Jacob Stuart Aydelott was born into a Quaker family on July 6, 1861 in Xenia, Grant County, Indiana. You won't find Xenia on a map anymore. The town is now called Converse, and it lies just west of the county seat town of Marion in Northeast Indiana.
There is not much known about Jake before 1883. He lived on a farm, got married in 1879, was inventive and loved baseball.
In 1883 he started inventing. In January, Jake was granted his first patent. It was for a novel Chain Cog.
But mechanical things came in second to his love of baseball. In the summer of 1883 he is making money playing for the Quincy, Illinois, base ball team of the Northwestern League. The league was comprised of eight teams from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.
The Northwestern League of 1883–1884 is considered the first baseball "minor league". It was party to the National Agreement of 1883, along with the National League and American Association, whereby the leagues agreed to honor each other's suspensions, expulsions, and player reserve clauses, and established territorial rights
"Big Jake", as he was known by, was Quincy's pitcher. At six feet tall he was generally one of the tallest players. He pitched right handed, but batted left handed. In late May Quincy was playing in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was a series of games to see which team was going to end up in last place. Quincy won a game and then there was a tie. Then the town had a novel idea. The Jenny Electric Company had just demonstrated their new arc lights in town one night. Why not install them at League Park (now the Headwaters city park) for a game of baseball at night?
Probably unknown to the town at the time it had already been done. On September 2, 1880, teams representing two of Boston's prominent department stores, Jordan Marsh and Company and R. H. White and Company, played a game of baseball at the Sea Foam hotel in the oceanside town of Hull, Massachusetts. The game had almost zero coverage.
The Northwestern League of 1883–1884 is considered the first baseball "minor league". It was party to the National Agreement of 1883, along with the National League and American Association, whereby the leagues agreed to honor each other's suspensions, expulsions, and player reserve clauses, and established territorial rights
"Big Jake", as he was known by, was Quincy's pitcher. At six feet tall he was generally one of the tallest players. He pitched right handed, but batted left handed. In late May Quincy was playing in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was a series of games to see which team was going to end up in last place. Quincy won a game and then there was a tie. Then the town had a novel idea. The Jenny Electric Company had just demonstrated their new arc lights in town one night. Why not install them at League Park (now the Headwaters city park) for a game of baseball at night?
Probably unknown to the town at the time it had already been done. On September 2, 1880, teams representing two of Boston's prominent department stores, Jordan Marsh and Company and R. H. White and Company, played a game of baseball at the Sea Foam hotel in the oceanside town of Hull, Massachusetts. The game had almost zero coverage.
The Boston Post Newspaper September 3, 1880
After several days of bad weather on June 2nd the night game was going to be played. But, the Fort Wayne team decided they didn't want to play after losing to Quincy 10-3 in the afternoon, They would have to find someone else. The newspapers stated that some college kids from one of the Methodist Episcopal churches volunteered to play Quincy.
2,000 spectators came out that night compared to 500 for the day game. A clean ball had to be used occasionally to be seen better during the game. After seven innings the game was called. Even though the lights failed twice the newspaper reported "..it was very entertaining and the score was of no importance." Jake was now part of history.
The success of the night game was a win for the Jenny Electric Company. In 1884 the company lighted the New Orleans World's Fair. A year later, Jenney lamps were the first ever to light the Statue of Liberty.
2,000 spectators came out that night compared to 500 for the day game. A clean ball had to be used occasionally to be seen better during the game. After seven innings the game was called. Even though the lights failed twice the newspaper reported "..it was very entertaining and the score was of no importance." Jake was now part of history.
The success of the night game was a win for the Jenny Electric Company. In 1884 the company lighted the New Orleans World's Fair. A year later, Jenney lamps were the first ever to light the Statue of Liberty.
(For the story of the third baseball game played at night see the story about the Apollo 33s.)
Even though he was busy playing ball, he was still inventing. In July he received another patent. This time it was for a burglar proof lock.
