1Petition of William Pollard to the Patent Board, 29 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Philadelphia, 29 June 1790. He represents that more than a year ago he purchased for several hundred pounds a model of Sir Richard Arkwright’s “machine for Roving and Spinning of Cotton” that had been brought to this country at great risk and potentially heavy penalty, that a machine he built to small scale from the model would not work, either through poor workmanship in the model or by...
2To Thomas Jefferson from William Pollard, 26 June 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
Having brought the Machine for spinning Cotton to perfection, which your board was pleased to grant me a Patent for; and having erected a small Mill which will shew in some measure to what extent it may be carried, and its usefullness in such a Country as ours, I shall be very hapy if you, Sir, Mr. Randolph and General Knox will honor me with a visit, I think it will please you because it...