References:
Books:
Farnham, Alexander, "Early Tools of New Jersey and the Men Who Made Them", Kingwood Studio Publications, Copyright 1984.
First of two books that focus on the toolmakers of New Jersey. Most of the chapters cover all types of tools and toolmakers from that region. The book has a few chapters on leather working toolmakers. There is a good history on C.S. Osborne & Co., as well as many other lessor known toolmakers.
Farnham, Alexander, "Search for Early New Jersey Toolmakers", Kingwood Studio Publications, Copyright 1992.
Second of two books that focus on the toolmakers of New Jersey. This book adds to the work of Farnham's 1984 book.
Salaman, R.A., "Dictionary of Leather-Working Tools, c.1700-1950, and the tools of allied trades", Astragal Press, Copyright 1986.
Bible of leather working tools and their uses. Much of the book refers to English tool manufactures. Has many illustrations and discusses leather working tools for harness making, shoe making, book binding, tanning etc... As well as the history of the respective trades.
Stohlman, Al, "Leathercraft Tools", Tandy Leather Company, Copyright 1984.
Craft book, on the "use" of many kinds of leather working and harness making tools. Does not contain historical information. However, it is a great resource on the use and care of many of these tools.
Catalogues:
C.S. Osborne & Co. (Incorporated) New Jersey, USA, Manufacturers of Saddlers', Harness Makers', Leather Workers' and Leathercraft Tools, Catalogue reprint, publisher information unknown.
Catalogue date unknown. Based on the patent history of various tools illustrated I believe this is a reprint from no earlier than 1884. Due to the reference to Newark on the illustrations it was likely pre WWII time frame. The origional that the reprint is taken from had only partial information on pages 11 and 12.
C.S. Osborne & Co. Incorporated, 1911 Standard Tools, Reprinted as a joint project by the Early American Industries Association, Early Trades and Crafts Society Mid West Tool Collectors, 1976.
C.S. Osborne & Co. Catalog #59 and January 1, 2001 price list #59BR.
Henry Arthur, 84 & 86 Gold Street, New York, "Leather and Findings and Boot & Shoe Uppers", Price List for September 1st 1874. Reprinted and published by Alexander Farnham, RD2, Stockton, NJ 08559.
Illustrates many cobbler and shoemaking tools as well as other shoemaking supplies.
Henry G. Gomph & Co., Fine Harness Tools, Albany N.Y., Catalogue reprint, publisher information unknown.
Includes a letter from the Albany County historian that has some historical information about the company.
"The H.F. Osborne Co., Tools and Machinery of Every Description for Saddle and Harness Making." 1891 Catalogue.
A very old origional, missing pages 27, 28 and 95 (last page of the index).
Periodicals:
The Chronicle, of the Early American Industies Association, Volume 44, No. 1, March 1991. "Gleaning, The Working Tool Collection of a Modern-Day Bibliophegus", by Charles Reichman, pages 23-25.
An artical about bookbinding tools.
Make it with Leather, Volume 26, No. 5 September - October 1982. "Tricks of the Trade", by Al Shelton, pages 4-6 and 44-45.
An artical by Al Shelton that referes to his invention of the "Pro-Gauge" and other "Pro-Series" tools. The artical also mentions that the tools were manufactured between 1952 and 1960.
Make it with Leather, Volume 27, No. 1 January - February 1983. "How to Make a Stitching Horse (Reprint from The Craftsman, April 1962)", by Randy Steffen, pages 46 to 48.
The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal, Volume 4, No. 3 May/Jun 1994. "Ellis Barnes, Toolmaker for the Masters", by Dave Cox. pages 28 to 31.
Brief biography of Ellis Barnes, owner and operator of Gomph/Hackbarth Tools. Artical makes reference to the demise of the origional Gomph company and his purchase of the rights to the name in the 60's.
United States Patents:
Note: Any U.S. Patent can be viewed by number at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website www.uspto.gov. Use the "Searchable Databases" link. A tiff graphics file viewer plug in must be installed to view copies of patents older than 1975, the site has instructions for where these plug in's may be obtained.
U.S. Patent No. 00009158, Dated July 27, 1852, "Graduated Cutter for Cloth and Other Substances", Halsey D. Walcott, of Boston, Massachusetts.
U.S. Patent No. 00009734, Dated May 17, 1853, "Graduated Cutter for Cloth and Other Substances", Halsey D. Walcott, of Boston, Massachusetts.
U.S. Patent No. 00014698, Dated April 15, 1856, "Machine for Raising and Creasing Leather Straps", George W. Pruyne, of Mexico, New York.
U.S. Patent No. 00024494, Dated June 21, 1859, "Tool for Planing and Finishing the Edges of Boot and Shoe Soles", Henry Sauerbier, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00030925, Dated December 18, 1860, "Apparatus for Cutting Button-Holes", Frederick C. Leypoldt, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
U.S. Patent No. 00042064, Dated March 29, 1864, "Improved Spring-Punch", Peter Bauer, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00048962, Dated July 25, 1865, "Improvement in Button-Hole Cutters", Frederick C. Leypoldt, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
U.S. Patent No. 00053537, Dated March 27, 1866, "Improved Spring-Punches", John Lyle, of Newark, New Jersey, Assignor to Himself and C.H. Allen, of same place.
U.S. Patent No. 00067313, Dated July 30, 1867, "Improved Shave for Boots and Shoes", Albert E. Johnson, of Oxford, Massachusetts.
U.S. Patent No. 00069490, Dated October 1, 1867, "Improved Shoe Knife", Henry Sauerbier, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00069491, Dated October 1, 1867, "Improved Shoe Knife", Henry Sauerbier, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00077653, Dated May 5, 1868, "Improved Channelling-Tool", George W. Pruyne, of Mexico, New York.
