Rash's Surname Index


Notes for Joshua PUSEY

his is from an article at the Delaware Co. Historical Society

" Joshua Pusey b. 3/27/1842 at Auburn, now Yorklyn, Delaware: attended
Evan Swayne's private school: toured Europe 2 years until outbreak of Civil War; serving as Acting Consul at Genoa; enlisted in Capt. Fred Taylor's company at West Chester, Pa as part of First PA rifle "Bucktail" Regiment; wounded and left for dead at Fredericksburg, 12/1862, invalided out of service, and for rest of life suffered speech impediment and wore goatee to hid scars; 11/15/1866 married Rebecca Kenderdine, while on business in Washington D.C. she died 12/6/1876 after having borne him six children; early in 1870 came to Philadelphia to study law under Richard P. White and George H. Earle, The latter grandfather of a PA governor; 12/6/1873 admitted to Court of Common Pleas; 11/15/1879 married to Caroline Cook Shreve; she bore him three children; May 8, 19(06) Pusey died; surviving were his sons, Fred Taylor Pusey, Walter Carroll Pusey (associated in his law firm) and Arthur Warren Pusey, and his daughter, Mrs. Grace E. Pusey Marot and Miss Ildabell Pusey (1883-1909)
Location of Pusey Law offices: 1857- 501 Chestnut St.; 1892- 905 Walnut St; 1901- 931 Chestnut St.; 1906- 624 Mutual Life Building"
This is from the World Book Encyclopedia
"The invention of book matches. Joshua Pusey, a Philadelphia attorney, invented the first book matches in 1892. He called them flexible matches. Pusey made his matches in packages of 50. The striking surface was on the inside cover, dangerously near the heads of the matches. Because of this book matches did not become popular until World War I (1914-1918) By that time, the Diamond Match Company had purchased Pusey's patent and made book matches safe and usable. "Joshua Pusey invented book matches in 1889. He was a well-known lawyer in Pennsylvania before the turn of the century. He smoked cigars. One day he was invited to a dinner party by the Mayor of Philadelphia. He dressed in his best clothes, and all was fine-except for one thing. The big box of wooden kitchen matches he was carrying to light his cigars, stuck out of his vest so much that he felt embarrassed. Why did matches have to be so bulky? He wondered! Why couldn't they be made out of paper instead of wood?
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