Samuel Reed Cummings was born in Barre, MA in 1804. (note 1).  It is believed that he apprenticed in New York City to the plane maker Enos Baldwin. (note 2).  Cummings left NYC and moved to Providence, RI in 1828. (note 3).  He is listed in the 1828 Providence Directory as a plane maker with his own shop.  In 1830, he partnered with the plane maker Jonas R. Gale to form "Cumings & Gale."  Gale, three years younger than Cummings, came to Providence in 1829 from NYC, where he had apprenticed to the plane maker Enos Baldwin. (note 4).  It is believed that Gale came to Providence because of the opportunity to partner with Cummings, an acquaintance from their NYC days.  

        Samuel Cummings worked as a plane maker in Providence from 1828 through 1833.  These years are described in a 1992 article by Barry Weaver titled "77 Weybosset Street ?" and Barry's findings have been summarized in the book "GAWP4." (notes 5 & 6).

      The "Cumings & Gale" partnership ended in 1833 when Cummings moved to Attleboro, MA, where he continued his plane making while living on a farm just outside Attleboro center, his farm fronting on the road to Norton, MA.  In 1836, Cummings was operating on his property a steam powered manufactory for making wooden planes; where new production techniques for plane making were experimented with and the output of wooden planes was great. (note 7).  His employees included the plane maker Marcus Read and the future plane makers Joseph A. Montgomery and Moses P. Wilmarth. (note 8).  Sharing space at the steam mill was George P. Foster, whose name stamp appears on at least two wooden planes, one also having the "S. CUMINGS" mark. (note 9).  G. P. Foster was an important gun maker in Taunton, MA during the 1840s and in RI after 1850.  The mechanical skill of both Cummings and Foster made the Attleboro manufactory a success in terms of skill deployment and the transfer of tool making knowledge to others.  But both men were plagued by money problems and Samuel Cummings, deeply in debt,  was forced to sell his farm and plane manufactory in 1939.

       In 1842, Samuel Cummings was a plane maker on Commercial St. in Boston.  By 1844, his listing in the Boston directories changes from a plane maker to a builder and his work mainly involves building houses on speculation in East Boston.  He prospered at house building for a few years, until an economic downturn caused him to lose everything, and he soon thereafter leaves the Boston area. (note 10).

     From 1847 through 1850, he was living in the Town of Fairfield, Somerset County, Maine.  In an 1849 directory, he is listed as a "Door, Sash, and Blind Manufacturer" in Fairfield. (note 11).

     In 1852, he was living in the Town of Winchester, Middlesex County, MA, north of Boston. (note 12).

       In 1856, he was living in the Town of Niles, Cook County, Illinois. (note 13).    When he died in Cook County, IL in 1879, his Death Certificate said that he had lived in Illinois for 8 years, working as a carpenter.

     In 1864, at the age of 60, Cummings was living in the Town of Chelsea, MA, working as a "carpenter." (note 14).

     The 1870 Federal Census lists him in the Town of Hyde Park, Norfolk County, MA, working as a "machinist."

     In 1872, at the age of 68, he was working as a "planemaker" at 56 Albany St., Boston, MA, residing at 149 Hudson St., Boston. (note15).

     On August 2, 1879, he dies in Cook County, Illinois, where he is buried in the Town of Maine. (note 16).
                                                                                                                                  

Note 4.  “Atlas Map of Tazewell County, Illinois”.  Published by William H. Bates.  1873.  The  information on Jonas R. Gale’s apprenticeship is in the section of the atlas that has biographical sketches of the founders of Tazewell County, Illinois.  Gale, who was living in 1873, provided Bates with first hand information that reads in the atlas entry almost like an autobiography.

Note 5.  Article titled “77 Weybosset Street ?” in “The Catalog of American Wooden Planes” (Published by Mike Humphrey). Issue No. 4, Sept., 1992.
 
Note 6.  “A Guide To The Makers of American Wooden Planes” (GAWP).  Mendham,  New Jersey: The Astragal Press.  Fourth Edition.  2001.  Expanded and revised by Thomas Elliott.

