The inventor and patent-holder of several tools including, most famously, the spiral-ratchet screwdriver - commonly known as the Yankee Screwdriver and produced by North Bros. Mfg. Co. (Philadelphia, Penna.) in the early 20th century.
Mr. Furbish was the head of Research & Development for Forest City Screwdriver and Drill Co. (Portland, Maine) in the latter part of the 19th century before the company was bought out by North Bros. in 1897. Mr. Furbish moved to Philadelphia to continue his work, while remaining the patent-holder for his designs.
According to recorded recollections in Furbish family correspondence, Furbish either became an alcoholic or "lost his mind" around 1906. He entered Augusta State Hospital for the Insane more than once beginning in 1906 and he died at Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts (also a hospital for the insane) at age fifty-six. It was said that, "this man was one of the most brilliant minds that ever entered the hospital, but he would not stop drinking."
For decades after his death North Bros. continued using his designs and his Yankee Screwdriver would become a popular and commonly found tool throughout the country.
Source: "Zachary T. Furbish and The Forest City Screwdriver Co.: The Roots of 'Yankee' Screwdrivers" by Clifford D. Fales. The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Vol. 56, Number 4, Dec. 2003.
Mr. Furbish was the head of Research & Development for Forest City Screwdriver and Drill Co. (Portland, Maine) in the latter part of the 19th century before the company was bought out by North Bros. in 1897. Mr. Furbish moved to Philadelphia to continue his work, while remaining the patent-holder for his designs.
According to recorded recollections in Furbish family correspondence, Furbish either became an alcoholic or "lost his mind" around 1906. He entered Augusta State Hospital for the Insane more than once beginning in 1906 and he died at Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts (also a hospital for the insane) at age fifty-six. It was said that, "this man was one of the most brilliant minds that ever entered the hospital, but he would not stop drinking."
For decades after his death North Bros. continued using his designs and his Yankee Screwdriver would become a popular and commonly found tool throughout the country.
Source: "Zachary T. Furbish and The Forest City Screwdriver Co.: The Roots of 'Yankee' Screwdrivers" by Clifford D. Fales. The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Vol. 56, Number 4, Dec. 2003.
The inventor and patent-holder of several tools including, most famously, the spiral-ratchet screwdriver - commonly known as the Yankee Screwdriver and produced by North Bros. Mfg. Co. (Philadelphia, Penna.) in the early 20th century.
Mr. Furbish was the head of Research & Development for Forest City Screwdriver and Drill Co. (Portland, Maine) in the latter part of the 19th century before the company was bought out by North Bros. in 1897. Mr. Furbish moved to Philadelphia to continue his work, while remaining the patent-holder for his designs.
According to recorded recollections in Furbish family correspondence, Furbish either became an alcoholic or "lost his mind" around 1906. He entered Augusta State Hospital for the Insane more than once beginning in 1906 and he died at Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts (also a hospital for the insane) at age fifty-six. It was said that, "this man was one of the most brilliant minds that ever entered the hospital, but he would not stop drinking."
For decades after his death North Bros. continued using his designs and his Yankee Screwdriver would become a popular and commonly found tool throughout the country.
Source: "Zachary T. Furbish and The Forest City Screwdriver Co.: The Roots of 'Yankee' Screwdrivers" by Clifford D. Fales. The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Vol. 56, Number 4, Dec. 2003.
Mr. Furbish was the head of Research & Development for Forest City Screwdriver and Drill Co. (Portland, Maine) in the latter part of the 19th century before the company was bought out by North Bros. in 1897. Mr. Furbish moved to Philadelphia to continue his work, while remaining the patent-holder for his designs.
According to recorded recollections in Furbish family correspondence, Furbish either became an alcoholic or "lost his mind" around 1906. He entered Augusta State Hospital for the Insane more than once beginning in 1906 and he died at Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts (also a hospital for the insane) at age fifty-six. It was said that, "this man was one of the most brilliant minds that ever entered the hospital, but he would not stop drinking."
For decades after his death North Bros. continued using his designs and his Yankee Screwdriver would become a popular and commonly found tool throughout the country.
Source: "Zachary T. Furbish and The Forest City Screwdriver Co.: The Roots of 'Yankee' Screwdrivers" by Clifford D. Fales. The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Vol. 56, Number 4, Dec. 2003.
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