1857 Steam Engine & Boiler Agreement – Edward Spear & Son – Warren Ohio Industrial Document

Original 1857 handwritten industrial agreement from Warren, Ohio, documenting the sale of a steam engine, boiler and woodworking machinery by Edward Spear & Son to Erwin Black of Williamsfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio.

Dated April 11, 1857, the agreement records the sale of machinery formerly used in Edward Spear & Son's “old shop on Market Street” in Warren, Ohio.

The equipment described includes a:

• Steam engine and boiler

• Machinery for making sash and blinds

• Grate bars

• Face plates

• Pipes

• Approximately 16-foot line of shafting

• Shafts and pulleys

• Associated machinery and equipment

The agreed purchase price was $250, a substantial commercial transaction for the period.

The contract specifies installment payments extending into 1858, including $100 upon delivery of the engine, an additional payment due November 1, and the remaining balance due by May 1858, with interest applying to the later payments from May 1, 1857.

The agreement is signed by representatives of both sides and witnessed by James A. Gaskins and Thomas McCormick.

EDWARD SPEAR

Historical research identifies Edward Spear (1792–1873) as a prominent longtime resident of Warren, Ohio.

Spear settled in Warren in 1818 and later served for seven years as an Associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, as well as serving as a Justice of the Peace.

This manuscript is particularly interesting because it provides original primary-source evidence of another aspect of Spear's activities: Edward Spear & Son's ownership and sale of steam-powered industrial and woodworking equipment from their Market Street shop in Warren.

ERWIN BLACK

The purchaser, Erwin Black (1826–1902), has also been identified in historical sources.

Black was associated with Williamsfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio, and period biographical sources describe him as engaged in agriculture as well as the manufacture of cheese boxes.

His documented manufacturing activity provides an especially interesting context for his purchase of steam-powered machinery and woodworking equipment.

INDUSTRIAL SIGNIFICANCE

The agreement offers a detailed glimpse into mid-19th-century American manufacturing technology.

Its references to a steam engine and boiler, shafting, pulleys and machinery for manufacturing sash and blinds illustrate the type of belt-driven mechanical power systems used in workshops before widespread electrification.

Unlike a routine receipt or account, this document records the transfer of a substantial group of industrial equipment between identifiable Ohio businessmen.

It combines several collecting areas, including steam power, early industrial history, woodworking machinery, Ohio business history, genealogy and 19th-century manuscript ephemera.

DATE: April 11, 1857
LOCATION: Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio
SELLER: Edward Spear & Son
BUYER: Erwin Black of Williamsfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio
PURCHASE PRICE: $250
EQUIPMENT: Steam engine, boiler and woodworking machinery
SHOP LOCATION: Market Street, Warren, Ohio
DOCUMENT TYPE: Handwritten Industrial Machinery Sale Agreement
HISTORICAL PERIOD: Pre-Civil War America

CONDITION

Original antique manuscript in good overall condition for its age.

The document displays expected original folds, age toning, scattered light staining and soiling, minor edge wear and some weakening or small separations along old fold lines.

The manuscript remains very legible overall, with the principal contractual terms, machinery descriptions, names, monetary amount and signatures intact.

The reverse shows additional period handwriting and docketing.

No modern restoration has been performed by Collexcion.

Please examine all photographs carefully, as they show the actual document offered and form an important part of the condition description.