I have had no success in finding information on the New Haven Edge
Tool Co. so I have been tracking down the Winsted Edge Tool Works
with the help of Ancestry.com, which is where most of the primary
sources in the following discussion come from.
I have also gotten a hold of a Witherby Price list from 1882-1905 and
will scan and send it over to Wiktor when time permits. For the $8 I
paid, it made my Christmas. Some of my information comes directly
from this pamphlet and fuzzy photos of second one posted on the
internet (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21287). If
the photos ever go down, I captured them and can pass them along (the
details are poor, no prices are discernible but the products are
easily viewed).
In summary, here is a list of facts I believe to be true, concerning
the Winsted Edge Tool Works:
1. Winsted Edge Tool Works existed from 1882 until 1955 (73
illustrious years).
2. T.H. Witherby was never in Winsted, neither was Witherby Tool Co.
He had nothing to do with Winsted Edge Tool Works.
3. George Jessup was the man most responsible for the Winsted Edge
Tool Works early success.
4. The "T.H.WITHERBY" stamp dates from 1882 to at least 1915,
although the 1882 date may be too early and there may have been a
predating trademark.
4. The most common stamp, "Witherby Warranteed" in a rectangle, was
from about 1920 to c.1940 (just a guess on the end date, it might be
1930 or 1950).
If you want to know where this comes from, keep reading.
This is long. And boring, unless you care about Witherby tools.
---The Winsted Edge Tool Works---
The Winsted Edge Tool Works was incorporated in 1882 and ceased
business in 1955, certainly as a result of the catastrophic flood of
that year that destroyed most of the village's manufacturing
district. The 1882 date comes from the 1914 and 1915 Price & Lee's
Directory, which explicitly states the date. As for the company's
termination date, the Price & Lee 1956 Directory indicated that
hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage occurred to all of the
factories in the town, along Highland Lake where the factory was
situated. When the company went out of business, it may well have
sold its salvageable operation to Union Hardware in Torrington (just
down the street), as there is an informal consensus that some of the
Union chisels look much like Witherby's.
1953 is the last year that the Price & Lee Directory lists Winsted
Edge Tool Works. The 1954 directory is unavailable or unpublished
and there is no mention of the company in 1955. In the Price & Lee
1956 Directory, a fire alarm box is listed at the Winsted Edge Tool
Works (#411) but the occupant of 32 Lake Street (the address of the
company office) is the "Winsted Company". In 1958 and 1960, this box
belongs to the Winsted Company and 32 Lake Street is still occupied
by The Winsted Company (John F and Joseph Paolantonio) metal goods
mfrs.
The "Winsted Company" was not a new business and presumably never
manufactured edge tools. It occupied 27 Gay Street in 1955 and at
earlier dates. I have not bothered to see how far this company goes
back.
---Witherby Tool Dating---
An important issue in the history of old tools is dating their
manufacture. There has been very little published information
regarding the dates of the Witherby/Winsted Edge Tool Works tools but
two pamphlets I have located may provide some insight.
It is assumed that George Jessup was the original metallurgist for
the Winsted Edge Tool Works. According to the 1900
Winchester/Winsted census, he was born in 1848 in Massachusetts and
is listed as a "Manufacturer Edge Tools". In the 1880 census, he is
listed as the "Foreman for Hoe Co." living in Winchester/Winsted,
providing additional information that he was at the Winsted Hoe
Company when it became the Winsted Edge Tool Works in 1882. In the
1870 US Census he is listed as a "Bell-Maker" living in Winchester.
He is not found in earlier years and remember, the 1890 census was
mostly destroyed.
George Jessup last appears in the Price & Lee Winsted Directory in
1903. He is not present in the next available edition, 1906, so he
either died or left Winsted in 1904-05. A search on the 1910 US
census does not locate him anywhere in the country.
