Last of the day.

Re: Last of the day.

They are the real names of the cast of the Muppet Show. I know for a fact that Kermit's real (off stage) name is Ed Roxton and Miss Piggy's real name is Gladys Fray.

Tommy

Answer

All of these were companies that were purchased by Stanley tools for the expansion of their business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

* Wood, George Wood was of Hurley and Wood and made the famous Hurwod screwdrivers

* Bartholomew,Harry S. made braces.

* Roxton was the Roxton Tool and Mill Company in Roxton Pond (a large tool making area), Quebec. This gave Stanley the Canada market and in no small part helped grow the business four times its previous income.

* Schubert, Oscar Schubert was a German national that sold the American rights to the Zig-Zag spring joint rule to Stanley

* Fray, of John S. Fray company, brought in a full line of additional brace and bits, but more importantly, a large number of skilled workers

* Beckley of Humason and Beckley Company brought in the hammer business.

There were lots of others of course like Leavens (vices) and Bailey and Sargeant (planes), Eagle (squares) Atha (steel percussion tools), Chapin-Stephens (planes), Marsh, (mitre vices), H.A. Farrand (flexible steel tapes). Which only goes to show that mergers and acquisitions are not a new way of getting a leg up. Back when good tools were more commonplace the core of the Stanley empire was the purchase of other tool lines.

Oops, vises not vices