Notes
Note N1372 Index
John was an ordained minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. He studied at Union College, Schenectady, New York (graduating in 1833), and the Theological Seminary at New Brunswick, New Jersey (graduating in 1836). He immediately became Pastor of the Old Fort Church at Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York, where he served until 1839, when he was called as Pastor of First Reformed Church in Walden, Orange County, New York. He stayed at Walden only two years.
In 1841, he moved to Auburn, in western New York's Cayuga County. There, he was Principal and teacher of mathematics at Auburn Female Seminary. While at Auburn, he wrote a small booklet, "A Practical System of Mensuration of Superfices and Solids." This had to do with measuring lumber in order to determine the number of board feet in a log, and was a precursor of a later work detailing the world-famous Scribner Rule (see below). That later work was written in 1846, when John and family were living in Rochester, New York. In Rochester, he was proprietor, Principal and mathematics teacher of the St. Paul Street School for Girls. That venture didn't last long, only two or three years, and the school "folded up" in the 1847-1849 depression.
By 1850, they were back in Schoharie County, where they spent the rest of their days. During those years in Schoharie, John was an active businessman, and occasionally would "fill in" for an ill or vacationing minister, but never again held a fixed pastorate.
His business interests included being an originator and governing board member of the Schoharie Valley Railroad, as well as being the owner and operator of two paper mills. One of those mills, located near Middleburgh, New York, produced about 1,800 pounds of paper per day.
The Scribner Rule, devised by John, gave the board-foot contents of logs 12 to 44 inches inside the bark at the top end and for lengths from 10 to 25 feet. His Rule was diagramed by drawing to scale circles representing the top ends of logs, and then to draw within those circles to the same scale rectangles representing the ends of as many boards as might be sawed out of those circles, being careful to maintain a proper allowance for slabs and the saw cuts between the boards.
That Rule was published in a book titled "Scribner's Ready Reckoner." It was an immediate best-seller, with copies selling as fast as they could be printed. By 1870, nearly 500,000 copies had been sold. At the time, that was a remarkable achievement and outranked all other works of the time, with the possible exception of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The book contained more than just the Rule. Also in the book were words of wisdom and advice to loggers and woodsmen, tables of interest, wages, board and lodging. The book was published by George Washington Fisher, a book seller and publisher in Rochester.
Sometime between 1872 and 1875, John sold his copyright and rights of royalty to Fisher for $500. The two men had had disagreements for years. John was too high-principled a man to continue in association and business relationship with Fisher, so John sold his rights to Fisher. Then, John burned his records and letters from Fisher, leaving only family memory and tradition.
Fisher, however, continued to publish the book, only he made several major changes. The new book was titled "Scribner's Lumber and Log Book" (one copy of this 1876 book is in the library of the University of Rochester). All of the material other than John's Rule were retained, but, in place of John's Rule, there was substituted a different set of values once known as the Doyle Rule, which had been out of print for more than twenty years. Fisher and his new partner, Daniel Marsh, stated that this substitute Rule was, in fact, John's latest creation. This was generally accepted by the public as the "New Scribner Rule." That book, "Scribner's Lumber and Log Book," was continually published for many years.
The above material was adapted from the article "A Postscript on the Lost Identity of Doyle and Scribner," by Harold C. Belyea, which appeared in the May 1953 edition of the "Journal of Forestry," pages 326-329. At the time he wrote this article, Mr. Belyea taught in the College of Forestry, State University of New York at Syracuse.
Notes
Note N1377 Index
Caleb moved from Washington, Vermont (where he grew up), to Corinth, whre he lived for a few years before moving to Chelsea after 1854. He farmed in each of those townships. About 1869, he moved into Chelsea Village. For 4 years, he owned a grist-mil, along with being a large owner of real estate. A physically strong man, Caleb had a "giant frame and muscles of a Hercules." Many stories were told about his prowess as a wrestler, although he had a warm and tender heart. He died of pneumonia only 5 days after Sophia died from paralysis. More is told about Caleb in the GAZETEER OF ORANGE COUNTY, VT, Part First [op.cit], page 237.
Notes
Note N1382 Index
In 1880, Charles was living in Middleburgh, New York, with his uncle, John Marston Scribner, and family. Charles was employed at John's paper mill there.
Notes
Note N1384 Index
William was a farmer in his younger years, but took up the trade of being a potter. He was engaged in making stoneware, having charge of the kilns of the foundry where he worked. He retired at age 50.