Anvil Genealogy

[MC Hammer]

Anyone have an anvil that they can trace back to its original purchaser or smith?  I was thinking how cool it would be to own an anvil that you can say who has owned and used it on down through the years.  I assume there are some family anvils that can be traced back into the 1800's at least.  I thought this might be an interesting thread to open up.  I sure wish those anvils could talk.  I have one of the early German Trentons and I wish I knew the name of even the last blacksmith who used it.  Anyone out there have a good history on their anvil?

[ThomasPowers]

I've seen a few false Genealogies, "This anvil whose serial number says it was made in 1918 came over the plains in a wagon train in the 1830's" type of thing. 

Now my screwpress; I met a fellow who was working in the tool room at Western Electric when they bought it new in the late 1950's.

[Glenn]

I can definitely trace my anvil clear back to the last purchaser. In fact, I have the original bill of sale to prove it. (grin)

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I sent off a DNA sample from my anvil. So far no response from Ancestry.

[tanglediver]

Mine was a poor, farrier's anvil, who never dreamed it was adopted.

[MC Hammer]

Now those comment gave me a chuckle!  It's funny how false histories get associated with things and people like Thomas touched on.  That's why we need those anvils to start talking.  Mine would be saying "Hey, yo, you haven't given me a beating in a while so get over here with some hot metal and pick up that hammer right there!"

I was hoping someone would have a solid story of an anvil handed down a few generations.  I have tools that my grandfather gave me that he said were family tools.  One was a cobbler's hammer.  It wasn't until our genealogy was done that it revealed he was in fact correct as his great grandfather was a cobbler.  I use that tool to hammer in my brass tacks on the tomahawks I make (I'm not forging tomahawk heads yet - long ways away from that).  Just used one of his awls to sew up a bear fur the other night.  There's a satisfaction in using the tools of your ancestors, but the tool works the same as one but at a yard sale with no known genealogy.  

[JHCC]

11 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

I sent off a DNA sample from my anvil. So far no response from Ancestry.

Maybe the blood sample was too high in iron.

[jlblohm]

2 of my anvils i can trace back to the original purchaser.

In 1971 Fowler farms bought my 1969 vulcan #10 from our local hardware store. Around 1974 or 75 the farm shut down and they had an auction. The Reames farm bought the anvil that wasn't supposed to be in the auction for $35. Then it sat on the floor of the shop until it was given to me 4 years ago. It was never used. 

The other anvil i can trace back as far as 3 weeks ago when i bought it brand new.  

I have an anvil from the 1700's that i know almost nothing about. There is some letters stamped in it but i havent figured them out yet. I know there is an & in there and a couple of R's.

[ThomasPowers]

All the tools from my great grandfather's blacksmith shop were lost or stolen years ago.

[Patterson Forge]

My anvil (and some of my tools) I bought off an old homestead that was started in the early 1920's. It's neat to know some of the history of the tools as well as the previous owners. One of the best from this old homestead happened in the fifty's. The old man was sharpening a chainsaw on the tailgate of his truck when a beaver attacked him. He grabbed the closest available item to defend himself which was a hockey stick.    

[Timber Ridge Forge]

I actually have made a list of all the anvils I buy and sell with such information as dimensions, where they came from any history attached to them when I bought it and sold it also bought and sold prices as well.

[Jclonts82]

I asked my grandfather about my Hay Budden, he got it from the Phelps Dodge copper mine in AZ an auction some number of years ago. When I asked him, he thought about it, went to a filing cabinet and puled paperwork from everything he bought at that auction (this man keeps everything). I guess the anvil was bought new by Phelps Dodge from Hay Budden in NY back in about 1902 or so. His paperwork had a badly legible xerox copy of the original bill of sale. Unfortunately you cant make anything out on it. I guess they still had the paperwork on it and it was kept with the anvil. 

 

Apparently it was in brand new condition when he got it in the 80s. 

[MC Hammer]

So far, all this is very interesting for those that have some history.  Let's hear more is people have them!

[HammerMonkey]

My Trenton came over on the Mayflower. Before that it was used by a farrier in Napoleon's army... The guy that sold it to me told me all about it's history.

[ThomasPowers]

I have a special "money anvil"  the more time I spend banging hot metal on it the more money shows up in my smithing account!

[MC Hammer]

Mine was dropped on a Coyote in the 70's.  I have DNA proof form the fur that was still stuck to the bottom 

[Jim Coke]

My beautiful Trenton.. Originally purchased by a chemical company in Detroit in the late 40s . Sold at auction and purchased by a picker who sold it to his friend. I went to see it and the new owner said the only way I would ever end up with it was over his dead body. Two years later I got a call from his widow. 300 pounds and the original factory stand . This Trenton is a belt line welded one that the top half is all tool steel. Bought it for 400 which was the going rate at that time. 

Forge on and make beautiful things 

Jim

[Frosty]

I bought my Soderfors in the early '80s from a farrier who told me he bought it from the farrier blacksmith he apprenticed under, who inherited it from his Father who inherited it from his father who brought it with him from Sweden in the 1870s.

Soderfors Sweden 1923 is cast proud on the side. I wish I'd noticed before giving him the check. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[MC Hammer]

That's really interesting Frosty.  I've been trying to write stuff like that down so that when my family is going through my stuff after I've kicked-off someday 40 years or more from now that they'll know it's something special.  

I've enjoyed the few others that have some solid history on their anvils.  Keep them coming if you have them.