Yesterday's Architect · 1802–1886
Henry Boyd
Born into slavery in Carlisle, Kentucky, he bought his freedom, built a bedstead factory in Cincinnati employing twenty to fifty men, and invented a rope-bed joint that became standard practice. His factory closed after lease defaults around 1860.
Read the Yesterday's Architects profileHenry Boyd: The Manufacturer Who Sold to the South and Funded the Escape NorthSep 2, 2026 · Read →
Related architects
- Stephen Smith and William Whipper
Also connected to Martin Delany
- Charity “Duchess” Quamino
Same theme: Financing freedom
- Clara Brown
Same theme: Financing freedom
- Elizabeth A. Gloucester
Same theme: Financing freedom
- Mary Ellen Pleasant
Same theme: Financing freedom
- Mont Howell
Same theme: Manufacturing
- Wilson Ruffin Abbott
Same theme: Financing freedom
People
- patent held in the name of · 1833George Porterpatent X007911, "bedstead fastenings"BEJ profile · cites Wikipedia, Patent racism; Lost Art Press
- documented by · 1848–1852Martin Delanydescribed the factory in an 1848 letter to Frederick Douglass and his 1852 bookBEJ profile · cites Frederick Douglass Papers Project; Delany, 1852
Institutions and enterprises
- founded · 1839H. Boyd CompanyBEJ profile · cites Lost Art Press
Places
- born in · 1802Carlisle, KentuckyBEJ profile
- worked in · 1825–1886Cincinnatiarrived 1825 or 1826BEJ profile
- died in · 1886CincinnatiBEJ profile
- worked in · late 1810sKanawha saltworkshired out; earned "overwork" pay toward his freedomBEJ profile · cites Cincinnati Museum Center
Events
- lived through · 1829Cincinnati riots of 1829stayed in the city through itBEJ profile · cites Nikki Taylor
Themes
Only relationships stated in a BEJ profile or a cited record are shown, each with its source.