Stylus-Operated Adding Machines

In 1642, while he was still a teenager, the Frenchman Blaise Pascal invented one of the first machines that could add automatically. Numbers were entered by rotating wheels with a pointed rod or stylus. Carrying took place through the fall of a weight. Some fifty copies of Pascal’s machine were made in his lifetime, mainly for the cabinets of curiosity of well-to-do nobles. In the eighteenth century, similar machines were made, such as one build by Jean Lepine, clockmaker and mechanician to French King Louis XV. In Lepine’s elegant brass machine, carrying took place through the flex of a spring, not the fall of a weight.

In the second half of the 19th century, a variety of much humbler stylus-operated adding machines were patented in the United States. At least three of them went on the market. Two, based on inventions of John Groesbeck and of A. M. Stephenson, had modest sales. The third, invented by journalist Charles H. Webb and sold as the Webb adder, was a sufficient commercial success to boast distinct models, patented in 1868 and 1889.

A.M. Stephenson described a small adding machine with several dials, but only sold one that handled two digits. In the 1840s the Frenchman Didier Roth had designed an improved stylus-operated adding machine that was small and light weight, but had several dials. Roth did not sell his machines successfully, but in the early 20th century such instruments became quite common. One of the first to sell widely in the U.S. was the Calcumeter, patented by James J. Walsh of New Jersey in 1901. Similar instruments, made from metal or later plastic, would sell into the 1970s.

Other small adding machines had parallel rods or chains that moved either crosswise or from top to bottom. Some of these looked quite a bit like contemporary adders, although they had a mechanical carry.

As a youth, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was asked to assist his father in calculations relating to tax returns. Pascal, a future mathematician and natural philosopher, decided that addition and subtraction could be done more easily by machine.
Description
As a youth, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was asked to assist his father in calculations relating to tax returns. Pascal, a future mathematician and natural philosopher, decided that addition and subtraction could be done more easily by machine. The French teenager invented one of the first mechanical adding machines. This is a replica of two counting units in a Pascal adding machine.
The model has a brass mechanism, paper number labels, and a transparent plastic case. It shows the two highest counting units of a Pascal adding machine. Two wheels at the front are for entering digits. They both link to horizontal cog wheels with pins protruding from them. These wheels, in turn, are linked to vertical cog wheels that drive the result drums at the back. The vertical wheels are also linked so that as the wheel on the right advances, a weight linked to the other wheel rises. Once the right wheel has been turned a full circle (entering 10), the weight falls and advances the left wheel by one unit, carrying a digit. Nines complements are marked around the result dials for use in subtraction.
Pascal and his associates made about fifty adding machines in the course of his life, but they never became a practical product. This replica was made for the Smithsonian in 1964.
Reference:
Michael R. Williams, A History of Computing Technology, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1985.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964
maker
Search Corporation
ID Number
MA.323882
accession number
254097
catalog number
323882
In the 17th century, the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal built a machine that could be used to add numbers by the rotation of discs with a stylus. Pascal and his associates made several copies of this machine, but it never became a commercial product.
Description
In the 17th century, the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal built a machine that could be used to add numbers by the rotation of discs with a stylus. Pascal and his associates made several copies of this machine, but it never became a commercial product. In 1725 Jean Lepine, the watchmaker and mechanic for King Louis XV of France, built this stylus-operated adding machine in the tradition of Pascal. However, in Lepine’s machine, carrying took place through the flex of a spring and not, as in Pascal’s device, through the fall of a weight.
The brass instrument fits in a leather-covered wooden case. There are five rows of circles, with ten circles to a row. A window at the top of each circle shows a digit on a disc below. In the first and fourth row there are ten discs on the front of the machine, each with ten indentations in it. The indentations are numbered clockwise 0 to 9. In these rows, there is a stop at the bottom of each disc. All five rows of circles also have a circle of numbers ranging from 1 to 9. In the first and fourth row, these numbers are outside the discs with indentations in them and run counterclockwise, and one digit is not indicated (usually 5, though it may be 10 or 6 - in place of this digit there is an opening in the circle). In the other rows, the digits in the circles run clockwise. In the leftmost column of circles (labeled “Deniers”) numbers on the circles and discs run 1 to 11. The column one in from this (labeled “Sols” ) has numbers from 1 to 19. In each of the circles of numbers without discs, there is a pointer that points to the digit on the circle that is shown in the window. A stylus fits in the right side of the case.
The underlying discs of the top two rows of circles are linked. These circles are used in addition and multiplication. The underlying discs of the bottom three rows of circles are linked. These circles are used in subtraction and division. The underlying discs in each row have pinholes indicating their position. These pinholes are visible if the machine is removed from the case and inverted. A brass plate in the lid of the case has a multiplication table for the numbers 1 to 9. Openings in the plate reveal two rotating brass plates which give multiples of unit prices.
