The Lif e a n d Wo rks Rob e rt M c C ormlck I n c lu d i n g Hi s I n v e n t i o n o f t h e R e a p e r Hall M cormi ck R . c J ame s Hall Shi elds P RE F A C E We have long contempl ated w riting an d comp iling a histo ry of ou r r McC ormi ck G an dfather, Robert , an d thus putting on record all the known facts conce rning h is li fe , his wo rk , an d h is inventions , an d in ou r connection the rewith fu rn ish ing all the evi dence , long in posses c r sion , rel ating to h is i nvention of the M c ormick Reape , but h ave i t now postponed f rom time to time , until , by reason of the app lica “ tion th at has b een m ade fo r the en rollment of h is n ame in the Ha ll of ” F a me r , i t becomes necessa y to fu rnish such info rm ation ; therefo re , r we h ave ca efully taken u p the subject, and on the succeed ing pages Will be f ou n d all the facts we h ave at h an d conce rning Robert M e affid av i ts i n Co rmick , togethe r with cop ies of letters , an d statements ou r i i possess ion bea r ng on the quest on of h is va rious inventions , bu t p rinci p ally an d first of all relating to h is great an d inestim able i n v en ti on r of the Reape r , an d his ea rn ing thereby a right to an en du ing H F r . memory, an d a pl ace fo reve in the all of ame R H L M ORMI K . AL C C C JAMES HALL S HI ELDS A N C E S T RY Robe rt M cco rm ick was descended f rom th at stu rdy stock of Ulster men who came ove r f rom S cotland and peopled the no rth of I . S I relan d in the reign of J ames of cotlan d , and by thei r industry an d th rift they tu rned th at wilde rness into the most p ros pe rous de T pendency of the B ritish C rown . hey m ade themselves the reby E so much felt by the nglish i n m anu factu ring an d other in dust ries , that they caused th e gove rnmen t to levy h eavy and rep ressive taxes E on them fo r the p rotection of the nglishmen ac ross the ch annel . The result of this was th at g reat numbe rs of those people emigrated r r to Ame rica , and a ve y la ge pe r cen t of them , afte r landing in Ph il a delphia , betook themselves to the f rontie r , an d m any of them settled S west of the usqueh ann a Rive r , befo re the I ndians ceded the land to the Penns in 1 73 6 . T HO M A S M c C O RM I C K M cC ormi ck the g randfather of Robe rt , was descended f rom that S . He cotch I rish stock , to whom refe rence h as been made came to Ame rica in 1 73 5 and settled east of the S usqueh ann a in the vicin i ty m H Pa . 1 2 of a r risbu rg, In 74 he took ou t a wa r rant f rom the Per s T for a l a rge tract of l an d located in Paxtang ownsh ip , an d late r he T P a E . removed to Pennsboro ownsh i p , Cumbe rland Coun ty, , w he re he an d his wife pu rchased two hundred ac res of land . 1 2 8 T M eC or B efo re coming to America , abou t the yea r 7 , homas E m ick m arried lizabeth Ca ruth , a d augh te r of Adam C a ruth , who first afte rwa rds was one of the settle rs east of the Susqueh ann a , i n a T T M cC or H T D P . opewell ownsh ip , au ph in Coun ty , h is hom as H mick h ad th ree b rothers , viz . , ugh , J ohn an d S amuel , who also T came to this country about the s ame time homas d id , an d became la rge l and owne rs an d p rominen t pionee rs in the same p a rt of y Penns lvani a . T o McC ormi ck 1 60 h mas died about 7 , and his widow died in 1 66 five r. 7 , leaving a family of sons and one daugh te RO B ERT M c C O RM I C K b r fif th the father of the su ject of this biog aphy , was the son of T E M cC ormi ck homas an d lizabeth C a ruth , an d was bo rn i n the H H Pa . 1 8 . e vicin ity of arrisbu rg , , in 73 was a fa rme r , and citizen Pa . r of Cumberlan d County , , whe re he and h is two b othe rs took out M ifili n wa r rants fo r a l a rge tract of l and , near wh at is now , in u n i atta Pa. r 1 J County, , an d es i de d the re until 779, when he sol d t his p roper y and moved with h is fam ily to Rockb ridge County , R Va . , an d there he p u rchased the fa rm on wh ich h is son obe rt was He r born . se ved h is count ry in the Revolutiona ry War, an d was H He woun ded in the battle of Gu ilfo rd Cou rt ouse . was a weave r by r r t ade , as well as a fa me r , an d was a well known an d well to do citizen He i n the community wherein h e l ived . was an Elde r i n the P resby teri an Chu rch an d showed by hi s ch a racte r an d life th at he was a wo rthy descendant of h is covenante r ancestors . 1 0 S r Robe rt M cC ormi ck m a rried in 77 , M a rtha ande son , a S daughte r of George an d a g ran ddaugh te r of Alexande r an derson , wh o were both well to do and' well known farme rs of Cumberlan d r Pa . County , , thei r fa rms being located nea C a rlisle an d not ve ry He i n R f ar distant f rom the M cC ormi ck homestead . died ockb ri dge 1 2 1 8 1 8 r Va. O r County , , ctobe , , M a th a , h is wi fe , p receded h im by r fou rteen yea s . Robert an d M arth a M cC ormi ck left a family of fou r sons and r two daugh ters , o f whom the subject of th is biog aphy was the n you gest . ROBERT M c coRM IC K R r S M cC ormi ck the youngest son of obe t and M a rth a ande rson , and T E M c C ormi ck grandson of homas and lizabeth C aruth , was bo rn ’ 8 1 80 i n J une , 7 , a log h ouse on h is father s p l antation , Walnut G rove , R Vi r . ockb ri dge County, gini a Of him hi s , home , h is life , h is occup ation , his executive and busi i i af ness abil ty, h is nventive and mech anical genius , and h is family M cC ormi ck S r r fai rs , h is d augh ter , M a ry C aroline h ields , as eco ded he r in memo r i als , the o riginal copy of wh ich is in the possession of her son states — My father and mother were near the same age , were exactly the same heigh t five feet, eight inches tall . Father has often told me that ma was the prettiest woman in all that country when a young girl , and there were those who knew her w hen she was young who have equalled my father in praise of her beauty and who also talked to me o of her bright, cheerful disp sition . Grandfather Hall gave to my mother when she w as m arried property which he as I mtimated at and father , suppose , was not worth much more than the w as amount given to ma by her father , and then he in debt to the heirs of grand ' firs m father h I cC ormick for their interest in the farm .