Summary Information
James Lowth Papers
1841-1907
Wis Mss VR
0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of James Lowth, a Civil War soldier and an inventor, including notes and drawings of his inventions and personal and business correspondence. Letters to his family during the Civil War describe his army experiences in Louisiana with Company M of the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. Many later letters relate to his inventions and business ventures, including a few with officers of the Bell Company concerning his invention of a new type of telephone receiver. Also in the collection is a store's daybook, 1841-1850, kept by Edward Lowth, his father, before the family moved to Wisconsin from Pittsford, Vermont.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000vr ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
James Lowth, a relatively unknown nineteenth-century inventor, was born of Irish immigrant parents and grew up in the village of Columbus, Wisconsin. In 1862 he enlisted in the Fourth Cavalry Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers, and served as Sergeant of Company M. He lost his leg in battle and was discharged in July, 1865. Even before enlisting in the Civil War, James Lowth began to feel the urge to invent. At the age of 22 in 1861, inspired by patriotic fervor, he dabbled with the idea of a horse gun--a sort of light cannon to be mounted on a cavalry charger. After the war he returned to his inventing interests.
In 1873 he moved to Chicago, where his prolific imagination turned out ideas for such inventions as an electric sandpapering machine, a controller for trolley cars, a bicycle gear changer, various types of guns, food concentrate powders, a washing machine, several vibrating machines for the treatment of mental and physical illnesses, and many others. He took out a number of patents, including ones for a washing machine, velocipede, cabinet bedstead, rein holder, lounge, and telephone.
At least two of Lowth's inventions received some publicity in his day. One was a telephone receiver based on a principle similar to that used in certain present devices developed to aid mutes and other persons with speech defects in communicating. Instead of being held to the mouth to receive the sound vibrations of the voice, it was pressed against the throat to transmit directly the vibrations of the larynx. Among other things, Lowth felt that this design had the advantage of being more hygienic than the standard receiver. Sometime during the 1880's Lowth formed the Lowth Stethophone Company (later changed to the American Stethophone Company). It is not clear how financially successful this invention may have been, but Lowth's agents carried on negotiations with Bell and others in this country, as well as with persons interested in marketing the instrument in England, Europe, and Latin America. At one point Bell's company was apparently prepared to offer Lowth $1,000,000 in stock and $25,000 in cash; evidently this never materialized.
The second invention to achieve some renown was what Lowth called a “vibratorium.” This consisted of an organ-like instrument, over which was constructed a couch, attached to the instrument in such a way as to take full advantage of the musical vibrations. This invention received some publicity, at least in the Chicago newspapers, as a device for the shock treatment of mentally ill persons, as well as for the cure of tone deafness. Again, it is not clear whether the invention brought much financial gain to its inventor.
There is no information readily available concerning Lowth's later life.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists mainly of family and business correspondence covering the period between 1861 and 1907,, together with notes and drawings concerning Lowth's inventions. James Lowth's Civil War letters are very descriptive of his army experiences. Most were written from Louisiana during 1864. Letters of Lowth's numerous sisters dominate the correspondence from the 1870's and early 1880's; these primarily concern family matters and are illustrative of life in nineteenth-century Wisconsin. Most of the letters from the late 1880's and the 1890's relate to Lowth's inventions and business ventures, including one letter, 1897 January 11, reporting Bell's alleged offer of stock and cash, and a letter from George Westinghouse, Jr., 1888 July 31, citing a payment of one thousand dollars “for all services and claims on account of the telephone transaction.”
The rest of the collection consists primarily of notes and drawings in Lowth's hand relating to his inventions; some of these may have been intended as drafts for magazine or newspaper articles about his inventions and about various scientific phenomena. Most are undated and unsorted.
The collection also contains a store's day book kept by Edward Lowth, James' father. It covers the period 1841-1850, before the family moved to Wisconsin from Pittsford, Vermont. The ledger is quite complete and useful for the contemporary value of various items.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mrs. Julia Lowth Hill, Columbus, Wisconsin, July, 1963.
Processed by Emily Al-Khazraji, August 1963.
Contents List
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Box
1
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Day Book, 1841-1850
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Box
1
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Correspondence (and some other dated papers), 1851-1907
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Box
2
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Newspaper clippings relating to Lowth family and inventions
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Box
2
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Miscellaneous papers, notes, and drawings, undated and unsorted
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