Caleb Leach Papers: Finding Aid
Finding aid prepared by Brooke M. Black, June 29, 2012.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical
Gardens
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2012
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
Title: Caleb Leach Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1787-1940
Bulk dates: 1787-1889
Collection Number: mssLeach papers
Creator:
Leach, Caleb, 1755-1837.
Extent: 225 items. 1 box.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of American watchmaker and water-works builder
Caleb Leach (1755-1837). The majority of the collection deals with Leach’s invention, the screw auger, and his various business
ventures. There is also some material
related to Leach’s family into the beginning of the 20th century. This small collection includes business records, correspondence,
and other miscellaneous material.
Language: English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Caleb Leach Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Provenance
Burndy Library Collection, Gift of Dibner Family, November 2006. Previously MSS Collection 18.
Biographical Note
Watchmaker, water-works builder, and businessman Caleb Leach (1755-1837) was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1755. As
a young man, Leach
was apprenticed to a watch maker. In July 1775, Caleb served for eight months in Captain James Keith’s
company in the 28th regiment, commanded by Colonel Paul D. Sargent. He was
discharged from the Army in 1780 having served in various different regiments during the Revolutionary War.
Leach returned to Halifax, Massachusetts, as a clock/watch maker. In 1782, Caleb
married Abigail Tinkham (died 1818); they had eight children: Ebenezer (1782-1796), Abigail
(1785-1795), Caleb, Jr. (1786-), Ephraim (1788-1855), Samuel (1792-1838), Ebenezer (1797-1861), and Abigail (1802-1803).
In 1796, Leach, with
Joshua Thomas and others, formed the Plymouth Aqueduct Company and constructed
the Plymouth water works, said to have been the first water-works constructed in America. Leach
was contracted to build the works, and he invented a screw auger and machine to bore out logs for its conduits. He patented
his invention on April 13, 1979.
In 1799, at the invitation of Aaron Burr, DeWitt Clinton and others, Leach built the Manhattan water works and later the first
water works in Philadelphia and then Boston.
Around 1804, Leach, his youngest son Dr. Ebenezer Leach, and his brother Ephraim
Leach, purchased a large tract of land in Owego, New York, where the family
established Leach’s Mills, a grist and saw mill complex.
Following the death of his wife, Leach went to
live with his son Ebenezer in Utica, New York, where he died in 1837 at the age of
82.
Scope and Content
This collection contains the papers of American watchmaker and water-works builder
Caleb Leach (1755-1837). The majority of the collection deals with Leach’s invention, the screw auger, and his various business
ventures. There is also some material
related to Leach’s family into the beginning of the 20th century. The collection includes business records, correspondence
and other miscellaneous material.
The Business records include two account books, correspondence, receipts, bills, business contracts, documents dealing with
several of Leach’s projects
including the Manhattan Company, and the water-works in Plymouth, Boston and Philadelphia, indentures, and contracts with
manufacturers granting them
exclusive rights to produce the augers. Several of these documents contain details about the screw auger and how it works,
types of lumber used for the various projects, and the price of materials.
The Correspondence includes personal letters by various Leach, Tinkham, and Gale family members. There are also several postcards,
miscellaneous items, newspapers and clippings and empty envelopes.
Arrangement
Arranged in 3 series:
- 1. Business records
- 2. Correspondence
- 3. Miscellaneous materials
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Leach, Caleb, 1755-1837 -- Archives.
Leach family.
Businessmen -- United States --
Archives.
Drilling and boring
machinery.
Inventors -- United States -- Archives.
Lumber. Mills and mill-works -- History
-- Sources.
Screw-cutting machines.
Waterworks -- Massachusetts.
Waterworks -- New York.
Waterworks -- Pennsylvania.
Boston (Mass.)
New York (N.Y.)
Owego (N.Y.)
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Plymouth
(Mass.)
Forms/Genres
Business records -- United States --
18th century.
Business records -- United States --
19th century.
Contracts -- United States -- 18th
century.
Contracts -- United States -- 19th
century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 18th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 20th century.
Additional Contributors
Burndy Library, former owner.
Folder 1
Account Book (1799-1816). 1 item. The majority of the notebook is made up of blank pages.
Folder 2
Account Book (1801-1805). 1 item. The majority of the notebook is made up of blank pages.
Folder 3
Business Records (1787-1797). 6 items.
Folder 4
Business Records (1799). 31 items.
Folder 5
Business Records (1800-1802). 13 items.
Folder 6
Business Records (1803-1805). 11 items.
Folder 7
Business Records (1806-1809). 14 items.
Folder 8
Business Records (1811-1908). 15 items.
Folder 9
Correspondence, Family (1873-1929). 19 items.
Folder 10
Correspondence, Personal (1817-1825). 20 items.
Folder 11
Gale Family Correspondence and Documents (1889-1910). 17 items.
Folder 12
Miscellaneous Items (1826-1927). 24 items.
Folder 13
Newspapers and Clippings (1842-1874). 8 items.
Folder 14
Postcards (1912-1930). 9 items.
Folder 15
Empty Envelopes (1883-1940). 36 items.
