Thaddeus Fairbanks was an American inventor. He was an inventor of heating and cook stoves, cast iron plows, and other items. His greatest success was the invention and manufacture of the platform scale

Weighing scale

A weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...

, which allowed the weighing of large objects accurately.
Fairbanks was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts

Brimfield, Massachusetts

Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, on January 17, 1796. In 1815 he moved to St. Johnsbury, Vermont

St. Johnsbury, Vermont

St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...

, and set up a wheelwright's shop above his father's gristmill

Gristmill

The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

. In 1820 he married Lucy Peck Barker.