The first pamphlet I have found mentions Jessup as the company
foreman and speaks of his revolutionary tempering techniques,
suggesting that it must have been printed while he was still at the
company. Based on this information, the pamphlet can be
approximately dated to a 23 year period of between 1882 and 1905,
indicating that the "T.H. WITHERBY" stamp is from that era as it is
contained in the pamphlet. The prices listed in this pamphlet are
very similar to those listed in the 1911 James Swan Co. Catalog,
suggesting that the pamphlet is closer to 1905 than 1882. Although
perhaps Winsted Edge Tool just asked a higher price, it appears to
have been a much smaller company. The Davistown Museum dates this
pamphlet to c. 1900.
In the 1915 Price & Lee Directory, Winsted Edge Tool Works has an
advertisement, utilizing a different trademark, "T.H. Witherby" (in
lowercase). This could be the trademark that is seen with "itherby"
in small caps or the same trademark, just in lowercase? The most
common trademark, "T.H. WITHERBY, WARRANTEED" in a box, is probably
from a later era based on the fact that 1.) it is the most commonly
encountered mark possibly indicating newer tools 2. the rectangle
mark is the trademark present in an undated price list produced by
"John M. Graham & Co. Direct Representatives". In this 2nd price
list, the physical pages are full size (they are about 3x6" in the
first pamphlet) and the product line is more expansive. If one
assumes that Winsted Edge Tool Works continued to grow from 1882 to
at least 1929 (the Great Depression) then the second price list is
newer than 1915. A few months back eBay had a "19 page Witherby
Price List, 1921" for sale, I am sure it is the same one as the link
above, as it is 19 pages! This means the "T.H. WITHERBY, WARRANTEED"
in a box started after 1915 but before 1921.
Two other "Witherby" trademarks are commonly observed (although it
appears that at least 5 others do exist). The ">T.h. Witherby<"
mark seems to be present on older tools and may have been produced by
T.H. Witherby in Millbury, Massachusetts, see Brian Welch's research
(http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/index.htm). But it may also be
Winsted's earliest mark, from 1882. The other common mark,
"Witherby, Winsted, Conn." occurs on highly polished chisels that
often appear in excellent condition and seem almost nickel plated.
These were certainly produced in the last 10-20 years of Winsted Edge
Tools Existence. It is unknown when the "Diamond" logos were
produced but my personal guess would be after the "Warranteed" period
and before they put "Winsted" on their chisels (so about 1930?).
T.H. Witherby dies in 1880 (Brian even has his headstone online).
Winsted Hoe Company becomes Winsted Edge Tool Works in 1882. This is
supported by Jessup's move from the Hoe Company to the Tool Edge
Works and the lack of a directory listing for the Hoe Company in
1889. The Annals of Winchester (John Boyd, 1873) indicates that the
site of the Winsted Hoe Company was at the corner of Meadow and Lake
streets, the 1889 directory location of Winsted Edge Tool Works. And
finally Brian has a note about it on his website regarding a
newspaper clipping confirming this, so the connection to Winsted Hoe
Company is pretty solid.
DAT and the Davistown museum list Witherby Tool Co. as being in
Winsted but it is clear that the Witherby Tool Co. did not become the
Winsted Edge Tool Works. So was T.H. Witherby or a Witherby Tool
Company ever in Winsted? So far I cannot find any indication of a
Witherby Tool Company in Winsted. If there was such a company, it
had to have existed between 1873 and 1882 because the Annals of
Winchester does not mention its existence, but does verify the Hoe
Company's existence and the Winsted Auger Company's existence. And
as we know, a presumed Witherby Tool Company in Winsted was not the
predecessor to Winsted Edge Tool Works.
Personally, I do not think T.H. Witherby or Witherby Tool Co. was
ever in Winsted.
So why does Winsted Edge Tool use the Witherby trademark?
Considering T.H.'s 1880 death and the 1882 WETW founding, it might be
that T.H's son Calvin or some other Witherby sold the rights, a
process or some equipment to Winsted Hoe Company and they started
making chisels and drawknives. Apparently chisels were more
profitable than hoes. I find this explanation unlikely, T.H.
