1. Born 1825, Hamilton, MA, Patch had made and lost 3 fortunes before he got to C’ville.

2. “Out west” he made his first 2 (1 before the war, 1 after) in Louisville, KY. He had a great part in developing the Kentucky Harvester (forerunner of the combine) which was shipped from the Ohio wherever KY harvesters were needed.

3. After the war, he teamed with Benjamin Avery to make the Avery plow which proved tremendously popular and successful.

4. With all the money he tho’t he would ever need, Patch, in 1868, moved home to Hamilton, MA, retired he tho’t for a lifetime.

5 Making bad investments. Patch found himself, in 1875, broke and looking for a job, yet another one.

6. He found a plow business on the Cumberland in a little place called Clarksville, TN, which needed a partner.

7. Patch and Wm. Douglas Meriwether (of Woodstock) went into business down on the river (where now stands Sherwin-Wms Paint) where they made plows.

8. Unfortunately, after the war, area farmers could not afford to buy new plows, and even if they could, would have NOT traded with a yankee.

9. At age 50, Patch, with few friends, no money and no job, sat down at his kitchen table,. whittled a model, sticking it together with bees wax from the honey jar. . .making his first PATCH CORN SHELLER.

10. In 1886 the first cast model of the BLACK HAWK CORN SHELLER was patented and won the highest industrial award at the Chicago World’s Fair. The 1903 model won the same at the St. Louis Exposition.

11. Wherever corn was grown all over the world, the corn sheller was shipped from the Cumberland, not only making money for himself and his large, extended family (including his orphaned Catlett grandchildren, but also for Clarksville, as his foundry on Drane St (now APSU property) employed many people.
 
 

Information used on the Greenwood Historic Tour of 2001.  Site location information may be found on the Greenwood Cemetery site.

Submitted by Randall Rubel  e-mail: RRUBEL@peoplepc.com

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