The machine is inscribed at the front right: DE L’EPINE (/) INVENIT ET FECIT (/) 1725. It is inscribed to the left of this: Nouvelle Machine d’arithmetique contenant toutes les parties de cette Science et dont les operations se font d’une maniere aussi curieuse et aussi promte [sic] que certaine. It is marked inside the lid: reparé en 1844 par [/] le Chr Thomas de Colmar. This refers to repairs done in 1844 by Charles Xavier Thomas of Colmar, a distinguished French inventor of calculating machines and prior owner of the machine.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1725
maker
L'Epine, Jean
ID Number
1987.0731.01
accession number
1987.0731
catalog number
326648
This U.S. Patent Office model for a finger-operated adding machine has four metal wheels set flat into a wooden case with a metal top (the fifth wheel is missing). Around the top edge of each wheel are ten short pins labeled clockwise from 0 to 9.
Description
This U.S. Patent Office model for a finger-operated adding machine has four metal wheels set flat into a wooden case with a metal top (the fifth wheel is missing). Around the top edge of each wheel are ten short pins labeled clockwise from 0 to 9. Above each wheel is a round opening in the case. The edge of this opening is also labeled clockwise from 0 to 9. The mechanism linking the wheels is out of order. The patent tag is tied to the machine. It reads: 24.990 (/) J.T. Campbell (/) Adding Mch. (/) Patented August 9, (/) 1859.
John T. Campbell also took out patents for an "Improvement in Portable Fence," U.S. Patent 63,853, April 16, 1867; an “Improvement in Lifting-Tongs,” U.S. Patent 130,194, May 1, 1877; and a 'Revolving Cultivator," U.S. Patent 329137, October 27, 1885.
According to U.S. Census records and a biographical account, Campbell was born in 1833. Raised near a saw mill in Parke County, Indiana, he worked variously as a carpenter, a surveyor and engineer, and a hotelkeeper. During the Civil War, he organized an infantry regiment to fight for the Northern cause. Captain Campbell was disabled by a war wound. On his return, he obtained various local and state offices. By 1880 he had moved to Indianapolis, where he worked briefly as a clerk in the Indiana State Bureau of Statistics. He then retired to Parke County.
References:
U.S. Patent 24990, August 9, 1859.
A. T. Andreas, Atlas Map of Parke County, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois: by the author, 1874, p. 29.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1859
patentee
Campbell, J. T.
maker
Campbell, J. T.
ID Number
1987.0107.01
catalog number
1987.0107.01
accession number
1987.0107
This U.S. Patent Office model has five continuous metal bands that move in slots across a wooden frame. Flat pieces of brass cover the top of the frame on the right and the left, keeping the bands in their slots.
Description
This U.S. Patent Office model has five continuous metal bands that move in slots across a wooden frame. Flat pieces of brass cover the top of the frame on the right and the left, keeping the bands in their slots. The bands are made up of small flat squares of metal, with nine squares silver-colored and the tenth one brass. Each square has a hole at the center for a stylus. Strips of paper attached between the bands have the numbers from 1 to 9. Moving a band to the right turns a wheel clockwise. The edge of this wheel, which is covered around the edge with a paper marked with the digits from 0 to 9, is visible through a window in the right piece of brass. The number shown increases as the wheel turns. A lever on the left side disengages the fourth and fifth columns. According to the patent description, there is a carry mechanism activated when a wheel passes 9.
The machine is marked on the left top: Computing (/) Machine (/) A.W. Davies.
Cleveland city directories list an Alexander W. Davies who worked off and on as a clerk, car agent, and accountant for several railroads between 1863 and 1900. It is probable that he took out two patents in 1891 for inventions relating to recording the mileage traveled by railroad cars. Railroad companies would soon become major users of business machines, including IBM tabulating equipment.
References:
A. W. Davies, “Improvement in Computing Machines,” U.S. Patent 65,883, June 18, 1867.
Charles C. Gale, Royal Cowles, and Alexander W. Davies, “Car Mileage Report,” U.S. Patent 455197, June 30, 1891.
Charles C. Gale, Royal Cowles, and Alexander W. Davies, “Car Mileage Register,” U.S. Patent 456650, July 28, 1891.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1867
patentee
Davies, A. W.
maker
Davies, A. W.
ID Number
MA.252690
catalog number
252690
accession number
49064
The base of this U.S. Patent Office model for a circular stylus-operated adding machine is a wooden paddle. The outer edge of the paddle is divided clockwise into 100 parts, which are marked in ink.
Description
The base of this U.S. Patent Office model for a circular stylus-operated adding machine is a wooden paddle. The outer edge of the paddle is divided clockwise into 100 parts, which are marked in ink. Five concentric metal discs are atop the paddle, each one slightly smaller than the one below. The discs are held together at the middle by a screw. The first disc above the paddle has 100 holes around the edge and rotates. The second disc is fixed, with the numbers from 1 to 97 marked in pen counterclockwise around the edge (a few higher digits are hidden). The third disc is toothed, and has the numbers from 1 to 100 around its edge, inside the teeth. The fourth disc covers the third one, with one notch that reveals a number on the toothed disc. The fourth disc also has 100 holes around its edge. Just inside these holes is the fifth, top disc. It also is divided into 100 parts around the edge. These are marked in pen from 1 to 50 going counterclockwise on the right side, and from 1 to 47 going clockwise around the left side (a few divisions are unmarked). The first disc is intended to represent sums of numbers up to 100 (cents), and to carry a term to advance the third disc, which represents hundreds (dollars). The smallest disc can be used as a guide in adding or subtracting hundreds.