In August, after the season was done, he went to play for a team in Wabash near his home. The next season he started out playing for nearby Marion but was offered a tryout with the new professional team in Indianapolis.
The 1884 Indianapolis Hoosiers baseball team would finish the season with a 29–78 record and 12th place in the American Association. This was the only season the team was in operation. Jake pitched 106 innings and had a record of 5 and 7.
Between the 1884 and 1885 seasons Jake came up with another invention. This time it was a baseball game using cards. He sent his idea in for a patent in November. Unknown to Jake a very similar card game was being sold in Boston at this time and was gaining popularity. It was created by Thomas William Lawson. Lawson had been a “candy butcher” on New England trains, which meant that he sold candy, tobacco, and newspapers in the aisles. He was a rabid baseball fan and in 1884 he took the profits of his candy business and had poured them into a baseball card game of his own invention. (Watch for his story in the near future.)
The 1884 Indianapolis Hoosiers baseball team would finish the season with a 29–78 record and 12th place in the American Association. This was the only season the team was in operation. Jake pitched 106 innings and had a record of 5 and 7.
Between the 1884 and 1885 seasons Jake came up with another invention. This time it was a baseball game using cards. He sent his idea in for a patent in November. Unknown to Jake a very similar card game was being sold in Boston at this time and was gaining popularity. It was created by Thomas William Lawson. Lawson had been a “candy butcher” on New England trains, which meant that he sold candy, tobacco, and newspapers in the aisles. He was a rabid baseball fan and in 1884 he took the profits of his candy business and had poured them into a baseball card game of his own invention. (Watch for his story in the near future.)
As Lawson's new game became popular in 1885 he made a great advertising move. He had arranged a promotional tournament of the eight National League clubs, played by real members of the teams over the course of their base ball seasons. Prizes were given out, including "$1,600 in handsome trophies." Winners of early rounds received cash prizes and an "elegant" silver ball, while the champions were to be awarded $500 in gold and a silver bat. This card tournament received nearly as much newspaper coverage as the players' actual baseball games did. All of the results of the tournament are known, except for the final match between Philadelphia and Chicago. The Philadelphia players were reserve catcher Tony Cusick and right fielder Jack Manning and the Chicago players were second baseman Fred Pfeffer, an excellent faro player, and the popular third baseman Ned Williamson, a master at whist.
Jake had missed his chance for a commercial success. Lawson had filed his patent in March 1884 and Jake's was filed in November 1884. Lawson's patent was granted in September 1884 and Jake's took until February 1886 to be accepted. Probably because it was so similar to Lawson's. After Jake received his patent he did not attempt to put it into production. Possibly due to the growing success of Lawson's game.
In 1885 he moved on to Dayton, Ohio, to play. A month later that league dissolved after the manager took the league money and disappeared. Jake then managed the team and started playing against local teams. His touring team went by the name “The Stars”.
The next season Jake gets another chance to play for a professional team. A local paper announces in July he is headed to Louisville to play. That is correct, but it is to join the Philadelphia Athletics that are playing a series there with Louisville.
In 1885 he moved on to Dayton, Ohio, to play. A month later that league dissolved after the manager took the league money and disappeared. Jake then managed the team and started playing against local teams. His touring team went by the name “The Stars”.
The next season Jake gets another chance to play for a professional team. A local paper announces in July he is headed to Louisville to play. That is correct, but it is to join the Philadelphia Athletics that are playing a series there with Louisville.
Jake is off his game and loses the 2 complete games he pitches and is released by the Athletics. He returns to Indiana and gets an offer to play for a minor league team from Cambridge City where his sister lives. The team is called "The Henleys". It disbands at the end of the season in October.
1887 was a big year for Jake. He headed south to play for the New Orleans Pelicans. A new entrant to the Southern League, the Pelicans, win the 1887 league pennant with a 74–40 record. Of the seven teams fielded during that season, only three (Charleston, Memphis, and New Orleans) made it to the end on October 11th. Financial problems had forced the others to drop out of the league one by one.
