DAVID McCONNELL SMYTH
David McConnell Smyth, inventor, was born at Newtownards, county Down, Ireland, July 8, 1833, son of John and Jane (Crawford) Smyth. His family comes of the Scotch-Presbyterian stock.
In 1872-3 from Orange, New Jersey, David McConnell Smyth moved to Lynn, Massachusetts and there possibly had some sort of collaboration with others inventors and investors. After he collaborated with Mr. John T. Lary he meet Henry G. Thompson and Reune Martin, D. Appleton & Co., Joseph W. Stickler and Theodore C. Elliott, Wilson of New York City (?) and George L. Ward.
In 1876 George W. Glazier was assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Association for improvement in Machines for Sewing Books, &c.
In 1878-9 David McConnell Smyth meet George Wells Root in East Northwood, New Hampshire.
In 1880 after two years of working together in building a book-sewing machine, the Smyth Manufacturing... became a Company.
David McConnell Smyth died October 11, 1907, of an apoplectic stroke, at the home of his son David. He was 74 years old. Interred with his wife and daughter at Pasadena, California, his name is far from forgotten. David Smyth's contribution to book sewing was such that his name is virtually synonymous in the United States with machine book sewing
SMYTH'S US PATENTS
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US 12.698 David M. Smyth
Improved Platform-Balance
New York
April 10, 1855
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US 74.948 David M. Smyth
...Be it known that I, David M. Smyth, of Orange, in the county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Machinery for Sewing Books...
Assignor by Mesne Assignments to John T. Lary
(straight needles)
Orange, New Jersey
February 25, 1868
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US 91.175 David McConnell Smyth
...Be it known that I, David McConnell Smyth, of Orange, in the county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Sewing Books and Pamphlets...
(straight needles)
Assignor to Henry G. Thompson and Reune Martin
Orange, New Jersey
June 8, 1869
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US 91.575 David M. Smyth
...Be it known that I, D. M. Smyth, of Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented and made a new and useful Improvement in Envelope-Machines...
Assignor to D. Appleton & Co.
Orange, New Jersey
June 22, 1869
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US 118.651 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Sewing Machines
Assignor to Henry G. Thompson
Orange, New Jersey
August 29, 1871
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US 118.652 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Electro-Magnetic Sewing Machines
Assignor to Joseph W. Stickler and Theodore C. Elliott
Orange, New Jersey
August 29, 1871
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US 119.246 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Sewing Machine Feeding Mechanism
Assignor to Joseph W. Stickler and Theodore C. Elliott
Orange, New Jersey
September 26, 1871
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US 119.894 David M. Smyth
...Be it known that I, David M. Smyth, of Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Method of Sewing or Connecting Sheets of Paper into Books or Pamphlets...
This method of sewing or connecting sheets of paper can be worked by means of the machinery described and secured by Letters Patent granted to me and bearing date the 25th day of February, 1868
(straight needles)
Assignor by, Mesne Assignments to Henry G. Thompson
Orange, New Jersey
October 10, 1871
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US 122.673 David M. Smyth
Improved Sewing Machine Feed
Assignor to Stickler, Elliott and Wilson
Orange, New Jersey
January 9, 1872
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US 126.844 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Feed Mechanism for Sewing Machines
Assignor to Stickler, Elliott and Wilson
Orange, New Jersey
May 14, 1872
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US 126.845 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Feed Motion for Sewing Machines
Assignor to Stickler, Elliott and Wilson
Orange, New Jersey
May 14, 1872
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US 130.324 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Feed Mechanism for Sewing Machines
Assignor to Stickler, Elliott and Wilson
Orange, New Jersey
August 6, 1872
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US 130.325 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Feed Mechanism for Sewing Machines
Assignor to Stickler, Elliott and Wilson
Orange, New Jersey
August 6, 1872
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US 141.088 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Feed Motion for Sewing Machines
Assignor to Stickler, Elliott and Wilson
of Lynn, Massachusetts
July 22, 1873
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US 143.388 David M. Smyth
Improvements in Tacking Machines for Boots and Shoes
Assignor to Henry G. Thompson
of Lynn, Massachusetts
September 30, 1873
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US 191.012 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Devices for Opening and Closing Gas-Cocks by Electromagnetism
Assignor to One-Half his Right to George L. Ward
of East Northwood, New Hampshire
May 22, 1877
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US 202.764 David McConnell Smyth
Improvement in Electro-Magnetic Water-Raising Apparatus
of East Northwood, New Hampshire
April 23, 1878
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US 220.312 David McConnell Smyth October 7, 1879
...Be it known that I, David McConnell Smyth, of East Northwood, in the State of New Hampshire, United States of America, have invented an Improvement in Machinery for Sewing together Sheets of Paper or other Material into Books or Pamphlets...
