Monday, August 23, 2010

Cousin Samuel Stewart Jamison, the Inventor

I’ve been researching Samuel Jamisons recently to determine which one owned a building in 1896 in Cripple Creek, Colorado. I’ve written stories the last few days about two of the Samuel Jamisons I’ve learned about. Today I want to write just a little bit about the third one, who is a 1st cousin, 4 times removed of my husband.
Samuel Stewart Jamison was born in 1842 in Saltzburg, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, the son of Maj. Samuel Shryock Jamison (1797-1877) and his wife Sarah Ann Bell (1806-1878). Samuel was married to Angela Beatty and worked as a machinist, according to the Federal Censuses 1870-1910. I’m grateful that so many books are now available “free” on Google Books because I found the following information about Samuel Stewart Jamison:
On March 12, 1901 he was granted a patent for a Nut Lock as shown in this diagram.
Jamison SS Nut Lock inventon
His description of this invention says “The object of my invention is to provide an improved form of bolt and nut which shall be cheap, strong, quickly applied, and when once applied will be locked for all time until it is desired to remove it, so that there is no such thing as accidental loosening and dislodgment of the nut.” I think that was quite an important invention!
On November 9 1915 Samuel was granted a patent for a “bilge-water extractor” as pictured in this drawing:
Jamison SS BilgeWater Extractor invention
“This invention relates to boats and more particularly to motor boats and the means for ejecting bilge water from the hulls thereof while the same are in motion”, according to Samuel’s description in his patent application.
I don’t have the mind of a machinist so I think the mind of Samuel Stewart Jamison was special and I beleive these inventions set him apart in a class of his own among my husband’s ancestors.
I have a copy of his Pension Application following his service in the Civil War. I’ll share that story in my next posting.

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