"The Black Prince brand was made and marketed in Canada after the A. F & H. Co. acquired the Welland Vale Co."
"...the True Temper name had become much more widely known than the American Fork & Hoe Co. name, especially because they adopted the name True Temper Canada for their Canadian division, the Welland Vale Mfg. Co. The Canadian manufacturing facilities were closed in 1965."
above quotes from Yesteryearstools.com
http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/American%20Fork%20%26%20Hoe%20Co..html
"...the American Axe & Tool Company was acquired by the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. In 1930 Welland Vale purchased the Bedford Mfg. Co. of Bedford, Quebec. Later that same year the whole Welland Vale Co. was purchased by the American Fork & Hoe Co. American Fork & Hoe had also purchased the Kelly Axe Mfg. Co. of Charleston, West Virginia the same year."
"...The American Fork & Hoe Co. kept some of the Welland Vale manufacturing facilities open for a few years until they got more organized in Canada and while they prepared to relocate some of the manufacturing equipment to a more centralized location. The company name formally became the Welland Vale Mfg. Co., Ltd. During that time the company was often referred to as Welland Vale-True Temper but many of the axes they manufactured were marked as having been made by the Kelly Axe & Tool Co. of Canada, Ltd. They were permitted to use the word Company in Canada whereas they had to change itto Works in the U.S.A. In reality the parent company was comprised of a number of other plants that operated under their own name but produced produces under multiple names. The companies included Welland Vale itself; The Bedford Mfg. Co., Inc.; The Canadian Axe & Harvest Tool Co., Ltd.; the Canadian Shovel & Tool Co., Ltd. and the Maple Leaf Harvest Tool Co., Ltd. There was also a handle manufacturing division located in Strathroy, Ontario named the Canadian Turner-Day Handle Co. There again, a similarly named company existed in the US which was owned by True Temper at the time.
"Like True Temper in the US, Welland Vale produced a range of products, mostly in the forging category.
"Welland Vale was known to have used numerous labels and brands and their reputation was well known across Canada. In 1965 the company officially became True Temper Canada, Ltd. and the works at St. Catharines were closed down."
from
http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Wellan%20Vale%20Co..html
