grandson . “ Her Scottish roots and background really came through in her ability to raise a family , be involved in the community and run a growing business .”
Moving to America
Born in Nova Scotia , Canada on December 2 , 1846 , Anna Sutherland was the daughter of a Scottish sea captain and the granddaughter of one of the earliest Canadian settlers . Her family moved to De Pere , Wisconsin when she was four years old . At the age of 16 , Anna became a teacher with ambitions of one day becoming a nurse .
Anna was 19 years old when she met a man named Melville Bissell . The two fell in love and were married . They moved to Kalamazoo , Michigan , where the young couple started a crockery business with Melville ’ s father : Bissell & Sons , which later relocated to Grand Rapids , Michigan .
Both Anna and Melville contributed to the store . Their eldest daughter , Anna Bissell McCay , would later recall in her memoir that her mother rushed to finish her housework and would be in the shop by mid-morning every day to help where she could .
One day , Anna complained about the piles of sawdust from cleaning the rugs in the shop . At the time , most people still used carpet beaters , made of wiry pieces of steel , to bang out the dust from the rugs in their homes and businesses .
Convinced there must be a better way , Anna confided in her husband . The mechanically-minded man began to brainstorm ways to help his wife — and eventually , women around the world .
Melville invented a carpet sweeper made largely of hog bristles . His wasn ’ t the first carpet sweeper , but it was his that solved a problem that others could not . Its “ broom action ” set it apart from competitors , as its cog wheels produced “ positive rotation on the brush .”
The Bissell carpet sweeper was patented in 1876 , the same year the telephone was invented . Anna and Melville soon began selling carpet sweepers to other business owners — to give them more time to focus on the needs of their businesses .
When Anna and her husband first started making the sweepers , they traveled from town to town in hopes of landing major sales for the units , which were priced at $ 1.50 . One time , when in
Design drawings for the Bissell carpet sweeper , US patent 182346 , September 19 , 1876 .
Philadelphia , the couple split up and each took one side of the main street . They made plans to meet up after visiting each business . At the end of the street , the two reconnected . It ’ s said that Melville was beaming with pride with the connections he had made and samples he had given out . But it was Anna who had something to show for their efforts . It turns out she had personally convinced none other than John Wanamaker to place an order for the sweepers at his iconic department store .
She basically said , “ That ’ s nice , Melville ,” as Mark Bissell believes the interaction to have gone . “ That ’ s a fun story that always gets laughs from our customers .”
www . MoAF . org | Winter 2024 | FINANCIAL HISTORY 25