In May Jake missed some games with consumption (tuberculosis). Two months later the newspapers reported he had typhoid fever and was about to die. He survived and finished with a 14 and 10 record. He pitched 122 innings and had an ERA of 2.36. His batting average was .138.
In May Jake missed some games with consumption (tuberculosis). Two months later the newspapers reported he had typhoid fever and was about to die. He survived and finished with a 14 and 10 record. He pitched 122 innings and had an ERA of 2.36. His batting average was .138.
On Jake's team was another pitcher named Abner Powell. Abner is sometimes called "the father of the New Orleans Pelicans". Sources credit him with inventing Ladies' Day, the use of a tarpaulin to cover the field during rain delays, and the concept of the "rain check" ticket in New Orleans.
When the season ended, he returned to Indiana to play for a team from Logansport. The next year he stayed around home and played at Marion and then nearby Bluffton. He even coached for a while at Bluffton and had a 5 and 6 record.
In 1889 he headed back down south to the Southern League. He was hired to start a team in Charleston, South Carolina. He played some and coached some there. His record was 26 and 19. In June he went to Macon, Georgia, to help them form a team. The next month he returned to Indiana. This time he joins Evansville of the Central Interstate League. It was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1888–1890. After the season he becomes a traveling salesman for a Fort Wayne Wholesale company.
His baseball days are fading. But not his inventing. In December he applies for a patent for a Paper Roll Holder Cutter and Printer. It may become a commercial success say the local newspapers. It is unknown if it did.
The 1890 season finds Jake playing for Bluffton in the Indiana State League. He spends most of his time coaching. He finishes with a 25 and 21 record. In June Bluffton was playing at home and was being thumped by the team from Anderson. Not happy, the home crowd “arose in mass” and threatened to throw the umpire in the nearby Wabash river until Jake and the police stopped them. In July the team folded and Jake moved on to Muncie to play. After the season he tells a local reporter he is resting his arm so he will be ready to return to the major leagues next season.
In 1891 things don't work out as Jake had hoped. Fort Wayne wanted to hire him as their coach, but Jake was working on a plan for a new area league called "The Gas Belt League". It was a popular idea, but it never happened. Then Jake got an invitation to coach in Wisconsin. Packing his bags he heads to Marinette, Wisconsin, a new booming lumber town.
Jake's new team wins the Wisconsin State League with a record of 51-39. But, it was not without controversy. Top teams Green Bay and Marinette had accused each other of bribes all season. Marinette had bounced a player, William Campion, on a bribe offered by Green Bay during the season. And Bob Hart, a Green Bay Pitcher, was accused of $300 bribe in the playoff series on September 21st. During the game 3-4,000 youths and toughs surrounded the Marinette ballpark
making noise and threats against Green Bay. Green Bay claimed they had no chance to win and lost 7-1. Refusing to play the rest of the best of five series Marinette became champs.
Jake's new team wins the Wisconsin State League with a record of 51-39. But, it was not without controversy. Top teams Green Bay and Marinette had accused each other of bribes all season. Marinette had bounced a player, William Campion, on a bribe offered by Green Bay during the season. And Bob Hart, a Green Bay Pitcher, was accused of $300 bribe in the playoff series on September 21st. During the game 3-4,000 youths and toughs surrounded the Marinette ballpark
making noise and threats against Green Bay. Green Bay claimed they had no chance to win and lost 7-1. Refusing to play the rest of the best of five series Marinette became champs.
Between 1892 and 1894 there is no information that Jake plays baseball anywhere. In 1895 it is reported that he will coach a team in Jacksonville, Illinois, but it does not happen.
By June 1896 Jake moves to Kentucky to coach. He joins the Madisonville team of the Kentucky-Indiana League. When the league goes bust after a couple months his team was in 1st Place with a 15 and 9 record. Jake returns home and becomes a traveling salesman.
By June 1896 Jake moves to Kentucky to coach. He joins the Madisonville team of the Kentucky-Indiana League. When the league goes bust after a couple months his team was in 1st Place with a 15 and 9 record. Jake returns home and becomes a traveling salesman.
