“Kelly Perfect” Annabelle Rhodes Recalls Kelly Axe

By Amy M. Harper

Kelly woodsman Paul Criss with a W.C. Kelly Perfect Axe, circa 1942. Photograph courtesy of West Virginia State Archives, Irene W. Mann Collection. Any collector of American hand tools wants a W.C. Kelly Perfect Axe. Today's buyers know that prices can range from a mere $10 to well over $100, when manufacturing date and condition are taken into consideration. The Kelly Perfect Axe was made by the Kelly Axe Manufacturing Company, which operated in the Charleston area from 1904 until 1982. At one point it was the world's largest in axe manufacturing — one reason collectors look for the Kelly Perfect.  For decades, the factory supplied countless West Virginia families a means of employment. Even today it is difficult to find a longtime Charleston resident who does not have a connection to the once-prominent riverfront factory.  \ Such was the case for Annabelle Doughty Rhodes of Sissonville, Kanawha County. More than half of her 97 years were somehow connected to “Kelly's" — the shortened name employees dubbed the factory despite its ownership changes over the years.  Annabelle’s grandfather, Civil War veteran Isaac Wesley Doughty, settled in Fletcher near Kentuck, Jackson County, in the late 1800's. His property gave Annabelle's parents, John and Mary Doughty, a place to build their own cabin in 1894. Mary bore 11 children. Annabelle, the 10th child, arrived on Christmas Day 1913. She lived until December 6, 2011. Like others in Fletcher, John Doughty provided for his family by living off of the land. Annabelle explained, “Back in those days, people farmed and they raised their own stuff. Then they'd go to Ripley and buy the things that they would have to have, like flour, and coffee, and the stuff they didn't raise.”  Annabelle's mother and father would take the trip to Ripley by wagon twice a year, in the spring and fall. They would camp overnight along the Mill Creek. Material for making clothes, brown sugar, and spices were among the things Mary and John usually purchased before traveling the 25 miles back to Fletcher.  “My parents raised their own corn and took it someplace to have it ground, you know, and that way they didn't have to buy meal,” Annabelle recalled. Her mother would then sift the meal to make cornbread. “I remember that cornbread. It was awful good.” In 1919, Mary and John separated. Though an uncommon incident during the time period, the circumstances were understandable. Mary was only 13 years old when she married, under the arrangements of her parents. John, a widower and father of four, was already 35. For about 27 years, Mary played the role of wife, stepmother, and mother, but the year 1917 devastated the family. Annabelle remembered that the entire family suffered through the flu epidemic. Mary and John lost two of their 11 children just seven days apart. Austin was 16, and Aubrey only 11. Mary was never the same after their deaths.  In time Mary packed her belongings, taking with her the younger children — Henry, Melford, Virginia, Opal, and Annabelle. They moved by riverboat on the Ohio River to Lesage, Cabell County. The older children — Netra, Myrtle, Stella, and Enos — were grown and married. They remained in Jackson County.  The family traveled from Lesage to Gallipolis, Ohio, where they stayed for a short time. Then in 1919, Mary moved some of the children with her to Charleston. Annabelle returned to Jackson County and stayed for two years with her older sister Netra and attended Straight Run Grade School for second and third grade.  Eventually Annabelle joined her family in Charleston. It was this move that put her in close proximity to the Kelly factory. She attended Tiskelwah, Slip Hill, and Sugar Creek grade schools, completing through the eighth grade. Like others in the 1920's, Annabelle had to leave school to help provide for her family. She remembered how she felt about leaving school: “I didn't want to really. I would have been going to high school then you see, and I didn't have the clothes that I thought I should have. That’s one of the reasons I think I quit more than anything else. My mother, Opal, and myself, and my brother lived together at that time. And she could use a little extra money I give her.”   Annabelle’s job for the next 12 years was in the hammer department of Kelly's axe factory. She began in 1927 at the age of 14. In the early 1900's, the factory's owner, William C. Kelly, had purchased about 53 acres along the north side of the Kanawha River, where Patrick Street Plaza is today. West Virginia's natural gas supply and cooler nights, as well as the site's accessibility to transportation on the river, convinced Kelly to move his then Indiana-based factory to Charleston. The factory experienced continual growth in its early years. By this time, W.C. Kelly was in his 50’s and an experienced businessman who was reaching an international market. He stated in a March 1925 Charleston Gazette article that about 20% of the factory's output was sold outside of the United States.       Land deed records show that over the next several years Kelly's axe company continued purchasing lots in the Charleston area.  You can read the rest of this article in this issue of Goldenseal, available in bookstores, libraries or direct from Goldenseal. est Virginia Division of Culture and History Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Small Richards and Conover Hardware Store Hatchet For Sale

Photo is not actual size


Small Richards and Conover Hardware Store Hatchet Head. Excellent Markings. In Great Shape.
This Hatchet is highly collectable...