Note 7.  Bristol County Property Deeds at Taunton Court House, Taunton, MA.
                        -Book 151.  Page 420.  Deed dated Aug. 16, 1836
                        -Book 155,  Page 144.  Deed dated May 11, 1837.  
See also a Mortgage Deed dated Aug. 16, 1838 which references Cummings’ plane making shop and includes the phrase “the running gear attached to my shop.”  This deed is on page 117 of the  "Attleborough Book of Mortagages."  A microfilm copy of this book is at the Massachusetts State Archives.

Note 8.  Each of the three men witnessed at least one Samuel Cummings’ Attleboro, MA property deed.  These men were available to witness the deeds because they were working in Samuel Cummings' plane making shop, in close proximity to Cummings when he signed the deeds.  

-The plane maker Marcus Read, born 1812 in Attleboro, MA, was in his mid-twenties when he witnessed two Samuel Cummings’ Attleboro property deeds.  His age suggests that he learned plane making from Cummings while working as a hired hand.   
-Joseph A. Montgomery, born 1810 in Dorchester, MA, but raised in Attleboro, MA, was 17 years old when he witnessed the May 13, 1837 deed.  He was an apprentice to Cummings.  Montgomery left Attleboro for Boston in 1843 where he excelled as a plane maker.  It is interesting that Montgomery, so skilled at plane making, describes himself in property deeds of 1842 and 1843 as a machinist.  This suggests that his training in the Cummings shop involved more than just the basics of plane making.  
-Moses P. Wilmarth, born 1810 in Attleboro, MA, was 17 years old when he witnessed the May 13, 1837 deed.  He was an apprentice to Cummings. Wilmarth moved to the village of Central Falls in the Town of Smithfield, RI sometime around 1840, where he worked as a plane maker for several years.  By 1845, he was self described as a “mechanical engineer,” and for most of his life he worked as a "machinist" in the Pawtucket / Central Falls area.

Note 9.  The S. CUMINGS plane with the G. P. FOSTER mark is in Rick Slaney’s collection and the plane marked only with the G. P. FOSTER stamp is reported in GAWP4.  George P. Foster was born April 12, 1810 in Attleboro, MA.  Working as a gunsmith and machinist, he shared shop space with Cummings at the steam powered manufactory in 1836-39.  Foster’s woodworking skills could only have benefited by working along side Cummings, and he may have made the occasional plane, but it is doubtful that Foster was ever a full time plane maker.  The property deeds that link Foster and Cummings at the steam powered manufactory are Bristol County Property Deeds at Taunton Court House, Taunton, MA.  
                      - Book 151.  Page 420.  Deed dated Aug. 16, 1836.  
                      - Book 155.  Page 144.  Deed dated May 11, 1837.                    

Note 10.  Cummings’ activity as a builder in East Boston in the 1840s is detailed in at least two dozen Suffolk County, MA property deeds.  These deeds can be found at the MA State Archives.

Note 11.  The evidence for Cummings residing in Fairfield, ME is a Nov. 20, 1847 Suffolk County, MA property deed, Book 585, Page 78.  This deed can be found at the MA State Archives.  The "Door, Sash, and Blind Manufacturer” listing is in the 1849 “New England Union Business Directory.”

Note 12.  The evidence for Cummings residing in Winchester, MA is a Dec. 24, 1852 Suffolk County, MA property deed, Book 641, Page 85.  This deed can be found at the MA State Archives.  

Note 13.  The evidence for Cummings residing in Niles, IL is an Oct. 7, 1856 Suffolk County, MA property deed, Book 706, Page 265.  This deed can be found at the MA State Archives.

Note 14.  The Chelsea, MA residence for Cummings is from the 1864 Chelsea City Directory as cited in Mike Humphrey’s “The Catalog of American Wooden Planes”, Issue #4.  Sept. 1992.  Page 5.

Note 15.  The 1872 Boston City Directory lists “Cummings, S. R., planemaker, 56 Albany St., boards 149 Hudson.”  The book “GAWP4” reports a plane with the mark “S. R. CUMMINGS / BOSTON.”  This plane, with the name spelled with two m’s, probably dates to the 1872 period.  

Note 16.  The death certificate for Cummings is on file in Cook County, Illinois.  He died Aug. 2, 1879, “age 74 y, 8 m, 10d.”  A summary of the information on the original certificate is on the Mormon Church “Family Search” web site.