Today in Wheeling History: November 2--Wheeling resident Sheldon Joseph filed a patent application for a cluster incandescent gas-lamp (1901).
Sheldon Joseph was born on February 18, 1857, in Ohio. Before moving to Wheeling, he worked as a teacher in Ohio schools and resided in Columbus, where he demonstrated his inventive talents. Joseph received multiple U.S. patents, including one for a gasoline-gas-generating device (Patent No. 656,892) in August 1900 and a hose-coupling design (Patent No. 659,071) in October 1900, both while living in Columbus. On November 2, 1901, now a Wheeling resident, Joseph filed his patent application for a cluster incandescent gas lamp that allowed multiple gas lights to burn together on one fixture. His design used a special collar with grooves and holes that held wire supports firmly in place, keeping each delicate glass mantle from shifting or breaking. This invention was granted as Patent No. 692,449 on February 4, 1902.
Joseph relocated to Wheeling around 1901-1902, where he became the local representative for the West Virginia Humane Society, a position documented in the 1912 State Board of Control report, which listed him as the Wheeling agent earning $60 monthly. He later served as Wheeling's first truant officer for the public school system. At the time of his death, Joseph lived at 1140 Eoff Street with his wife, Ivah (or Iva) Willard Joseph, whom he married around 1902. They had one son, Willard R. Joseph, who died in infancy in 1902. Sheldon was a member of the Fourth Street Methodist Episcopal Church and the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization. He passed away on July 17, 1937, following a two-week illness, and was buried in Peninsula Cemetery. His wife Iva died on January 25, 1941, and was also buried in Peninsula Cemetery.
To learn more: Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/2hsv73wu) (https://tinyurl.com/y9dcbsp6) (https://tinyurl.com/3b8wjwzn), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/a88rakma) (https://tinyurl.com/4b4jtpad), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/599e3hce) (https://tinyurl.com/mrnu49rv), Internet Archive (https://tinyurl.com/3tmm2ad7)
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Find a Grave, Wheeling Daily Register
Sheldon Joseph was born on February 18, 1857, in Ohio. Before moving to Wheeling, he worked as a teacher in Ohio schools and resided in Columbus, where he demonstrated his inventive talents. Joseph received multiple U.S. patents, including one for a gasoline-gas-generating device (Patent No. 656,892) in August 1900 and a hose-coupling design (Patent No. 659,071) in October 1900, both while living in Columbus. On November 2, 1901, now a Wheeling resident, Joseph filed his patent application for a cluster incandescent gas lamp that allowed multiple gas lights to burn together on one fixture. His design used a special collar with grooves and holes that held wire supports firmly in place, keeping each delicate glass mantle from shifting or breaking. This invention was granted as Patent No. 692,449 on February 4, 1902.
Joseph relocated to Wheeling around 1901-1902, where he became the local representative for the West Virginia Humane Society, a position documented in the 1912 State Board of Control report, which listed him as the Wheeling agent earning $60 monthly. He later served as Wheeling's first truant officer for the public school system. At the time of his death, Joseph lived at 1140 Eoff Street with his wife, Ivah (or Iva) Willard Joseph, whom he married around 1902. They had one son, Willard R. Joseph, who died in infancy in 1902. Sheldon was a member of the Fourth Street Methodist Episcopal Church and the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization. He passed away on July 17, 1937, following a two-week illness, and was buried in Peninsula Cemetery. His wife Iva died on January 25, 1941, and was also buried in Peninsula Cemetery.
To learn more: Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/2hsv73wu) (https://tinyurl.com/y9dcbsp6) (https://tinyurl.com/3b8wjwzn), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/a88rakma) (https://tinyurl.com/4b4jtpad), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/599e3hce) (https://tinyurl.com/mrnu49rv), Internet Archive (https://tinyurl.com/3tmm2ad7)
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Find a Grave, Wheeling Daily Register
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