Until now the number 77 might conjure up memories of that early television show 77 Sunset Strip, at least for those of us who have reached middle age. If however you enjoy the study of planes and their makers, 77 Weybosset Street in Providence, Rhode Island might be of greater interest, as it was out of this shop that three separate plane making firms were to sell their wares: Cumings & Gale ( the copartnership of Samuel R. Cumings & Jonas R. Gale ), then the Plane Manufactory ( the new firm begun by Jonas R. Gale after Cumings left ) and later Bigelow & Barrus ( the copartnership of Leonard B. Bigelow & Nathan L. Barrus ).

    Samuel R. Cumings ( planemaker ) is the first of these makers to appear in Providence. He does so in the 1828 Providence Directory. ( the information for which was gathered in 1827) He may have arrived sooner as the Providence directories only listed males who were white and over the age of 21. His place of business is given as 62 Weybosset Street, a few doors down and across the street from our 77. In the following directory published in 1830 Samuel R. Cumings and the firm of Cumings & Gale can both be found at 62 Weybosset Street. Jonas R. Gale makes his appearance as well, except at a different address. In this 1830 directory the firm of Cumings & Gale appears at the back in a list of "late entries". That would appear to narrow the beginning of this firm to late 1829 or early 1830. During 1831 and 1832 Samuel & Jonas jointly purchased two pieces of property - first a lot with a dwelling and then a vacant lot. Neither of the lots was on Weybosset Street. For the first time the 1832 directory shows Samuel R. Cumings, Cumings & Gale, and Jonas R. Gale all at their new address at 77 Weybosset Street. In 1833 Samuel sold his interest in both properties to Jonas, which would appear to end the business relationship between the two.

     Neither the firm of Cumings & Gale, nor Samuel R. Cumings appear in the 1836-37 directory. ( the data for which was entered in 1835 ). The only entry was Jonas R. Gale, carrying on the business under the name of the Plane Manufactory and still at 77 Weybosset. It might be assumed that he continued making planes up to, or near November 1,1836. This was the day that the copartnership notice for the firm of Barrus & Bigelow first appeared. ( the planes are stamped Bigelow & Barrus ) The notice states "for the purpose of carrying on the Plane making business in Providence. They have taken the stand formerly occupied by Jonas R. Gale. No. 77 Weybosset Street, where may be found tools of every description." At the time Leonard was approximately 32 years of age and Nathan 25. If my guess is correct, the business was extremely short-lived as the copartnership notice appeared every day up to, then abruptly ended on, December 21,1836. On that day at 7 pm a fire occurred at #77 Weybosset Street doing $400.00 worth of damage and "we understand no insurance". (Providence Courier) The copartnership notice never reappeared and so it is conceivable that the ill-fated firm of Bigelow & Barrus existed for less than two months. Certainly the rarity of the Bigelow & Barrus stamp might bear this out.

    Bigelow seems to have struck out on his own and continued to call himself a planemaker until 1853 according to the Providence directories. Oddly enough, in the 1850 census, he is listed as a bookkeeper, age 46, from Connecticut. He appears to have remained close to his former partner, as in 1846 he married Nathan's sister Prudence C. Barrus thereby becoming Nathan's brother-in-law. The 1854 and 1855 directories list Leonard B. Bigelow as a machinist working for the Providence Tool Co. He disappears by the 1856 directory.

    Meanwhile Nathan L. Barrus appears to have moved back to Warren, Rl, his place of birth, for he is listed there as a planemaker in the 1845 Warren Almanac. By 1850 he is listing himself as housewright and by 1876 a railroad agent. Jonas R. Gale is more elusive as he disappears from both the Providence directories and the census in 1840, yet served as a deacon of The Central Baptist Church in Providence from 1843-1856.

    Until further information comes to light I hesitate to venture an opinion as to who learned the trade of planemaking from whom. However my guess is that only Nathan L. Barrus, who was a native Rhode Islander, learned his trade in Providence ( perhaps from Jonas R. Gale ) and that the other three makers learned the trade of planemaking before coming to Rhode Island.

I would estimate the working dates for these three planemaking firms to be:

Cuming & Gale - late 1829 - 1833
Plane Manufactory ( Jonas R. Gale ) 1833 - 1836
Bigelow & Barrus - Nov. 1,1836 - Dec 21,1836