Elijah Jefferson Bond (January 23, 1847 – April 14, 1921) was an American lawyer and inventor. He is most known for inventing the ouija board. Early life Elijah Jefferson Bond was born on January 23, 1847, in Bel Air, Maryland to Charlotte Howard (née Richardson) and William B. Bond. His father was a judge. Bond graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law. Career Bond served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He worked as a lawyer in Baltimore until around 1918. Inventions Although he invented and patented items, including a steam boiler, he is best remembered for patenting what became known as the Ouija board. He filed for a United States patent on May 28, 1890. Charles W. Kennard and William H. A. Maupin were listed as assignees. The patent was granted on February 3, 1891. Bond sold the US distribution rights for the Ouija board to the Kennard Novelty Company. Swastika Novelty Company By 1907 Bond had relocated to West Virginia where he established the Swastika Novelty Company. The company produced a knock-off of Bond's original Ouija board called the "Nirvana". The Swastika Novelty Company was a U.S. corporation that was incorporated in June 1, 1957, and dissolved on December 30, 2014. The company status was revoked after failure to file an annual report. The company's officers were Bond, E. T. Crawford and J. E. Crawford. Personal life Bond married Mary Peters of Baltimore. They had at least one son, William B. Bond. Bond died on April 14, 1921, at the home of his son at 3304 Clifton Avenue in Baltimore. He was buried in Baltimore's Green Mount Cemetery, beneath a marker that resembles an Ouija board. References Bibliography Sources External links 1847 births 1921 deaths American occultists American inventors Burials at Green Mount Cemetery Lawyers from Baltimore People from Bel Air, Maryland People of Maryland in the American Civil War University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni