George Page was co-owner of a small mill in Keene, NH. Beginning in 1831 he was granted a series of patents for horse powers, mortising machines, mortising chisels, drills, and countersinks. An 1833 patent for a foot-powered mortiser was financed, in part, by local attorney and bank president Thomas M. Edwards. It was apparently briefly made under the Page & Co. name, and then under the name of T. M. Edwards & Co.
Page's mortising machine patent was granted a couple of years after the first such patent, granted to one John McClintic in 1827. However, so far as is known, Page's mortiser was the first such machine manufactured in the United States.
In 1834, businessman Edward Joslin joined Page and Edwards, shortly followed by Jerub A. Fay. For the subsequent history, see the entries for T. M. Edwards & Co. and J. A. Fay & Co.
Do not confuse George Page of New Hampshire with the contemporaneous sawmill maker George Page & Co. of Baltimore. The two companies are unrelated.
Information Sources
- Most of this information comes from patent records.
- An article in the Spring 2007 issue of Fine Tool Journal (volume 56, no. 4), by Dana M. Batory, provides background information on Page, Edwards, Joslin, and Fay. Batory's article also has information on mortiser patents granted to McClintic, Page, Fay, and joslin.