Animal Trap. (open access)

Animal Trap.

Patent for a new and improved animal-trap. This design consists in "the combination, with the frame, of the spear fitted to slide therein and provided with a notched shank, spring for forcing the spear down, and the trigger pivoted to the frame and provided with a forked plate at its lower end, and with a toe for engaging the notch of the shank of the spear" (lines 8-15).
Date: November 29, 1887
Creator: Wood, Evans
System: The Portal to Texas History
Jar Fastener. (open access)

Jar Fastener.

Patent for a new and improved jar fastener. This design consists in "[t]he combination, with a fruit can or jar, having a continuous groove across its bottom and up its sides, of a U-shaped bolt resting in said groove, a cap-plate resting on the top of the jar and through which the legs of the bolt extend, and securing nuts turning on the ends of the bolt above the cap-plate" (lines 78-84).
Date: April 5, 1887
Creator: Dickey, Marion Flutcher
System: The Portal to Texas History
Seed Planter. (open access)

Seed Planter.

Patent for a new and improved planter. This design consists in "the combination of the frame, the hopper having a notch or opening in its rear edge, the seed-spout extending vertically along the rear side of the hopper and communicating therewith through said notch, the reciprocating rod having a jointed upper end provided with a seed-cup, the rock-shaft having crank-arm, and an arm connected with said reciprocating-rod, the crank-shaft, pitman, driving-wheel, and the sprocket-gears and chain connecting the crank-shaft and wheel-axle" (lines 84-96).
Date: May 10, 1887
Creator: Clark, Council H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fence. (open access)

Fence.

Patent for a new and improved fence. This design "consist[s] of posts, a barbed-wire line connecting the top portions of the posts, the horizontal slats, the vertical wires secured at their lower ends to the lower portions of the post, and looped around the slats and connected at their upper portions to the wire line, and thence extending upward and secured to the upper ends of the posts above said wire line, and wire loops passing around the ends of the lower slats and connected with the lower portions of the vertical wires" (lines 82-93).
Date: December 14, 1886
Creator: Gordon, Marion J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Expansion Double-Shovel Corn And Cotton Planter. (open access)

Expansion Double-Shovel Corn And Cotton Planter.

Patent for a new machine for planting corn or cotton that can be "adapted for use as a plow or cultivator" (lines 60-61), including instructions and illustrations.
Date: March 1, 1887
Creator: Draper, Richard Edward.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting-Machine. (open access)

Quilting-Machine.

Patent for a sewing machine that stitches in rows or patterns, using select techniques to stitch through layers of fabric and batting, in the manner of old-style hand quilting. Included are instructions and illustrations.
Date: August 5, 1884
Creator: Woods, Evans
System: The Portal to Texas History