In 1902 Jake returns to the mound. This time it's for The Travelers Protective Association (TPA). The TPA was started in January 1882 when a meeting was held by a small group of traveling salesmen, like Jake, in a hotel in Chicago. They discussed forming a cooperative society to address the issues facing their profession. The Travelers Protective Association of the United States was formally established on June 24, 1882, in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Its original goals were to obtain special concessions from hotels, railroads and transportation agencies and advocated on behalf of their members if they had a grievance.
The TPA had organized baseball teams across the country. In 1902 Jake was pitching for TPA Post "N" in Marion, Indiana. That July they won the National TPA Championship over Post "A" from Fort Wayne.
In February 1903 Jake's baseball card patent expires. But, he comes up with another baseball idea. He designs a baseball that pitchers can use in the off season to keep their arm in shape. It is a wooden baseball cut in half with a spring connecting the two halves and connected with a leather strap. When squeezed the two halves close to within a quarter inch of each other. It strengthens your hand muscles. Jake claims to have used it for several years. Seventy years latter his idea is listed in a patent, used on a bigger scale, for a bust developer.
Now living in Fort Wayne, Jake teams up with a young Doctor Thomas Oliver Gasaway. The doctor was a recent graduate of Indiana University and Johns Hopkins University. Jake probably knew him from Marion where he also had a practice. Gasaway also had a Radium Sanitarium in Indianapolis.
Jake and the doc come up with two new inventions for people's health. These are a Hygienic Medical Belt and a Water Bag with a Fountain Syringe. The belt was basically a hot water belt. The Water Bag was just that, a hot water bag that could be strapped on anywhere. The Fountain Syringe was an attachment if you wanted to use it for enemas. This device was actually a success. Jake and the doc sold it to the Hydro Girdle Company of Marion, Indiana, for $15,000, which would be over $400,000 today.
This monetary boost may have influenced Jake. In 1906 the Cates brothers baseball card game hit the market with some success (See Cates Base Ball Cards story). In the Spring of 1908 he trademarks his baseball card game, but does not renew the patent. By October 1908 Jake is placing ads in newspapers across the country looking for people to sell his card game. His business is located in Cleveland, Ohio, but he is living in Detroit, Michigan.
1909 The Youth's Companion
Volume 83, Part 2 - Page 622
Buy a deck of Aydelott's Baseball Cards and have fun all winter - 96 plays - it's real baseball . Just the thing for a Christmas Present. Ask your dealer or send 50 cents in stamps to us.
AGENTS WANTED . THE AYDELOTT BASEBALL CARDS
1909 The Youth's Companion
Volume 83, Part 2 - Page 622
Buy a deck of Aydelott's Baseball Cards and have fun all winter - 96 plays - it's real baseball . Just the thing for a Christmas Present. Ask your dealer or send 50 cents in stamps to us.
AGENTS WANTED . THE AYDELOTT BASEBALL CARDS
Finally, in 1910 he incorporated in Ohio.
Aydelott's Baseball Cards Company
Cleveland. Capital $10,000. Games
Jacob S Aydelott,
Joseph Fulton (A Hardware Salesman from Anderson, Indiana)
E R Barrows (Ernest R Barrows, a Chemist in Cleveland)
B M Duncan (Branton Malcolm Duncan was a Cleveland lawyer)
Louis Englander (A wholesale clothing salesman in Cleveland)
Aydelott's Baseball Cards Company
Cleveland. Capital $10,000. Games
Jacob S Aydelott,
Joseph Fulton (A Hardware Salesman from Anderson, Indiana)
E R Barrows (Ernest R Barrows, a Chemist in Cleveland)
B M Duncan (Branton Malcolm Duncan was a Cleveland lawyer)
Louis Englander (A wholesale clothing salesman in Cleveland)
The game is listed as being from 58 Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit, which was an office building at the time.
