Abner Peeler 1836-1895

PEELER, NICHOLS, WALTERS, HURLBUT, ROSS

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 4/19/2020 at 20:12:34

Cascade Pioneer, Published in Cascade, Iowa, Friday, November 22th, 1895

Abner Peeler, the inventor of the typewriter, died at Lehigh, in Webster County, from typhoid fever. He realized nothing from his invention.
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The Renwick Times, Friday, Nov. 8, 1895, Page 4

AN INVENTOR DEAD

Fort Dodge Chronicle: Abner Peeler, who at one time lived in this city and is well known to many people here, having conducted a machine repair shop for a number of years, died at his home in Lehigh last night after several days' illness with typhoid fever. He was the first to conceive the idea of the typewriter, and constructed a model of that valuable machine that today is so generally used throughout the United States and in fact the world. While Mr. Peeler possessed great natural ability for mechanical principles, and was an inventive genius, he was wholly deficient in the ability to accumulate property, consequently never realized to any great extent any benefit from his inventions. Yet it has ever been so that true genius has never received the rightful reward for the merit it is entitled to, from the stand-point of monetary compensation.

Besides the typewriter he invented a number of useful inventions of minor importance compared to the typewriting machine. The generations to follow will be benefited by his labors, while all that is mortal of this inventive genius of this state will be forgotten.

The remains will be laid in their final resting place in the cemetery at Lehigh.

Abner came from a family of jewelers in Webster City, the son of Abner Sr. and Lavina (Nichols) Peeler. His mother passed away when he was four years old, and his father when Abner was 13.
He married Rachel Permelia Walters 25. Sep. 1864. Daughter Della May (Mrs. Wesson G. Hurlbut) was born in 1866, followed by John Franklin, after which is wife Rachel died. He married Laura Eleanor Ross in 1872, and they had seven children. The 1895 census of Lehigh, Iowa lists Abner, Laura, and children: Charles, Gertie A., Blanche, Carrie, Edith, William, and Earl Orvis Peeler.

Abner also developed airbrushing, and is credited with inventing an engraving machine, a knitting machine and improving the sewing machine.