by
George Langford, Sc.D.
Updated December 17, 2016
return to georgesbasement
| Millers
Falls Company |
According to the Directory of American Toolmakers,
Levi Gunn and Charles Amidon started this company as Gunn & Amidon
in 1868, quickly changing the name to Millers Falls Mfg. Co. when they
moved the factory to the main source of power at the waterfall whose
name they appropriated. Randy Roeder has an extensive history of the company at OldToolheaven.com. As you may have noticed in my type study of the Millers Falls No.2 hand drill, Millers Falls encouraged their workers to innovate, which resulted in many design changes to this iconic tool. |
| Inventor/Maker |
Representative
Images (can be enlarged) |
Examples found by GB |
Patents |
Patent
Dates |
Directory
of American Toolmakers: active years |
| W.H.Barber/ Millers Falls |
  |
62, 161 | 42,827 229,197 |
May 24, 1864 June 22, 1880 |
Barber's patent: note the unpatented
improvement. 1868-1872 (Millers Falls Mfg. Co.) |
| Charles Amidon/ Millers Falls |
 |
BarbersImproved085.JPG | 73,279 | January 14, 1868 | Marked w. patent date. |
| Clemens Rose; William McCoy; Samuel Sawyer/ Millers Falls |
 |
102 RoseChuck024.JPG |
63,944 118,039 118,058 |
April 16, 1867 August 15, 1871 August 15, 1871 |
1868-1874 (C.B. Rose) 1871 (McCoy) 1871 (Sawyer) |
| Charles Amidon; William McCoy/ Millers Falls |
 |
64, 67, 68 | 73,279 118,039 |
January 14, 1868 August 15, 1871 |
1868-1870 (Amidon's tenure with Millers Falls) 1871 (McCoy) |
| Charles Amidon/ Millers Falls |
 |
104 | 73,279 |
January 14,1868 |
1868-1870 (Amidon's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| Albert Goodell; William McCoy/ Millers Falls |
 |
171 | 79,825 118,039 |
July 14, 1868 August 15, 1871 |
1870-1888 (Goodell's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| J.T. Lynam; Quimby Backus/ Millers Falls |
  |
76 | 113,680 234,517 |
April 13, 1871 November 16, 1880 |
1871 (Lynam) 1868-1880 (Backus) |
| William McCoy/ Millers Falls |
 |
McKoyMillersFalls066.JPG No33McCoySweep274 /MugShotNoFlash274.jpg |
421,420 | February 18, 1890 | 1871-1897 (McCoy's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
|
130, 9, 15, 18 | mixture |
see 130 |
1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
146 | "not applicable" |
"In-between" chuck arrangement |
|
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
  |
20,
38,
47 MillersFallsNo832Master281.htm |
857,947 912,582 974,896 |
June 25, 1907 February 16, 1909 November 8, 1910 |
First LION chuck 1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
49 | 912,582 974,896 |
February 16, 1909 November 8, 1910 |
1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| G.E. Rogers; W.G. Stebbins/ Millers Falls |
 |
27, 50 | 981,315 989,203 |
January 10, 1911 April 11, 1911 |
1872-1911 (George Rogers tenure with Millers Falls) 1908-1911 (Stebbins's contributions to Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
2, 28 | none ? |
see 130 | 1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
26 | none ? |
see 130 | 1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
19, 32 | none ? |
see 130 | 1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| Unknown/ Millers Falls |
 |
60 | none ? |
jaws ? |
"Mohawk/Shelburn" in the Millers Falls line |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
  |
46, 48, 122 | "many" |
The design evolved considerably over the years of production. |
Whimble style braces |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
110 | 857,947 912,582 974,896 1,184,758 |
June 25, 1907 February 16, 1909 November 8, 1910 May 30, 1916 |
1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
180 | 1,184,758 1,880,521 |
May 30, 1916 October 4, 1932 |
1907-1916 (Leland's tenure with Millers Falls) |
| John Leland/ Millers Falls |
 |
No5010Parsons839.JPG | 912,582 | February 16, 1909 | 1888-1938 (William Parson's tenure at M.F.) |
| Stowell/ Sogard |
 |
SogardBrace.htm | 1,880,521 | October 4,1932 | Sogard was a successor to the Millers Falls Company |