$40.00 Plus $6.00 Shipping

The Kelly Axe America's greatest Axe

W 70 Designs Artwork Available in a awesome decal

Purchase Decal Here

KELLY’S EARLY ENTERPRISES  

 

     William Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on August 21, 1811. He studied metallurgy at the Western University of Pennsylvania and initially became involved in making engines. He is reputed to have made a water wheel capable of providing some type of propulsion as well as a rotary steam engine. That apparently tied in with his interests in steamboats, an enterprise he also became involved in. In the early 1840s he had also entered into the dry goods business with his brother John and his brother-in-law, a man named McShane. That company was named McShane & Kelly. He may have just been an investor in that business. He also  established a commission business in Pittsburgh where he contracted to build different types of mechanical apparatus to order. The commission business facilities were destroyed by fire in 1845.

    Sometime around late 1845 or early 1846 William and his brother John relocated to Eddyville, Kentucky. It was there that William married Mildred Gracy of Eddyville and they started a family. William and his brother John then purchased the Eddyville Iron Works that included the Suwanee Furnace and the Union Forge. They renamed the business Kelly & Co. Some of the items the business produced were kettles for processing sugar and pig iron blooms that were supplied to other manufacturers as a basic material for further processing.

    Within a short period of time the Kelly brothers discovered there was an insufficient local supply of charcoal readily available, which in turn increased the costs of purifying the pig iron. That discovery, along with his education in metallurgy, led William to start conducting experiments in refining iron and developing more efficient foundry and forging methods.

    Apparently Kelly was not the only one conducting similar experiments around that time. Although he later proved he was the first to discover the process of sending blasts of air through molten iron, the initial credit for discovering the process went to Henry Bessemer of England. Eventually William Kelly did receive an American Patent for what was called "Kelly's Air Boiling Process" for refining iron. That was in 1857 but he never profited to the degree that the Bessemer Converter profited. In 1863 William got involved with a syndicate that organized a corporation for controlling Kelly's patents but indications are Kelly was not overly involved in the actual business. Instead he concentrated his efforts on another business, the manufacture of steel. That eventually led to the manufacture of axes with the primary principal being William’s son, William C. Kelly.

 

AXE MAKING IN LOUISVILLE

 

    City and Business Directory listings of the 1870s indicate that William C. Kelly was located in Louisville, Kentucky and that he was in the steel business in 1873. At that time William C. Kelly is listed in conjunction with the word "steelworks" with no mention of any other specialty or any address. Indications are that William C. was working at the steelworks at the time. In 1876 the Louisville City Directory indicates that W. C. Kelly was located at 524 Portland Street and that he was a "Mfg. of Axes." W. C. Kelly later moved to 516 W. Main with the same reference; Mfg. of Axes.

    Records indicate that William Kelly died on February 11, 1888. The following year two patents were issued to William’s son, William C. Kelly of Louisville, Kentucky. They were US (Utility) Patent No. 402,936, issued May 7, 1889, and US Design Pat. No. 19,056, issued April 23, 1889. One would expect that the patents in question may have been issued to the executor of William Kelly's estate or some other appointee considering William Kelly had already died, but in reality the patents were issued to one of Kelly's sons, named William C. Kelly.

    William Kelly, the father, had sired a number of children and his second son, born December 1, 1849, was also named William C. Kelly. No mention of “Junior” or “II” has been uncovered rein- forcing the fact that the father did not use a middle name or initial. The two patent dates noted were later included on many of the “Perfect” brand axes produced by the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co.

    By 1881 James P. Kelly, the third son of William C., was included in the directory and noted as being employed at W. C. Kelly & Co. The company by then was listed as being a manufacturer of axes and hatchets. It is believed that James became the general manager of the business in 1888. That would coincide with the year his father William C. Kelly died.

    Interestingly, W. C. Kelly had been issued a patent on September 29, 1885 for an "AX" pattern. The patent was issued as No.327,275. It was for an axe with bevels but the patent did not mention the word "Perfect" or even look like the actual design that was eventually named the PERFECT AXE. Some subsequent advertising printed in publications in the 1890s included the 1885 date on axes and apparently some axes also included the date. However, the vast majority of advertising and markings on actual Perfect Axes included two dates and possibly applied to patents by both William C. Kelly and James P. Kelly who were brothers involved in the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co.

         The last patent applicable to the PERFECT AXE was a Trade-Mark Patent. It was No.18,084 issued on June 24, 1890. It was specifically for the brand name PERFECT AXE.

  The markings on most of the examples and in most advertisements that related to the PERFECT AXE are actually inaccurate. The earliest markings include only the date May 7, 1889. The date is believed to have referred to Patent No.402,936 and/or Patent No. 402,937. It could also have applied to a patent issued the same day to James P. Kelly that was designated as Patent No.402,935.

