Background
He was born on March 7, 1817, at Weare, New Hampshire, the son of William and Mary (Bailey) Bachelder. His father was variously a lumberman and a blacksmith.
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John Bachelder
Edit ProfileEducation
He received a common school and academic education.
Career
Bachelder taught school for three years, went to Boston, worked as an accountant for a transportation company operating on the Middlesex Canal, and shortly after formed a partnership and engaged in the same business until the completion of the railroad to Manchester caused him to suspend. He engaged in the dry-goods business at Boston and in 1846 visited England to establish connections for the successful importing business that he organized as Bachelder, Burr & Company. In the winter of 1847 Bachelder became interested in the sewing-machine as it had been developed by Elias Howe, believing that it could be materially improved.
Becoming more and more interested, he bought a small machine-shop, retired from business, and devoted his time to mastering the machinist's trade. He spent five years' time and $16, 000 before achieving success, but at the end of that time (1849) had developed the continuous feed, the vertical needle, and the horizontal table, all features of the modern sewing-machine. The importance of these inventions is indicated by the statement that "the patents of Howe, Bachelder, and Wilson cover all the fundamental principles of the sewing-maine, " a statement endorsed by all well-informed men within the industry. The importance of these devices is further reflected in the marked reduction in the price of sewing-machines that was made when the patents expired. From this reduction their actual value has been estimated at $100, 000, 000.
Unfortunately he was forced to sell his patents immediately, realizing but little more than enough to pay his debts. With this experience as an inventor Bachelder turned to manufacturing and with help from friends was able to buy (1852) a cotton-factory at Lisbon, Connecticut, but a disastrous fire so reduced his resources that he was unable to weather the depression following the war and was forced to sell his interest in this and other mills.
He served as postmaster and town treasurer at Lisbon, and was a director of the First National Bank of Norwich and a trustee of the Chelsea Savings Bank. In 1875 he went to Napa, California, and established a manufacturing plant only to be caught in the panic of 1877-78 and forced to retire from active business. While in Napa he became interested in library work and was trustee and president of the board of the Public Library. He wrote one book, A. D. 2050 (1890), suggested by Bellamy's Looking Backward. Returning to the east, he spent his later years in Milwaukee. He died at Houghton, Michigan.
Achievements
Connections
In 1843 he was married to Adaline Wason.
