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THE UNION PATENT PENDING
The
Union is a fitting name for an apple parer that debuted on the heels of the American Civil War. Whittemore Brothers advertised their "Entirely New" Union Apple Parer in the August 1865 issue of the American Agriculturist (Judd, 1865, p. 260).
The advertisement indicates that a patent was pending. In fact, David H. Whittemore had applied for a patent on July 10, 1865 and asked to have an interference with S. S. Hersey over his Double Action Apple Parer patented on August 30, 1864 (Patent File 59884). Both the Union and Double Action Apple Parer could pare apples in both the forward and reverse directions. Whittemore believed he had invented his parer before Hersey.
The deposition of William S. Gray, a machinist who worked for Whittemore, reveals that they started making The Union Apple Parer on May 22, 1865 (Whittemore v Hersey). The patent office finalized their decision to give priority to Hersey on December 5, 1865. Eventually, Whittemore amended his application and was awarded a patent on November 11, 1866 (Whittemore, 1866).
Whittemore designed the gears to interlock. Crank
the main drive and the blade passes over the apple from stem to calyx. Within
four turns
the cams placed inside the gears cause the paring arm to reverse direction. A rod on the paring arm pushes the knife away from the frame,
so
that the
apple can be removed. Another apple can be placed on the fork and pared in the reverse direction from calyx to stem.
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Union Apple Parers marked "PATENT PENDING" are found with two different paring heads. One paring head measures 1 3/8" wide, while the second type measures 1 7/8" wide and is found on all subsequent Union Apple Parer designs. The narrow paring head is offset on its supporting rod and may have been the initial design, although the drawings for the patent application do not support this one way or the other.
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Narrow Paring Head
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Wide Paring Head |
Union Apple Parers marked "PATENT PENDING" were made by Whittemore Brothers but lack a manufacturer's mark. The also have a different shaped thumbscrew. Once the letters patent were issued on November 11, 1866, the date was added to the frame.
David Whittemore took over the family business c1868 and Whittemore Brothers became D. H. Whittemore. The embossing "D. H. WHITTEMORE WORCESTER MASS." was added to the frame at this time (Viney, 2018). A "lip" was added to the edge of the frame that carries The Union name on models marked D. H. Whittemore.
Our research would suggest that Whittemore Brothers made The Union patent pending model from May 1865 to November 1866 and the patent date model with no maker's mark from 1866 through 1867. The Union marked D. H. Whittemore was initiated sometime in 1868 when David Whittemore took over the business and changed the name from Whittemore Brothers to
D. H. Whittemore.
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The Union
Whittemore Brothers pre-1868
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The Union
D. H. Whittemore c1868 |
THE UNION
D. H. WHITTEMORE WORCESTER MASS. PAT NOV. 11, 1866 |
References
Judd, Orange, editor, American Agriculturist Vol. 24, No. 8. (New Series No. 223) New York: Orange Judd 1865, p. 260.
Patent File 58,884, Whittemore 11 Nov. 1866, National Archives Kansas City, Missouri.
Viney, M. Whittemore Board-Mounted Parers. International Society of Apple Parer Enthusiasts, August 2018, Issue 109.
Whittemore, D.H., inventor; Improved Apple Parer. 1866 Nov. 11. US59884.
Whittemore vs. Hersey, Interference File for patents 43,990 and 59,884, National Archives Kansas City, Missouri. |
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