The machine is stamped on the front: T.T.STRODE. It has a tag nailed to the back that reads: T.T. Strode (/) Calculating Machine (/) Recd May 4 1867. Thomas T. Strode of Chester County in eastern Pennsylvania took out several patents in the second half of the nineteenth century for inventions ranging from a machine to boring holes in posts to a grain winnower and weigher to calendar-clocks. He apparently worked as a farmer and a merchant.
References:
Thomas T. Strode, “Calculating and Registering-Machine,” U.S. Patent 74,170.
U.S. Census records for 1850, 1860, and 1870.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
patentee
Strode, Thomas T.
maker
Strode, Thomas T.
ID Number
MA.252693
accession number
49064
catalog number
252693
This stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has two brass wheels, one considerably smaller than the other. It sits in a wooden frame. The large wheel adds sums up to 99, and the smaller one is for hundreds and thousands.
Description
This stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has two brass wheels, one considerably smaller than the other. It sits in a wooden frame. The large wheel adds sums up to 99, and the smaller one is for hundreds and thousands. The numbers 00 to 99 are stamped evenly counterclockwise around the edge of the larger wheel (these numbers are covered by the plate). Inside these is a circle with 100 holes. Inside the holes is a second set of numbers from 0 to 99, displaced by 180 degrees from the first set. The smaller wheel has the numbers from 0 to 49 stamped around it in two concentric circles, with a circle of 50 holes in between. It represents hundreds. The nickel-plated brass plate covers the outermost edges of both wheels, and is screwed to the frame. Over the edge of the larger wheel, the rim of the plate is divided counterclockwise from 0 to 99. Over the smaller wheel, the edge of the plate has marked divisions from 0 to 9. The result appears in a window between the two wheels, and may be as large as 4999. There is a hook at the left side of the instrument that could be used to suspend it.
The instrument is marked on the front: C.H.WEBB. N.Y. It is also marked there: THE ADDER PATD MARCH 10TH 1868. It has serial number A 5353 stamped on the back. The device was given to the Smithsonian in 1956 by Rudolf Schneider of Washington, D.C. A mark on the back reads: R. Schneider (/) 1885.
Charles Henry Webb (1834-1905) was a journalist, playwright, poet, and roamer. He patented a second version of this device in 1889. Rudolf Schneider (1865-1956), the donor of the object, was a German-born mechanic who came to the United States in 1882. From 1885 he worked for the D. Ballauf Manufacturing Company of Washington, D.C. Schneider became owner of the company in 1914 after the death of Mr. Ballauf. In 1944, he sold the firm to two employees, but continued to use a desk and experimental workshop. He gave the Webb adder to the Smithsonian Institution in the year of his death.
References:
C. H. Webb, “Improvement in Adding Machines,” U.S. Patent 75322, March 10, 1868.
“Machine for Addition,” Journal of the Franklin Institute, 60 (1870): pp. 8-9.
P. Kidwell, “The Webb Adder,” Rittenhouse 1 (1986) 12-18.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 63.
“R. Schneider, Proprietor of Factory,” Washington Post, September 4, 1956, p. 26.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
maker
Webb, Charles H.
ID Number
MA.314846
accession number
211156
catalog number
314846
This two-wheeled stylus-operated non-printing adding machine is in a wooden frame. The large brass wheel has a ring of holes and the numbers 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The numbers 0 to 99 also are stamped around the window for the larger wheel.
Description
This two-wheeled stylus-operated non-printing adding machine is in a wooden frame. The large brass wheel has a ring of holes and the numbers 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The numbers 0 to 99 also are stamped around the window for the larger wheel. Numbers are added by rotation of the wheels. Answers are recorded on a pedometer-like dial that has separate windows for ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands. The frame is screwed to the cover plate. There is a stylus. The large wheel is marked: C.H.WEBB. N.Y. It is also marked: “THE ADDER" PATD MARCH 10TH 1868. The back has the serial number: C1053. The dial is a modification of the instrument. It is marked on paper attached over the small wheel: N.Y.STANDARD WATCH COMPANY.
Charles Henry Webb (1834-1905) was a journalist, playwright, poet, and roamer. He patented a second version of this device in 1889. This example was owned by the Draper family of New York.
References:
C. H. Webb, “Improvement in Adding Machines,” U.S. Patent 75322, March 10, 1868.
“Machine for Addition,” Journal of the Franklin Institute, 60 (1870): pp. 8-9.
P. A. Kidwell, “The Webb Adder,” Rittenhouse, 1 (1986), pp. 12-18.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 63.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868-1889
patentee
Webb, Charles H.
maker
Webb, Charles H.
ID Number
MA.335359
accession number
304826
catalog number
335359
This stylus-operated non-printing flat adding machine has five cogged, linked wheels. Five windows at the bottom show sums of numbers entered. Five windows at the top show complementary digits and are used in subtraction.
