Thomas Crane and N. F. Hopkins Market the Crane Knitter, 1867-1876

Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Inc., The, Sep 2004 by Candee, Richard M

Other Straight Flat Knitters

While many foreign-made flat, straight, hand-operated knitters flooded the American market since World War II (Brother and Knit-King machines for example), there seem to have been no other nineteenth-century domestic knitters to employ this simple design. Walter Aiken made a cam for a simple flat run of needles as a model, as a drawing attests, and on March 10, 1808 Henry Bogel of Watertown, Wisconsin, received a patent for an improvement on this type of knitter for which his miniature patent model exists in the collections of the Rothschild Petersen Patent Model Museum in Cazenovia, New York. Both of these, however, like all the other nineteenth-century patents of this type, were intended for industrial use. Thomas Crane's hand pushed version remains the only known American knitting machine of this sort intended for domestic use.

Sources

Biographical Sources

T. Crane, "My Early Days in Wisconsin" from Kloshkonong Country Revisited 1:76-77.

"Thomas Crane" (by himself) newspaper clipping copied in Picturesque, 1: 5-6.

"T. Crane & Bros.," advertisement, Cayuga Chief, November 19. 1856 and March 4, 1857.

" Thomas Crane Tells of his Early Life in Wisconsin," type-script from undated clipping, Mrs. E. Rankin Scrapbook (Hoard Museum, Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin), M-24.

"Knitting Machine-Thomas Crane, Ft. Atkinson, Wisc." Scientific American (November 2, 1867):283

Obituary, Thomas Crane, Jefferson County Union, February 26. 1909.

[The Crane Knitter] The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine (1871): 235

Knitting Machine Patents and Model

U.S. Patent 61608, January 29, 1867, Thomas Crane Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.

Partial U.S. Patent model 61,608 (1869) National Museum of American History, Textile Division, Washington, D. C.

U.S. Patent 6977.9 1867 October 15, 1867, Thomas Crane Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.

U.S. Patent 69776, October 15, 1867,Thomas Crane, Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.

U.S. Patent 7:5(597, January 28, 18(58, Thomas Crane, Ft. Atk in son, Wisconsin.

U.S. latent 91214, July (5, 1809, Thomas Crane, Kt. Atkinson, Wisconsin.

U.S. Patent 912 15,.JuIy (5, 1869 Thomas Crane, Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.

Known Machines

1. John and Judy Daviclson Collection, Klyria Ohio, serial no. -Mil, with advertising brochure of J. II. 11 an son, Marietta, Ohio, 187Os. "Improved" model with black walnut case on curved iron stand w/ arch on each end marked "The Crane Knitter" and marked "Crane Knitting Machine Co., Ft. Atkinson, Wis., Pat. Jan. 29, 1867, Jan. '28, isfiH, June IS, 18(59" [U.S. patents 61,609 73,697, and 91,214].

'2. The Henry Ford Museum, accession no. 40.1001, gift of Grand Rapids Public Museum 191-0.

3. Wisconsin Historical Society, Wade 1 louse Collection, accession no. 1981.4.45. Eighty percent complete (knot) and register missing), with iron plate marked "J. P. Lord."

4. Hoard Historical Museum and Dairy Shrine, 407 Merchants Ave., Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin , is said to have had a "model" taken to a London "World's Fair" that the museum cannot now locate.

Imprints