A quick yet fascinating search was made at the Southeastern Depository of the U.S Patent and Trademark Office at Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, GA. Our family can boast of several serious inventors. The earliest on record is Beekman Van Buren Ryerson who invented a DIVING BELL of a type still in use. He also designed a CENTRIFUGAL MILL which was destined to make his fortune. Unfortunately, he died while negotiations were in progress and the idea was carried out by others.

Pierson Reading, the grandson of Mary (Ryerson) and Gov. John Reading, invented in 1818 a new and revolutionary HORSE RAKE. Unfortunately, the original drawings and specifications for this useful tool are missing from the record.

On July 17, 1835, Reading Ryerson of Oxford Co. Maine, the son of Luke Ryerson and nephew of Col. Samuel Ryerse patented "a new and useful improvement in the dash of common "BUTTER CHURN."

On February 27, 1866, Ira J. Ryerson of Pierceton, IN received Patent No. 52,890 for an even better BUTTER CHURN! The specifications attached to this patent describe its improvements and explains that it can be attached to the lid of the common churn to more easily operate the dasher. "The shaft is to be turned by a face wheel and wallower, in the manner of bevil gear, and upon the shaft there are floats, or dashers, some of which are horizontal and others vertical; the floats are called cutting floats, and it is to these that the goodness of the churn is attributed." He was a descendant of Joris Ryerson through his son Johannis G.

Col. Ezra Miller, a cousin born in 1812, served in the Union Army during the Civil War and later surveyed the greater part of the Dakotas for the government. He also invented the famous MILLERCAR-COUPLER used on railroad cars.

The earliest patents are quite difficult to research, however, those granted in the last 25 years are "in the computer" and easier to discover. (Highly technical descriptions of these recent patents have not been reproduced.) Here is a sampling:

Patent 4,233,761 was filed Dec 1, 1978 by Robert W. Ryerson, assignor to Page Engineering Co., Chicago,Ill.

EARTH DIGGING BUCKET TOOTH
CONSTRUCTION HAVING A NOSE WITH
INCREASED SECTION MODULUS.

Patent #4,243,631 was field Aug. 3, 1979 by John D. Ryerson assignor to Energy for Independence, Inc., Holland Patent, NY, for a SOLID STATE SENSOR, a detector for sensing the presence of ozone in an atmosphere. this was the first patent of several which address this problem.

Patent #4,802,537 was filed Sept 20, 1985 by Lee T. Ryerson, assignor to Caterpillar Inc. Peoria.IL

CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR POSITIONING AND TILTING AN EARTHMOVING BLADE.