Description
This stylus-operated non-printing flat adding machine has five cogged, linked wheels. Five windows at the bottom show sums of numbers entered. Five windows at the top show complementary digits and are used in subtraction. The outer casing of the instrument is nickel-plated brass, the mechanism is brass. The device lacks a stylus. It is marked: GROESBECK’S CALCULATING MACHINE (/) PATENTED MAR. 18 1870. It is also marked: ZIEGLER & McCURDY (/) PHILAPA.CINN.O.CHICAGO,ILL. (/) ST.LOUIS,MO.SPRINGFIELD,MASS.
This machine is the invention of John Groesbeck (1834-1884), a consulting accountant, operator of the Crittenden Commercial College in Philadelphia, and author of several textbooks on commercial arithmetic. It apparently was his only invention. According to a review in the Philadelphia School Journal, it sold for $6.00 in 1871. The firm of Ziegler & McCurdy dissolved in 1872, suggesting that this object was made quite near the time of the patent. It was given to the Smithsonian in 1944 as a gift of Lt. John P. Roberts of the U.S. Naval Reserve.
References:
John Groesbeck, “Improvement in Adding-Machines," U.S. Patent 100,288, March 1, 1870.
“Groesbeck’s Calculating Machine,” Pennsylvania School Journal, vol. 19 #7, January, 1871., p. 216.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 383.
George P. Donehoo, editor. Pennsylvania A History - Biographical, Chicago/New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1928, 290 to291.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870
patentee
Groesbeck, John
maker
Ziegler & McCurdy
ID Number
MA.312824
accession number
167256
catalog number
312824
This shield-shaped brass instrument has an inset rotating disc with 100 holes numbered clockwise around the edge. The outside of the disc also has 100 numbered divisions. A piece of the outer shield curves in across the disc to the center and serves as a stop in addition.
Description
This shield-shaped brass instrument has an inset rotating disc with 100 holes numbered clockwise around the edge. The outside of the disc also has 100 numbered divisions. A piece of the outer shield curves in across the disc to the center and serves as a stop in addition. Above the disc are three smaller wheels on top of the shield. The wheel on the right is numbered counterclockwise from 0 to 9 and labeled: 100 1000. The wheel in the middle is numbered clockwise from 0 to 9 and labeled: 1000 10,000. The leftmost wheel is numbered clockwise by tens from 0 to ten and labeled: 10,000 100,000. There is a pointer for each wheel. Rotating the large disc through 100 causes the “100 1000” disc to rotate one unit (as presently arranged, the reading on the wheel decreases by one unit). The small wheels also may be rotated separately, although the carry to higher places does not seem to work properly.
Linderoos, a native of Scandinavia, emigrated to California and, by 1867, was an attorney and notary public in Point Arena (the town was also known as Punta Arena). In1881, he would be appointed a Postmaster there. He died in 1885.
References:
Gustavus Linderoos, “Improvement in Adding-Machines,” U.S. Patent No. 140,146, June 24, 1873. Here he is listed as a resident of Point Arena, California.
Ancestry.com.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1873
patentee
Linderoos, Gustavus
maker
Linderoos, Gustavus
ID Number
MA.252697
accession number
49064
catalog number
252697
patent number
140146
This U.S. Patent Office model for a stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a rectangular wooden base. Four adjacent rotating wheels are inset in the base, with a metal cover that fits over them.
Description
This U.S. Patent Office model for a stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a rectangular wooden base. Four adjacent rotating wheels are inset in the base, with a metal cover that fits over them. The three small wheels on the right each have a metal arm pivoted at their centers and ten evenly spaced indentations around the edge. The digits from 0 to 9 are marked on the cover just outside each of these wheels. The numbers increase counterclockwise going around the first and third wheels and clockwise going around the second wheel. The two middle wheels also have ten pins arranged just inside the indentations. The pins of one wheel are linked to the arm of the wheel to the right of it. The fourth, leftmost, wheel is larger and has 20 indentations and 20 pins. The indentations are numbered from 0 to 19 going counterclockwise. A two-wheeled device was manufactured under this patent.
A paper tag attached to the machine reads: No.137,107 (/) A.M. Stephenson (/) Adding Machines (/) Patented March 25th 1873. A second paper tag attached to the machine reads: A.M. Stephenson (/) Adding Machine (/) Received March 5th, 1872.
This instrument was in the collections of the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City before coming to the Smithsonian Institution as a gift of L. Leland Locke.
Archibald M. Stephenson (1844-1913), the inventor of this instrument, was born in Indiana and spent most of his adult life in Illinois. He manufactured a version of this instrument in Joliet.
References:
U.S. Patent 137107, March 25, 1873.
R. Otnes, “A.M. Stephenson and His Adder,” Journal of the Oughtred Society, vol. 13 #2 (Fall 2004): pp. 55-60.
W. W. Stevens, Past and Present of Will County, Illinois, Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1907, pp. 348-349.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1873
patentee
Stephenson, Archibald M.
maker
Stephenson, Archibald M.
