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Carvosso Lambdin was born in Alexandria, Virginia on April 6, 1860; according to the 1870 US census that was where he was living with his parents - his father was a carpenter - and 5 or 6 siblings, and he was then at school.
Beyond that there is very little information until he arrives in Jamaica from Colon in 1888.
Beyond that there is very little information until he arrives in Jamaica from Colon in 1888.
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It is clear that Lambdin was an aspiring young 'techie' who was creating applications for the new technology of electricity. He obtained two, or more, patents for his inventions.
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Before he came to Jamaica he had been living in Barranquilla in the United States of Colombia, according to his patent document of March 1888, where he had presumably been working for the West India Telegraph Company in one of its incarnations.
When the telephone operations of the West India and Colombia Telephone Company were taken over by the newly formed Jamaica Telephone Company in 1892, Lambdin remained as manager of the system, continuing his significant contribution to the establishment of efficient telephone communication in Kingston.
Lambdin resigned as manager of the Jamaica Telephone Company in 1899 and started his own business; he remained in business in Kingston for nearly three decades. I like his advertisement below very much, being a chocaholic!
French chocolate box, late 19th century
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. . . this advertisement was just three weeks before the terrible earthquake of January 14, 1907, so it is remarkable that he was able to place this advertisement within three months -
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antique French biscuit tin
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There is a record that Carvosso Lambdin, a US citizen, died in France in 1928. I have found no reference to his death locally, but there are no further references to his activities in Jamaica after that year. Curiously his full name only appears in the Gleaner, in 1959, as owner of property abutting a piece of property on Harbour Street, whose title was being registered - 'land and premises belonging
to and in the possession of the said Carvosso Lambdin.'
to and in the possession of the said Carvosso Lambdin.'
