Skip to main content
  • Main menu
Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
  • Home
  • Study
    • Explore
    • Try
    • About
    • Multimedia
  • Archives
    • Research Opportunities
    • Lemelson Center Books
    • Lemelson Center Research
    • Symposia & Conferences
  • Francis William Crosby Papers, 1861-1909
Logo for the Modern Inventors Documentation database, showing a stylized head with words like creativity and innovation written on different parts of the brain

This collection is NOT held at the Smithsonian. See repository information below.

Francis William Crosby Papers, 1861-1909

July 23, 2014
Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Print

Inventor Name

Crosby, Francis William

Repository

Institute Archives and Special Collections
MIT Libraries
Rm.14N-118
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-253-5136
https://libraries.mit.edu/archives/

Physical Description

.2 cubic ft. (6 folders); MC082

Summary

Francis William Crosby, 1822-1909, was a geologist and inventor who built and operated boats and worked as a builder and bridge contractor before the Civil War. As a member of the Union Army, 1861-1865, he took part in Sherman's March to the Sea and was wounded at the Battle of Corinth. After the war he managed, then owned, silver and gold mining properties in North Carolina, Michigan, and Colorado. Among his inventions are the Ballard furnace for use in mining, which he developed with the help of his son, William Otis Crosby, and the Westinghouse air-brake. Collection consists primarily of correspondence with Crosby's family during the Civil War in which he tells of his travels and experiences, including Sherman's March to the Sea; the letters include a map of the march and a railroad map of Georgia. Also included is biographical information; a eulogy for Crosby; and 1881 patent records for an electrical voting recorder.

Tags

  • Maritime (Relevance: 29%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 33%)

VIEW 2727 Matching Results

Found 2727 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.2071873854052%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.7473414008067%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.4341767510084%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0803080308031%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 3.3003300330033%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.5540887422076%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.5837917125046%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.3370003667033%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.4103410341034%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.367803447011%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8503850385039%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4470113678034%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.5203520352035%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.3736707004034%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.977264393106%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.3003300330033%)
❯
Go to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History website

About Menu

▼
Open menu
▲
Close menu
  • Explore
    • Blog
    • Invention Stories
    • Places of Invention
    • Beyond Words
  • Study
    • Research Opportunities
    • Archives
    • Lemelson Center Books
    • Lemelson Center Research
    • Symposia & Conferences
  • Try
    • DO Try This at Home!
    • Spark!Lab
    • Spark!Lab Network
    • Encouraging Innovative Thinking
  • About
    • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • News
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Donate
  • Multimedia
  • Tags
  • Surprise Me
  • Search
  • Open Drawer
Copyright 2023, Smithsonian Institution, All Rights Reserved
  • DONATE
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Print