NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG3402.AM: William Gray, 1852-1927
Patents: 1898-1911
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Neb.: Inventor, businessman
Size: 1 box; 0.5 cu.ft.
BACKGROUND NOTE
William Gray came to Lincoln from Beardstown, Illinois, in 1885, and established an architecture practice. By 1887 he left the firm of Gray and Placey to work independently from an office at 109 South 10th Street. He continued his career until 1898. Gray specialized in public buildings and was responsible for the design and construction of Ellen Smith Hall on the University of Nebraska campus. In 1898 Gray invented the Wonder grain grader. In 1908 he designed an improved pressure cooker which was sold under the trade name “Perfection Cooker.” It was manufactured in Omaha. Gray was Vice-President of the Eureka Manufacturing Company in Lincoln from 1901-1903. He died on January 20, 1927, at his Lincoln residence. He had been retired for five years.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection is arranged in three series: (1) United States patents, 1898-1908; (2) Foreign patents and related papers, 1907-1911; and (3) Miscellany. The material in the collection relates to William Gray’s invention of an improved pressure cooker and grain, ore and mineral separators. The bulk of the collection consists of foreign patents and related correspondence found in Series 2. The foreign patents are arranged alphabetically by name of country. The miscellaneous material in Series 3 consists of a memo pad and printed advertising copy.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – U.S. Patents, 1898-1908
Box 1
Folder
-
- Patents for grain, ore and mineral separators
Series 2 – Foreign patents and related papers, 1907-1911
-
- Australia
-
- Austria
-
- Belgium
-
- Brazil
-
- China
-
- France
-
- Germany
-
- Great Britain
-
- Hungary
-
- India
-
- Italy
-
- Japan
-
- Mexico, Philippines
-
- Portugal
-
- Spain
-
- Russia
Series 3 – Miscellany
-
- Memo pad, advertising copy
ADDED ENTRIES:
Gray, William, 1852-1927
Inventions — Nebraska
Inventors — Nebraska
Patents
Separators (Machines)
Encoded TMM 04-07-2010