U.S. Patent No. 00095470, Dated October 5, 1869, "Improved Shoe-Knife", M.E. Hall, of Spring, Pennsylvania.
U.S. Patent No. 00096453, Dated November 2, 1869, "Improvement in Leather-Punches", John Lyle, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00129309, Dated July 16, 1872, "Improvement in Button-Hole Cutters", Peter Bauer, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00137404, Dated April 1, 1872, "Improvement in Channeling and Edging Tools.", Louis Bauer, of San Francisco, California.
U.S. Patent No. 00150704, Dated May 12, 1874, "Improvement in Machines for Rounding Leather", Henry F. Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00162762, Dated May 4, 1875, "Improvement in Leather-Rounding Machines", Henry F. Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00179948, Dated July 18, 1876, "Improvement in Leather-Splitting Machines", Henry F. Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00187896, Dated February 27, 1877, "Improvement in Hand-Punches", Henry F. Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00202446, Dated April 16, 1878, "Improvement in Button-Hole Cutters", Frederick C. Leypoldt, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
U.S. Patent No. 00207597, Dated September 3, 1878, "Improvement in Cutting-Gages", Sterling Elliott, of Chicago, Illinois.
U.S. Patent No. 00221866, Dated November 18, 1879, "Improvement in Leather-Splitting Machines", Henry Sauerbier and Julius Sauerbier, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00221867, Dated November 18, 1879, "Improvement in Leather-Splitting Machines", Henry Sauerbier and Julius Sauerbier, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00221868, Dated November 18, 1879, "Improvement in Rein-Rounding Machines", Henry Sauerbier and Julius Sauerbier, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00237554, Dated February 8, 1881, "Draw-Gage", Emmit G. Latta, of Friendship, New York, Assignor to Henry F. Osborne of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00274921, Dated April 3, 1883, "Lap Shaving and Splitting Machine", David A. Dixon, of St. Louis, Missouri, Assignor to C.S. Osborne & Co. of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00306760, Dated October 21, 1884, "Leather-Splitting Machine", John Theodore Krebs, of Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to William A. King of Cleveland, Ohio.
U.S. Patent No. 00307141, Dated October 28, 1884, "Stitching-Horse", Silas H. Randall of Cincinnati, Ohio assignor to Silas B. Randall of Cincinnati, Ohio.
U.S. Patent No. 00317181, Dated May 5, 1885, "Punching and Cutting Pliers", Henry F. Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00371198, Dated October 11, 1887, "Stitching-Horse", Edward Jones, of Flint, Michigan.
U.S. Patent No. 00391190, Dated October 16, 1888, "Leather-Skiving Machine", Silas H. Randall of Wyoming, Ohio assignor of one half to James D. Randall of Wyoming, Ohio.
U.S. Patent No. 00422666, Dated March 4, 1890, "Punch", Robert Merrow Tull and Thomas Ephraim Tull, of Windsor, Illinois.
U.S. Patent No. 00427220, Dated May 6, 1890, "Pliers", William A. Bernard, Assignor to Bernard Walker & Rice, of New Haven Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00427497, Dated May 6, 1890, "Punch", William A. Bernard, Assignor to Bernard Walker & Rice, of New Haven Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00444012, Dated January 6, 1891, "Strap-Trimming Tool", Henry F. Osborne, of Newark, New Jersey.
U.S. Patent No. 00474041, Dated May 3, 1892, "Stitching-Horse", Herman Doering, of Reedsburg, Wisconsin.
U.S. Patent No. 00488785, Dated December 27, 1892, "Belt-Pliers", William A. Bernard, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00665052, Dated January 1, 1901, "Hand-Punch", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00712482, Dated November 4, 1902, "Hand-Punch", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00723981, Dated March 31, 1903, "Sewing-Awl", Murry R. Botkin, of Kokomo Colorado, Assignor of one-half to James W. Dowd, of Kokomo, Colorado.
U.S. Patent No. 00730163, Dated June 2, 1903, "Beveling-Tool", Charles Rosecrans, of Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
U.S. Patent No. 00734157, Dated July 21, 1903, "Punch", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00753936, Dated March 8, 1904, "Punch", Robert M. Tull and George T. Tull, of Windsor, Illinois.
U.S. Patent No. 00764336, Dated July 5, 1904, "Punch", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00765954, Dated July 26, 1904, "Punch", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 00786000, Dated March 28, 1905, "Sewing-Awl", Murry R. Botkin, of Denver Colorado.
U.S. Patent No. 00869874, Dated November 5, 1907, "Revolving Eyeleting-Tool", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 01164981, Dated December 21, 1915, "Hand-Tool", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 01446540, Dated Feburary 27, 1923, "Hand-Tool", William A. Bernard, of New Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 01700306, Dated January 29, 1929, "Hand-Tool", William A. Bernard, ofNew Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut, a Corporation of Connecticut.
U.S. Patent No. 01804149, Dated May 5, 1931, "Hand-Tool", Fred J. Clemens, of East Haven Connecticut, Assignor to the William Schollhorn Company, of New Haven Connecticut.
United States Patent, Re-Issues:
U.S. Patent Re-Issue No. 1728, Dated July 12, 1864, of U.S. Patent No. 30925.
U.S. Patent Re-Issue No. 8713, Dated May 12, 1879, of U.S. Patent No. 202446.
Websites:
C.S. Osborne & Co. Website of the oldest and most well known of all American saddle and harness making tool companies.
Page last updated on: July 20, 2003