Between 1842 and 1876, Harry H. Evarts received numerous patents, mostly relating to steam engines, barrel-making machinery, and shingle machinery. In 1856 the firm of Evarts & Butler was established to make "shingle machines, steam engines, &c." By 1859 it appears that Butler was gone and the new partner was Phineas E. Merrihew, creating Evarts & Merrihew.

Evart's most important patent was a shingle-machine patent granted in 1854. The patent was extended for seven years, and received a rare "Additional Improvement" patent as well. A reissue was also requested, but denied by the Patent Office. The patent was licensed to several other makers, including C. S. & S. Burt of Dunleith, IL, John Greenwood & Co. of Rochester, NY, Trevor & Co. of Lockport, NY, and Novelty Iron Works of Dubuque, IA.

Information Sources

• Much of the information here is gleaned from patent records.
• History of Chicago: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, by Alfred Theodore Andreas, 1884: "The following establishments commenced business in 1856: Evarts & Butler, manufacturers of shingle machines, steam engines, &c.;..."
• This maker is inferred from patent records; the name is purely a guess. Harry Hubbard Evarts received several patents for dovetailing machines, shingle machines, and barrel-stave machines. Three of these, from 1859 and 1860, were jointly assigned to Phineas E. Merrihew. Evarts' shingle machine design was subsequently produced by John Greenwood & Co. and then by C. S. & S. Burt.
• Other than the patents, we did not find any information at the "Making of America" archives at Cornell University and the University of Michigan, nor did a search of Google Books reveal anything. Google Books is constantly being updated with newly scanned material, so it is worth rechecking if you are looking for more information.
• Evart's most important patent was a shingle-machine patent granted in 1854. The patent was assigned to one A. J. Brown. We are not certain of the identity of Brown, but Andrew J. Brown was president of the bank Forrest Brothers & Co., and he seems to be the most likely identity of A. J. Brown.
• The U. S. Patent Office's Catalogue of Additions to the Library of the U.S. Patent Office issued May 1, 1878, lists a catalog, "Evart's shingle mill. To manufacturers and dealers in lumber. Illus. 8° [Octavo, usually 8 to 10 inches tall], Chicago, 1857, pp. 24".