1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. We talked about Yon 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: Mattzaliger not that long ago, and my apologies because we 5 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: have another inventory. I think that's fine, and specifically one 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: that works in apparel. This is also just a time 7 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: of year where I am, I don't know why, hyper 8 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: focused on sewing. This seems totally reasonable to me. I 9 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,480 Speaker 1: think part of it is that, like there's a little 10 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: bit of time off, so I have a little more 11 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: time to sew. But also it's like, as we all know, 12 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: I love a plan and a calendar, and I can 13 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: like plan out my projects for the next year, and 14 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: I'm in that mindset. So that's what's going on. And 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: of course that means that I'm reading a lot of 16 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: sewing information and I'm always casting about for interesting stuff 17 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: about stitching, and then I run across fun things and 18 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: then I'm like, ooh, I should talk about that on 19 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: a show. If you are a stitcher or if you 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: just like a person that likes to follow sewing accounts 21 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: on social media, those exist. They're very soothing, but you 22 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: will often you know, there are a lot of accounts 23 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 1: that are wonderful that will show all kinds of tutorials 24 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: for various techniques or tools that will improve your sewing. 25 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: And the thing is, a lot of those techniques trace 26 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: back to one woman who was kind of using her 27 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: ingenuity at the time to survive. But she's the person 28 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: who developed a lot of them, although for the industrial space, 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: not really the homesowist. So we're going to talk about 30 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,479 Speaker 1: her today because she is Helen A Blanchard, but there 31 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: are a lot of aspects to her story that are 32 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: really lacking. There are just big chunks of her life 33 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: where we don't have a lot of details, and in 34 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: some cases we don't even have solid information, even though 35 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: she was very important, very wealthy, and written about a 36 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: lot in the paper, but we don't have a lot 37 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: of personal details. So part of this process for me 38 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: is just trying to piece together who she was based 39 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: on what information we do actually have. We've talked on 40 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: the show about sewing machines before. Back in twenty thirteen, 41 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: which was eons ago, we had a whole episode on 42 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: how multiple inventors in the nineteenth century were working on 43 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: the idea and also fighting over it, both legally and 44 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: sometimes physically fighting. This even ran as a Saturday Classic 45 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:38,839 Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen, which is also so long ago. There 46 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: were a lot of baby steps to get to the 47 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: point where a functional sewing machine was even feasible. In 48 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,119 Speaker 1: seventeen fifty five, the first sewing machine needle was patented. 49 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: This was a British patent issued to German inventor Charles Weisenthal. 50 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 1: A British inventor named Thomas Saint also started drawing out 51 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: diagram of how a sewing machine could work in the 52 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: seventeen nineties, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that 53 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: efforts really started to ramp up, and there were a 54 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: lot of failures. In the early eighteen hundreds, Some designs, 55 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: such as that of Joseph Mattersberger of Austria, which was 56 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: in eighteen fourteen, looked really good on paper, but they 57 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: weren't actually translatable to functioning machinery. His ideas were right, 58 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: it just like didn't all come together properly. The first 59 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: sewing machine in the US, or what sometimes called that, 60 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: was created by John Knowles and John Adams Dodge in 61 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: the late eighteen teens, and while it worked, it apparently 62 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: didn't work well. It tended to have a failure after 63 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: sewing just a little while, and the inventors did not 64 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: further develop it for various reasons. Finally, in eighteen thirty, 65 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: French tailor and inventor Bertelmtimonier was able to design and 66 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: produce a functioning, dependable chain stitch sewing machine, and that 67 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: also led to riots. When Taylor's protested it, Timonier's factory 68 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: was burnt to the ground. Timnier's ordeal caused some hesitation 69 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: among other inventors who were working on mechanizing stitching. It's 70 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: pretty understandable when Walter Hunt of Martinsburg, New York came 71 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 1: up with a machine, he was not in a big 72 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: hurry to patent it or to try to put it 73 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: into production, in part because he recognized that there would 74 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: be a disruption in the industry when and if somebody 75 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: was truly successful at implementing this kind of machine in 76 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: a factory setting. His early machine was fascinating because, unlike 77 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: others that sought to replicate the way the human hand 78 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: would stitch a needle and thread, he came up with 79 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: a method that used two threads to create a lock stitch, 80 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: and that was something that would be