Inventor, Carpenter. Born into slavery in Kentucky, he became a skilled carpenter and was able to purchase his freedom in 1826 when he was 24 years old. He relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio and began his new life as a house builder. Boyd eventually earned enough money to purchase the freedom of his brother and sister. In 1836, he established the H. Boyd Company and began to make and sell his invention that was called the "Boyd Bedstead." The bed was a corded four poster bed constructed with wooden rails that connected the headboard and the footboard. Unable to obtain a patent because of his race, Boyd made sure that he stamped his beds with his name to ensure that the completed piece had been made by him. Boyd manufactured his beds at a factory that he ran in Cincinnati and employed up to thirty employees. In 1844, he produced more than a 1,000 beds and found success from selling to hotels. In 1855, he opened a showroom with fashionable parlor furniture. His business suffered during the Civil War and he closed the doors of his shop in 1863. He died in Cincinnati in 1886 when he was 83 years old and is buried in an unmarked grave.
Inventor, Carpenter. Born into slavery in Kentucky, he became a skilled carpenter and was able to purchase his freedom in 1826 when he was 24 years old. He relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio and began his new life as a house builder. Boyd eventually earned enough money to purchase the freedom of his brother and sister. In 1836, he established the H. Boyd Company and began to make and sell his invention that was called the "Boyd Bedstead." The bed was a corded four poster bed constructed with wooden rails that connected the headboard and the footboard. Unable to obtain a patent because of his race, Boyd made sure that he stamped his beds with his name to ensure that the completed piece had been made by him. Boyd manufactured his beds at a factory that he ran in Cincinnati and employed up to thirty employees. In 1844, he produced more than a 1,000 beds and found success from selling to hotels. In 1855, he opened a showroom with fashionable parlor furniture. His business suffered during the Civil War and he closed the doors of his shop in 1863. He died in Cincinnati in 1886 when he was 83 years old and is buried in an unmarked grave.
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