| Notes |
- The following is from B.F. Swasey:
"He attended the district school of his native town and at 18 years entered upon the machinist trade at the Exeter Machine Works.
In 1869, in company with Worcester R. Warner, of Cummington, Mass., he entered the employ of the Pratt and Whitney Company at Hartford, Conn. he was fortunate in his association with Mr. Warner, for subsequently they became partners, and in all their career their work and achievements have been closely allied, and in their efforts each has been the compliment of the other. They live in Cleveland, Ohio, side by side in houses of similar design. Their special business is the manufacture of machine tools, for which purpose they established their first plant in Chicago, Ill., under the firm name of Warner & Swasey.
In 1881 the firm moved to Cleveland, where they erected shops, and in 1906 they enlarged their works to triple its former size and capacity, making it one of the most modern plants of its kind in this country.
Early in their career they added to their specialty the building of astronomical telescopes. Their first telescope was built in Chicago for a western university. This latter enterprise came naturally to them for Mr. Warner possessed a rare taste for the science of astronomy and his interest in the appliances used by astronomers, which combined with Mr. Swasey's love for artistic design and his ability as a mechanical engineer, led them to the study and construction of these delicate instruments. Messrs. Warner and Swasey are most noted in this country and abroad as the builders of the Lick and Yerkes telescopes. The Lick telescope which has an object glass thirty-six inches in diameter was, at the time it was completed in 1887, the largest refracting telescope ever constructed. It was also the first telescope to be adapted to the triple purpose of visual, spectroscopic and photographic work. The combination of these three features in one instrument, combined with its great size, called for the most consummate skill in its design and construction and it has established a standard for all such instruments built since that time. Although the Lick telescope was completed more than twenty years ago, yet such is the perfection of the instrument, and so superb are the atmospheric conditions on Mt. Hamilton, Calif., where it is located, that today this telescope is appealed to by astronomers throughout the world when differences of opinion arise regarding astronomical observations. The mounting of this telescope proved so admirable in every respect that in 1892 the United States Government commissioned Messrs. Warner and Swasey to build the mounting of the twenty-six inch equatorial telescope for the Naval Observatory at Washington. In 1893 the firm built the great telescope for the Yerkes Observatory at Geneva Lake, Wis. It has an object glass forty inches in diameter, four inches larger than the Lick. The weight of the Yerkes instrument is seventy tons and is the largest refracting telescope yet constructed. This telescope was exhibited in 1893 in the main building of the World's Fair at Chicago. The Object Glasses of the Yerkes, Lick and Naval Observatory telescopes were made by Messrs. Alvan Clark & Sons.
The manufacture of meridian circles, transits and other instruments especially adapted for astronomical work has formed a large part of the work of this rim. The problem of making a dividing engine of sufficient accuracy for astronomical work was taken up by Mr. Swasey with the result that an engine was perfected capable of automatically dividing circles up to forty inches in diameter, with an error of less than one second of arc.
Among Mr. Swasey's early inventions was the "Epicycloidal Milling Machine" for the production of the true theoretical curves of the teeth of gear wheels and "A New Process of Generating and Cutting the Teeth of Spur Gears."
At the death of his father in 1890, Mr. Swasey came into possession of a greater part of the homestead farm in Exeter, N.H. In 1903 he moved the main portion of the dwelling house down across the tracks of the Boston & Maine R.R. near the highway, keeping intact the great chimneys, fireplaces and the brick oven of the house, just as they were built a hundred years before. To this building he added all the accessories of a modern farm house. To this, his Exeter home, which he has named "Fort Rock Farm," he makes yearly visits, enjoying the much-loved scenes of his boyhood days and the companionship of his relatives and friends.
Many honors have been paid to Mr. Swasey for his work and achievements. He is past president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and of the Cleveland Engineering Society, a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers of Great Britain, and of the British Astronomical Association. he is also a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. In 1900 he received from the French government the decoration of the Legion of Honor for his work in connection with astronomical instruments. In 1905 he served as president of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, the same year the degree of Doctor of Engineering was conferred upon him by Case School of Applied Science of Cleveland. In 1910 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Denison University of Granville, Ohio.
When a young man he united with the Baptist Church of his native town, and, during his residence in Cleveland, he has been a member of the First Baptist Church. He has always taken a deep interest in church affairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Swasey spend much of their time in traveling, having made a journey round the world."
1870 Census - Living in Hartford Co., Conn (23 as a Machinest. Born in NH. Living in a Boarding House. Listed as "Ambrose Swasey".
1900 Census - Living in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio (53), with wife Lavinia (52). Married 28 years, no children. Everyone born in NH.
1920 Census - Living in Cuyahogo Co., Ohio (73), with cousin Alice Swasey (66), from Mass. He is a Widow, she is Single.
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1846 - 1937
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