central to claims 81 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: on later patents that were issued to other inventors. Starting 82 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,040 Speaker 1: in the eighteen forties, patent claims for sewing machines in 83 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: and Europe were fast and furious. There were people filing 84 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: patents for every single piece of the puzzle, although no 85 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 1: one was really putting together a whole hole machine. The 86 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: culmination of all of those patents was the huge patent 87 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: battle between Elias Howe an Isaac Singer, and the first 88 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: combination patent, which came about when a number of different 89 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: inventors finally agreed to group their patents under one umbrella 90 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: for mutual benefit. But and this is just the fastest overview, 91 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: all of those efforts and designs and machines were designed 92 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: to do just one thing, a straight stitch or a 93 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: chain stitch that went in a straight line. And to 94 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: talk about how additional features emerged, because a normal sewing 95 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: machine today, at least a home sewing machine, does a 96 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 1: lot of other things. Factory machines might do specialty things, 97 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: but they do a lot of other things. And to 98 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: talk about all of that, we actually first have to 99 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: talk briefly about the shipping industry in Maine at the time. 100 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: Nathaniel Blanchard, alleged to be of Huguenot descent, was a 101 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: ship merchant living and working in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in 102 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: the area that would later be known as Portland. There's 103 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: actually a whole other story there of town separating and reforming, 104 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: but that's really outside the scope of this episode. Blanchard 105 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:28,159 Speaker 1: had a wife, Phoebe Buxton Blanchard, and they had five children, Louise, Augustus, Pessis, Ellen, David, Henry, 106 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 1: and then the youngest, Helen Augusta, born in eighteen forty. 107 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: Some biographies also mention another son, Albus r. Although it's 108 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 1: not clear where he may have fit into the chronology 109 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: of all the kids. Blanchard did very well for himself. 110 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: The family occupied one of the largest and most well 111 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: known homes in town. That was the mansion that sat 112 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: on the corner of High and Pleasant Streets. Though he 113 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: made a very nice fortune for himself, as the eighteen 114 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: forties played out, his businesses started to have a series 115 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: of trouble and those slowly drained his finances. The Bangor 116 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: Daily Wig and Courier ran a brief on July ninth, 117 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty three that read quote the Portland Advertiser states 118 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: that a new ship ready to be planked, was burnt 119 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: on Thursday at Cape Elizabeth in the shipyard of mister 120 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: Thomas Knight. The fire was probably set in the workshop 121 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: and probably no insurance. That guess was correct. There was 122 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: no insurance, and that ship in question had been requisitioned 123 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: by Nathaniel Blanchard. This was a huge investment for him, 124 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: intended to bolster his business and regain some of his 125 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: lost footing in the area and his lost wealth. And 126 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: when the fire happened, he still needed another ship for 127 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: his company, and so he had to pay out of 128 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 1: pocket for construction to begin again. The second attempt was 129 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: successful in that the resulting ship, the Phoenix, was completed, launched, 130 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: and put into service. But he still felt that he 131 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: needed to grow his fleet, so he commissioned another ship 132 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: starting in eighteen fifty six, and that was completed the 133 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: following year. But eighteen fifty seven was a rough year 134 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: in the US Financially, the railroad industry had experienced explosive 135 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: growth up to that point. Banks had given railroad companies 136 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: a lot of money in the form of loans to 137 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: help keep up with the demand. But a lot of 138 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: those companies were basically startups that were trying to cash 139 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: in on the growth of a new type of business, 140 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: and a lot of them were started with little understanding 141 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: of how to actually operate. That meant that a lot 142 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: of them folded and defaulted on their loans. At the 143 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: same time, the Ohio Life Insurance Company, which had been 144 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: woefully mismanaged and was involved in a lot of fraudulent 145 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: transactions benefiting the company executives, they announced they would no 146 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: longer be paying out any claims. Those two things and 147 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: a number of other factors led to a financial panic 148 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 1: where there were a number of runs on banks. This 149 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: is not an environment where a shipping industry magnate really thrives, 150 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: and Blanchard was in deeper trouble than ever, and then 151 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: one of his investment properties burned to the ground in 152 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,960 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty three. At that point he was in desperate 153 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: need of money, and he took out a massive loan 154 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: of fourteen thousand dollars, and then things continued to go 155 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:28,439 Speaker 1: downhill from there. Phoebe died in eighteen seventy when Nathaniel 156 