Thomas Elkins
Full Name
Thomas Elkins
Date of Birth
1818
Place of Birth
Date of Death
August 10, 1900
Place of Death
Not available
Education
Studied surgery and dentistry, possibly with one of the founders of the Albany Medical College.
Spouses Names
Not available
Children Names
Not available
Parents Names
Not available
Known Affiliates Names
- Stephen Myers (Leader in Albany’s Underground Railroad)
- 54th and 55th Massachusetts regiments (Served as medical examiner)
Affiliated Organizations’ Names
- Albany Vigilance Committee (Secretary)
- Albany Medical College (Possible study)
Thomas Elkins was an African American inventor, abolitionist, and trained medical professional who made significant contributions to refrigeration techniques and household furniture design. Born in New York State in 1818, Elkins played a crucial role in supporting the Underground Railroad in Albany, New York, during the 1840s and 1850s. He was a member of the Albany Vigilance Committee, providing assistance to those seeking freedom. Elkins patented several inventions throughout his life. On February 22, 1870, he patented a multifunctional table (U.S. Patent number 100,020) that could serve for dining, ironing, and as a quilting frame. He is perhaps best known for his “chamber-commode” patented on January 9, 1872 (U.S. Patent number 122,518), which combined a bureau, mirror, bookshelf, washstand, table, easy-chair, and earth-closet or chamber-stool into one piece of furniture. Another notable invention was his refrigeration apparatus (U.S. Patent number 221,222), patented on November 4, 1879. This device aimed at improving the refrigeration of perishable items and human corpses, featuring a covered trough or container kept at low temperature by the continuous circulation of chilled water or other cooling fluid through a series of metallic coils. Elkins’ work as a medical examiner may have motivated his refrigeration invention, addressing the challenge of keeping the bodies of the recently deceased cool, especially in cities. His inventions were a marked improvement over other longstanding techniques and earned him a certificate of “highest merit” from the New York Agriculture Society in 1880. Thomas Elkins never married and had no children. He died on August 10, 1900, at the age of eighty-two, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and service to his community