A prolific inventor, two of Andrew J. Beard’s patents were improvements in agriculture. His first patent, received in 1881, was for a double plow design that allowed farmers to adjust the distance between plow plates. Beard’s second patent, issued in 1887, was for a plow that allowed for pitch adjustment, enabling farmers to further customize the equipment.
Born on a small farm in Eastlake, Alabama, Beard was enslaved for the first 15 years of his life. After his emancipation during the American Civil War, he began working in flour mills and eventually built his own. This entrepreneurial spirit also led Beard to sell both his agricultural patents and invest the money in real estate. He continued to invent until almost the end of the 19th century.
Beard is most well-known for his patents improving railroad coupling, revealing the close links between agriculture and transportation, a subject we will explore further next week. Read more about Beard’s inventions here: http://bit.ly/36RndNi #BlackHistoryMonth #InventingModernAmerica
U.S. Patent no. 594,059
Title: Car-Coupling
Patented: November 23, 1897