GG's

I came upon a True Temper light hatchet with a long thin blade, and thought it
might be either a shingling hatchet or, more likely, a lathing hatchet.  It was
partially encrusted with plaster.  Cleaning it off, I found the words "GENUINE
UNDERHILL" stamped on the blade.

http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioUnderhill.html

I also found an frustratingly inconclusive thread on "Lumberjocks:"

https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/57267

They don't seem it resolve the question of whether "Boston" on that example
refers to the pattern or the head office of the manufacturer.

The best part of that thread is the picture fin which the words "Reg. U.S. Pat.
Off." appear above the word "GENUINE".  I know little about "Design Patents,"
which I presume this to mean.

First Question: Can one search Design Patents online?

Second question: When did True Temper absorb Underhill Edge Tool?

Unlike my other lathing hatchet, this one has a longish blade which might be
useful for chopping a rough mortise in a timber. My inclination was to sharpen
only one side, like a chisel.  A couple of cursory whacks on a Oak fire log
shows it lacks enough mass to do much in hardwood!

John Ruth
Metuchen NJ

On Fri, Apr 16, 2021 at 9:38 AM John Ruth  wrote:

> GG's
>
> I came upon a True Temper light hatchet with a long thin blade, and
> thought it might be either a shingling hatchet or, more likely, a lathing
> hatchet.  It was partially encrusted with plaster.  Cleaning it off, I
> found the words "GENUINE UNDERHILL" stamped on the blade.
>
> http://www.davistownmuseum.org/bioUnderhill.html
>
> I also found an frustratingly inconclusive thread on "Lumberjocks:"
>
> https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/57267
>
> They don't seem it resolve the question of whether "Boston" on that
> example refers to the pattern or the head office of the manufacturer.
>
> The best part of that thread is the picture fin which the words "Reg. U.S.
> Pat. Off." appear above the word "GENUINE".  I know little about "Design
> Patents," which I presume this to mean.
>
> First Question: Can one search Design Patents online?
>

  Datamp.org is a wonderful tool

Go to by company, put in Underhill, hit go

Get back result D4029

Click on open in Google Patents, get this.

https://patents.google.com/patent/USD4029

>
> Second question: When did True Temper absorb Underhill Edge Tool?
>

I would try going to Google Books, put in Underhill "True Temper"

In 1940 Hardware Age, True Temper and Underhill are listed as brands of
Kelly.  I'd go backward from there, and see when they aren't.  Or look for
references when they actually say one bought the other.

OR, go into your copy of DAT (which is what Davistown did), and look up
Underhill Edge Tool Company, and see that the reference says they were
started in 1852, and were bought out by the American Axe & Tool Co. in 1890
(who closed the plant, but continued to use the name). The Boston location
was strictly a sales/distribution outlet.

Which could explain why my True Temper didn't work above.

Looking into AAT of Oakland Maine,DAT says:it seems probable that the ME
company moved to PA ca. 1912. An 1894 catalog issued by a New York, NY,
company with this name is believed to have just been a sales office of the
ME company. In PA, they marked tools with both their full name and A.A.&T.
CO. and used the brand names INVINCIBLE and AMERICAN AX, but whether any of
these marks/brands were used in ME is not clear. In 1889, they persuaded 15
other companies to join them in an axe making trust. Several Manns joined
that trust and they retained rights to those names until 1921 when the
Kelly Axe & Tool Co. of WV bought their assets.

See KELLY AXE CO., WILLIAM C.; BLOOD, ISIAH; FRANCIS AXE CO.; HUBBARD &
BLAKE MFG. CO.; JOHNSONVILLE AXE MFG. CO.; KNICKERBOCKER AXE FACTORY, H.;
LIPPINCOTT & CO.; POWELL TOOL CO.; TENEYCK, A.; UNDERHILL EDGE TOOL CO.;
WARREN AXE & TOOL CO.


But I still don't see True Temper anywhere.

So what was the non-patent search question again?  It seems Davistown
answered pretty much everything
-- 
Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, who was diving into the work archives prior
to this, looking for things much newer, but much harder to find.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/lathing-hatchet-who-knew.1771701/



On Fri, Apr 16, 2021 at 1:48 PM Kirk Eppler via groups.io  wrote:

On Fri, Apr 16, 2021 at 12:07 PM Scott Garrison 
wrote:

> https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/lathing-hatchet-who-knew.1771701/
>
>
>>
Apologies for the scrambled mess, was trying to keep it in order, but it
may not be.

Well that's cool.  Scott opened up a dang rabbit hole, and off I went.  Too
bad there isn't a year on that ad.  Looks like something similar was used
in 1926 in The Lather, but snippet view only. Also advertised in 1908, same
mag different ad.  Similar in 1917 in the Frankfurth Hardware General
catalog. 1890 & 1891 in HSB. Those dates are giving me doubt on the dates
and names in DAT, listed below

Searching the trademark database is a bit harder than the design patents.
More later

That's Underhill Brothers, not Underhill Edge Tool.  The Davistown link was
for Edge Tool

DAT has the following for Underhill Bros: 71 Haverhill Boston MA 1853 -
1871  Hazen R. and Samuel Graham Underhill. A gouge was reported for an
S.G.&H.R. Underhill, an apparent variation of this name

Interesting,new searching in a Boston directory from 1872 lists; (and other
years)

Underhill Edge Tool at 139 Federal  (1860 at 53 Kilby) (1879 & 1882 at 36
Pearl)

Also from 1870 (RK and SA at 71 Haverhill, SA lives in Somerville, RA in
Billerica)

The  1872 lists;
Underhill Bros  at 71 Haverhill SA and RK (almost matches above
initials??)(S August and Jay T. in 1882, are we at sons now?) (1893 same
address)
(1902 moved from 115 Broad Street to 6 Sherman, Charlestown. Iron Age v70
) (1922 @ 6 Sherman St Charlestown?, R E Underhill proprietor) (1922 let a
contract for a new 50 x 100 ft factory in Somerville Mass, Iron Trade
Review v70)

There is also a C.B. Hill who is listed as an agent of Underhill Edge tool
co & Nashua Lock Co, both at 139 Federal. giving further credence to the
sales office from my previous post .

Enough digging, going backward towards 1853 gives me nothing new just yet,
and I gotta pay attention, as I'm running the next meeting, and someone
here may bust me for inattention.

I will add these to my DAT notes for entry revisions later.

-- 
Kirk Eppler, looking towards a lost weekend.