ID Number
MA.311961
accession number
155183
catalog number
311961
This two-wheeled steel stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a large wheel with the numbers 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. A smaller wheel has numbers 0 to 49 stamped around its edge. A ring of holes is inside each set of numbers.
Description
This two-wheeled steel stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a large wheel with the numbers 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. A smaller wheel has numbers 0 to 49 stamped around its edge. A ring of holes is inside each set of numbers. A metal plate covers the outer edges of the two wheels, revealing sums in a small window between them. The numbers 0 to 99 also are stamped around the window for the larger wheel. Numbers are added by rotation of the wheels, up to sums of 4999. The carry mechanism is that patented by L. C. Smith. The frame is smooth around the edge, and patterned on the back. The stylus is missing and there are no maker’s marks.
This instrument is from the collection of Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Company.
References:
Lester C. Smith, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414335, November 5, 1889.
P. Kidwell, “The Webb Adder,” Rittenhouse, 1 (1986), pp. 12-18.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 63.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
patentee
Webb, Charles H.
ID Number
MA.323618
accession number
250163
catalog number
323618
This is a two-wheeled steel and nickel-plated brass adding machine. It is stylus-operated and non-printing. The large wheel has 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The smaller wheel has 0 to 49 stamped around its edge. A ring of holes is inside each ring of numbers.
Description
This is a two-wheeled steel and nickel-plated brass adding machine. It is stylus-operated and non-printing. The large wheel has 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The smaller wheel has 0 to 49 stamped around its edge. A ring of holes is inside each ring of numbers. A metal plate covers the outer edges of the two wheels, revealing sums in a small window between them. The numbers 0 to 99 also are stamped around the window for the larger wheel. Numbers are added by rotating the wheels, up to sums of 4999. The carry mechanism is that patented by L. C. Smith (patent 414335). The frame is serrated around the edge, and smooth on the back. A metal piece is attached to the frame at the top. There is a stylus. The machine is marked: “THE ADDER.” It has serial number 549. There are no references to any patent numbers on the device, nor is Webb mentioned. The example comes from the Draper family of New York.
References:
C. H. Webb, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414959, November 12, 1889.
Lester C. Smith, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414335, November 5, 1889.
P. A. Kidwell, “The Webb Adder,” Rittenhouse, 1 (1986), pp.12-18.
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 63.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
patentee
Webb, Charles H.
ID Number
MA.335358
accession number
304826
catalog number
335358
This two-wheeled stylus-operated non-printing adding machine is made of silver-colored metal. It has one large wheel with the numbers from 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The second, smaller wheel has the numbers from 0 to 49 stamped evenly around its edge.
Description
This two-wheeled stylus-operated non-printing adding machine is made of silver-colored metal. It has one large wheel with the numbers from 00 to 99 stamped around the edge. The second, smaller wheel has the numbers from 0 to 49 stamped evenly around its edge. A ring of holes is just inside each ring of numbers. A metal frame and plate cover the back and outer edges of the two wheels, revealing numbers in a small window between the wheels. Numbers are added by rotation of the wheels, up to sums of 4999. The frame is serrated around the edge. There is no stylus. The large wheel is marked: The Adder (/) C.H. WEBB. The plate is marked: PAT’D NOV 5TH 12TH 1889. The serial number stamped on the back is: 5136.
Charles Henry Webb of New York first patented an adding machine in 1868. This improved version of the device is described in a patent he took out on November 12, 1889, and in one obtained by Lester C. Smith on November 5 of that year. This example was used by the civil engineer Chauncey B. Schmeltzer who taught at the University of Illinois.
References:
C. H. Webb, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414959, November 12, 1889.
Lester C. Smith, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 414335, November 5, 1889.
P. Kidwell, “The Webb Adder,” Rittenhouse, 1 (1986) 12-18
E. Martin, The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen), trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 63.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
patentee
Webb, Charles H.
ID Number
MA.317925.01
accession number
317925
catalog number
317925.01
The wooden ruler also serves as a stylus-operated non-printing adding machine. It has a plastic inset along the middle, with a perforated paper strip that moves below the plastic.
Description
The wooden ruler also serves as a stylus-operated non-printing adding machine. It has a plastic inset along the middle, with a perforated paper strip that moves below the plastic. The numbers from 1 to 45 are marked along one edge of the plastic and from 46 to 90 along the other. A small dial and a window are at one end. Instructions are given on a plastic insert on the reverse of the rule. The number in the window indicates units and tens, while those around the dial denote hundreds. Only one of the hundreds digits (3) is marked. There is no stylus. One edge of the ruler is beveled and has a brass insert. This edge is marked off with a scale 15 inches long, divided to 1/16 inches.
The device is marked: PERFECTION (/) SELF-ADDING RULER (/) PAT. JAN. 8th 1895. No place of manufacture is indicated. The inventor, Robert E. McClelland, lived in Williamsville, Illinois. Later versions of the rule indicate that it was made in New York.
