William B. Purvis
An American Inventor ~ A businessman of many talents.
The Man
Born August 12th, 1838, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William B. Purvis was a businessman and inventor who received multiple patents in the late 1800s. He is best known for his improvements on the fountain pen, patent #419,065 received in 1890. His other patents included several devices for electric railroad inventions, a self-inking hand stamp, a bag fastener, and two machines for making paper bags which he later sold to the Union Paper Bag Company of New York.
William was one of eight children born into a wealthy and influential family. His father Joseph Purvis was a farmer, and his mother, Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis, was a poet and abolitionist who co-founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and contributed many poems to the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator.
William lived on his father's farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, until 1857 after his family moved to Philadelphia. His family suggests that William inherited his grandfather's mechanical inclinations. William worked on various inventions and attempted to raise funding from multiple sources, including his wealthy uncle Robert Purvis.
William's first invention was an improvement of the hand stamp that enabled it to replenish its ink, patented on February 27th, 1883. From 1884 to 1897, William was granted six patents for his paper bag technology. In August 1890, William was issued a patent for an improved machine manufactured satchel bottom shopping bag with greater automation than previous machinery. William's improvements on the fountain pen enabled it to distribute the ink evenly. William received U.S. Patent 419,065 for this design on January 7th, 1890.
William installed his first Close-conduit electric railway system in New Jersey. His close-conduit electric railway system set an electromagnet under the center of the railcar. Dr. John MacFadyen, the installation superintendent at the time, said that the new system was safer and cheaper than the old system and a straightforward replacement of the system. In January 1914, William wrote the lyrics for a song entitled "I'm Going Back Home Once More," with music by Francis M. Myers. The piece was published by the music publishing firm of C. L. Partee and Co. of New York City and submitted for copyright to the Library of Congress the following April.
Quick Facts
Known for his improvements on the fountain pen, patent #419,065 received in 1890.
Williams other patents included several devices for electric railroad inventions, a self-inking hand stamp, a bag fastener, and two machines for making paper bags which he later sold to the Union Paper Bag Company of New York.
Wrote the lyrics for a song entitled "I'm Going Back Home Once More," with music by one Francis M. Myers. The piece was published by the music publishing firm of C. L. Partee and Co. of New York City and submitted for copyright to the Library of Congress the following April.
Sources
Library of Congress, Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 3, Volume 9, Issue 1, Washington, 1914, 353
"H.R 14039: [A Bill] To grant the right of way to the Union Electric Construction Company in and through the District of Columbia," (Washington) Evening Star, March 5, 1901, 4.
"A New Close-Conduit Electric Railway System". Electrical Review. New York. 40: 485. 1902.