January/February 1974
RALPH HUSSONG
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John Francis Appleby, inventor of the twine knotter on the grain binder. Courtesy of Ralph Hussong, Camp Point, Illinois 62320
Ralph Hussong
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CAMP POINT, ILLINOIS 62320.
APPLEBY, JOHN FRANCIS (May 23, 1840-Nov. 8, 1917), inventor, was
born at Westmoreland, Oneida County, N.Y., the son of James and
Jane Appleby who had but recently come to New York from England. In
1845 the parents continued their migration to try to get a fresh
start in the newer country of Wisconsin, where they established
their farm home in Walworth County. Here Appleby grew up, obtaining
a district school education in the frequent intervals when he was
not needed for work at home or on some neighbors farm.
It was when only eighteen, in the employ of a farmer in Iowa
County, that he first conceived the idea of a binder. He was
assisting in the trial of a new reaping machine, binding the
sheaves as the grain was cut, when it occurred to him that a
machine could be made to do this work. His suggestion was received
with jeers from his employer. Nevertheless, during the ensuing year
he constructed a model of a twine binder which contained the
essential elements of the Appleby knotter which binds nine-tenth of
the grain grown in the world today.
Lack of funds prevented Appleby from further developing his
knotter and when the Civil War started he volunteered and served in
the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry. While in the trenches
before Vicksburg, he had time to whittle out a new device for
rifles. This mechanism provided a magazine for cartridges and an
automatic feed device. He received a patent for this the next year
(1864) which he sold for $500, only to see it resold for $7,000.
This incident, besides supplying funds necessary to continue
experimentation, impressed Appleby with the value of invention and
made him an inventor for life.
In 1867, he was able to demonstrate his first complete machine
at Mazomanie, Wis. The demonstration was unsuccessful and earned
him the reputation of being a crank. He was encouraged by one
spectator, Dr. E. D. Bishop, who invested $1,500 in the binder. In
1872 Appleby connected himself with Parker & Stone of Beloit,
Wis. and build in their factory a wire binding machine which was
successful as a binder, but failed because of the farmers'
prejudice against wire as a binding material.
In 1874 he organized the Appleby Reaper Works to build self rake
reapers at Mazomanie. The following winter he renewed his
experiments with the twine binder at the factory of Parker &
Stone, and the next year rebuilt the machine which was then
entirely satisfactory. On July 8, 1878 and Feb. 18, 1879, patents
were issued covering the perfected machine and binder.