Elijah Bond

Elijah Jefferson Bond (January 23, 1847 – April 14, 1921) was an American lawyer and inventor. He is best known for patenting 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. Bond sold the US distribution rights for the Ouija board to the Kennard Novelty Company.

The building where Bond chose the name for the board still stands in downtown Baltimore. Its first floor is now a 7-Eleven convenience store. A plaque commemorating Bond and the Ouija board is installed inside the store.

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".