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: died a year later in eighteen seventy one, there was 157 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: really nothing left and we are finally going to get 158 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: into Helen's story, but first we will pause for a 159 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: sponsor break. When Nathaniel Blanchard died, his youngest child, Helen Augustus, 160 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: was unmarried and still living at home. We don't, as 161 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: we said at the top of the show, know a 162 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: lot about her childhood. It is one of the many 163 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: parts of her life that just isn't very well documented, 164 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: but we do know that without parental support, she had 165 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: to figure out a way to get by. Although she 166 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: is the youngest she was to be clear an adult 167 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,680 Speaker 1: woman at this point. She was born on October twenty fifth, 168 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: eighteen forty, so she was thirty when her father died 169 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,719 Speaker 1: in early eighteen seventy one, and as part of defaulting 170 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: on his loans, he had lost all of his property, 171 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,839 Speaker 1: which he had put up for collaterals, so she did 172 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: not have a home anymore. So she moved away from 173 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 1: Maine to Boston, where she ran a boarding house. Apparently 174 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: this did not go particularly well, so she moved on 175 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: to factory work. This was a huge change of fortunes 176 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: considering that she had been part of one of the 177 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: wealthiest families in Maine. She was put on a line 178 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: working on a sewing machine. To keep in mind, sewing 179 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:57,079 Speaker 1: machines had really been around only for a couple of decades, 180 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: so they were dependable, but there her functionality was a 181 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: huge step forward for manufacture, but still pretty basic, and 182 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: Helen apparently did not like it. Roughly fifteen years later, 183 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: on August twenty fourth, eighteen eighty six, the Portland Daily 184 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: Press detailed what happened the day Helen's frustration in her 185 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: factory job gave her an idea. Quote one day, in 186 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: a fit of desperation, she kicked over the sewing machine, 187 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 1: declaring she would not drudge along in that way any longer. 188 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: She had observed that if in gentlemen's fine underwear the 189 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: stitch was improved, the value of the goods would be 190 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: much enhanced. So Helen sought to address the limitations of 191 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,960 Speaker 1: existing sewing machines, and she set to work figuring out 192 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: specifically what sort of mechanism might make a cleaner finish 193 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: to a cut edge. Over time, she worked out the 194 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: logistics of her idea, and eventually she had an invention. 195 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 1: But she didn't actually have the money to submit a 196 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: patent application. She ended up borrowing from a friend and 197 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,320 Speaker 1: submitted her documents for Improvement in Sewing Machines in June 198 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 1: of eighteen seventy three. She was granted patent number one 199 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:17,080 Speaker 1: four one nine eight seven on August nineteenth. The patent explains, quote, 200 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:21,359 Speaker 1: the present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements 201 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: in sewing machines, having for their principal object the forming 202 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 1: of an over stitch that may be adapted to either 203 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: fine or coarse work. My improvements consist mainly of a 204 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 1: series of mechanical devices connected with a sewing machine, and 205 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: arranged and operated as will be here and after more 206 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: fully explained, so as to give a progressive and lateral 207 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: movement to a feed to place the material so that 208 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: the needle will descend through and then outside of the work, 209 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: so as to form an over or buttonhole stitch. These 210 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 1: improvements also consist in a device arranged and operated as 211 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: will be dually described, for varying the depth of the 212 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: stitch so as to be used for fine or coarse work, 213 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: and of a device for disconnecting the operation of my 214 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: improvements to allow the ordinary working of the machine for 215 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: its customary sewing. Okay, so patent language we already know, 216 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 1: because every time it comes upon the show can be 217 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 1: a little bit stilted, and if you don't sew, you 218 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: might not understand what she's talking about. And even if 219 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: you do so, the way she's talking about it is 220 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: in the language and parlance of the time, and it 221 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: may not correlate to modern sewing terms that you do know. 222 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: I have seen a number of instances where this first 223 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: invention is described as a buttonholer that is not correct 224 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: in the terms we would think about a buttonholer today. Rather, 225 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: it creates what she called a buttonhole stitch, but which 226 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: you would more commonly know as a zigzag today. And 227 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: the reason it's called a buttonhole stitch is because if 228 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: you look at a buttonhole on a modern garment, most 229 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: of them are finished with a ti zigzag edge and 230 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 1: what's also called a satin stitch because the stitches are 231 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:09,440 Speaker 1: so close together. Modern buttonhole machines or on home machines, 232 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: attachments or functions manage all of the turning that you 233 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: have to do to make a buttonhole, but for a 234 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,840 Speaker 1: long time, stitchers would just learn to turn the garment. 