Inventor. With a talent for working with machines, he came up with the first conception of the adding machine to be used at banks. He devised a calculated device to use for monotony of clerical work in 1885 and founded the American Arithmometer Company in 1886. By 1905, his company became the Burroughs Adding Machine Company and he was producing the Burroughs Patent number 388,116 point lever adding machine, which became in use national wide. He was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1986.
William Seward Burroughs and the Burroughs Family
Born in Rochester, New York on January 28, 1857.
Dies in Citronelle, Alabama on September 14, 1898.
Burial at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
William S. Burroughs was the inventor of the first practical adding machine. More precisely his idea was to make a machine that would add as well as print that was being added. His machine was a great benefit for business accounting. William was not a wealthy, nor from a wealthy family. One wonders what his family went though while he was spending long hours designing and working on that machine. How did they manage. His wife, also stricken with TB had small children to care for and feed. They moved to St. Louis, presumably for health reasons, far from their families back in New York. Except for William's father who was with them during their first 5 years in St. Louis, from 1880 to 1885. The adding machine company didn't get the first 100 production machines to sell until 1891. Somehow they made it work. This is about William, and his family and who they were.
His father was Edmond Burroughs (b. 1825 d. 1892) and mother Julia Ellen Whipple Burroughs (b.1833 d. 1922). They were married in 1850, in Auburn. Edmond's family was from Michigan, and Julia's from New York. William was probably named after William Henry Seward, a popular politician in New York state at the time, who lived in Auburn. His father worked as a factory machinist and self employed tool and model maker, in Rochester, New York. His business was listed as "E. Burroughs, manufacturer of Machinery Tools and General Machinist", in the 1859 Rochester City Directory. William had one older brother Charles E, one older sister Annie B, and a younger brother, James W.
While William was still a small boy in 1860, his parents moved to Lowell, Michigan. Edmond's parents James C and Rosetta lived in that area. In 1871 they moved to Auburn, New York. They lived at 11 Adams in the early 1870's, but then moved just down the block to 3 Adams, where the family stayed until Ellen moved in with James in the late 1890's. There is an account that he left high school early at the age of 15, and went to work for a bank in Auburn. In our modern day thinking it would be hard to understand that a bank would employ a 15 year old, high school drop out to perform hand math for their accounting. However the 1874-76 Auburn city directory lists him as a Post Office Clerk. There was one year he is listed as a teller at the Cayuga County National Bank. During his time at the bank he would have finally realized the need for a reliable printing adding machine. Brother James related that William was also a "Discount Clerk" at the bank, and broke down from overwork when the bank took on discount work for DM Osborne Company. In 1878 the Auburn City Directory lists him as a Box Maker, and he is living with his parents, at 3 Adams Street. Also living there are his sister Annie and brother James. At this time James, who is only 18 is already listed as a printer and Annie as a music teacher.
William Seward Burroughs and the Burroughs Family
Born in Rochester, New York on January 28, 1857.
Dies in Citronelle, Alabama on September 14, 1898.
Burial at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
William S. Burroughs was the inventor of the first practical adding machine. More precisely his idea was to make a machine that would add as well as print that was being added. His machine was a great benefit for business accounting. William was not a wealthy, nor from a wealthy family. One wonders what his family went though while he was spending long hours designing and working on that machine. How did they manage. His wife, also stricken with TB had small children to care for and feed. They moved to St. Louis, presumably for health reasons, far from their families back in New York. Except for William's father who was with them during their first 5 years in St. Louis, from 1880 to 1885. The adding machine company didn't get the first 100 production machines to sell until 1891. Somehow they made it work. This is about William, and his family and who they were.
His father was Edmond Burroughs (b. 1825 d. 1892) and mother Julia Ellen Whipple Burroughs (b.1833 d. 1922). They were married in 1850, in Auburn. Edmond's family was from Michigan, and Julia's from New York. William was probably named after William Henry Seward, a popular politician in New York state at the time, who lived in Auburn. His father worked as a factory machinist and self employed tool and model maker, in Rochester, New York. His business was listed as "E. Burroughs, manufacturer of Machinery Tools and General Machinist", in the 1859 Rochester City Directory. William had one older brother Charles E, one older sister Annie B, and a younger brother, James W.
While William was still a small boy in 1860, his parents moved to Lowell, Michigan. Edmond's parents James C and Rosetta lived in that area. In 1871 they moved to Auburn, New York. They lived at 11 Adams in the early 1870's, but then moved just down the block to 3 Adams, where the family stayed until Ellen moved in with James in the late 1890's. There is an account that he left high school early at the age of 15, and went to work for a bank in Auburn. In our modern day thinking it would be hard to understand that a bank would employ a 15 year old, high school drop out to perform hand math for their accounting. However the 1874-76 Auburn city directory lists him as a Post Office Clerk. There was one year he is listed as a teller at the Cayuga County National Bank. During his time at the bank he would have finally realized the need for a reliable printing adding machine. Brother James related that William was also a "Discount Clerk" at the bank, and broke down from overwork when the bank took on discount work for DM Osborne Company. In 1878 the Auburn City Directory lists him as a Box Maker, and he is living with his parents, at 3 Adams Street. Also living there are his sister Annie and brother James. At this time James, who is only 18 is already listed as a printer and Annie as a music teacher.
