Thomas Somers (USA)
Thomas Somers, an English textile factory superintendent, was one of the original investors and architects for the Beverly Cotton Manufactory in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Thomas Somers travelled, at his own expense, to England in 1785 on behalf of the Tradesmen and Manufacturers of Baltimore, Maryland, in an attempt to procure the machines used for carding and spinning cotton. After some difficulty, he was able to leave England, having stolen descriptions and models of the machines used. He returned to Baltimore in the summer of 1786. The boat carrying much of his personal property during his stay in England was wrecked at Cape Cod. and it is reported that he lost one-half of the property he brought with him.
Somers petitioned the Legislature of Massachusetts requesting financial assistance for equipment needed to begin manufacturing of his cotton mill designs. In 1787 Somers wa sgranted £20 from the Public Treasury.
The above information is condensed from the Wikipedia entry.
Another English immigrant, James Leonard, was involved with Somers in the technical side of the Beverly Cotton Manufactory.[1]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 'Transatlantic Industrial Revolution: The Diffusion of Textile Technologies Betweeen Briatain and America, 1790 - 1830s' by David J. Jeremy, 1981