Aaron Merrill Peasley ''(born Peaslee)'' (July 2, 1775 in
Newton, New Hampshire – April 6, 1837 in
Dayton, Ohio), was one of early America's foremost
button makers.
Life
Peasley was born one of four sons born to William Peasley and Hannah Merrill. His father died in 1794 and young Aaron went to
Boston to learn the
tool and die trade.
By the
War of 1812 he was one of America's most well-known button makers, notably for his military uniform buttons. He lived and worked on Middle Street in Boston. His peak production years were in the early 1820s. In 1809, he married Lois Woodward in
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins t ...
. In 1818 he was awarded a patent for a reed attachment to
organs. He also invented some valuable improvements in
calico printing.
About 1826 or 1827 he and his family resettled in
Dayton, Ohio, where he was known as a skillful
engraver and die-sinker. He was the owner of Peasley & Mead, noted for their skill in working with metal and wood.
In his later years he owned the first "Pleasure Gardens" in Dayton, on the west side of Warren street, at the south side of Seely's Basin, near the present location of the
University of Dayton. He envisioned parties to be taken to the garden by boat down the canal to the basin. After a trial of two or three years, it was closed as it was an idea before its time.
He died in Dayton on April 6, 1837, aged 61. His buttons for
military uniforms
A military uniform is a standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations.
Military dress and styles have gone through significant changes over the centuries, from colourful and elaborate, ornamented c ...
are still sought after by collectors today.
References
List of all U.S. Patents and Patentees -- 1790 - 1829- accessed November 29, 2005
- accessed November 29, 2005
- accessed December 4, 2005
External links
Vermont Peasley buttonWill of Aaron M. Peasley
Montgomery County, Ohio (PDF)
1775 births
1837 deaths
American manufacturing businesspeople
Businesspeople from Boston
Businesspeople from Dayton, Ohio
American engravers
{{Ohio-bio-stub