Inventor Name
Smith, Hezekiah Bradley
Repository
Hagley Museum and Library
PO Box 3630
Wilmington, DE 19807-0630
302-658-2400
https://www.hagley.org/research
Physical Description
2 reels of microfilm.
Summary
Hezekiah Bradley Smith (1816-1887) was born in Vermont and trained there as a cabinet maker. Around 1840 he moved to Lowell, Mass., where he manufactured woodworking machinery. Smith received more than forty patents for his inventions. Smith relocated to Burlington County, N.J., in 1865, purchasing about 2,000 acres and a water power site at Shreveport. He built a modern factory and a new village that included recreational and cultural amenities. The settlement was renamed Smithville. Smith’s inventiveness turned to new lines of work, and he built the first steam-powered road vehicle ever driven in New Jersey. In 1881, when bicycles became popular, he began to manufacture the "American Star," a model with a seat over a high rear wheel. Smith also built a monorail "bicycle railway" to provide low-cost transportation for workers between Smithville and the county seat at Mount Holly. Smith was elected to Congress as a Democrat and Greenbacker and served from 1879 to 1881. He was a member of the New Jersey State Senate from 1883 to 1885. Smith died at Smithville on November 3, 1887. At the time, he was involved in a patent suit with George Washington Pressey over the design of the "Star" bicycle. Smith’s heirs were also involved in drawn-out litigation with the family of Agnes Gilkerson, who had lived with Smith for many years. The records consist of three series of documents from the files of the Secretary of State pertaining to the H. B. Smith Machine Company and the Smithville site. The first series consists of papers of Chancery Court and other legal proceedings relating to water power rights and trespass on the site during both Shreve and Smith family ownership. The second series deals with estate litigation, including that brought by the Gilkerson family. The third series consists of the Chancery case file on the patent infringement suit of George W. Pressey vs. H. B. Smith Machine Company. This file is an important source on the early history of bicycle manufacture and includes a 712 page transcript of testimony and statements covering the cost of manufacture from 1881 to 1887.
