John Henry Manny
Encyclopedia
John Henry Manny was the inventor of the Manny Reaper
, which was an early version of a horse-powered combine harvester
.
He moved to Waddams Township
in Stephenson County, Illinois
, in the early 1850s.
The Mannys visited George Esterly (1809–1893) who was manufacturing some of the first mechanical grain harvesting machines in Heart Prairie, near modern-day Janesville
Wisconsin
a short distance to the north.
Manny helped in the shop to produce one and brought it back with him.
Manny married Mary Dorr in 1853, and by the fall of 1853 moved to Rockford, Illinois
. There he could have more reapers manufactured by the firm Blinn & Emerson, and have them transported on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
line. In 1854 he formed J.H. Manny & Company with investors Wait and Sylvester Talcott. In the summer of 1854 Jess Blinn and Ralph Emerson (1831–1914) joined the company.
Cyrus McCormick
filed a lawsuit against Manny for patent infringement in 1855.
McCormick demanded that Manny stop producing reapers, and pay McCormick US$400,000. The trial, originally scheduled for Chicago, Illinois in September 1855, had prominent lawyers on both sides. McCormick hired former US Attorney General Reverdy Johnson
and New York
patent attorney Edward Nicholl Dickerson.
Manny hired Edwin M. Stanton
who hired local Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln
. However, the trial was moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
. Although Manny won the case, with an opinion by Supreme Court Judge John McLean
, Lincoln ended up not contributing to the defense. After later being elected President, Lincoln chose Stanton as his Secretary of War.
After Manny's death on January 31, 1856, McCormick appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court. McCormick lost again.
The firm meanwhile had continued to manufacture reapers as Talcott, Emerson & Company. In 1860 Emerson bought out the other partners, and then the name was changed back to Talcott, Emerson & Company about 1874.
Emerson (who was a cousin of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson
) ran the company until it became Emerson-Brantingham in 1909 under the leadership of Charles S. Brantingham. The company purchased a number of other manufacturers, but by 1915 ran into financial difficulties. After a merger with the former D. M. Osborne company, in 1928 it was bought by J. I. Case Company, now Case Corporation
.
Manny's widow married Robert Hall Tinker in 1870 and lived the house now called Tinker Swiss Cottage.
John Henry Manny is sometimes confused with John Pels Manny, a cousin.
Manny reaper
John Henry Manny laid the foundation for the reaper business of Rockford, IL. At the time of the invention of his reaper, he was farming with his father, Pells Manny, in Waddams Township, Stephenson County, Illinois, near McConnell, Illinois. They had a large crop of wheat and wanted a machine to...
, which was an early version of a horse-powered combine harvester
Combine harvester
The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The name derives from the fact that it combines three separate operations, reaping, threshing, and winnowing, into a single process. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
.
Life
John Henry Manny was born November 28, 1825 in Amsterdam, New York. His father was Pells Manny and mother was Sarah Swart. Siblings included Josiah Manny, Eliza Manny, Rebecca Ann Manny, and Gabriel Manny.He moved to Waddams Township
Waddams Township, Stephenson County, Illinois
Waddams Township is located in Stephenson County, Illinois. The population was 807 at the 2010 census, down from 872 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of McConnell and Damascus are located in the township, and once New Pennsylvania was located here also.On March 6, 1848 the...
in Stephenson County, Illinois
Stephenson County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,979 people, 19,785 households, and 13,473 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, in the early 1850s.
The Mannys visited George Esterly (1809–1893) who was manufacturing some of the first mechanical grain harvesting machines in Heart Prairie, near modern-day Janesville
Janesville, Wisconsin
Janesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
a short distance to the north.
Manny helped in the shop to produce one and brought it back with him.
Manny married Mary Dorr in 1853, and by the fall of 1853 moved to Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
. There he could have more reapers manufactured by the firm Blinn & Emerson, and have them transported on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was a railroad running west from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa and Freeport, Illinois, never reaching Galena, Illinois...
line. In 1854 he formed J.H. Manny & Company with investors Wait and Sylvester Talcott. In the summer of 1854 Jess Blinn and Ralph Emerson (1831–1914) joined the company.
Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902.He and many members of the McCormick family became prominent Chicagoans....
filed a lawsuit against Manny for patent infringement in 1855.
McCormick demanded that Manny stop producing reapers, and pay McCormick US$400,000. The trial, originally scheduled for Chicago, Illinois in September 1855, had prominent lawyers on both sides. McCormick hired former US Attorney General Reverdy Johnson
Reverdy Johnson
Reverdy Johnson was a statesman and jurist from Maryland.-Early life:Born in Annapolis, Johnson was the son of a distinguished Maryland lawyer and politician, John Johnson . He graduated from St. John's College in 1812 and then studied law...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
patent attorney Edward Nicholl Dickerson.
Manny hired Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
who hired local Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. However, the trial was moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Although Manny won the case, with an opinion by Supreme Court Judge John McLean
John McLean
John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S...
, Lincoln ended up not contributing to the defense. After later being elected President, Lincoln chose Stanton as his Secretary of War.
After Manny's death on January 31, 1856, McCormick appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court. McCormick lost again.
The firm meanwhile had continued to manufacture reapers as Talcott, Emerson & Company. In 1860 Emerson bought out the other partners, and then the name was changed back to Talcott, Emerson & Company about 1874.
Emerson (who was a cousin of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
) ran the company until it became Emerson-Brantingham in 1909 under the leadership of Charles S. Brantingham. The company purchased a number of other manufacturers, but by 1915 ran into financial difficulties. After a merger with the former D. M. Osborne company, in 1928 it was bought by J. I. Case Company, now Case Corporation
Case Corporation
Case Corporation was a manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. In 1999 it merged with New Holland to form CNH Global, a Fiat Group division...
.
Manny's widow married Robert Hall Tinker in 1870 and lived the house now called Tinker Swiss Cottage.
John Henry Manny is sometimes confused with John Pels Manny, a cousin.