235 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: They were stitching manually to create a buttonhole, and so 236 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: they needed the stitch that would enable them to do that. 237 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: That's what this did. Also, the language about depth just 238 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: for clarity does not mean that it would drop down 239 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: the stitch below the fabric. In some way, it means 240 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: the width of the zigzag is adjustable the depth from 241 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: the needle to the side. This new machine was a 242 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: big deal and it was rapidly adopted by factories, and 243 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: Helen really quickly found herself regaining some of the wealth 244 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: that her family had lost. I think if you don't 245 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: sew the benefit of going from like one running chain 246 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: stitch and a straight line maybe curving, if you worked 247 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: on it as an option, going from that being the 248 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: only thing you could do to being able to do 249 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: with zigzag like that was really a big deal. It's yeah, huge, 250 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: I mean it's it can basically like catch in like 251 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: you would look at on a buttonhole. It catches in 252 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: that edge where the buttonhole is cut open for the 253 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: button to pass through, so that that piece of fabric 254 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: doesn't frey all apart and become useless. Right. Yeah, we 255 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: love a zigzag. Lots of uses for them, Helen's next 256 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: invention was really more of a technique, and it's described 257 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 1: in a patent titled Improvement in Elastic Seams for Garments, 258 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: which was issued to her in the spring of eighteen 259 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: seventy five. Quote. This stitch can be sewed on any 260 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: of the ordinary lock stitch sewing machines by a slight 261 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: manipulation of the tension to suit the material worked on, 262 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: and an alteration of the needless will be explained. The 263 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: stitch itself is constructed with one an elastic thread, preferably 264 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: of rubber, in combination with any ordinary thread. This arrangement 265 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: furnishes the requisite degree of elasticity to the completed stitch. 266 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: The rubber thread is best applied from the shuttle, in 267 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: which case a moderate tension is desirable. However, if the 268 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: rubber thread is fed by the needle, the eye of 269 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: the needle must be somewhat enlarged and made to bulge 270 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: outward towards the center to assume an elliptical form, and 271 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: the edges must be rounded to prevent the cutting of 272 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: the rubber thread while under tension. I have also used 273 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: a needle having a square eye with perfect success. This 274 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: method of hand winding a bobbin with elastic thread to 275 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: stitch gathered elassicized garments is still taught all the time 276 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: as assuring technique that can create faux smocking. What she 277 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: was actually patenting, as noted in the summary of the 278 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: document at the end, was as follows. Quote, I claim 279 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 1: and desire to secure by letters patent of the United States, 280 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: the elastic seam and having one thread of rubber and 281 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: the other of ordinary sewing thread. Substantially as described Basically, 282 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 1: if a factory implemented this technique to elasticized garments, she 283 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: was entitled to payment. Yeah, it wasn't so much an 284 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 1: item or a piece of machinery, but like I'm gonna 285 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: tell you how to do it and then you're gonna 286 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: give me money. Yeah. Uh More ways to elasticize garments 287 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:34,840 Speaker 1: also a big deal. Yeah, I mean, as Tracy just said, 288 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: that is a technique that is still taught to home 289 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: soists so that you can create you know, gathered seams 290 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 1: that have stretched to them for your garments. And at 291 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,239 Speaker 1: this point she had two patents, but she was just 292 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 1: getting started. Her next patent was Improvement in Elastic Goring 293 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: for Shoes, which was also issued in eighteen seventy five, 294 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: and it incorporated a variation of that elastic seeming technique 295 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,439 Speaker 1: to create stretchy gores that could be inserted into shoes 296 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 1: in a way that made them more comfortable and also 297 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: able to stand up to normal wear much better. The 298 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 1: next was improvement in welted and covered seams, and this 299 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: was a technique like the elastic seams noting quote. My 300 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: invention relates to seams of cloth, leather, or any other 301 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 1: suitable material made by placing the two edges to be 302 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,639 Speaker 1: united one over the other, and then alternately stitching within 303 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: and without the edge. Afterward flattening out the seam so 304 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: that the edges will abut, and sowing leather, cloth, and 305 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: et cetera. With this seam, where it is subject to 306 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,800 Speaker 1: considerable chafing or rubbing, it is desirable often to furnish 307 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: protection to the parts of the threads exposed on the 308 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: wearing surface. This I do in two ways, by the 