Augustine Sackett

(1841-1914)
FatherHomer Sackett Jr (1801-1871)
MotherFlora Skiff (1808-1859)
Augustine Sackett
(1841–1914)
(Src: Anne Murray)
Augustine Sackett, son of Homer Sackett Jr and Flora Skiff, was born in ConnecticutG on 24 March 1841.1,2 He died in Manhattan, New York CityG, on 10 May 1914.3 He married in Lee, Berkshire County, MassachusettsG, on 8 June 1871, Charlotte Georgiana Rice, daughter of Abner Rice.4,1 Charlotte's father Abner Rice was described as "Lee's most prominent citizen" when he died aged 88 in 1908.5
     In 1850 Augustine was living in Warren, Litchfield CountyG, and was recorded in the census as Augustine Sackett, aged nine and born in Connecticut. He was living with his parents Homer and Flora in the household of his grandparents Homer and Sarah.6
     In 1860 he was living in WarrenG in the household of his father Homer and stepmother Julia, and was recorded as Augustine Sackett, a farmer, aged 19.7
     Augustine Sackett served during the American Civil War as an assistant engineer in the Regular Navy.
     In 1870 Augustine was living at Lee, Berkshire County, MassachusettsG, in the household of Edwin Morgan, a publican, and was recorded in the census as Augustine Sacket, a paper collar manufacturer, aged 29, and born in New York.8
     In 1900 he was living at Madison Avenue, New York CityG, and was recorded as Augustine Sackett, paper manufacturer, head of household, aged 50 and born in Connecticut. Living with him were his wife Charlotte, 52, and their unmarried daughters, Edith, 24, and Margaret, 19.9
     In 1910 he was living at Madison Avenue, New York CityG, and was recorded as Augustine Sackett, manufacturer of linings, head of household, aged 69. He rented his home. Living with him were his wife Charlotte, 62, and their daughter Edith, 34.10
     In 1920 Augustine's widow Charlotte was living at Madison Avenue, New York CityG, and was recorded in the census as Charlotte Sackett, head of household, aged 72. Living with her was her unmarried daughter Edith, 44.11
Augustine Sackett, inventor
Augustine Sackett was the inventor of drywall (plaster board), which he patented in 1894 as Sackett Board. It is used today to clad walls and ceilings in virtually all new buildings.12
     In recognition of his invention as a major technological advance, Augustine was inducted in 2017 into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He was further recognised in 2020 by his alma mater, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, when he was inducted into the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame.13,14

Children of Augustine Sackett and Charlotte Georgiana Rice


[p357]
3941. Augustine Sackett, 1841–, of Lee, Mass., and New York City, son of (1528) Homer and Flora Skipp Sackett, was married June 8, 1871, to Charlotte Georgiana Rice, daughter of Abner Rice and his wife Nancy Georgiana Reeve.
[p499]
Augustine Sackett served during the greater part of the war for the preservation of the Union in the Regular Navy, as an assistant engineer, doing duty as such in the ships Wissahickon, Chippewa, Algeciras, Spain, Ascutuey and Mallabessett. He was with the Gulf Squadron in the blockade of Mobile and capture of New Orleans; was with the North Atlantic Squadron in the sounds of North Carolina; was in the Roanoke River service, and in the conflict with the Confederate ram Albemarle. At the close of the war he resigned from the service and has since resided either at Lee, Mass., or New York City.
[p358]
Children.
6854. Edith Rice Sackett, b. June 8, 1876.
6855. Margaret Reeve Sackett, b. July 9, 1880.


Augustine Sackett
Drywall
US Patent No. 520,123
Inducted in 2017, #547
Born March 24, 1841 – Died May 10, 1914
Military Service: United States Navy

