This maker of firewood sawing machines was active between 1839 and 1928. The company also made horse powers, threshing machines, and clothes pins.

In 1928 the company was purchased for $30,000, including $5,000 in cash. The new owner, one James S. Landers, apparently shut down the company and opened a New York City office in the company's name. With the help of his brothers and three others, Landers took advantage of A. W. Gray's $100,000 credit rating to make large purchases of cigars, antiques, silver, etc., and then declared bankruptcy. Landers and his five accomplices were arrested, tried and found guilty of concealing assets in bankruptcy—many of the items in question were found in Landers' home in Belle Harbor. It was an ignominious end to the 90 year old company.

Information Sources

• Patents associated with this company span 1842 to 1901. The latter date plus the scarcity of later data points suggests that the company was not very active after about 1910.
• The 1881-82 Business Directory for the Town of Middletown, Rutland County mentions A. W. Gray's Sons several times. For example, "Cummings, Daniel, (Middletown Springs,) works for A. W. Gray's Sons, and has for 20 years, South." Charles W. McClure, a wagon maker and carpenter, had been there 22 years. Albert W. Gray is listed as a founder of A. W. Gray's Sons. Eugene W. Gray is listed as "prop. steam, saw and grist mill; and foundry, manuf. of agricultural implements, plows, cultivators, cheese presses, &c., manuf. of cider and cider jelly, manuf. from 300 to 500 gallons maple syrup, and farmer 50, 200 acres spruce timber land." Leonidas Gray is associated with A. W. Gray's Sons and was also the town representative. The company itself is listed as "Gray's Sons, A. W., (Middletown Springs,) (Albert Y. and Leonidas,) manufs. of patent horse powers, machines for sawing wood, threshing and cleaning grain &c., South."
• A page on the Middletown Springs Historical Society website provides the following paragraphs:

  Inventions like the A.W. Gray horsepower treadmill and the new farm machinery that it operated were revolutionizing farming methods. The manufacture of this equipment produced an industry that supported the town for over 50 years, until the turn of the century, when the internal combustion engine began to replace the horsepower. The horsepower factory employed 30 men in 1867 as well as supporting loggers, sawyers, teamsters and other related tradesmen.

  The development of the mineral springs and the Montvert resort gave a further boost to the town's economy. The springs were supposedly shown by Indians to the early settlers. Buried by the 1811 flood, they were uncovered by a "freshet" in 1868 and rediscovered by A.W. Gray, whose company owned the land. The strong mineral taste suggested that the water was therapeutic. This was confirmed by the experiments of a few neighbors with minor ailments. Soon two companies (later merged into one to build the Montvert Hotel) were bottling and distributing Middletown waters widely. In 1875 the town post office was renamed Middletown Springs and in 1885 the legislature granted a petition for the name to change officially.

• Seen in various online library catalogs: 1890,1907, 1909, and 1916 catalogs. The 1909 catalog has 32 pages, and is subtitled, "Manufacturers of Horse power grain threshing & wood sawing machines / gasoline engines / ensilage cutters."
• 1918 ad:

  Make Money This Fall and Winter
  Work Up a Profitable, Steady Business Sawing Wood
  Gray Line TESTED SAW MACHINES
  You can make money sawing wood for the whole county. Our experience since 1840, in the wood country, has fitted us for making saws to meet wood-sawing problems. The Gray Attachable Saw Rig, mounted with our 5 and 6 H. P. engine, shown above, can be attached to your own truck frame or wagon by home-made supporting frame. Free Catalogs describing our complete line of money-making machines sent on request. Write for it today.
  A. W. GRAY'S SONS, Inc.
  Poultney, VT.
  Factory at Middletown Springs, Vt."

• Information on James S. Landers' purchase and subsequent activities is taken from a pair of New York Times articles from May 4, 1929 and July 27, 1929.