American Planemakers
Introduction
As early as 1640, joiners from London arrived in the America and setup shop
in the New England area. This includes well know furniture makers Henry
Messenger and Ralph Mason in Boston and Williams Gibbons and William Russell
in New Haven.


The First Documented Colonial Planemaker in America
"Planemaking", defined as the profession of making planes for resale,
developed in colonial America in New England in a region between Boston and
Providence during the middle of the 18th century. Francis Nicholson (b 1683
- d 1753) of Wrentham MA is credited as being America's first documented
planemaker and most likely worked during the period of 1728 to 1753. F.
Nicholson is believed to be the first known colonial planemaker to mark his
planes. His mark consisted of three seperate stamps reading "F*NICHOLSON",
"LIVING IN", and "WRENTHAM". F. Nicholson and his slave Cesar Chelor most
likely produced tens of thouasands of planes during the period 1728 to 1753,
hundreds of which survive today.

Early Colonial Planemakers
Other early colonial planemakers include:

Henry Wetheral (b1729 - d1797) of Norton, MA
                         and later ( after 1779 ) of Chetham,CT
Samuel Dogget (b1727 - d1794) of Dedham, MA
John Walton (b1710-d1785) of Reading, MA
Jonathan Ballou (b1723-d1770) of Providence, RI

Early American Planemakers
Asa Hide (b1741-d1797) of Norwich,CT ( earliest CT planemaker )
Joseph Fuller (b1746-d1822) of Providence, RI
John Sleeper (b1754-d1834) of Newburyport, MA
Nicholos Taber (b1761-d1849) of New Bedford, MA
B. Walton (b1758-d1824) of Reading, MA
Leonard Kennedy (b1767-d1842) of Hartford, CT
Aron Smith (b1769-d1822)
Jacob White (b1760-d1833)
W. Lithgo (b?-d1813)
Henry Wetherell (b1764-d1840) of Chatham, then Glosetenbury, and
then Middletown
Early American Planemaking Companies
Kennedy & Co. ( early 1820's )
Taber Plane Co. ( 1866 - 1872 )
L. C. Stephens & Co. ( ? - 1901 )
H. Chapin, Union Factory ( 1828 - 1860)
H. Chapin & Sons (1860 - 1865 )
H. Chapin's Sons (1865 - 1868 )
H. Chapin's Son (1868 - 1897 )
H. Chapin's Son & Co. ( 1997 - 1901 )
Chapin-Stephens ( 1901 - 1929 )
Greenfield Tool Co. ( 1851 - 1883 )
A. Howland & Co. ( 1869 - 1874 )
Auburn Tool Co.  ( 1864 - 1893 )
Ohio Tool Co. ( 1851 - 1920 )
Sandusky Tool Co. ( 1869 - 1920's)