Ellen Eglin
Ellen F. Eglin (1836 – 1916) was an American inventor who invented a clothes wringer for washing machines.
Ellen F. Eglin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1836 Maryland, USA |
| Died | 1916 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Inventor, Housekeeper and Charwoman |
| Known for | Special type of clothes-wringer |
Personal[]
Ellen F. Eglin was born in the state of Maryland in February 1836, according to the 1880 Census.[1] At some time, she and her family moved to Washington, D.C., where Eglin made her living as a housekeeper and a government employee.
Invention[]
In 1800s, Eglin invented a special type of clothes-wringer which was a machine that had two rollers in a frame that was connected to a crank. Clothes would be fed in between the two rollers, and as the crank was turned the clothes would have the water pressed out of them. At the time, clothes were wrung out by hand and then hung to dry. Eglin decided to sell her patent to a “white person interested in manufacturing the product” for $18.[2] In the April 1890 issue of Woman Inventor, Eglin was quoted as saying “You know I am black and if it was known that a Negro woman patented the invention, white ladies would not buy the wringer. I was afraid to be known because of my color in having it introduced into the market that is the only reason.”[3] The buyer went on to reap considerable financial awards.[4] Eglin's wringer is still used for mops today.
Later work[]
After selling her clothes-wringer Eglin remained hopeful to patent a second device. She wanted that “the invention will be known as a black woman’s.”[5] Although she wanted to exhibit the new model at the Women's International Industrial Inventors Congress, she never went on to patent it. In fact, there is no information that she ever created this invention. She went on to work as a clerk in a census office.[6]
Last Years[]
Ellen Eglin appears to have spent the rest of her life in Washington, D. C. In 1890, she was employed by the United States Department of the Interior as a charwoman in the Census Office[7] She appeared in the local city directories from about 1888 living at 1929 11th Street, N. W. with her brother Charles, a Union Navy veteran who was a teamster.[8] Charles Eglin died in July 1896, leaving his estate divided between his three siblings, including Ellen.[9]
Ellen Eglin last appears in the Washington city directories in 1916.
References[]
- ^ 1880 Federal Census for Fall River, Bristol County Massachusetts
- ^ Sullivan, Otha (October 28, 2001). Black Stars: African American Women Scientist and Inventors. Wiley. ISBN 9780471387077.
- ^ Warrick, Pamela (September 23, 1992). "Mothers of Invention". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Sullivan, Otha (October 28, 2001). Black Stars: African American Women Scientist and Inventors. Wiley. ISBN 9780471387077.
- ^ Sluby, Patricia (2004). The Inventive Spirit of African Americans. Connecticut: Prseger Publisher. p. 128.
- ^ Sullivan, Otha (October 28, 2001). Black Stars: African American Women Scientist and Inventors. Wiley. ISBN 9780471387077.
- ^ Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census. Official Register of the United States, Containing a List of the Officers and Employees in the Civil, Military, and Naval Service. (Washington, 1891), 1:78. Ancestry.com. U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
- ^ Washington, District of Columbia, City Directory, 1891, 389
- ^ "Will of Charles Eglin," (Washington) Post, August 2, 1896, 2
External sources[]
- People from Washington, D.C.
- African-American inventors
- 19th-century American inventors
- Women inventors
- 1916 deaths
- 1836 births
- 19th-century American businesspeople
- 19th-century American businesswomen
- 20th-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American women