Reports vary on the number of cards in the game and vary between the two sets. Players would simulate baseball actions and plays by playing different cards against their opponent. The game was compact using only the playing cards, a folded sheet of paper to serve as the playing field, and small wooden game pieces to be used for the base runners. The cards are standard playing cards with rounded corners. Fronts of the cards varied by type.
Reports vary on the number of cards in the game and vary between the two sets. Players would simulate baseball actions and plays by playing different cards against their opponent. The game was compact using only the playing cards, a folded sheet of paper to serve as the playing field, and small wooden game pieces to be used for the base runners. The cards are standard playing cards with rounded corners. Fronts of the cards varied by type.
Type 1 Set
These cards are believed to be printed earlier. They were not widely known and they are much rarer than the other type. The cards have a slightly more rustic look. These could be from 1908. That is because an advertisement exists about a copy of Nap Lajoie’s 1908 Base Ball guide.
The two Aydelott’s logos are different and that wouldn’t make sense if the two sets were printed in the same year. The easiest way to distinguish these cards from the others is that this set did not have pictures. One side has a large Aydelott’s logo with small baseballs in the background. The other side merely has printed actions. It is unknown how many cards exist in the set, with reports ranging from about 105 to 125.
These cards are believed to be printed earlier. They were not widely known and they are much rarer than the other type. The cards have a slightly more rustic look. These could be from 1908. That is because an advertisement exists about a copy of Nap Lajoie’s 1908 Base Ball guide.
The two Aydelott’s logos are different and that wouldn’t make sense if the two sets were printed in the same year. The easiest way to distinguish these cards from the others is that this set did not have pictures. One side has a large Aydelott’s logo with small baseballs in the background. The other side merely has printed actions. It is unknown how many cards exist in the set, with reports ranging from about 105 to 125.
Type 2 Set
This set is similar to the first issue, but has some differences as well. The actions printed on the cards appear to be either the same or similar to ones found in the earlier set. The primary difference is the addition of some generic players to one side as well as the Aydelott’s logo on both sides. The Aydelott’s logo is also different from the other set. This logo has the Aydelott’s name on the outside as opposed to inside of the baseball. It also includes what is presumed to be a stack of cards. While not as valuable, these cards may have slightly more appeal to your everyday collector because of the added pictures of generic players. They are much more common and easier to find as well. As is the case with the first type, a clear number of how many cards are in the set is not known.
This set is similar to the first issue, but has some differences as well. The actions printed on the cards appear to be either the same or similar to ones found in the earlier set. The primary difference is the addition of some generic players to one side as well as the Aydelott’s logo on both sides. The Aydelott’s logo is also different from the other set. This logo has the Aydelott’s name on the outside as opposed to inside of the baseball. It also includes what is presumed to be a stack of cards. While not as valuable, these cards may have slightly more appeal to your everyday collector because of the added pictures of generic players. They are much more common and easier to find as well. As is the case with the first type, a clear number of how many cards are in the set is not known.
Between 1910 and 1926 Jake is moving around between Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit. He is still referred to as a traveling salesman. His name makes the newspapers once again in 1921 when he gets upset about the dangers of immigration. He goes on a tear about how he personally knows that these "undesirables" are 90 percent of the crime rate and they celebrate the shooting of police officers. He feels "They" only come to America to make money and prey on young women. "We must act now to save the United States of America" he ends his letter.
Where Jake's feelings come from are unknown. But, they may have been a symptom of his disease. By 1926 Jake was hospitalized in Detroit at the Eloise. The Eloise Hospital (Mental Hospital), the Eloise Infirmary (Poorhouse) and the Eloise Sanatorium (T.B. Hospital) were collectively called the Eloise. Jake was suffering from General Paresis, also known as general paralysis of the insane (GPI) or paralytic dementia. It is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder, classified as an organic mental disorder and caused by the chronic meningoencephalitis that leads to cerebral atrophy in late- stage syphilis.
After five weeks in the hospital he passed away. His wife of 47 years had him returned to Converse for burial. She was his sole survivor. They never had any children. Five years later she also passed away.