Holt forges appeared in the 1885 catalog of L. M. Rumsey of Saint Louis, MO. Holt Manufacturing Co. was listed in the 1898 Cleveland City Directory at 1016 First Ave., owner J. P. Holt. Earlier Cleveland directories identify him as John P. Holt. He received US Patent 219,640 for portable forges. Genealogy records including US Census and Massachusetts marriage records indicate that he is likely Jonathan Pierce Holt (1824-1903), a Massachusetts native.
The Cleveland Daily Leader, May 25, 1865, page 4, has a classified ad for John P. Holt, manufacturer of portable steam engines suitable for oil wells, but it is not established that this is the same person.
The firm was making the Holt's combined anvil and vise in 1891.
Information Sources
- Farm Implement News Buyer's Guide : Where to Purchase Farm Implements, Machines and Vehicles, 1891. Pg. 71.
- Cleveland City Directory, 1898
- Ancestry.com family trees and genealogy databases