Reference:
Robert E. McClelland, “Computing Machine,” U.S. Patent 532241, January 8, 1895.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1895
patentee
McClelland, Robert E.
ID Number
MA.155183.30
accession number
155183
catalog number
155183.30
This eight-wheeled stylus operated non-printing adding machine has wheels of brass and copper and a steel frame. Two metal supports on the back can be lowered so that the machine is at an angle rather than lying flat. The machine is marked on the front: THE CALCUMETER.
Description
This eight-wheeled stylus operated non-printing adding machine has wheels of brass and copper and a steel frame. Two metal supports on the back can be lowered so that the machine is at an angle rather than lying flat. The machine is marked on the front: THE CALCUMETER. It is marked on the right side: H.N.MORSE (/) TRENTON,N.J. It is marked on the left: 18143 (/) PAT’D DEC 17 ‘01. This is number 38 in the Felt & Tarrant collection.
The Calcumeter was invented by James J. Walsh of Elizabeth, N.J. who applied for a patent January 16, 1901, and was granted it December 17, 1901 (U.S. Patent 689,225). Walsh went on to patent a resetting device for the machine on September 1, 1908 (U.S. Patent #897,688). This example of the machine does not have that mechanism. The instrument was first manufactured by Morse & Walsh Company in 1903 and 1904, but by 1906 was produced by Herbert North Morse of Trenton. Morse was a native of New Jersey who attended the South Jersey Institute in Bridgeton, N.J. and then spent a year at Harvard College. By 1916, he not only owned the Calcumeter adding machine business, but was assistant commissioner of education for the state of New Jersey.
Compare MA.335352.
Reference:
Harvard College Class of 1896, "Report V," June, 1916, Norwood, Massachusetts: Plimpton Press, p. 192.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1901
maker
Morse, H. N.
ID Number
MA.323622
accession number
250163
catalog number
323622
This five-wheeled stylus-operated adding machine has wheels of German silver (for ones and tens) and brass (for higher decimal places), with a blackened brass frame and sliding brass decimal marker. Each wheel has ten indentations.
Description
This five-wheeled stylus-operated adding machine has wheels of German silver (for ones and tens) and brass (for higher decimal places), with a blackened brass frame and sliding brass decimal marker. Each wheel has ten indentations. These are labeled in red on the wheel from 0 to 9. One of these ten digits is visible at any time. The digits from 1 to 9 are also stamped on the top of the frame around the opening for each wheel. Using the digits on the frame to indicate the placement of the stylus and rotating, the sum appears in the red digits on the wheels. No stylus survives. Apparently the machine doesn’t subtract. Small levers attached to the back of the machine can be adjusted to prop it up.
The machine is marked on the front: THE CALCUMETER. It is marked on the back: 911 (/) PAT’D DEC.17’01. It is also marked there: D.Draper (/) April 2nd 1904. It is marked on the end: MORSE&WALSH CO. (/) TRENTON, N.J.
The Calcumeter was invented by James J. Walsh of Elizabeth, N.J., who received a patent for it December 17, 1901 (U.S. Patent 689,225). The Calcumeter was first manufactured by Morse & Walsh Company in 1903 and 1904, but by 1906 was produced by Herbert North Morse of Trenton. Daniel Draper, who owned this machine, was a meteorologist in New York City.
Compare MA.323622.
Reference:
P. A. Kidwell, “Scientists and Calculating Machines,” Annals of the History of Computing, 12 (1990): pp. 31-40.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1904
maker
Morse & Walsh Company
ID Number
MA.335352
accession number
304826
catalog number
335352
This small stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has seven chains in parallel columns. The links visible in each column are numbered from 1 to 9. A stylus is placed in a link of the chain and pulled down to enter a digit.
Description
This small stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has seven chains in parallel columns. The links visible in each column are numbered from 1 to 9. A stylus is placed in a link of the chain and pulled down to enter a digit. Above the columns are seven windows to show results On the right is a knob which may be intended for zeroing. The device sits in a small steel stand that has four rubber feet. The stylus is missing.
The machine is marked on the bottom: PATENTED MARCH 1ST 1904 - MARCH 27TH 1906. (/) UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING. It is marked on the left side: No. 8445 (/) AUTOMATIC ADDING MACHINE CO. (/) NEW YORK U.S.A. It is marked on the stand: GEM. A paper tag has Felt & Tarrant adding machine collection number 37.
According to U.S. Census records, Abraham Isaac Gancher was born in Russia of Russian parents in about 1875. He came to the United States in 1892 and initially worked as a leather salesman. He and his wife, Rebecca Gancher, mariied in 1899. Gancher became interested in adding machines a few years later. He was active in the Automatic Adding Machine Company through at least 1918. Nobyoshi A. Kodama, who took out early patents used in the GEM, had pulled out of the picture by 1908.
Compare to 1981.0935.01.
Gancher went on to patent and sell a printing adding machine that was also sold by Automatic Adding Machine as the Gancher. See U.S. patents 1047199 (1912) and 1178227 (1916).
References:
Ads in Scientific American, vol. 95, October, 1906, p. 314; vol. 96, March 2, 1907, p. 203; and vol. 96, Mar. 30, 1907.
