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.