Few modern products have transformed construction as much as drywall. Sackett Board, the prototype for drywall, was patented by Augustine Sackett in 1894, and the evolution of Sackett's invention shaved weeks off the time needed to finish a building. Today, the average new house in American contains over 6,000 feet of drywall. It is a staple of modern structures.
     Sackett's schooling at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was interrupted by the Civil War, during which he served in the Union Navy. He settled afterward in New York City. An earlier Sackett patent—for a product intended as a sheath for walls and ceilings—led to the formulation of Sackett Board. Consisting of a core panel of gypsum plaster sandwiched between two thick sheets of paper, Sackett Board was rigid but soft enough to admit nails, and tough enough not to crack during installation or ordinary use. It replaced the time-consuming and labor-intensive method of wet-plaster wall construction. Sackett Board could be installed in a single day.
     Sackett Board was improved through the years, including its strength-to-weight ratio, durability, and fire resistance. In the 1940s, after wartime rationing limited the availability of lumber, contractors began using drywall instead. The panels became standard in inexpensive housing tracts mushrooming across the country. Drywall's popularity grew in nonresidential construction and high rises as well, including the John Hancock Tower, built in 1976 in Boston, and Chicago's Sears Tower, completed in 1973.
     Since 1930, the American demand for drywall has risen by 6,000 percent, and sales top $3 billion annually.

—Website National Inventors Hall of Fame (http://www.invent.org)


Augustine Sackett
Class of 1862
Inventor of drywall/sheetrock; entrepreneur
(1841 – 1914)

After serving in the Navy during the Civil War, Sackett moved to New York City, working as a paper collar manufacturer. He launched several entrepreneurial efforts involving the use of paper as a building material. He was awarded a patent for a product used as a sheath for walls and ceilings. Over two decades, he improved the product as a replacement for the time-consuming use of wet plaster and slat boards for building walls. The final iteration of his invention, called Sackett Plaster Board, consisted of alternating layers of the mineral gypsum and paper to create a "drywall." This new pre-made, rigid product could easily be nailed to studs in walls and could be painted or accept wallpaper. It also had the added benefit of being fireproof. Sackett received a patent for the product in 1894. As use of the product increased, Sackett sold his Sackett Plaster Board Company to the United States Gypsum Company.

Use of Sackett drywall continued to grow during the early 20th century and exploded in the post-World-War-II years. By 1955, half of all new homes and buildings in the country were constructed using drywall. He was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2017. The organization noted that 97% of construction projects used drywall. They went on to say that each year North American drywall companies ship enough of Sackett’s invention to circle our planet in one four-foot wide strip about 40 times. The average new house in America today contains over 6,000 feet of drywall.

—Website Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (http://alumni.rpi.edu/hall-of-fame)