Inventor. With a talent for working with machines, he came up with the first conception of the adding machine to be used at banks. He devised a calculated device to use for monotony of clerical work in 1885 and founded the American Arithmometer Company in 1886. By 1905, his company became the Burroughs Adding Machine Company and he was producing the Burroughs Patent number 388,116 point lever adding machine, which became in use national wide. He was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1986.
William Seward Burroughs and the Burroughs Family
Born in Rochester, New York on January 28, 1857.
Dies in Citronelle, Alabama on September 14, 1898.
Burial at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
William S. Burroughs was the inventor of the first practical adding machine. More precisely his idea was to make a machine that would add as well as print that was being added. His machine was a great benefit for business accounting. William was not a wealthy, nor from a wealthy family. One wonders what his family went though while he was spending long hours designing and working on that machine. How did they manage. His wife, also stricken with TB had small children to care for and feed. They moved to St. Louis, presumably for health reasons, far from their families back in New York. Except for William's father who was with them during their first 5 years in St. Louis, from 1880 to 1885. The adding machine company didn't get the first 100 production machines to sell until 1891. Somehow they made it work. This is about William, and his family and who they were.
His father was Edmond Burroughs (b. 1825 d. 1892) and mother Julia Ellen Whipple Burroughs (b.1833 d. 1922). They were married in 1850, in Auburn. Edmond's family was from Michigan, and Julia's from New York. William was probably named after William Henry Seward, a popular politician in New York state at the time, who lived in Auburn. His father worked as a factory machinist and self employed tool and model maker, in Rochester, New York. His business was listed as "E. Burroughs, manufacturer of Machinery Tools and General Machinist", in the 1859 Rochester City Directory. William had one older brother Charles E, one older sister Annie B, and a younger brother, James W.
While William was still a small boy in 1860, his parents moved to Lowell, Michigan. Edmond's parents James C and Rosetta lived in that area. In 1871 they moved to Auburn, New York. They lived at 11 Adams in the early 1870's, but then moved just down the block to 3 Adams, where the family stayed until Ellen moved in with James in the late 1890's. There is an account that he left high school early at the age of 15, and went to work for a bank in Auburn. In our modern day thinking it would be hard to understand that a bank would employ a 15 year old, high school drop out to perform hand math for their accounting. However the 1874-76 Auburn city directory lists him as a Post Office Clerk. There was one year he is listed as a teller at the Cayuga County National Bank. During his time at the bank he would have finally realized the need for a reliable printing adding machine. Brother James related that William was also a "Discount Clerk" at the bank, and broke down from overwork when the bank took on discount work for DM Osborne Company. In 1878 the Auburn City Directory lists him as a Box Maker, and he is living with his parents, at 3 Adams Street. Also living there are his sister Annie and brother James. At this time James, who is only 18 is already listed as a printer and Annie as a music teacher.
William Seward Burroughs and the Burroughs Family
Born in Rochester, New York on January 28, 1857.
Dies in Citronelle, Alabama on September 14, 1898.
Burial at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
William S. Burroughs was the inventor of the first practical adding machine. More precisely his idea was to make a machine that would add as well as print that was being added. His machine was a great benefit for business accounting. William was not a wealthy, nor from a wealthy family. One wonders what his family went though while he was spending long hours designing and working on that machine. How did they manage. His wife, also stricken with TB had small children to care for and feed. They moved to St. Louis, presumably for health reasons, far from their families back in New York. Except for William's father who was with them during their first 5 years in St. Louis, from 1880 to 1885. The adding machine company didn't get the first 100 production machines to sell until 1891. Somehow they made it work. This is about William, and his family and who they were.
His father was Edmond Burroughs (b. 1825 d. 1892) and mother Julia Ellen Whipple Burroughs (b.1833 d. 1922). They were married in 1850, in Auburn. Edmond's family was from Michigan, and Julia's from New York. William was probably named after William Henry Seward, a popular politician in New York state at the time, who lived in Auburn. His father worked as a factory machinist and self employed tool and model maker, in Rochester, New York. His business was listed as "E. Burroughs, manufacturer of Machinery Tools and General Machinist", in the 1859 Rochester City Directory. William had one older brother Charles E, one older sister Annie B, and a younger brother, James W.
While William was still a small boy in 1860, his parents moved to Lowell, Michigan. Edmond's parents James C and Rosetta lived in that area. In 1871 they moved to Auburn, New York. They lived at 11 Adams in the early 1870's, but then moved just down the block to 3 Adams, where the family stayed until Ellen moved in with James in the late 1890's. There is an account that he left high school early at the age of 15, and went to work for a bank in Auburn. In our modern day thinking it would be hard to understand that a bank would employ a 15 year old, high school drop out to perform hand math for their accounting. However the 1874-76 Auburn city directory lists him as a Post Office Clerk. There was one year he is listed as a teller at the Cayuga County National Bank. During his time at the bank he would have finally realized the need for a reliable printing adding machine. Brother James related that William was also a "Discount Clerk" at the bank, and broke down from overwork when the bank took on discount work for DM Osborne Company. In 1878 the Auburn City Directory lists him as a Box Maker, and he is living with his parents, at 3 Adams Street. Also living there are his sister Annie and brother James. At this time James, who is only 18 is already listed as a printer and Annie as a music teacher.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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