860 1861
Co., Richmond, Va.
Little Gem ---- -- ca. 1870
Little Giant Domestic Sewing Machine ca. 1882 --
Co., Norwalk, Ohio
Little Monitor (not G.L. Du Laney, Brooklyn, ca. 1866 after 1875
associated with N.Y.
Monitor)
Love Love Mfg. Co., 1885 after 1886
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Lyon Lyon Sewing Machine Co. 1879 ca. 1880
Macauley Thos. A. Macauley Mfg., before 1879 --
New York, N.Y.
Manhattan Manhattan Sewing Machine ca. 1868 ca. 1880
Co.
McKay McKay Sewing Machine 1870 1876
Assoc.
McLean and Hooper B. W. Lacy & Co., ca. 1869 ca. 1873
Philadelphia, Pa.
(_see_ Centennial)
Meyers J. M. Meyers 1859 --
Miller's Patent ---- 1853 --