Johnson, Nancy Maria Donaldson, 1794-1890

• Johnson, Walter R. (Walter Rogers), Mrs., 1794-1890

Nancy Maria Donaldson Johnson was born on December 28, 1794, in New York, USA.

She was a missionary and inventor. Nancy, along with her sister Mary, was very active as a missionary for the American Mission Society. In 1862, they both participated as missionaries and teachers in the 'Port Royal Experiment' to teach freed slaves in South Carolina. As an inventor, she was awarded the first US patent for a hand-cranked ice cream freezer in 1843. She created a system that allowed the ingredients to be agitated without human intervention. Her simple invention launched a “disruptive technology” that made it possible for everyone to make quality ice cream without electricity. She received $1500 during the course of her life for her patent but in 1848, she sold the rights of the patent to William G. Young, a Baltimore businessman, who then improved on the ice cream freezer. Over 150 years later, and Johnson’s invention is still used today, e.g., a very similar model is still widely used in Guadeloupe and Martinique, which is often referred to as "West Indian Ice Cream Maker".

In 1824, she married Prof. Walter Rogers Johnson (1794–1852), a scientist and the first Secretary for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She died on April 22, 1890, in Washington, D.C.