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CHARLES GOODYEAR.

Charles Goodyear was born in New Haven, December 29, 1800.  He was the son of Amasa Goodyear, and the eldest among six children.  His father was quite proud of being a descendant of Stephen Goodyear, one of the founders of the colony of New Haven in 1638.

Amasa Goodyear owned a little farm on the neck of land in New Haven which is now known as Oyster Point, and it was here that Charles spent the earliest years of his life.  When, however, he was quite young, his father secured an interest in a patent for the manufacture of ivory buttons, and looking for a convenient location for a small mill, settled at Naugatuck, Conn., where he made use of the valuable water power that is there.  Aside from his manufacturing, the elder Goodyear ran a farm, and between the two lines of industry kept young Charles pretty busy.

In 1816, Charles left his home and went to Philadelphia to learn the hardware business.  He worked at this very industriously until he was twenty-one years old, and then, returning to Connecticut, entered into partnership with his father at the old stand in Naugatuck, where they manufactured not only ivory and metal buttons, but a variety of agricultural implements, which were just beginning to be appreciated by the farmers.  In August of 1824 he was united in marriage with Clarissa Beecher, a woman of remarkable strength of character and kindness of disposition, and one who in after years was of the greatest assistance to the impulsive inventor.  Two years later he removed again to Philadelphia, and there opened a hardware store.  His specialties were the valuable agricultural implements that his firm had been manufacturing, and after the first distrust of home made goods had worn away—­for all agricultural implements were imported from England at that time—­he found himself established at the head of a successful business.

This continued to increase until it seemed but a question of a few years until he would be a very wealthy man.  Between 1829 and 1830 he suddenly broke down in health, being troubled with dyspepsia.  At the same time came the failure of a number of business houses that seriously embarrassed his firm.  They struggled on, however, for some time, but were finally obliged to fail.  The ten years that followed this were full of the bitterest struggles and trials to Goodyear.  Under the law that then existed he was imprisoned time after time for debts, even while he was trying to perfect inventions that should pay off his indebtedness.