   The other marks have May 7, 1889 along with September 23, 1889. The second date is incorrect as it is not a Tuesday and by that time US patents were only issued on Tuesdays. That practice had been in effect since 1848.

 

NOTE: More information on Kelly and the Perfect Axe is included in the booklet on Kelly offered on the Home Page of this website.

 

THE COMPANY MOVES TO ALEXANDRIA

 

    In 1896 the company built a factory in Alexandria, Indiana and in 1897 all the operations relocated to that city. One of the major reasons for relocating was the supposedly abundant supply of natural gas. The management had such faith in the continuance of the company that they even relocated most of their experienced work force to Alexandria. They soon to learned that the information related to the supply of natural gas was erroneous.

 

THE COMPANY RELOCATES TO CHARLESTON

 

    The company remained in Alexandria until 1904 when they again relocated; that time to Charleston, West Virginia. Part of the justification for the move was a more promising supply of natural gas which had become the company's major fuel used in the axe making factories. As mentioned, it was discovered that the reserves thought to be available in Alexandria were insufficient for their long range purposes. The Charleston move was to a tract of land that initially involved 25 acres along the edge of the Elk River not far from where it joins the Kanawha River. The move again involved the relocating of significant numbers of Kelly’s experienced workers to the new location.

 

BUSINESS OFFICE OPENED IN NEW YORK

 

    Shortly after the business relocated to Charleston they opened an office in New York City. New York was a much more prestigious center of commerce and the New York office aided in expanding the company into international markets.  It was around that time that the company name was changed to the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. but the use of the name Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. was also continued. 

    W. C. Kelly was still listed as the president of the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. on some documents in 1920 but this referred to the son who was also named William C. Kelly. The company was then listed as being located on the corner of Patrick and 4th Ave. Two years later, 1922, W. C. Kelly is still listed as the president with George T. Price as the V. P. and Gerard E. Kelly as the secretary. By 1930 G. T. Price was the President, Duncan Brue was the Vice President and G. T. Kelly was the Secretary/Treasurer.

    Some opinions suggest that the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. / Kelly Axe & Tool Co. was considered small by the American Axe & Tool Co. when that conglomerate was being organized in 1889. Indications are that Kelly wasn’t even invited to join what became known as “The Axe Trust.” In retrospect that may have been a misconception either on the part of those who have recorded those opinions or by the A. A. & T. Co. Perhaps Kelly was solicited in regard to joining but declined. During the next three decades the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. grew to be one of the major axe manufacturers in the world and provided considerable competition with the A. A. & T. Co.

 

KELLY ACQUIRES THE A. A. & T. CO.

 

    In 1921 the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. actually purchased all the holdings and equipment, along with the rights to all the brands and labels, owned by the American Axe & Tool Co. That acquisition resulted in the takeover of all the plants owned by the A. A. & T. Co. A considerable amount of equipment was relocated to Charleston which in turn resulted in a major expansion of Kelly's manufacturing facilities in that city. What had occupied approximately 25 acres in 1904 had grown to 41 acres in the late teens and then expanded to encompass approximately 60 acres after they bought the A. A. & T. Co. Manufacturing operations ran continuously around the clock and the 700 or so employees of 1921 was soon increased to around 1,000 workers.

   After the acquisition, the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. chose to manufacture some of the A. A. & T. Co. brands while continuing to manufacture those brands that they themselves had developed over the years. The purchase of the A. A. & T. Co. escalated the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. to the position of being the undisputed largest individual manufacturer of axes in the world but that was not to continue for very long.

   In 1930 the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. was purchased by the American Fork & Hoe Co. Axe production was continued under the new name of the Kelly Axe & Tool Works but at a reduced rate of production. (Note the use of the word “Works” instead of “Co.”) The American Fork & Hoe Co. eventually changed the name of the axe making division, as well as some of their other divisions, to True Temper Corp. The company headquarters initially remained in Charleston, West Virginia and was continued there until 1983 when they moved the headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1987 True Temper sold the Kelly division along with the many brand names to Barco Industries of Reading, Pennsylvania.

MARKINGS and LABELS

 

    During their history, the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. marked axes with a wide variety of etchings and a wider variety of paper labels. As the etching process became more expensive, the use of paper labels increased to the point that Kelly furnished axes identified with scores of different labels. Many of the labels included the name of the distributor rather than the Kelly name. Many of the brands sold also reflected those marketed by the American Axe & Tool Co. when they were active. Eventually the application of etchings was reduced to practically nil and they converted to the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. markings along with the paper labels; a practice that was continued by the American Fork and Hoe Co. This had become a common practice with most companies and later it was not uncommon to see the name True Temper used in conjunction with the earlier brands that Kelly and/or the A. A. T. Co. members had made famous. Because of that practice, attributing the manufacturer of a specific axe to a specific manufacturer can often be confusing. Reports indicate that those axes that were still etched were frequently processed by the Mann Edge Tool Company.

