Blatchford, Seward, and Griswold records

The Blatchford, Seward & Griswold Records consist of material pertaining to thirty-four inventions. Materials date from 1841 to 1910 and include handwritten copies of patent applications and letters patent, correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, drawings, printed court records, court notices, bills of complaint, briefs, witness lists, depositions, subpoenas, affidavits, transcripts of testimony, and patent assignments. Most of the cases were heard in the U.S. Circuit Courts, in a New England, New York, or New Jersey district. A few were heard in State Supreme Courts.

Several of the most significant disputes are worth highlighting. For example, Samuel Blatchford represented Samuel F. B. Morse in a series of infringement suits in the 1840s and 1850s. These suits were brought by Morse against men constructing telegraph lines without proper license. The collection contains correspondence and copies of court records (box 1) on these cases.

During the 1850s the firm was hired to represent Ross Winans, a Baltimore inventor of railroad car chassis. Winans became embroiled in several infringement suits, only one of which, Winans vs. Danforth, is represented in the collection (box 4).

The letters patent issued to Charles Goodyear on June 15, 1844, for his rubber manufacture process signaled the beginning of twenty-two years of legal maneuvering for Blatchford, Seward & Griswold. Suit followed by countersuit produced nearly two dozen cases, seventeen of which are documented in the collection. In most of the suits, the firm represented Goodyear’s main antagonist, Horace H. Day. In 1858, however, the firm was hired by Goodyear as chief counsel in the application for extension of the 1844 patent. A seven-year extension was granted on June 15, 1858. At the same time as the extension proceeding, the firm argued on behalf of the Congress Rubber Company, owned by Day, against several companies licensed to use Goodyear’s vulcanization process.

Blatchford, Seward & Griswold continued to represent Day during the late 1850s, but in 1864 Seward argued on behalf of Goodyear’s heirs against Day. The amount of material in the collection on the rubber patent cases (boxes 1-3) reflects both the intricacy of the Goodyear-Day conflict and the extent of the firm’s involvement in the litigation.

A series of infringement suits concerning Elias Howe’s sewing machine patent presented another challenge for the firm between 1854 and 1863.The material on the sewing machine (box 3) includes transcripts of testimony from workers in Boston and New York City. The testimony was taken to illustrate changes in work conditions brought by the introduction of the sewing machine. The transcripts provide a glimpse into the lives of working men and women. Many of the witnesses were in the clothing trade, including factory owners and seamstresses. (See Appendix for a list of the witnesses and their occupations.)

Several decades later Seward was counsel for the Gramme Electrical Company (box 5). This case is unique in the collection because it concerns the introduction of a foreign patent into the U.S. market.

The William Webster carpet loom patent (boxes 4, 7), Samuel W. Tyler mowing machine (boxes 4, 5, and 7), and Clinton G. Colgate telegraph cable patent (box 5) were each the subject of infringement suits during the 1870s and are represented by briefs, correspondence, and printed court records.

The collection contains material on fifteen other patent cases between 1880 and 1910, but none is documented as thoroughly as the cases mentioned above.

Backster, Charles C.

Foreman, Accountant

Baker, Ezra

Shoe Manufacturer

Benson, John J.

Coat Manufacturer

Blatchford, Samuel

Lawyer

Bowker, John P

Occupation unknown

Bradshaw, John A.

Machinist

Burlingame, Anson

Lawyer

Bush, Mary O.

Ladies’ and Children’s Clothing Manufacturer

Chapin, Seth P.

Sewing Machine Operator

Clapp, George P.

Occupation unknown

Clark, Burton E.

Bag Manufacturer

Dalton, Annie

Leather Seamstress

Douglass, Alexander

Skirt Manufacturer

Ellis, Jonathan T.

Clerk

Farron, Margaret

Sewing Machine Operator

Fisher, George

Newspaper Publisher

Gardner, Smith

Manufacturer

Gleason, Sewall

Occupation unknown

Hasler, Henry

Carriage Trimmer

Horne, William M.

Machinist

Howe, Amasa B.

Sewing Machine Manufacturer

Inglis, Charles

Coachmaker

Jacobs, Herman

Satchel Manufacturer

Jeffers, William H.

Ladies Shoemaker

Johnston, William

Boot Fitter

Kolher, Gottlieb

Manufacturer

Lerow, Jacob H.

Occupation unknown

McCall, James

Salesman

McCurdy, James S.

Inventor

Marsh, Seymour N.

Bandage Manufacturer

Millar, James W.

Tailor

Murray, Joseph

Machinist

Phelps, Orson C.

Machinist

Potter, Orlando Brunson

Lawyer, Sewing Machine Manufacturer

Proctor, William F.

Machinist

Raymond, James M.

Tailor

Renwick, Edward Sabine

Inventor, Patent Expert

Renwick, Henry Brevoort

Engineer, Patent Expert

Rollin, Daniel G.

Machinist

Sheldon, Julius

Hat Manufacturer

Simpson, Edwin B.

Shoe Manufacturer

Simpson, Emma

Seamstress

Thorpe, Abraham

Tailor

Townsley, George R.

Boot Manufacturer

Tucker, Hiram

Bed Manufacturer

Tyng, Stephen Higginson

Priest

Udall, William M.

Shirt Manufacturer

Waters, Harvey

Machinist

Whiting, William E.

Clerk

Winchester, Oliver Fisher

Gun and Shirt Manufacturer