Jehu Hatfield (1806-1871) was a prolific yet underappreciated American inventor during the early 19th century. Though never finding mainstream fame, his pioneering work developing specialized mechanical calculating devices laid important early groundwork aiding fields like banking, statistics, and engineering. Read on for a comprehensive profile of this technological trailblazer.
Jehu‘s Upbringing & Early Fascination with Invention
Jehu Hatfield was born in 1806 in Middle Paxton Township located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles north of the state capital Harrisburg. Census records and genealogical research shows he was the 6th born child to a large blended family – his father John Hatfield Jr. had three wives and 13 children total spanning over 30 years…
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Moving to New York and First Attempting to Commercialize Matches
In 1830 at age 24, Hatfield departed the family homestead and sought his fortune up north. Traveling over 300 miles, he settled in Mechanicville nesteld along the Hudson River in upstate New York. There he found initial work in the ceramic pottery trade…
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The Pinacle Invention: A Victoran-Era Machine for Automating Interest Calculator
Though unsuccessful breaking into the matchstick business, Hatfield had loftier designs in mind. Pivoting from chemistry experiments, his next project leveraged innate skills as a mechanic and machinist to attack a common financial bookkeeping headache – the laborious process of computing interest on loans…
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Technical Specifications of the Calculating Machine
| Component | Description | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Central cylinder | Engraved with 100s of numeric values | Displayed principal loan amounts |
| Dials | Showed months & days | Set duration of loan period |
| Gears | Translated handle turns | Automated number positioning |
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The Mysterious Personal Life of Jehu Hatfield
While records exist confirming some basic details of Jehu‘s family life, much remains uncertain about his personality and identity beyond his work…
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Lasting Legacy: Recognizing an Overlooked Pioneer
Though dying in relative obscurity in 1871, Hatfield played an important role contributing innovations essential as a precursor to…
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