as the Sewing Machine War.

In 1856, the Sewing Machine Combination was formed, consisting of Singer, Howe, Wheeler, Wilson, and Grover and Baker. These four companies pooled their patents, with the result that all other manufacturers had to obtain a license for $15 per machine. This lasted until 1877 when the last patent expired.

James Edward Allen Gibbs (1829-1902), a farmer from Raphine in Rockbridge County, Virginia, patented

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