Nobyoshi A. Kodama, “Automatic Adding and subtracting Apparatus,” U.S. Patent 783,586, March 1, 1904. Kodama was a subject of the Emperor of Japan living in New York City, New York. He assigned half of the patent to Rebecca Gancher of New York, N.Y.
Nobyoshi A. Kodama and Abraham I. Gancher, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 816,342, March 27, 1906. Kodama was a subject of the Mikado of Japan. Both he and Gancher, a U.S. citizen, were living in Manhattan, New York. The patent was assigned to Automatic Adding Machine Company of New York, N.Y.
Abraham I. Gancher and Albert T. Zabriskie, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 847,759, March 19,1907. This patent describes the stand. It was assigned to Automatic Adding Machine Company of New York, N.Y.
Abraham I. Gancher, “Adding-Machine,” U.S. Patent 1015307, January 31, 1912.
Norman Klein, "40,000 Words on Post Card? It's Easy, Says Champion," New York Evening Post, Friday, December 23, 1932. The article gives information about Abraham Gancher.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1906
maker
Automatic Adding Machine Company
ID Number
MA.323621
accession number
250163
catalog number
323621
maker number
8445
This small, stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a black steel frame and seven metal chains. A stylus is placed in the link next to a digit and pulled down to the bottom of the column to enter the digit. Sums appear in seven windows above the chains.
Description
This small, stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a black steel frame and seven metal chains. A stylus is placed in the link next to a digit and pulled down to the bottom of the column to enter the digit. Sums appear in seven windows above the chains. There is a clearance knob on the right side and a bent metal piece that can be used to prop up the instrument. The green leather case is stored with the instrument. The stylus is missing.
The instrument is marked on a tag on the right edge of the top: GOLDEN GEM (/) ADDING MACHINE. It is marked on a tag on the left edge of the top: AUTOMATIC ADDING MACHINE MFRS. (/) NEW YORK, U.S.A.. It is marked on the bottom edge of the top: PAT. MAR.1-04-MAR.27-06-MAR.19-07 (/) UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING. The serial number, stamped on the right side, is 400805.
Compare to MA.323621.
This example of the Golden Gem formerly belonged to John L. Newbold, father-in-law of the donor, who had owned Merchants Moving and Transfer Company.
References:
Ads in Scientific American, vol. 110, Jan. 17, 1914 (according to this ad, the machine cost $10 and over 80,000 in use); vol. 112, April, 1915, p. 370 (according to this ad, the machine still cost $10 and over 100,000 were in use).
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1910
maker
Automatic Adding Machine Company
ID Number
1981.0935.01
accession number
1981.0935
catalog number
1981.0935.01
maker number
400805
This small metal instrument has nine columns of chains. The two rightmost are silver-colored, the next three copper-colored, the next three silver-colored, and the leftmost copper-colored. In back of the chains are nine numeral wheels with the digits from 0 to 9 on them.
Description
This small metal instrument has nine columns of chains. The two rightmost are silver-colored, the next three copper-colored, the next three silver-colored, and the leftmost copper-colored. In back of the chains are nine numeral wheels with the digits from 0 to 9 on them. Digits are marked in red and in black on plastic strips to the right and to the left of the chains. A zeroing wheel is on the right side. A movable metal decimal marker is attached to the machine between the chains and the numeral wheels. The metal stand has a rubber covering along the two edges of its base. The black wooden case is covered with leather and lined with fabric-covered paper.
The machine is marked on a plastic inset in front of the chains: GOLDMAN’S (/) ARITHSTYLE (/) TRADE-MARK (/) Copyright. 1911. by Arithstyle Company. It is marked on the back: 11790. It is marked on the lid: Arithstyle Company (/) NEW YORK CITY.
The Arithstyle was the invention of Henry Goldman, who was born in Vienna in 1859, came to the United States in 1881, and published on improved bookkeeping and office machines. By 1898, he had invented his own adding machine, dubbed the arithmachine, which he manufactured in Chicago. In 1905, Goldman left the Unted States for Berlin, where he arranged to have his adding machine manufactured as the Contostyle. The Arithstyle was a similar machine, manufactured in New York on Goldman's design. Goldman died in New York in 1912.
For instructions, see 1983.0170.02.
Reference:
P.A. Kidwell, "'Yours for Improvement' - The Adding Machines of Chicago, 1884-1930," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 23 #1, 2001, pp. 3-21.
"Henry Goldman," Buero-Industrie, 1914, #13.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1911
maker
Arithstyle Company
ID Number
1983.0170.01
accession number
1983.0170
catalog number
1983.0170.01
This stylus-operated non-printing seven-wheeled adding machine is made of steel painted black. Below each wheel is a disc with the digits from 0 to 9 printed close to the center.
