Judy W. Reed
*On this date in c.1826, Judy W. Reed's birth is celebrated. She was a Black inventor during the 1880s.
Little is known about Judy Woodford Reed or Reid. She first appears in the 1870 Federal Census as a 44-year-old seamstress in Fredericksville Parish near Charlottesville, Virginia, in Albemarle County, along with her husband Allen, a gardener, and their five children. Ten years later, Allen and Judy Reed are still in Virginia, this time with a grandson.
Between 1880 and 1885, Allen Reed passed away, and Judy W. Reed, who identified herself as "widow of Allen," relocated to Washington, D.C., where she resided with her children at 1906 K Street, N.W. Her only known record is from a US patent. Reed, from Washington, D.C., is considered the first Black woman to receive a US patent. Reed's Patent No. 305,474 for a "Dough Kneader and Roller" was granted September 23, 1884. The patent was for an improved design of existing rollers, which allowed for more even dough mixing while keeping the dough covered and protected.
It is unknown if she could read, write, or even sign her name, as her patent is signed with an "X." Besides the patent registration, there are no other records of Reed's life. There is a possibility that an earlier black woman received patent rights; however, since there was no requirement to indicate race, and women often used only their initials to conceal their gender, this remains unknown. It is also significant that during the period, it was illegal for slaves to be literate, and those found reading, writing, or teaching others could be punished severely or killed. Judy Reed died in 1905.