(curved needles)
of East Northwood, New Hampshire
Assignor to George Wells Root
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US 234.732 David M. Smyth
My improvement is especially useful in maclines for sewing books and relates to a peculiar needle and to the means for supporting the same while in use
(curved needles)
Assignor to George Wells Root
of Hartford, Connecticut
November 23, 1880
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US 235.466 David M. Smyth
The object of this invention is to introduce the back of the book a strip of parchment, leather, tape, or similar material and to secure the same by an interlaced thread applied in connection with the double threads that are introduced into the sheets by book-sewing machinery, such as that shown in Patent US 220.312, granted to me in October 7, 1879.
(curved needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Hartford, Connecticut
December 14, 1880
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US 238.451 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Book-Sewing
My book-sewing machine represented in Patent US 220.312, October 7, 1879, is capable of performing the sewing according to my present invention
(curved or straight needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Hartford, Connecticut
March 1, 1881
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US 250.991 David McConnell Smyth
Improvement in Book-Sewing Machines
(curved needles)
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Hartford, Connecticut
December 13, 1881
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US 274.986 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Book-Sewing Machines
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Hartford, Connecticut
April 3, 1882
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US 276.224 Galen Carlton & David M. Smyth
Improvement in Apparatus for Pasting, Gumming, or Tipping Folded Sheets in Binding Books
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Hartford, Connecticut
April 24, 1882
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US 276.296 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Machines for Cutting Notches in the Backs of Books
Assignor to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Hartford, Connecticut
April 24, 1882
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US 276.297 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Machines for Preparing Papers for Physicians' Powders
Assignor to himself and George Wells Root
of Hartford, Connecticut
April 24, 1882
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US 565.146 David McConnell Smyth
Improvement in Machines for Gathering Signatures
of Pasadena, California
August 4, 1896
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GB 17.176 David McConnell Smyth
Improvements in Machines for Gathering Signatures for Book Binding
Filing 1896-08-04
January 23, 1897
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GB 23.122 David McConnell Smyth
Improvements in Gumming Mechanism for Book-sewing Machines
Filing 1900-12-18
February 16, 1901
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US 652.300 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Machines for Gathering Signatures
This invention is a modification of and an improvement upon the device set forth in my Patent US 565.145, of August 4, 1896, filed April 13, 1894
of Pasadena, California
June 26, 1900
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US 654.420 David M. Smyth & Joseph E. Smyth
Improvement in Ore-Stamps
of Pasadena, California
July 24, 1900
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US 664.300 David M. Smyth
Improvement in Gumming Mechanism for Book-Sewing Machines
Books have been extensively sewed by machinery and reference is hereby made to Letters Patent US 220.312, granted to me October 7, 1879, as illustrating a machine that has been thus employed.
Assignor to Frank C. Bolt
of Pasadena, California
December 18, 1900
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US 715.890 David McConnell Smyth &
David G. Smyth & Herbert Hastings
Improvement in Signature-Gatherers
Assignors to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Pasadena, California
December 16, 1902
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GB 27.724 David McConnell Smyth &
David G. Smyth & Herbert Hastings
Bookbinding.-A signature-gathering machine
Filing 1902-12-16
February 12, 1903
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US 735.606 David McConnell Smyth &
David G. Smyth & Herbert Hastings
Improvement in Gumming Mechanism for Book-Sewing Machine
Assignors to the Smyth Manufacturing Company
of Pasadena, California
August 4, 1903
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US 981.130 David M. Smyth
Apparatus for Preparing Fruit
Application filed June 19, 1907
David G. Smyth, of Atlanta, Georgia administrator of said David M. Smyth, deceased
Assignor to Thomas C. Miller
January 10, 1911
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Books for the millions: a history of the men whose methods and machines packaged the printed word
Frank E. Comparato
Stackpole Co., 1971