309 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: insertion of a piping or welt by sowing a strip 310 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,360 Speaker 1: over the seam. The advantages of the welt or piping 311 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: and of the covered seam are manifest in the protection 312 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: which they afford against the wearing and chafing of the 313 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:08,439 Speaker 1: exposed parts of the seam thread. They are particularly applicable 314 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: to these seams of shoes, leather, mittens, bags, and heavy 315 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: woolen goods or canvas. Still I do not limit them 316 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: to such. Yeah, So those are the kinds of seams 317 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,440 Speaker 1: like you might see on the inside of your denim, 318 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 1: like on the inside seam that you don't see any 319 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: of the raw edges because they're all contained. They're very 320 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:35,360 Speaker 1: strong seams, and they also, as she mentioned, are protected 321 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 1: a little bit from wear and tear. She also patented 322 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: a hollow needle, a spool case that kept thread from 323 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: being unwound, refinements to sewing machines, and a machine for 324 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:50,119 Speaker 1: inserting hat bands to protect the hat from sweat. In 325 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: nineteen oh one, she submitted a patent for Improvements in 326 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:58,159 Speaker 1: Seams for sewed articles or Fabrics, which states quote, consists 327 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: of an improved seam especially applicable for knitted fabrics. The 328 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: edges to be united are placed together and penetrated by 329 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 1: two loops of unequal length. The longer loop A, which 330 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: is the further from the edge, is then turned up 331 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: so that it and the loop B can be drawn 332 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: together to the edge to be enchained with a loop 333 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: c drawn over the edge from the upper side. On 334 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 1: the completion of the sewing, the two portions of fabric 335 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 1: are separated. She just described a surger. If you don't 336 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: know what that is, that's another thing you see. Surge 337 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 1: seems all the time in your purchase closed today. That's 338 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: when the raw edges on the interior usually of your 339 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: garment are bound with what looks almost like a spiral 340 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:47,640 Speaker 1: of thread that contains the whole thing so they don't 341 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: come apart. For this invention, Helen Blanchard will forever have 342 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,639 Speaker 1: my heart. I feel like for a lot of people 343 00:20:55,080 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 1: who want to sew, step one sewing machine and often 344 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: the next big purchase for people who are really doing 345 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: a lot of garment sewing, it's going to be a surger. Yeah, 346 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: it's It's one of those things that really like separates 347 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: the appearance of your finished garment from like looking like 348 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: I made this myself to looking like a professionally made 349 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:26,360 Speaker 1: piece of clothing. Because the finish is so clean, it's 350 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:28,440 Speaker 1: a lot better. There are a lot of other ways 351 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: you can do a clean finish that like tailors would 352 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: use and stuff, but in terms of your home sewing, right, 353 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 1: I said better, And I want to say I'm casting 354 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: no aspersions on anybody that's sewing their seams and pressing 355 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:41,439 Speaker 1: them and doing all the finishing that way. That's like, 356 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: that's also no. And there's also right, Like you can 357 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 1: do like a bound seam where you actually then after 358 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,920 Speaker 1: you've stitched it, you enclosed the raw edges with another 359 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 1: strip of fabric. Like. There are lots of other ways. 360 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: But in terms of like a fast accessible we could 361 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: talk them behind the scenes about threading these mische It's 362 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 1: a whole other party. This is a big deal in 363 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: terms of the development of sewing. Yeah. Over the course 364 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 1: of forty one years, Helen patented twenty eight inventions. Almost 365 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: all of them were for sewing machines and methods, and 366 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: those were all intended for factory use. One big exception 367 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: was an eighteen ninety four invention of a surgical needle 368 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: that patent reads quote this invention has for its object 369 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 1: to provide a surgical needle adapted to introduce the thread 370 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: or wire into the human skin with the minimum degree 371 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,800 Speaker 1: of pain to the patient. The invention consists in a 372 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:41,640 Speaker 1: surgical needle comprising a lancet point and a blade having 373 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,159 Speaker 1: a notch, the rear side of which is formed to 374 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: engage a thread when the needle is being inserted, while 375 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 1: the forward side is formed to release the thread when 376 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,439 Speaker 1: the needle is being withdrawn. So while this is a 377 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: surgical item, you can tell that the inspiration for its 378 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: function comes from her work with needles in the sewing 379 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 1: world world, and of her twenty eight inventions, a whopping 380 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,159 Speaker 1: twenty two of them were adopted into regular use in 381 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: factory settings shortly after their introduction. It is really not 382 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: an overstatement to say she steered the course of industrial 383 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 1: sewing in the latter half of the nineteenth century. And 384 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: coming up, we'll talk a little bit more about Helen's 385 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 1: relationships with her siblings and her family and community, But 386 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: first we will take a break to hear from the 387 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: sponsors that keep the show going. In the beginning of 388 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: the eighteen eighties, Helen extended her regained financial stability to 389 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: her oldest sister, Louise, who was also unmarried, by moving 390 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 1: to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Louise already lived, and going into 391 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: business with her. They formed the Blanchard Oversea Machine Company. 