Witherby was making fences in 1860 (see Brian's site), he was making
shears in 1870 (see the census) and in 1880 he wasn't doing anything
and his son is a clerk.
Or perhaps George Jessup was an apprentice of T.H. Witherby's at the
Witherby Tool Company? Perhaps someone with access to Worcester's
vital records might track him down, I cannot find a birthplace for
him other than Massachusetts. I think that when we consider most
tools stamped "Witherby" we are really dealing with tools produced by
George Jessup (a bell-maker, hoe maker, edge tool maker) and his
legacy.
Or maybe, George Jessup and company knew that Witherby was a
respected name, no longer being manufactured (and was in fact dead),
and thought they could increase market share and visibility allowing
them to compete with other makers (like Buck) by using the Witherby
name. This is where I would place my bets.
If you think of all the other chisel manufacturers of the time, they
all use the company name as their trademark. But not Winsted Edge
Tool Works. Why is that? It seems strange. Witherby named his
Millbury company after himself and he put his name on those chisels.
If Witherby ever had anything to do with Winsted Edge Tool Works, why
isn't his name a part of the company? And why did Winsted not put
their name on their chisels until the 1940-1950's?
---Some Primary Sources---
The following information is located in the Price & Lee Directories
for Winsted, Connecticut, from the corresponding years (every
available directory is listed, there is a big gap from 1938 to 1953):
1889: Winsted Edge Tool Works, office Lake e Meadow, George Jessup
Superintendent, Charles S. Jopp Treasurer and Agent
1890: Winsted Edge Tool Works, office Lake e Meadow, George Jessup
Superintendent, Charles S. Jopp Treasurer and Agent
1891: Winsted Edge Tool Works, office Lake e Meadow, George Jessup
Superintendent, Charles S. Jopp Treasurer and Agent
1893: Winsted Edge Tool Works, office Lake e Meadow, George Jessup
Superintendent, Charles S. Jopp Treasurer and Agent.
1900: WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE edge tool mfrs office 32 Lake -See
front col'd p VI
1900-1901 Winsted Edge Tool Works The, office 32 Lake
1902-1903: Winsted Edge Tool Works The, office 32 Lake
1906: WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE edge tool mfrs office 32 Lake -See
front col'd p IX
1907: WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE edge tool mfrs office 32 Lake -See
front col'd p IX
1908: WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE edge tool mfrs office 32 Lake -See
front col'd p VIII
1914: WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE edge tool mfrs office 32 Lake -See
front col'd p VIII
1914: [from business directory section] WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE
- 32 Lake Incorporated 1882 Capital $30,000 President Treasurer and
General Manager Arthur L Clark Vice President H L Roberts Secretrary
J A Norton - See front col'd p VIII
1915: WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE edge tool mfrs office 32 Lake -See
front col'd p IX
1915 : [from business directory section] WINSTED EDGE TOOL WORKS THE
- 32 Lake Incorporated 1882 Capital $30,000 President Treasurer and
General Manager Arthur L Clark Vice President H L Roberts Secretrary
J A Norton - See front col'd p IX
1916-1917: Winsted Edge Tool Works The Arthur L Clark pres treas and
gen mgr H L Roberts v pres J A Norton sec edge tool mfrs office 32
Lake
1919: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton gen mgr edge tool mfrs
office 32 Lake
1921: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton gen mgr edge tool mfrs
office 32 Lake
1922: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton gen mgr edge tool mfrs
office 32 Lake
1927: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton gen mgr office 32 Lake
1931: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton gen mgr office 32 Lake
1935: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton gen mgr office 32 Lake
1937: Winsted Edge Tool Works The office 32 Lake
1938: Winsted Edge Tool Works The J A Norton pres-tres-gen mgr
office Robert E Maher sec office 32 Lake
1953: Winsted Edge Tool Works Alexander Gay v pres Robert E Maher
treas gen mgr office 32 Lake
No record in 1955, 1956, 1958 or 1960 directory.
1900,1908-1915 include a font section ad, only present in available 1915 copy.
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