|
magic hammer. Farmers brought plows that were broken and when they got them back they were better than new. John was now twenty-one and had finished being an apprentice. He was getting job notices. Finally he narrowed it down to two. David Wells and Ira Allen. They were both respected blacksmiths', but he could not make up his mind. Finally he decided to work for both. It was an unusual arrangement, but neither smith complained. During this time John met a young girl named Demarius Lamb. John was very interested in this woman and began to write letters. Even though John did not spell well in his notes to her, she seemed not to notice. The next year John Deere's mother died. It was a hard time in John's life and Demarius helped him through it. John was determined to marry Demarius, but the $15 per month earned as a blacksmith could hardly support a wife. Then the Deere's had their first baby, her name was Jeannette. On a stormy night about a month after he had built the smithy someone was pounding on the door. When John opened the door and asked what the problem was the stranger answered, "It's your smithy it has been struck by lightning and is burning to the ground". John ran over to his smithy just in time to see the last bit fall to the ground. Jay Wright lent him some more money. It took John only a little time to build another one, but it cost him money. A year after he had restarted his business, there was another fire; this time John didn't rebuild it. Then the Deere's had their second daughter, her name was Ellen. He was not making any money, so a friend named Amos Bosworth let them stay at his house.
John then decided to head west. Partly because many people thought that there was a better life in the west. Demarius would stay in the east and when John had the money she would come out to the west. At the same time Jay Wright was filing a lawsuit against John. Jay was mad and wanted the money that he had lent John earlier that year. John then set out for the west.
John stayed at Leonard Andruss' house and helped him build a sawmill, while he built his own house and smithy. After he finished moving to Grand Detour, Illinois, he soon learned that farmers had a tough time plowing through the farm's land. He had heard that the soil stuck to the plow after only a few feet. John wanted to find a solution. One day while entering Leonard's house to get a drink he saw a broken circular saw blade. He asked if he could have it, and Leonard said yes. John then went back to his smithy and started to shape the iron saw blade into the shape of a plow. Every once in a while he would stop to polish it. After about a month of working on the plow he finished it. Next, he put two wooden spokes on it and hooked it to a horse. Finally, he went to a farm and tried it out. The plow worked like a charm. John Deere had invented the steel plow! Now farmers would not have so much trouble trying to plow in the sticky ground. A farmer saw how the plow was working and asked who made it. John answered, "I did, the wood work and all". The next day the same farmer came and asked if he could have trial run. John said he could, and the next day the farmer came and bought it. Word spread quickly, but as fast as the word of the steel plow was going around John was getting more and more employees. Some employees quit because John always wanted to improve his new invention. The next month John's
|
|
