William Lodge
William Lodge was born in Leeds, the son of George Lodge. He served his apprenticeship with Peter Fairbairn and Co.
In the 1860s he emigrated to the USA, where he worked from 1869 to 1872 for Chambers Brothers of Philadelphia, makers of paper-folding machinery.
1872 Moved to Cincinnati and worked for John Steptoe for 8 years, first as a machinist and then as a foreman.
1880 Started a partnership with William Barker, and, briefly, a Mr Bechle, also from Steptoe's works.
1886 Barker sold his interest to Charles Davis, and the firm traded as Lodge and Davis until 1892, when Lodge sold his interest to Thomas P. Egan, and the firm became Davis and Egan, later the American Tool Works.
1892 Lodge established the Ohio Machine Tool Co, and a year later he joined up with Murray Shipley to establish the Lodge and Shipley Machine Tool Co.
The above information is taken from 'English & American Tool Builders' by Joseph Wickham Roe, 1916.