Beginning about 1940, John Jesionowski operated a sole proprietorship out of Hartford, CT; we are uncertain what, if anything he may have manufactured during this time. In 1944 he moved to Schenectady, NY, and, with two sons, Thaddeus Jesionowski and Casimer Jesionowski, organized as Ideal Tool & Die Co., Inc. The senior Jesionowski had just been granted patents for a die filer and a sine vise, which they began manufacturing. By 1949 they were also making a horizontal bandsaw. It appears that machine vises were their major product, and John patented several improvements to his vise designs.

The business continued for some decades and it looks like they relocated to Charlotte, NC, at some point The assets of. Ideal Tool & Die Co., Inc., of Charlotte, NC, were auctioned off in 2016.

Information Sources

• 1920 Geer's Hartford City Directory lists "Jesionowski J. mach. 691 Pk. h. 82 Hamilton."
• 1940 census lists John Jesionowski, age 44 (born 1896 in New York), residing at 133 Wilson Street, Hartford. In the same household were Katherine (44), Walter (22), Theodore (20), Casmire (18), and Henry (14).
• A 1949 edition of The Tool Engineer mentions a "parallel cut saw", which was apparently a horizontal bandsaw, made by this firm. The company address was 731 Congress St., Schenectady, NY.
• 1958 New York State Department of Commerce, Industrial Directory of New York State lists "Ideal Tool & Die Co., Inc., 733 Congress St., Schenectady 3. Pres. John Jesionowski, v pres Thaddeus Jesionowski, sec-treas Casimer Jesionowski, Sine vises, jigs, fixtures, dies, die file machines, band saw machines.
• The 1967 Macrae's Blue Book lists "Ideal Tool & Die Co., Inc., filing & sawing machs.. sine vises. 733-35 Congress St.. Schenectady, NY 12303."
• A 1960 tax hearing involved this company and its officers. The named persons are John and Catherine Jesionowski, Casimer Jesionowski, Henry Jesionowski, Thaddeus F. Jesionowski, Walter and Mary Jesionowski.

  John had been in the tool and die business for a number of years. Prior to 1944 he had operated as a sole proprietorship. In 1944 John and two of his sons, Thaddeus and Casimer, incorporated the business as Ideal Tool and Die Co., Inc. John's other two sons, Walter and Henry, were associated with Ideal during the years here in question.

  From 1944 to 1951 Ideal manufactured tools and dies which require a high degree of precision in their production. In 1951, after the outbreak of the Korean war, Ideal began to receive contracts from various firms to manufacture certain parts, tools, dies and fixtures of a sort requiring less precision in their manufacture than theretofore required. Its principal contract was with the General Electric Company of Schenectady to manufacture bucket parts for turbines. The new orders were such that Ideal was required to expand its production capacity by using more machines, increasing the number of employees and the number of hours worked per week. In order to fill the new orders it was necessary to acquire machines which could manufacture articles with less precision than normally required.

  Machines of this type were in great demand and short supply at that time. New machines, when available, were costly. Used machines were often quite old and of marginal efficiency. In addition, the Jesionowskis, officers of Ideal, recognized that when the Korean conflict ended Ideal might have little or no use for much of the machinery then needed. With these factors in mind the Jesionowskis embarked on a search for machinery which could be used to meet Ideal's new production orders.

  For a number of years it had been the Jesionowskis' practice to purchase machinery in their individual capacity and to rent it to Ideal. Ideal owned, operated, maintained and depreciated some of the machinery used in its manufacturing processes. During the years in question the Jesionowskis acquired, owned and maintained certain machines which Ideal used in the corporate business and on which it paid rental...