392 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: Louise was definitely not the only family member that Helen assisted. 393 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 1: For example, in nineteen hundred, the Boston Evening Transcript reported 394 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: that the Blanchard Lumber Company had been founded in Portland, Maine, 395 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 1: quote with a capital stock of seventy five thousand dollars. 396 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 1: Helen was listed as the president of that company, and 397 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,359 Speaker 1: an HW Blanchard was the treasurer. I was not able 398 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 1: to figure out who specifically HW. Blanchard was. I was 399 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: tracing what I could of her family line, but did 400 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: not find an HW. But the likely thing is that 401 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,119 Speaker 1: it was either like a niece or a nephew, or 402 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,359 Speaker 1: possibly a cousin or something like that. There are also 403 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,359 Speaker 1: mentions in various newspaper accounts written during Helen's lifetime that 404 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 1: note that she helped out her family members, although specifics 405 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,879 Speaker 1: on that help can be a little bit tricky to pinpoint. 406 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:51,439 Speaker 1: It would probably be possible to scour newspaper mentions of 407 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: her name to find other business announcements, but she was 408 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 1: written about a lot and a lot of it is 409 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: just these really brief, standard BIS business notices of the day, 410 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: like when property changed hands or when a company opened. 411 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: So I will admit sifting through that seemed pretty whelming 412 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: to me and I did not track all of them down. 413 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 1: In the eighteen nineties, Blanchard expanded her base of operations 414 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,880 Speaker 1: to also include living in New York at least part 415 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: of the time. Holly was not able to find primary 416 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,920 Speaker 1: sources for any of what's coming up, but it did 417 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,639 Speaker 1: come up in a few different places. As she reached 418 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: her fifties, she also became a philanthropist. She funded several 419 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,840 Speaker 1: programs that were focused on helping women who were experiencing 420 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: financial hardship. She recognized that her inventions were shifting the 421 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: job market and potentially decreasing opportunities for women, so she 422 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,439 Speaker 1: paid special attention to causes that were related to the 423 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: negative impacts of industrialization. As an example of the places 424 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: and ways that information pops up, it appeared as follows 425 00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 1: in the eighteen ninety three book A Woman of the Senate, 426 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 1: which was an encyclopedia of noteworthy women compiled by Francis 427 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Willard. Quote, in all the rush and publicity that 428 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: have surrounded her, she has preserved those qualities of gentleness, dignity, 429 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: and modesty which adorn her character and secure her a 430 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:21,640 Speaker 1: grateful welcome into the social life of the metropolis. Aiding 431 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 1: with open hearted generosity the meritorious efforts of struggling women 432 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 1: wherever she has found them. She has distinguished herself as 433 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: a benefactor of her sex. Yeah, so there are lots 434 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: of allusions made to her helping out women's organizations, but 435 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,359 Speaker 1: no specific organizations ever seem to get named, So just 436 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: keep that in mind. But while she was living in 437 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:48,560 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania and New York, Helen also found her way back 438 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: to Maine. The eighteen eighty six newspaper report that we 439 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,719 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier actually did a story on this, writing that 440 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 1: she quote has been enabled not only to enjoy the 441 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: luxuries of life herself health, but afford them to her family. 442 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,200 Speaker 1: Miss Blanchard, however, was not satisfied that the old family 443 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: property should remain in the hands of strangers. She has 444 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:12,679 Speaker 1: been visiting the vicinity of Portland lately, and she has 445 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,880 Speaker 1: placed in the hands of her attorney, mister George M. Cedars, 446 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 1: the authority to repurchase the old mansion and the stores, 447 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: which will be placed in the same condition they enjoyed 448 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: when the family was at the best estate. Helen did 449 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: successfully buy back the family home and her father's other 450 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: various properties around town as well, as investing in a 451 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: number of other properties, and so she also started just 452 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 1: spending her summers in Maine, and she was welcomed back. 453 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: In eighteen ninety nine, a note appeared in the Portland 454 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: Sunday Telegram reading quote Miss Helen A. B. B. Lanchard writes, 455 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,120 Speaker 1: a well known woman of Portland is one whose name 456 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,760 Speaker 1: should