 Notes & Citations

  1. Charles Weygant, The Sacketts of America, "3941. Augustine Sacket, b. Mar. 24, 1841; m. Charlotte G. Rice."
  2. Census.
  3. "New York, Death Index, 1862–1948" (Ancestry transcript), "Sackett, Augustine, d. Manhattan, New York, 10 May 1914, age 73."
  4. Vital Records, Lee, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, v235, p53, marriage "June 8th 1871, Augustine Sackett, of Lee, 30, paper colar manf, b. Warren Ct, s. Homer & Flora Sackett, first m., & Charlotte G Rice, of Lee, 23, b. Wayland Mass, d. Abner & Nancy G Rice, first m. Married by Rev V Gale, Cong. Clergyman."
  5. "Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851–2003" (Ancestry image), Boston Daily Globe, 12 September 1908, "Abner Rice, Lee, Dead. / Town's Leading Citizen Lived to Age of 88 Years. / High School Principal for 31 Years and a Representative. / Lee, Sept 11—Abner Rice, 88 years old, Lee's most prominent citizen, died this morning after a brief illness. ... He is survived by the following children: Mrs Augustine Sackett of New York, ...."
  6. 1850 United States Federal Census, Roll M432_43, p. 85
    Warren, Litchfield, Connecticut
    1265/1336
    Sackett, Homer, 85, m, farmer, b. CT
    Sackett, Sarah, 81, f, b. CT
    Sackett, Homer Jr., 48, m, farmer, b. CT
    Sackett, Flora, 42, f, b. CT
    Sackett, Edward, 14, m, b. CT
    Sackett, Homer S., 11, m, b. CT
    Sackett, Augustine, 9, m, b. CT
    Sackett, Flora J., 3, f, b. CT
    Hogan, John, 22, m, laborer, b. IRE
    Pratt, James, 21, m, laborer, b. IRE
    Kerney, Margaret, 18, f, b. IRE.
  7. 1860 United States Federal Census, Roll M653_81, p 330, FHL film 803081
    Warren, Litchfield, Connecticut
    Sackett, Homer, 58, farmer, real estate $8000, personal estate $3000, b. CT
    Sackett, Julia, 35, b. CT
    Sackett, Edward, 24, farmer, personal estate $600, b. CT
    Sackett, Homer L, 21, farmer, b. CT
    Sackett, Augustine, 19, farmer, b. CT
    Sackett, Flora, 13, b. CT
    Fitzgerald, Patrick, 20, farm laborer, b. Ireland
    Garvin, Joanna, 22, servant, b. Ireland.
  8. 1870 United States Federal Census, M593_601/405/813
    Lee, Berkshire, Massachusetts
    Sacket, Augustine, 29, paper collur & box masiff?, $-, $5,000, b. New York
    [in public house of Edwin Morgan].
  9. 1900 United States Federal Census, Roll 1116, p. 7A, Enumeration District 0797, FHL microfilm 1241116
    Madison Ave, Manhattan, New York, 5 Jun 1900
    Sackett, Augustine, head, b. Mar 1850, 50, m. 29y, b. CT, father b. CT, mother b. CT, manfr (paper)
    Sackett, Charlotte R, wife, b. Oct 1847, 52, m. 29y, 2 ch, both living, b. MA, father b. MA, mother b. MA
    Sackett, Edith R, dau, b. Jan 1876, 24, single, b. NY, father b. CT, mother b. MA
    Sackett, Margaret R, dau, b. Jul 1880, 19, single, b. MA, father b. CT, mother b. MA.
  10. 1910 United States Federal Census, Roll T624_1020, p. 13A, Enumeration District 0483, FHL microfilm 1375033
    Madison Avenue, Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York, 23 Apr 1910
    Sackett, Augustine, head, 69, m. 38y, b. CT, father b. CT, mother b. CT, manufacturer, linings, home rented
    Sackett, Charlotte R, wife, 62, m. 38y, 2 ch, both living, b. MA, father b. MA, mother b. MA
    Sackett, Edith R, dau, 34, m. 8y Roll T624_1020, p. 13A, Enumeration District 0483, FHL microfilm 1375033
    Madison Avenue, Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York, 23 Apr 1910
    Sackett, Augustine, head, 69, m. 38y, b. CT, father b. CT, mother b. CT, manufacturer, linings, home rented
    Sackett, Roll T624_1020, p. 13A, Enumeration District 0483, FHL microfilm 1375033
    Madison Avenue, Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York, 23 Apr 1910
    Sackett, Augustine, head, 69, m. 38y, b. CT, father b. CT, mother b. CT, manufacturer, linings, home rented
    Sackett, Charlotte R, wife, 62, m. 38y, 2 ch, both living, b. MA, father b. MA, mother b. MA
    Sackett, Edith R, dau, 34, m. 8y Roll T624_1020, p. 13A, Enumeration District 0483, FHL microfilm 1375033
    Madison Avenue, Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York, 23 Apr 1910
    [sic: she was single; enumerator's error—"m. 8" applies to next person on page], b. NY, father b. CT, mother b. MA.
  11. 1920 United States Federal Census, Roll T625_1213, p. 10A, Enumeration District 1091, Image 899
    Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York, New York, 12 Jan 1920
    Sackett, Charlotte, head, 72, wd, b. MA, father b. MA, mother b. MA, occ none
    Sackett, Edith R, dau, 44, single, b. NY, father b. CT, mother b. MA, occ none.
  12. Advertisement, Country Life in America, researched by Len Sackett.
  13. Website National Inventors Hall of Fame (http://www.invent.org).
  14. Website IPWatchdog (http://www.ipwatchdog.com/).
Appears inNotable Sacketts
Sacketts in the Military
Sackett line7th great-grandson of Thomas Sackett the elder of St Peter in Thanet
ChartsLine 3a (American)
Descendants of Homer Sackett
Sackett Family Association descendants
Debra Bellanti.
Generation.Tree8P.3
Last Edited31 Jul 2022
See also Thurmon King's New Sackett Family Database
3755 Augustine Sackett
 

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