Dr. Samuel Ward Francis (1835-1886)
Physician & Author, of Newport, R.I.; Inventor of the "Literary Piano, Spork" etc.
He was born at the home of the uncle for whom he was named, Samuel Ward, on the corner of Bond Street and Broadway, New York. Among his inventions was a cane with a hidden compartment for coins; an early typewriter; a toothbrush with rubber bristles; and, a toothed spoon (the "spork"). He authored two books: Inside Out, a Curious Book by a Singular Man (1862); and, Life and Death (1870).