find a place in Possibly About You, that was 457 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: a series in the paper about notable locals. She is 458 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 1: one of the few women inventors. Her inventive genius and 459 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:06,679 Speaker 1: business capacity, her tireless industry and good judgment have enabled 460 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,119 Speaker 1: her to render services to the country of which her 461 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: native city may well be proud. Though for some years 462 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 1: she has made her home in Philadelphia, where her business 463 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:19,080 Speaker 1: interests have largely been placed, and in New York, she 464 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: turns her face Portland ward every summer. She is well 465 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,639 Speaker 1: remembered by those who survive of her classmates in the 466 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: famous Young Women's Seminary kept for so many years by 467 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: Dean Packard on Free Street. Helen's multi city life makes 468 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: her a little bit hard to track sometimes because it 469 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 1: seems that she sometimes just opted to live with siblings 470 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: or other relatives rather than purchasing or renting a new 471 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,200 Speaker 1: place sometimes, and there's not always a clear address or 472 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: an appearance in city directories for her. What we know 473 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: regarding her city of residence at any given time is 474 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 1: largely just extrapolated from the information that she gave on 475 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: patent applications. In nineteen hundred, Helen was involved in a 476 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: legal tangle, and we'll tell you up front, we do 477 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 1: not know exactly how it was resolved, but it was 478 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: reported in the Portland Daily Press on December twenty second 479 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: that Helen was being sued. The plaintiff, Charles A. Jordan, 480 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 1: was a furniture salesman who had two promissory notes for 481 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: the sale of furniture totaling one hundred and thirty two 482 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: dollars and sixty five cents. One had been paid and 483 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,200 Speaker 1: the other had not, but there was also a note 484 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: handwritten on each of them that said with interest. Blanchard 485 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 1: claimed that the interest note had been added after she 486 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: had signed these notes, but the one she paid nothing on, 487 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 1: she claimed was past the statute of limitations. Yeah, that's 488 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 1: about all the information we have on that. And as 489 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:52,960 Speaker 1: I was reading the article, I was like, did she 490 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,720 Speaker 1: not pay this bill? And then she just waited it out, 491 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: and then she was like done, it's too old. I'm 492 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: not going to deal with that. This was not her 493 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: only legal case that month, although in the other case 494 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: that I found she was the plaintiff. The very next 495 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: day after that promissory note story ran, the Philadelphia Inquirer 496 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: ran a short item stating that Blanchard had quote filed 497 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: a bill in equity in United States Circuit Court against 498 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 1: John Bigelow of Minneapolis, Minnesota and James Greenwood of Boston, Massachusetts, 499 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: individually and as trustees, asking that a certain trust agreement 500 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: be canceled and that certain royalties payable from the Wilcox 501 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:35,760 Speaker 1: and Gibbs Sewing Machine Company be paid to her. So, 502 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: while we don't have a lot of information on that one, 503 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:41,000 Speaker 1: it does indicate pretty clearly that she was not hesitant 504 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 1: when it came to defending her business interests legally. Although 505 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 1: she was really often described in very positive terms in 506 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: the press of Portland, Holly did find an instance where 507 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,880 Speaker 1: she was fully put on blast in the paper by 508 00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: a storage company she had neglected to pay. This notice 509 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: appeared in the Poorland Sunday Telegram on January thirty first, 510 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:08,080 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, quote no auction sale. The auction sale advertised 511 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,920 Speaker 1: to be held at the Crocker Storage Warehouse at three 512 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 1: forty Cumberland Avenue on Monday, February first, at nine o'clock 513 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: am of the household furniture and effects of one Helen A. 514 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:24,520 Speaker 1: Blanchard for non payment of storage charges has been indefinitely postponed. 515 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 1: Parties interested in said furniture and effects have made a 516 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: satisfactory settlement with the administrators of the Portland Storage Warehouse Company. 517 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 1: But the thing is we can't actually jump to conclusions 518 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:41,520 Speaker 1: about that one. The nineteen teens played out really poorly 519 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: for the surviving Blanchard family, and specifically for Helen. In 520 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen, her sister Louise, with whom she was very 521 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:52,120 Speaker 1: close and had a business, died, and in the months 522 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: that followed, her sister Pursis also died, and then all 523 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: three of the Blanchard brothers died, one right after the other. 524 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: She lost her entire group of siblings in the course 525 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 1: of one year, so that non payment situation with the 526 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:11,800 Speaker 1: storage company happened while she was grieving, possibly working to 527 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: settle her sibling's estates. Indeed, her obituary that came out 528 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: several years later would note quote loss of two sisters 529 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,560 Speaker 1: and three brothers in nineteen fourteen brought about prostration from 530 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: which she never fully recovered. And then in nineteen sixteen 531 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,200 Speaker 1: Helen had a stroke which left her unable to work, 532 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 1: and it seems that after that she likely lived with 533 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:37,880 Speaker 1: her niece Louise Merrill, who resided in Providence, Rhode Island. 