William Houghton Quick Adjust

[Lewill2]

Looking through my wrench cabinets I re-discovered a quick adjust wrench. It is a wedge lock design by William Houghton from Paris Ontario Canada. Then it dawned on me that we have a Bill Houghton as a member here. This Mr. Houghton patented his wrench in Canada, USA and in the UK. The US patent is 514,993 issued on February 20, 1894. The Canadian patent was issued the same date. They are believed to have been made by the Paris Tool Company, Paris Ontario Canada.

So Bill do you have any ancestors from Paris Ontario Canada?

[d42jeep]

If any royalties are involved, I think that was my side of the family!
-Don Houghton

[Bill Houghton]

Dang, I'd totally forgotten that design!  One of my early patents, back in my early 20s...

I don't know of any Houghtons in my ancestry from Canada, but I don't have a solid grasp on the genealogy/geography of that part of the family line.  I know one of the "married in" names had a farm in upstate New York, but that's about as close as I can get.

I note there's a museum and historical society in the (small) town: https://theparismuseum.com/.  Maybe there's someone there with a passion for mechanical history; or, if you're not attached to it, they might be thrilled to have it for their collection.

As to royalties, unless we can come up with a clear ancestry, I'll split them with Don.

[d42jeep]

Hey Bill,
If you’re stuck hanging around the house and maybe feel like having a glass of wine, here’s a brand you might like to try.
-Don

[Northwoods]

When I was a kid, I did farm work for an Englishman, Alf Houghton. 
I remember that when something broke down, he would cuss, "Blank blank the blank blanked machinery, anyway!"