conceived ilie design of the plow and employed 

 Deere, tlie blacksmith newly arri\ed from Vermont, 

 to build it. This idea may have originated with and 

 was certainly promoted by the late Fred A. Wirt, as 

 adveriisins; manastcr of the J. I. Case Company. It 

 is dillicuh, at this distance, to determine the parts 

 played at the beginning by Deere and Andrus. 



The earliest existing partnership agreement involv- 

 ing Andrus and Deere is dated March 20, 1843." The 

 existing copy is unsigned, but its conditions are the 

 same as those in the agreements executed during the 

 next few years. It began by stating that Deere and 

 Andrus had agreed "to become copartners together 



which brought in a third partner, Horace Paine, 

 described the business as "the art and trade of Black- 

 smithing Plough Making Iron Castings and all things 

 thereto belonging . . ." and stated that the co- 

 partnership should be conducted "under the name 

 and firm of L. Andrus and Co." The third agree- 

 ment, dated October 20, 1846, in which another man 

 appeared in place of Paine, gave the name of the 

 firm as Andrus, Deere, and Lathrop." This carried 

 an addendum dated June 22, 1847, in thich Andrus 

 and Deere bought out Lathrop's interest in the 

 business and agreed to continue under the name of 

 Andrus and Deere. This is the only mention of the 

 firm of Andrus and Deere. It could only have lasted 

 a few months because it was in 1847 that Deere moved 

 Moline and established his plow factory there. 



Figure 2. — Large Pr.-mrie-Breakino Plow, MiD-igra Centirv. \\'heels 

 undernealii tlic beam regulate the depth of plowing; large wheel runs in the 

 furrow, small wheel on the land. The colter is braced at ihe bottom as well 

 as at the top. The share cuts a broad, shallow strip of sod which the long, 

 gently cun'ing moldboard turns over unbroken. 



in the art and trade of Blacksmithing, ploughmaking 

 and all things thereto belonging at the said Grand 

 Detour, and all other business that the said parties 

 may hereafter deem necessary for their mutual 

 interest and benefit . . ." One of the terms was that 

 the copartnership should continue from the date of 

 the agreement "under the name and firm of Leonard 

 Andrus." 

 A second agreement dated October 26, 1844,'" 



" I'liotographic copies of partnership agreements between 

 Andrus, Dccre, and others arc in U. S. National Museum 

 records under accessioi' 



'" Ibid. 



These agreements suggest that Leonard .\ndrus was 

 the capitalist of the young community of Grand 

 Detour, as well as its founder. The dominance of the 

 name Andrus tends to back up the opinion which 

 holds that Andrus was the leading figure in the 

 development of the successful prairie plow. On the 

 other hand, the general tone of the agreements 

 suggests that two or more people were participating 

 in an enterprise in which each contributed to the busi- 

 ness and shared in the results. Deere contributed his 

 plow and his blacksmith shop, tools, and outbuildings; 



■1 Ibid. 



18 



BULLETIN 218: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OE HISTOR^■ .\ND TECHNOLOGY 



