Victor Lawrence, Inventor, connecting to Amos B. and Amos H. Carpenter of West Waterford

The Waterford Barn Census includes the Lawrence-Lund carriage barn, and with its documentation (http://waterford-vt-barn-census.blogspot.com/2013/09/lawrence-lund-carriage-barn-1920s.html) mentions Victor Lawrence.

The 1889 volume of Scientific American, on page 218 (April 6), mentions a patent issued to him:

RECENTLY PATENTED INVENTIONS, Mechanical.
PLANING MACHINE CUTTER HEAD — Victor V. Lawrence, Waterford, Vt. This head is made with end pieces having short integral journals projecting from their outer sides, parallel portions connecting the end pieces, which are separated by a clear space extending their whole length, and have flat inclined knife beds tangential to the side of the cutter hears, leaving room for the clips, the invention also covering various other novel features.

The next year, 1890, the U.S. Patent Office noted that Victor Lawrence had assigned a half interest in this patent, and in another one for a planing machine, to I. H. Paul, Boston, Mass., and A. H. Carpenter, West Waterford.

A. H. Carpenter would have been Amos Herbert Carpenter (born 1855), son of Amos B. (Bugbee) Carpenter -- who in turn was the postmaster in West Waterford from Jan. 5, 1856, to April 21, 1862.

Last week I was able to obtain an envelope postmarked 1889 from West Waterford to Amos H. Carpenter, and in it was a letter from his father, Amos B. Carpenter, mentioning Victor Lawrence!

                        West Waterford Jan. 13 1889

Dear Herbert
     I went up to see Abel on Saturday. Yesterday. Your mother went with me. It appears that Abel is failing at least he grows no better still he thinks he is some better in some respects and worse in others.
     I was in there about an hour & he seemed to be tired all out. I went out to let him rest. but when I returned he did not appear rested much.  It would be nothing strange if he did not live two weeks still he may get well. The village people think it doubtful.
     He had just received your letter and requested me to write you that he is not able to answer it but would be glad to receive letters from you.
     Wednesday we meet to complete those vistings [?]. I think they will all be there if it is a good day -- I have not heard from Haynes but I think he will come.
     Clinton & William say they will be there on time.
     Will send the papers soon as completed to you at Stockton.
     I shall take your letter over to St J and have Dunnett read it to them if necessary.
     Mrs. Asro Brown is very sick. The neighbors think she will not live only a few weeks to the most cannot take any food.
     I went up to Vic Lawrences last week to see if those yearlings were all right, I found only the two heifers, — I talked a few minutes with his wife. She told me that she knew that I had a claim on them but wanted to keep them for cows. I merely said that I expected Vic would pay for them when he returned. She made some inquiries about him. I answered that I knew nothing about his going to Cal or about the patent.
     She says he wrote in his last letter that he should be back in March.
     I saw Morrill who is on the place after I saw her and he told me they killed the Bull by Vic's order and that he did not know that I had any claim on them, that Mrs Lawrence had been trying to sell them, which I doubt some, as by appearance I should believe her sooner than Morrill.
     He says there will not be hay enough to last longer than the middle of February and he should not buy hay but was willing to take good care of them as long as it lasted.
     I told him when it was gone to drive them down to me; he said he would do it and let me know so that I could get them. I cam glad that I went up to see them as I think now they will be kept and delivered to me when the hay is gone.
     No snow yet. The ground is nearly as bare as in June.
     If there is anything you want of Abel you had better write at once it will be impossible to reach all the children.
     Write often, I have written every week since Thanksgiving if not received they are lost —
     Your affectionate Father A B Carpenter

A quick check of US Census records for Amos H. ("Herbert") Carpenter shows his birth in Waterford in 1855, residence in Waterford in 1860 and 1870, residence in Derby, VT, in 1880, and he shows up on the Stockton, Calfornia, Census pages for 1910, 1920, and 1930; he died on Nov. 10, 1933, in Stockton, California, and was buried May 12, 1934, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. His mother was Cosbi Bowman Parker, born in 1828 in Littleton, NH to Ezra Parker (b. 1791, Pembroke, NH) and Hannah Burleigh (b. 1800, Sanbornton, NH).