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1841 - "Battey
& Eddy", Hardware Merchants &
Wood Plane Manufacturers, 5 Broad Street.
On April 1, 1841 James A. Eddy entered
into a co-partnership with Isaac S. Battey, who
was a year older but born in the same working
class neighborhood located on the west
side of Providence. Both families attended the
small Pine Street 2nd Baptist church, and the
boys were likely lifelong friends growing up. Their
new business was known as "Battey & Eddy",
and located at 5 Broad Street, a busy down-town
Providence street lined with small shops. The
co-partnership notice stated that they have "taken
the store #5 Broad Street, Providence, RI,
where they intend keeping a general assortment
of Hardware, Planes, and Joiner's
Tools". In a classic case where
good friends don't always prove good business
partners, the business dissolved by September of
the same year, with James continuing on with the
hardware business and Isaac moving on.
There is to our
knowledge only one plane known having the
"Battey and Eddy" mark, that being the example
posted on this website. We have seen at least
seven examples of planes stamped "James A.
Eddy", and while we suspect there may be a few
others out there, it still appears to be a
relatively scarce mark.
There is good reason to
suspect that it was Isaac Battey that made the
planes and James A. Eddy that worked the counter
at 5 Broad Street; one reason being that James
had experience with hardware sales having
previously worked in Joseph Belcher's Hardware
Store. Although James A. Eddy continued to run
the same business ad as a "Hardware Merchant and
Plane Manuf., even after taking over the
business, Eddy never describes himself as
toolmaker or planemaker in any of the Providence
Directories or Almanacs. Comparing details
on the single "Battey & Eddy" plane, on
seven "James A. Eddy" planes, and on numerous
"Isaac S. Battey" planes, have shown
enough similarities to suggest that Isaac Battey
may have made all the planes involved.
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