Vine and Ashmead Patent
Scope and Content
This collection contains a handwritten patent certificate (No. 7552) awarded to William Vine and James H. Ashmead of Hartford, Connecticut for "machines for beating gold." The four-page document includes a description of the device and a set of engineering drawings for it.
Dates
- 1849 - 1850
Creator
- Ashmead, James H., 1810-1880 (Person)
- Vine, William, 1798-1872 (Person)
Language of Materials
The materials in the collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Biographical Notes
James H. Ashmead was born about 1810 in Pennsylvania. Ashmead married Susan Jane Terry of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1839. During his life, Ashmead worked as a gold foil merchant. He died in 1880.
William Vine was born in England in 1798. By 1830, he and his wife Sarah moved to New York, where they had several children. By 1850, he was a machinist in Hartford, Connecticut. The next year, he was listed in the Hartford city directory as a "patentee and manufacturer of gold beating machines, knife polishing machines, and a variety of other articles." He died around 1872.
Sources:
U.S. Federal Censuses, 1850-1860
James Ashmead (abt. 1810 - aft. 1870), WikiTree, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ashmead-40, accessed November 2023.
"James H Ashmead", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146075354/james-h-ashmead, accessed October 8, 2025.
"William Vine" in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2469/records/1276711508, accessed October 8, 2025.
"William Vine", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14138566/william-vine, accessed October 8, 2025.
Extent
1 Cubic Feet (1 oversize)
Abstract
This collection contains a patent awarded to William Vine (1798-ca. 1872) and James H. Ashmead (1810-1880) of Hartford, Connecticut, for "machines beating gold".
Source of Acquisition
The Vine and Ashmead patent was acquired by Special Collections and University Archives prior to 1986.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Vine and Ashmead Patent by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Vine and Ashmead Patent completed in November 2023.
- Title
- Vine and Ashmead Patent, 1849-1850
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Tyler Williams, Student Assistant
- Date
- 2025 (CC0 1.0)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu