Most of the patents prior to 1836 were lost in the Dec. 1836 fire. Only about 2,000 of the almost 10,000 documents were recovered. The specification of this patent has survived but no drawing is available.

The 1911-04-12 Newburyport News published “'Old time Inventor.' Jacob Perkins' Genius Showed Itself here where He Was Born.”

“At 24 years, Jacob Perkins invented a machine for cutting nails and putting heads on them…the patent was given to him Jan. 16, 1795, and the machine could put out 6000 perfect nails an hour…a partnership was formed with two rich men…In three months, the partners had the business in their hands…He did not stay…In the war of 1812, he invented a machine for boring out cannons…In 1816, he went to Philadelphia to live…Two years later he went to London with an invention for engraving bank notes…This became the real business of his life…He invented a steam gun in this country in 1819.”

From the 1795-05-26 edition of Newburyport's Impartial Herald:

“NAIL MANUFACTORY. / Messrs. Blunt and March, / I observed in the Centinel an account of the Nail-Machines constructed by Mr. JACOB PERKINS of Newburyport, which, by the best information I have been able to procure, falls far short of the truth. You will therefore please to accept the following Sketch, which I have reason to believe is very exact: / The Cutting Engine (ten of which may be attended by one boy) will turn out 16,000 Brads in an hour compleatly headed. / The Slitting Machine will cut Iron sufficient for 1,100,000 Brads in twelve hours—And the machine for heading Nails, by the attention of one Boy only, will head 6000 in an hour. / The Nails have been used and approved of by Carpenters, who find them equal to wrought Nails. / Mr. Perkins has procured a Patent for the exclusive right of this valuable Improvement.”

Thanks to researcher Marge Motes for providing us with the above quotations.

(To be filled in.)

• Jacob Perkins, Inventor
• Biography of Jacob Perkins