    Some of the more famous brands associated with Kelly over the years were sold with patent dates etched or stamped into the metal. Others included patent dates noted on paper labels.

    As mentioned, as the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. grew they had added brands and increased the variety of labels that they used. Many of their brands were registered. As that process continued, it became obvious that the actual variety of different products was not consistent with the number of brands and/or labels being used. Some were registered in the U. S. Trademark Office while others were primarily used by specific distributors. In a number of cases the only purpose the label served was to differentiate one item from the same item sold to or through another distributor.

    Those items may have been identical, or as close to identical as reasonably possible at the time, especially considering the methods by which they were made. The material may have been close to the same but as it was made in batches the proportional contents of the batches varied somewhat. The individuals that fabricated the axes or hatchets may have been the same but the involvement of some hand processing also made the end results differ somewhat. Whatever the case, Kelly was producing hundreds of thousands of axes and other edge tools each year.

  As the manufacturing capability evolved and the company expanded, the various processes were performed in different departments. Apparently there was some hand processing for almost every step in the overall procedure. That bolstered the use of the term “Hand Made” for advertising purposes. In reality the major shaping was actually done by machinery. Those evolving technologies had been part of the continuously developing advancements in manufacturing. Perhaps it was the most important part. Many of the patents related to axes in the late 1800s and early 1900s were for machines that modified or improved the methods of production.

    Nevertheless the end products, even when of the same basic design, varied slightly. The three considerations were pattern, weight and finish. The choice of finish and brand helped to facilitate the sale of axes to customers with varying preferences when, in fact, the end products were substantially the same. The heads were designated by weight as well as pattern and finish and axes were frequently sold with those three considerations being of major concern.

    In regard to finishes, manufacturers offered to finish their axes in a number of ways, some of which affected the overall price. The means of identification also varied from the early simple stampings to etchings to more detailed stamped markings to paper labels. In the catalogs distributed by the larger manufacturers the options were listed. In some catalogs it was actually indicated which patterns could be ordered with what choices of brands and finishes. Kelly, like many other manufacturers, offered similar purchasing options. Of course such choices were based on purchasing minimum quantities and wholesalers would order a wide variety of axes in different weight groupings.

    It appears that in many cases the end result was that the axe or hatchet was painted whatever color was ordered. In some situations the selection involved up to five or six color choices, polished or a combination of paint and polish and possibly chemical or heat coloring. The customer also selected the brand which was then designated by affixing a label indicating the name of that brand. Many labels did not include reference to the actual maker thereby disallowing any type of warrantee by the manufacturer. That reduced costs somewhat. Other labeled axes included the manufacturer's name or a stamping showing the actual manufacturer and where they were located.

    After the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. purchased the A. A. & T. Co. they started to mix the brands that had initially been made by many of the original companies that formed the A. A. & T. Co. The A. A. & T. Co. had already done that themselves for approximately thirty years. The end result made it difficult to keep track of who made what unless one had a detailed manufacturer’s list. Some of the labels even included the original locations of the companies and not the actual location of the current manufacturer. 

     In 1930 The American Fork & Hoe Company completely bought out the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co., also known as the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. That brought to an end the fifty seven year history of the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. Although the name Kelly was continued for some time, none of the Kelly offspring are known to have been involved any longer.

     In addition to the facilities and equipment, the rights to all the brands, markings and labels owned by the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. were transferred to the American Fork & Hoe Co. That included all the brands, markings and labels that had been acquired from the A. A. & T Co. This situation resulted in the option to use what was probably the majority of registered trademarked brands ever marketed by one company. However, many of the lesser brands were discontinued or removed from circulation as the overall total was, without question, unruly.

     In order to facilitate the acceptance of the company changeover, the American Fork & Hoe Co. operated their axe division under the name of the Kelly Axe & Tool Works. A slight difference initially, but gradually many the brand names were combined with the name True Temper. Others were discontinued or shelved. By 1949 the entire American Fork & Hoe Co. became known as True Temper and they reincorporated under that name. For legal reasons, the subsidiaries located in Canada were organized as True Temper of Canada and those that were in Australia became True Temper of Australia. 

 

ADDITIONAL MARKINGS and LABELS

 

     The labels and markings depicted with this article are intended to show the wide diversification of such identifiers as used by the Kelly Axe Mfg. co. They represent what is believed to be the more common brands along with some that are less common. By no means do they include all the modified and/or special markings used on axes that the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. made and supplied to wholesalers, major distributors and for special groups.

Yesteryearstools