Andrew Hotchkiss & Hotchkiss & Sons

[Lewill2]

Last year I acquired a Hotchkiss patented quick adjust wrench and then last fall I acquired a second Hotchkiss wrench from NYwrencher that is a previous unknown verity. This got me interested so I started to research Andrew Hotchkiss and Hotchkiss & Sons Company. The following is an article that I submitted to Fine Tool Journal. It was published in the Fine Tool Journal earlier this year. I will split it into several sections because I'm unsure of the total size of the article. 

Andrew A. Hotchkiss The Inventor            By; Leslie E. Williams

Andrew A. Hotchkiss "The Cripple of Sharon, Connecticut" son of Asahel Hotchkiss was born in 1823 in Waterbury, Connecticut. Although he was born paralyzed from the waist down he was born into a family of inventors. In 1832 at the age of 9 his family moved to Sharon Valley, Connecticut. Because of his handicap Andrew was home schooled. He was credited with his first patent at the age of 16. No patent has been found that would confirm this statement.

Several articles talk about his self made hand car that he could move himself around the factory floor. "He went to and from the shop in a hand car of his own construction and for which he furnished the motive power." I assume this was his design of a wheelchair. Another article talks about his own designed cart that was harnessed to a trained dog that would take him around town.

A currycomb patent was issued to Andrew Hotchkiss on March 13, 1849, patent number 6,178. A currycomb patent dated July 8, 1856 patent number 15,294 was issued to Asahel A. and Andrew Hotchkiss. This patent states that it is an improvement to the March 13, 1849 patent issued to Andrew Hotchkiss.

An Ox Bow Pin, Ox Yoke Fastening patent issued to Andrew A. Hotchkiss was located dated July 17, 1849, patent number 6,592. Another Ox Bow Pin patent was located for his brother Benjamin Berkley Hotchkiss, (born 1826), patent number 63,894 dated April 16, 1867. This later patent was an improvement of his brother's earlier patent.

Andrew A. Hotchkiss' Quick Adjust Screw Slide Wrench patent was issued on May 4, 1852, patent number 8,922. This is a coarse quick adjustable wrench with a screw style fine adjustment. The patent also covers a Quick Adjust Wrench without the screw style fine adjustment. The patent application was filed on April 13, 1852. Recently a different style A. Hotchkiss quick adjust wrench was found in upstate New York. This wrench is marked "Patented April 13, 1852" on one side of the lower jaw assembly and "A. Hotchkiss" on the other side. No patent that conforms to the features on this wrench has been found. The wrench has a series of grooves machined into the face of the main bar. The sliding lower jaw has 3 ribs that lock into the main bar grooves. There is also a sliding wedge piece on the back side of the sliding lower jaw that helps to lock and/or release the lower jaw movement. Wrenches pictured in Picture 1 are a 14 1/2 inch Hotchkiss and Sons, A. Hotchkiss Patent quick adjust slide screw adjustment style wrench and a 9 ½ inch version of the A. Hotchkiss April 13, 1852 Patent quick adjust slide adjustment style wrench. There isn't any fine adjustment on the wedge style slide adjustment wrench.

(Pictures 1, 2 and 3 are of the authors' wrenches taken on a mat that is graduated in 1 inch increments. Pictures 4 and 5 are from the Dan Gaier collection.)

Picture 1 is a Hotchkiss and Sons, A. Hotchkiss patent quick adjust wrench with the screw fine adjustment and the recently found A. Hotchkiss quick adjust wrench.

[Lewill2]

Next Section.

Picture 2 is a close up of the recently found A. Hotchkiss quick adjust wrench, marked Patented April 13, 1852.

Picture 3 shows the similar grooves machined into the face of the main bar of the wrenches.

Pictures 4 and 5 are pictures of the A. Hotchkiss wrenches from the collection of Dan Gaier. One is the quick adjust slide screw wrench in the 12 inch size and one is the quick adjust slide style wrench. Both styles of these wrenches are covered in patent number 8,922 dated May 4, 1852.


Picture 1

[Lewill2]

Picture 1

[Lewill2]

Picture 2 & picture 3

[Lewill2]

Picture 4 & picture 5

[Lewill2]

The May 4, 1852 patent application was signed in the witness of a Charles Hotchkiss, presumably another brother.

.
Andrew A. Hotchkiss was also credited with a rake head patent; patent number 18,339 patented October 6, 1857 and a snow plow patent; patent number 18,903 patented December 22, 1857. The latter was referred to as a car track cleaner and railroad snow plow.

Hotchkiss and Sons manufactured items included pruning shears, breast drills and saw sets.

His most profitable patents were for Percussion shells, fuse shells and bullet shells from 2.6 to 7.5 inches in diameter. Patent number 13,679 was issued to Andrew Hotchkiss on October 16, 1855 and an improvement to that patent, patent number 29,272 was issued to his brother Benjamin on July 24, 1860.

Asahel A., Andrew A., Benjamin B., and a Frederic A. Hotchkiss were all associated with Jewett Manufacturing Company that was later named Jewett and Company. 
Andrew A. Hotchkiss is credited with starting Hotchkiss & Sons Co. The earliest reference to this company was found in an advertisement stating the company was established in 1850.

Andrew A. Hotchkiss died in February of 1858.

Patent Number 49,350 issued on August 8, 1865 was issued to Clark Marsh assignor to Hotchkiss and Sons for a Snap Hook.

Hotchkiss' Sons advertised "Hotchkiss Steel Game Traps" in 1869. Asahel A. Hotchkiss was granted patent number 101,620 on April 5, 1870 for a mouse trap. Charles A. Hotchkiss was granted patent number 118,721 on September 5, 1871 for a mouse trap.

Benjamin Berkley Hotchkiss continued with the company and changed the company name to Hotchkiss & Company in 1882. He continued primarily with the arms and gun part of the business until his death, February 14, 1885.

By 1904 the company name was changed to Edward S. Hotchkiss Manufacture. They advertised Barbers, Toilet, Horse, and Fetlock Clippers as well as Rat and Mouse Traps. The clippers were covered under patents issued March 12, 1895 and March 21, 1899.

[Lewill2]

I forgot this one.

[lzenglish]

Nice Looking wrenches, and Great Information of a Company of which I have never heard of, till now! Thanks for the info.

Wayne

[scottg]

Completely cool!
Of course, looking from the worst coast, it might as well be from outer space.
Coes barely made it all the way out here to the rough and tumble gold camps where I live.   
There is virtually no chance I would ever run across anything even remotely similar to these rare early wrenches, not ever.
  I like to look at vertical post Bailey planes too. But I am never ever going to actually have one. 

Sittin here in Camp
yours Scott

[rusty]

>I like to look at vertical post Bailey planes too. But I am never ever going to actually have one. 

oh, come on, it's only money, what else ya gonna spend it on, something useless like a mortgage payment?

http://www.mjdtools.com/tools/list_0205/129465.htm

---

Lewill thank  you for a great article : )

[Wrenchmensch]

I rejoice at your selectivity. Thank your for sharing information about the Hotchkisses and their unique wrenches.