John Comly Birdsell (March 31, 1815 – July 13, 1894) was an American manufacturer and businessman from New York. He was known for inventing the Birdsell Clover Huller and founding the Birdsell Manufacturing Company.

Early life

John Comly Birdsell was born on March 31, 1815, in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

, to Charity (née Carpenter) and Benjamin Birdsell. In 1822, Birdsell moved to western New York. He attended the district school and the village academy in West Henrietta, New York. In 1836, Birdsell rented a farm near Mendon.

Career

In 1839, Birdsell purchased a farm of in Rush. In 1855, Birdsell invented the Birdsell Clover Huller, a machine for

threshing Threshing or thrashing is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain. History of ...

clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

. His machine received first prize at the 1857

New York State Fair The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With Midway (fair), midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New Yo ...

. He also received awards at the

Ohio State Fair The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States, held in Columbus, Ohio during late July through early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates; the State Fair contribut ...

and

Michigan State Fair The Michigan State Fair is an annual event originally held from 1849 to 2009 in Detroit, the state's largest city. In 2009 the governor declined to fund it because of other priorities. Because agriculture still has a major place in the Michigan ec ...

. He built a small factory for his machine at Quaker Hill in West Henrietta, but the business was not successful. By the end of 1858, Birdsell had sold 26 hullers. He attempted to sell his patent to C. Altman, a manufacturer of reapers in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

, but Altman declined. Birdsell built shops in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

, in 1863. In 1864, his offices in West Henrietta burned down. Birdsell moved to South Bend in April 1864. Birdsell sold his farm in New York for in 1865. He incorporated Birdsell Manufacturing Company in 1870. In 1872, Birdsell built a new factory on South Columbia Street. In April 1874, Judge

Noah Haynes Swayne Noah Haynes Swayne (December 7, 1804 – June 8, 1884) was an American jurist and politician. He was the first Republican appointed as a justice to the United States Supreme Court. Early life Swayne was born in Frederick County, Virginia in th ...

of the Northern Ohio District Court upheld Birdsell's patent. Birdsell won a verdict against patent infringers, including Angus McDonald & Co. and the Ashland Manufacturing Company. By the 1880s, the Birdsell Manufacturing Company was successful. Birdsell was a Republican and later supported the Prohibition movement. He was one of the organizers and served as vice president of the St. Joseph County Savings Bank.

Personal life

Birdsell married Harriet Lunt on June 7, 1838. They had five children, including Varnum Ogilvie (1841–1875), Joseph Benjamin (born 1843), Byron A. (born 1847), Harriet Elizabeth (1856–1863) and John "Jed" Comly Jr. (born 1859). His wife died in April 1869. In June 1879, Birdsell married Susan Snelling of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. His grandson

Joseph Birdsell Joseph Benjamin Birdsell (March 30, 1908 – March 5, 1994) was an American anthropologist known for his work on Indigenous Australians, which spanned from the 1930s through to the 1970s. He was a long-serving professor of anthropology at the Uni ...

was an anthropologist. In 1880, Birdsell and his wife traveled abroad to Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land. Birdsell was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and was a member of South Bend's

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. Birdsell died from a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

on July 13, 1894, at the home of Mrs. Egbert in

New Carlisle, Indiana New Carlisle is a town in Olive Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana, Olive Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,891, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. It is pa ...

. He was buried at

South Bend City Cemetery The South Bend City Cemetery is a historic cemetery in South Bend, Indiana. History The South Bend City Cemetery was established in 1831, when Lathrop Taylor and Alexis Coquillard donated the land upon which it was built. Jacob Roof was the fi ...

Legacy

Following his death, Birdsell's sons continued the Birdsell Manufacturing Company until 1938. Birdsell Street in South Bend is named after Birdsell.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birdsell, John 1815 births 1894 deaths People from Westchester County, New York Businesspeople from Rochester, New York People from South Bend, Indiana 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American inventors New York (state) Republicans Indiana Republicans American Freemasons