﻿576 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSOlSriAlSr 
  INSTITUTION, 
  19 
  2 
  9 
  

  

  revolving 
  hook 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  shaft, 
  which 
  might 
  take 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  thread 
  and 
  

   manipulate 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  chain 
  stitch. 
  My 
  ideas 
  were, 
  of 
  course, 
  very 
  crude 
  and 
  indefi- 
  

   nite, 
  but 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  I 
  then 
  had 
  the 
  correct 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  invention 
  

   afterwards 
  embodied 
  in 
  my 
  machine. 
  

  

  Having 
  no 
  further 
  interest 
  in 
  view 
  than 
  to 
  satisfy 
  his 
  curiosity 
  as 
  

   to 
  how 
  sewing 
  by 
  machinery 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  he 
  gave 
  the 
  matter 
  no 
  

   further 
  attention 
  or 
  thought 
  until 
  January,. 
  1856. 
  Then 
  while 
  on 
  a 
  

   visit 
  to 
  his 
  father 
  in 
  Rockbridge 
  County, 
  Va., 
  he 
  happened 
  to 
  go 
  

   into 
  a 
  tailor's 
  shop 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  Singer 
  sewing 
  machine 
  working 
  

   on 
  the 
  shuttle 
  principle. 
  He 
  was 
  much 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  ability 
  

   of 
  that 
  machine, 
  but 
  thought 
  it 
  entirely 
  too 
  heavy, 
  complicated, 
  and 
  

   cumbersome, 
  and 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  price 
  was 
  exorbitant. 
  He 
  then 
  set 
  

   to 
  work 
  in 
  earnest 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  more 
  simple, 
  cheap, 
  and 
  useful 
  

   machine. 
  His 
  family 
  was 
  dependent 
  upon 
  his 
  daily 
  labor 
  for 
  support, 
  

   so 
  that 
  Gibbs 
  had 
  very 
  little 
  time 
  to 
  spare 
  for 
  experiments, 
  and 
  could 
  

   work 
  on 
  his 
  invention 
  only 
  at 
  nights 
  and 
  in 
  bad 
  weather. 
  He 
  was 
  

   at 
  a 
  great 
  disadvantage 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  tools 
  and 
  materials, 
  having 
  to 
  

   make 
  his 
  own 
  needles 
  and 
  parts 
  of 
  wood. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  AprU, 
  1856, 
  

   he 
  had 
  so 
  far 
  completed 
  his 
  model 
  as 
  to 
  interest 
  his 
  employers 
  in 
  

   his 
  invention 
  and 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  furnish 
  the 
  money 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   patent 
  it 
  and 
  develop 
  the 
  machine. 
  Gibbs 
  then 
  came 
  to 
  Washington, 
  

   where 
  he 
  examined 
  the 
  models 
  in 
  the 
  Patent 
  Office 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   sewing 
  machines 
  then 
  on 
  the 
  market. 
  He 
  took 
  his 
  machine 
  to 
  

   Philadelphia 
  and 
  showed 
  it 
  to 
  James 
  Willcox, 
  who 
  was 
  then 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  building 
  models 
  of 
  new 
  inventions. 
  Mr. 
  Willcox 
  and 
  his 
  son 
  

   Charles 
  were 
  favorably 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  invention 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   arranged 
  that 
  Gibbs 
  and 
  Charles 
  Willcox 
  should 
  work 
  together 
  in 
  

   developing 
  any 
  possible 
  improvements, 
  using 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  a 
  small 
  

   room 
  in 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  shop. 
  After 
  taking 
  out 
  some 
  minor 
  patents 
  he 
  

   obtained 
  his 
  most 
  important 
  one 
  on 
  June 
  2, 
  1857. 
  The 
  original 
  

   models 
  of 
  these 
  early 
  efforts 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

   This 
  association 
  with 
  James 
  Willcox 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  Will- 
  

   cox 
  & 
  Gibbs 
  Sewing 
  Machine 
  Co., 
  which 
  has 
  certainly 
  done 
  its 
  share 
  

   in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  sewing 
  machine 
  art. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  Civil 
  War, 
  Gibbs 
  was 
  in 
  sympathy 
  with 
  the 
  South, 
  

   whUe 
  his 
  partner 
  Willcox 
  supported 
  the 
  North. 
  Owing 
  to 
  poor 
  

   health, 
  Gibbs 
  took 
  no 
  active 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  fighting, 
  occupying 
  him- 
  

   self 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  saltpeter 
  for 
  gunpowder. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  war 
  he 
  called 
  on 
  James 
  Willcox 
  at 
  Philadelphia 
  and 
  was 
  shown 
  by 
  

   his 
  faithful 
  partner 
  that 
  his 
  interests 
  had 
  not 
  suffered 
  during 
  his 
  

   absence. 
  

  

  Raised 
  among 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  the 
  Shenandoah 
  Valley, 
  James 
  E. 
  A. 
  

   Gibbs 
  never 
  forgot 
  his 
  love 
  for 
  Virginia 
  and 
  after 
  he 
  became 
  pros- 
  

   perous, 
  he 
  bought 
  a 
  farm 
  in 
  his 
  native 
  county, 
  where 
  he 
  lived 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  life. 
  

  

  