534 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: Helen died in Providence on January twelfth, nineteen twenty two, 535 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,160 Speaker 1: at the age of eighty one. But her death leaves 536 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: yet another question mark, which is what happened to Oliver 537 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: money and nobody seems to know, As noted by Autumn 538 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 1: Stanley in the nineteen ninety five book Mothers and Daughters 539 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: of Invention quote, all indications are that Helen Blanchard was 540 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 1: tremendously wealthy, yet no will was probated for her estate, 541 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: either in Providence or in Portland. Perhaps after her stroke 542 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:10,800 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixteen, she was declared incompetent in her estate 543 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: apportioned at that time among surviving nieces and nephews, including 544 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: Louise Merrill of Providence. This is just one of the 545 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 1: many mysteries awaiting further research. Yeah, we do not know 546 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 1: where any of those holdings went, but what we do 547 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: know is that Helen was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery 548 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: in Portland, Maine, with the rest of her family, and 549 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six, Helen Blanchard was inducted into 550 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: the National Inventors Hall of Fame. I feel personal gratitude 551 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:43,200 Speaker 1: for her, but that is Helen Blanchard who will wax 552 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 1: her raapsotic about maybe or just sewing in general. Sorry, 553 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 1: if you don't care to hear sowing, how you're getting 554 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: in this week on Friday? And since it's on theme, 555 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:59,360 Speaker 1: I have listener mail great that is also about sewing. 556 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:04,240 Speaker 1: This is from our listener, Alyssa, who writes High Ladies. 557 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,479 Speaker 1: I discovered your podcast during COVID Lockdowns and I've been 558 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:10,120 Speaker 1: a listener ever since. You were talking on the behind 559 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 1: the scenes about how hundreds of factories could fit in 560 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 1: a small town, and I wanted to share a favorite 561 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,840 Speaker 1: New York City experience for listeners who live in or 562 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:21,160 Speaker 1: visit the city. In the Garment District, there are still 563 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 1: several small factories hand making goods for the fashion and 564 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:28,280 Speaker 1: entertainment industries, and the public can sometimes tour and also 565 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,040 Speaker 1: purchase from them. I have gotten to visit both M 566 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: and S Schmahlberg Custom Fabricflowers dot com and Wing and 567 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:37,400 Speaker 1: Weft Glove Factory, which is we Glove you dot com, 568 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 1: and I couldn't recommend them more. You can bring them 569 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,440 Speaker 1: special fabrics and they can make the flowers or gloves 570 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:44,960 Speaker 1: for you, or you can choose from what they have made. 571 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:47,879 Speaker 1: They can walk you through the process as it's been 572 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: done for more than one hundred years. The factories are 573 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,680 Speaker 1: about as large as one story of a modest size house, 574 00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: so it's easy to imagine quite a few existing in 575 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: just one building. I do not have any fur babies, 576 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:02,000 Speaker 1: as I have terrible allergies, but I do have two kids, 577 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 1: both of whom love going to New York. So I'm 578 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: attaching a pick of my twelve year old daughter from 579 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 1: our girls' trip this past summer at the Museum of Broadway, 580 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 1: which was so much fun to visit. Thank you for 581 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,480 Speaker 1: teaching and entertaining us, and I hope some of your 582 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: listeners are able to support these small and super cool businesses. Alyssa, 583 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: this is a very cool story. I didn't know you 584 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:23,439 Speaker 1: could visit and tour those You would think that would 585 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:25,400 Speaker 1: be a thing I would know. Yeah, now I have 586 00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:27,279 Speaker 1: more stuff on my list to do when I'm in 587 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 1: New York. It kind of reminds me of an alternate 588 00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: version of when there are like gallery walk days and 589 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: studio strolls and things like that where you can like 590 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: tour all of the artists' studios in an area. Love it, 591 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,880 Speaker 1: love it. Yes, go do that. Support businesses like that 592 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 1: if you can, because those sound amazing and I want 593 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:49,319 Speaker 1: them to stay around so we can all visit. If 594 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: you would like to write to us, you can do 595 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,759 Speaker 1: so at History podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. If you 596 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:56,880 Speaker 1: would like to subscribe to the podcast and you have 597 00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:58,840 Speaker 1: not gotten around to that, I promise you it's the 598 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 1: easiest thing in the world. You can do that on 599 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:04,040 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, or really anywhere you listen to your 600 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:11,840 Speaker 1: favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History Class is a 601 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the 602 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 603 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 1: favorite shows.