 By 1833 he had moved to Paterson, New Jersey, where, in 1837 he was employed by Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor as a pattern maker.He left Rogers employ in 1845 to form his own company, Swinburne, Smith and Company, in a partnership with Samuel Smith.Swinburne's company did not survive the Panic of 1857 and was reorganized in 1858 as the New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Company.