Charles H. Driver was one of the "Sons" in T. Driver & Sons Manufacturing Co., maker of windows and doors since the 1840s. One of Charles' brothers, Sinclair M. Driver, would buy out the other brothers in 1915.

Meanwhile, in 1898 Charles began manufacturing a belt sanding machine that he had patented; all the ads and articles we have seen simply use the business name C. H. Driver. In mid-1913 a new business was incorporated by Driver, A. T. Kerr and M. E. Walker, the C. H. Driver & Kerr Co., to take over the business of the Driver Manufacturing Co. (a name we have not seen except in the announcement of the C. H. Driver & Kerr Co.) In that year of 1913 there were several ads and articles about the sanding machines from C. H. Driver & Kerr Co. In 1915 Driver was granted a patent for a roll sandpaper that could be torn off with pre-beveled ends, ready for joining into continuous belts, and the company began manufacturing that product also. But by the end of 1915 the company seems to have disappeared.

By 1920 we see the C. H. Driver Co., which was manufacturing a clever, and patented, modular index for storing drills, reamers, taps, etc.

In 1928 Charles H. Driver applied for another patent for an improved sandpaper for making sanding belts. In that same year C. H. Driver Manufacturing Co. was established; this incarnation was to manufacture sanding belts and other abrasive materials. The only mentions of this firm we can find were reports of the initial announcement, and it is likely that this business never got going.

Information Sources

• June 1898 The Wood-Worker, Volume 17, No. 4, June 1898, Page 29: article on "The Wonder Sander" from C. H. Driver.
• 1913-07-31 The Iron Age, page 268.

  The C. H. Driver & Kerr Company, organized at Racine with $25,000 capital stock, succeeds to the business of the Driver Manufacturing Co., sand-paper and woodworking machinery manufacturer, and is now engaged in adding several new lines of devices to its production. The Driver plant will be enlarged, although no large investment is contemplated at this time.

• August 1913 Mill Supplies (Vol. III No. 8, page 481, in a list of new corporations.

  The C. H. Driver & Kerr Co., Racine, Wis., has been organized to manufacture machinery, etc., with a capital stock of $25,000, by C. H. Driver, A. T. Kerr and M. E. Walker.

• December 1913 Machinery, page 344.

  C. H. Driver & Kerr Co., 1300 Sixteenth St., Racine, Wis. Circular of the Driver & Kerr drill racks for use in machine shops. These racks are ingeniously devised so as to prevent the drilling machine man from putting his drills into the wrong holes. Hence, the rack is a time saver, as every drill must be in its proper place.

• 1914 Chilton Automobile Directory page 363, lists "Driver, C. H. & Kerr Co., 1320 16h St., Racine, Wis. (One piece weather tight sash centers & 'C-H-Driver' sectional limit gauge, drill tap, mandrel & sizer racks.)", and also "Driver, C. H., 1320 16h St., Racine, Wis. (Weather tight sash centers & 'C-H-Driver' sectional drill, tap, mandrel & sizer racks & limit gauges.)"
• January 1914 The Furniture Manufacturer and Artisan, page 47, article on sanding-belt rolls from C. H. Driver & Kerr Co., Racine. "R. T. Ingalls, of the mentioned company, has charge of this branch..."
• February 1916 The Wood-Worker (volume XXXIV No. 12, page 49).

  Under New Management.—The C. H. Driver & Kerr Co., of Racine, Wis., manufacturer of wood-sanding machinery, is now under entirely new management. Mr. J. R. Foster, of Racine, having taken complete and active charge of its affairs. Mr. Foster is a man of considerable business experience, a capable sales manager and has a thorough knowledge of wood-working machinery. Under the new management the factory has been swamped with orders, and, it is stated, is running night and day to keep up with the demand for machines.

• The company name comes from a now-defunct web page on the University of Wisconsin–Madison Library website, "Incorporation papers of defunct domestic corporations, 1848-1945. Racine County".
• Confirmation of manufacture of the drill index came from an owwm.org forum post.
• 1928 issue of Western Machinist (volume 83 page 966).

  RACINE, WIS.—A charter has been granted the C. H. Driver Mfg. Co., 1445 College avenue, to manufacture and market abrasive materials and sandpaper belts. The incorporators are Charles H. Driver, John D. Rowland and John S. Rowland.

• FindaGrave.com page for Charles Hutchins Driver (1863-1949).