Description
This stylus-operated non-printing seven-wheeled adding machine is made of steel painted black. Below each wheel is a disc with the digits from 0 to 9 printed close to the center. Each wheel has ten holes, one of which has been cut large enough to reveal a digit on the disc below. Numbers are entered by rotating wheels. Clockwise rotation adds a digit, counterclockwise subtracts. The result appears in the large holes of the wheels. The two rightmost and the two leftmost wheels are painted black. The three center ones are unpainted. This makes it easy to distinguish cents, dollars up to $999, and larger amounts. The machine is marked: THE CALCULATOR CO. (/) GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (/) PATD. The back of the instrument is covered with green felt. The silver-colored metal stylus resembles a nut pick. Documentation is stored separately.
This example was donated to the Smithsonian by Richard J. De Prez, who inherited it from his father.
Compare to Smallwood calculator (see MA.336184).
Reference:
Popular Science Monthly, July, 1920, vol. 97, p. 9 - advertising for agents - machine sold for $12.50. According to Robert Otnes, the Calculator Corporation was at the address in Grand Rapids given on 1982.0542.02 (trade literature relating to this object) in the 1917 Grand Rapids city directory. Before this it had a different name and afterward a different address. By 1920 it moved to a different building.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920
maker
Calculator Corporation
ID Number
1986.0542.01
accession number
1986.0542
catalog number
1986.0542.01
This small stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has seven brass wheels and a steel frame painted black. Seven windows above the wheels reveal the result. The back is covered with green felt.
Description
This small stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has seven brass wheels and a steel frame painted black. Seven windows above the wheels reveal the result. The back is covered with green felt. The machine is marked on the front: -THE- (/) SMALLWOOD (/) CALCULATOR (/) OAKLAND (/) CAL. The front of the case is marked: -THE- (/) SMALLWOOD CALCULATOR (/) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA (/) Patented Feb. 23rd 1926. The machine fits in a wooden stand, which also has a slot for the stylus. The stand has four rubber feet. The entire instrument fits in a black cardboard cover. The stylus is silver-colored metal, with a blue plastic end piece.
Compare to The Calculator (1986.0542.01).
Reference:
Russell W. Hook, “Adding Machine,” U.S. Patent 1,574,249, February 23, 1926.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1926
ID Number
MA.336184
accession number
1977.0688
catalog number
336184
This handheld instrument has nine parallel brass rods with holes in them. The holes in each rod are numbered from 1 to 9. Numbers are entered by pulling down rods with a stylus. The total appears in a set of nine holes at the bottom of the instrument.
Description
This handheld instrument has nine parallel brass rods with holes in them. The holes in each rod are numbered from 1 to 9. Numbers are entered by pulling down rods with a stylus. The total appears in a set of nine holes at the bottom of the instrument. A lever on the side may be set so that a number entered is recorded in another set of nine holes that are immediately below the columns. The machine also has a carry mechanism; a white plastic zeroing button that is pulled out to zero the result register; a brown plastic button that is pushed to zero the entry register; a white plastic button used for subtraction; and decimal markers. Instructions are stored with the object and its leather-covered velvet-lined case. The stylus is missing.
Reference:
Ernst Martin, Die Rechenmaschinen, second edition, p. 454.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935
maker
Steinmann, Albert
ID Number
MA.323617
accession number
250163
catalog number
323617
This small seven-wheeled stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a metal case painted green and covered with felt on the back. It sits in a brown bakelite stand. A stylus fits in the ten holes in each wheel.
Description
This small seven-wheeled stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has a metal case painted green and covered with felt on the back. It sits in a brown bakelite stand. A stylus fits in the ten holes in each wheel. Placing the stylus in the proper hole and and rotating it enters a digit. The sum appears in seven windows above the holes. The two rightmost and the two leftmost wheels are brass. The three middle ones are steel. The device has no zeroing mechanism and the stylus is missing.
The instrument is marked on the front: THE (/) Lightning (/) ADDING (/) MACHINE (/) CO. (/) LOS ANGELES (/) CALIF. U.S.A.. It is marked with intertwined letters on the back of the stand: GIM.
This machine is from the calculating machine collection of Myron R. Smith.
References:
Office Appliances, January, 1948, vol. 87, p. 225 - sold for $12.95 - also March, 1948, vol. 87, p. 208.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1948
maker
Lightning Adding Machine Company
ID Number
1989.0325.02
accession number
1989.0325
catalog number
1989.0325.02
This white plastic stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has four adjacent wheels for entering numbers. It adds and subtracts. The machine comes with a white plastic stylus, a blue and clear plastic case, and a leaflet of instructions.
Description
This white plastic stylus-operated non-printing adding machine has four adjacent wheels for entering numbers. It adds and subtracts. The machine comes with a white plastic stylus, a blue and clear plastic case, and a leaflet of instructions. It is marked on the back: KESLING POCKET ADDER (/) ST. LOUIS, MO. (/) PAT. NO. 2,450,668 (/) PAT. PENDING (/) MADE IN U.S.A. It is marked on the front: KES-ADD. Distributed by Hart Vance Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
Reference:
Elmer G. Kesling, “Calculator,” U.S. Patent 2,450,668, March 11, 1952.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1948
patentee
Kesling, Elmer G.
ID Number
1994.0240.01
accession number
1994.0240
catalog number
1994.0240.01

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