This firm of Aldrich & Hay was formed in 1840 by Warren Aldrich and James Hay to make lathes. After the partnership dissolved in 1845 Warren Aldrich contunued to make lathes under his own name until 1853 when he partnered with Levi D. Tyng to form Aldrich, Tyng & Co.But by 1855 the business had reverted back to just Warren Aldrich.
In about 1855 Aldrich set up a branch operation in Chicago. It is uncertain whether it included manufacturing or if it was strictly a sales operation. Either way, it was at that time an unusual move to have such widely spread locations, and it does seem that the Chicago operation did not last more than five years or so. The Massachusetts operations continued for several years after that.
Information Sources
- 1856-57 Transactions of the Illinois State Agricultural Society page 86, in a listing of premiums awarded at the Third Annual Fair of the Illinois State Agricultural Society, Chicago, October 1855: "Warren Aldrich, Lowell, Massachusetts, engine lathe, Diploma. / To the same, for iron planer, Diploma."
- 1857 book History of Prominent Mercantile and Manufacturing Firms in the United States, page 431, has an ad: "Warren Aldrich, / Chicago, Ill., and Lowell, Mass. / The accompanying cut represents a valuable improvement for a Scroll Saw... / Also, manufacturer of A. & A. Davis' patent dovetailing machine for fancy and shipping boxes, &c. For Machines, Rights of Territory, &c., apply to W. Aldrich, Chicago, Ill., (Post Office Box 1,585) or Lowell, Mass. / Agent for the sale of WOOD PLANERS—Fiske & Norcross', Daniels', and Gray & Woods'; also, of Wright & Huntington, Newark, N.J.; Smiths', and J. A. Fay & Co.'s, for all kinds of Machinery for working Wood. Also, BELTING, and various other articles used in Machine Shops. / Also, manufactures all kinds of MACHINISTS' TOOLS; Large Engine Lathes for Locomotive Drivers. Also, ten or more sizes—swing sixteen inches to seven and a half feet. PLANING MACHINES, to plane from three and a half to twenty-two feet. PATENT SELF-FEEDING ENGINE LATHE, for surfacing disks, and all kinds of conical work. / WARREN ALDRICH."
- 1891 book Industrial Chicago: The Building Interests, page 363, says "The saw and planing mills of 1858 were operated by Warren Aldrich, 41 Indiana street..."
- Mentioned in the book Made in America, the Arts in Modern Civilization, by John A. Kouwenhoven, which shows a picture of a scroll saw from an 1858 advertisement. The patents give Aldrich's home address as Lowell, MA.
- American Lathe Builders: 1810-1910 by Kenneth L. Cope, 2001, lists Aldrich, Tyng & Company and provides some of the history given above.