Starting in 1904 or a bit before, the Willard Machine & Tool Co. made power presses and engine lathes. In 1917 the name changed to Willard Machine Tool Co. when local businessmen G. Mattman and Thomas L. Bratten acquired the firm. The following year a subsidiary was formed, the Willard Press & Tool Co., to make Willard presses and dividing heads. By 1920 the named had changed yet again, to Willard-Middletown Machine Co., which was apparently the result of a merger with small-engine maker Middletown Machine Co. of Middletown, Ohio. The merged firm survived until at least Dec. 1922.

From 1913-02-13 Canadian Machinery

Information Sources

• The October 1910 Railway Master Mechanic listed a number of Ohio machinery manufacturers, including "Willard Machine Tool Co." It is likely that this was a typographical error and should have been "Willard Machine & Tool Co."
• 1913-02-13 Canadian Machinery has an article on this company's new 13½-inch gap-bed engine lathe.
• The 1915 Engineering Directory lists this firm as a maker of engine lathes, inclinable power presses and power and die presses.
• The April 1915 Chilton Automobile Directory lists this firm as making Willard lathes and inclinable power preses. The company address was 19 W. 2nd Street, Cincinnati.
• The June 1916 Machinists' Monthly Journal mentions "Willard Machine Tool Co."
• The August 1917 American Machine & Tool Record has the following news item.

  Willard Machine and Tool Co., Cincinnati. 0., manufacturers of the Willard 13" tool-room lathe, has been sold to G. Mattman and Thomas L. Bratten. The firm name has been changed to Willard Machine Tool Co. Mr. Mattman is well known in the machine tool trade, having been for several years the European representative of the Cincinnati Milling Machine C0. He came to the United States from France in 1904 and worked in the shop for four years, learning the American way of building machinery. He has had wide experience both in the production and selling end. Mr. Bratten, although never identified with the machine tool industry. is also well known to the trade in and about Cincinnati, having held an executive position with the Employers’ Liability Corporation, Ltd. For the present, the company wil continue to manufacture the Willard 13" lathe, which will be somewhat improved, but the intention is to add other machine tools to the line in the near future.

• A 1917 issue of The Iron Trade Review has the following snippet.

  ...have bought our Mr. Willard and have changed the name of the Willard Machine & Tool Co. to the Willard Machine Tool Co. G. Mattman is president and T. L. Bratten secretary and treasurer.

• The Ohio Annual Report of the Secretary of State for the year ending June 1918 lists incorporations, including Willard Press & Tool Company, incorporated 1918-03-09, capital $10,000.
• The 1918-03-28 The Iron Age.

  The Willard Press & Tool Co., Cincinnati, has been incorporated with $10,000 capital stock by Thomas L. Bratton. Gustav Mattman, and others. The company Is a subsidiary of the Willard Machine Tool Co.. Covington, Ky., and will manufacture Willard presses and dividing heads.

• The January 1919 Machiner, in a section on "New Machinery and Tools Notes".

  Geared-head Lathe: Willard Machine Tool Co., Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio. This machine is of similar design to the 13-inch tool-room lathe built by this company, except that it is equipped with a geared-head and single pulley drive. There are internal ribs in the headstock that provide the necessary stiffness. Three changes of speed are obtained by sliding gears on the first shaft, which work in conjunction with two changes of speed provided by gears carried on an intermediate shaft to give six changes. Six additional changes of speed are available through back-gears, so that a total of twelves changes of speed may be obtained.

• The February 1919 Machinery has an ad from The Willard Press & Tool Co., "Manufacturers / C. F. KERN / Sixth and Vine Sts., Cincinnati, O., Selling Agent for Willard Dividing Head".
• The Smithsonian National Museum of American History's list of holdings include a catalog from lard Press & Tool Co.
• Advertisement in the December 1921 Western Machinery World.
• The 1921 Department Reports of the State of Ohio lists the Willard-Middletown Machine Co., Middletown, as having decreased its capitalization from $200,000 to $190,000.
• Advertisement in the December 1922 American Machine & Tool Record for a 10-inch dividing head, from "The Willard-Middletown Machine Co. / Successors to / The Willard Press & Tool Co. / Cincinnati, Ohio". Another ad in the same issue features that company's Willard inclinable open-back power press.
• From a 2013-03-24 post to Practical Machinist by j1src:
  • 1900: G.A. Willard was VP of O.E. Bell Co.
    (Williams Directory 1900, Page 1862)
  • 1902: Willard Machine & Tool Co., Southeast corner of Pearl & Ludlow.
    G.A Willard Manager
    (Williams Directory 1902, Page 1928)
  • 1907: Willard Machine & Tool Co., Southeast corner of Pearl & Ludlow.
    G.A Willard is President. & Treasurer, Perry C Willard clerk.
    (Williams Directory 1907, Page 1889)
  • 1908: Willard Machine & Tool Co., 118 & 120 W. 2nd St.
    G.A Willard is President. & Treasurer, Perry C Willard Clerk & Superintendent.
    (Williams Directory 1908, Page 1954)
  • Sometime between 1908 and 1913 they moved to Covington, Ky. Since there are no records in the 1909 Williams Directory I would guess they moved to Covington at that time.
  • 1913: Willard Machine & Tool Co., Third and Madison avenues
    Covington, Ky.
    G.A Willard is President. & Treasurer, Perry C Willard Clerk & Superintendent.
    Courtesy USMCPOP: Metal industry - Google Books
  • 1917: Willard Machine Tool Co., 512 Reading Rd.
    Cincinnati, Oh.
    G. Mattman President, T. Bratton Secretary & Treasurer.
    (Machinery, Feb. 1913, Page 166)
  • 1918: Willard Press & Tool Co., 512 Reading Rd.
    Cincinnati, Oh.
    G. Mattman President, T. Bratton Secretary & Treasurer.
    (Williams Directory 1918, Page 2008) Bulletin - Google Books
  • 1920: Willard-Middletown Machine Co., 2121 First St. (Assuming it’s at the same location from 1913)
    Middletown, Ohio
    G. Mattman President, T. Bratton Secretary & Treasurer.
    Machinery - Google Books
    (Farm Journal Vol. 37, March 1913 Page 190)