Sarah E. Goode
| Sarah E. Goode | |
|---|---|
 Patent issued to Sarah E. Goode for the cabinet bed | |
| Born |
Sarah Elisabeth Jacobs 1855 Toledo, Ohio |
| Died |
April 8, 1905 Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
Inventor Entrepreneur |
| Known for | First African-American woman to receive a United States patent. |
Sarah Elisabeth Goode (1855 – April 8, 1905) was an entrepreneur and inventor. She was one of the first African-American women to receive a United States patent, which she received in 1885.[1]
She was born Sarah Elisabeth Jacobs in 1855 in Toledo, Ohio, although she would sometimes say that she was born in Spain.[2] Sarah Goode was the second of seven children of Oliver and Harriet Jacobs, both described in public records as mulattos. Oliver Jacobs, a native of Indiana was a carpenter.[3] When the American Civil War ended the family moved to Chicago, Illinois[4] where she met and married Archibald "Archie" Goode, who was originally from Wise County, Virginia; they would have six children, of whom three would live to adulthood.[5] He described himself in the records as a "stair builder" and as an upholsterer; she opened a furniture store.[6]
The idea for her invention came out of necessity of the times. Most people she knew lived in small homes or studios and these residents had a minimum amount of habitable space. Many of her customers complained of not having enough room to store things much less to add furniture.[7] Goode invented a folding cabinet bed which helped people who lived in tight housing to utilize their space efficiently. When the bed was folded up, it looked like a desk, with room for storage. She received a patent for it on July 14, 1885.[8][9]
Second page of patent for Sarah E. Goode's cabinet bed
Sarah Goode died in Chicago in 1905 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery.
References
- ↑ "Goode, Sarah E. (c.1855?-1905) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". The Black Past. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- ↑ 1880 Federal Census for Cook County (Illinois) Enumeration District 2, Sheet 43, Lines 19-26; 1900 Federal Census for Cook County (Illinois) Enumeration District 76, Sheet 12, Lines 97-100 and Sheet 13, Lines 1-3
- ↑ 1860 Federal Census for the Third Ward of the City of Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, page 203
- ↑ 1870 Federal Census for the Second Ward, city of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, page 148
- ↑ 1880 Federal census for Cook County (Illinois) Enumeration District 2, Sheet 43, Lines 19-26
- ↑ "Sarah E. Goode". Inventors. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ↑ Hiphopucit (2011-02-27). "Black History: Sarah E. Goode – Inventor Of The Cabinet Bed". Hip Hop U-C-IT. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ↑ US patent 322177, Sarah E. Goode, "Cabinet-Bed", issued Jul 14, 1885
- ↑ Full patent image (12 pages) 322177 - Folding Beds - Sarah E. Goode at National Archives