The Machine for Adding Figures of Samuel Young

Samuel S. Young of Eaton, Ohio, USA, patented three simple calculating devices in the middle of 19th century.

The only information I managed to find for the inventor, is a marriage record from February 13, 1834, when he married for Eliza Jane Hardy.

The first patent (US patent No 6602 from 1849) was for machine for adding figures. The second patent was for machine for calculation of interest (pat. No 8329, 1851). The third patent (pat. No 21921 from 1858) was for arithmetical proof-rule.

It seems an adding device, based on the first patent of Young (see the patent drawing below), was manufactured and became rather popular in 1850s in USA. According to possibly exaggerated advertising, more than 30000 examples of this had been sold by 1857.

Let see an excerpt of a sales letter from a certain W. M. Richardson, a sales agent:
I am agent for the sale of Young's Patent Adding Tablet a very ingenious machine for adding up columns of figures, to any amount with accuracy and rapidity, without mental labour, they are very generally used by Bankers, Merchants, Storekeepers & Accountants, as evidence of their popularity, over thirty thousand have been sold already. It will be sent by mail on receipt of One dollar, or one dozen for Nine Dollars.

The patent drawing of Young's calculating device

Similar simple calculating devices as the above described remained popular till the middle of 20th century, see for example devices of Fowler and Locke.