FINALLY!! A CLUE!!

In the course of grinding away old paint and crud from the rear axle, looking for a maker's mark to identify the orientation of the axle, I came across this on the underside.

The sideways R indicates this is the right side of the axle.

What does "STEEL K." mean?

And then there's the extremely exciting

"H. HAY & SONS [5 point star] COSHO.....O"

My guess is the firm was located in Coshocton, Ohio.

Undoubtedly I'll find similar information on the front axle, hopefully not worn away by an axle clip bar, like this one is.

Pretty darn cool.  While it doesn't tell me who made the carriage or when, it gives me a scrap of information that may lead me to some history of the axle maker, and perhaps a time frame when they were doing business.

This axle is entirely new to me.  It is hand forged, with rounded edges as you see, on the bottom edges.  The axle is wider in the middle and tapers toward each end, which I've never seen.  It is also pleasingly arched.

Other marks found on the axle, left end, again the "STEEL K." and the letter L, which is overlaid on a number.

Back to the right side, a little further inboard, you can barely make out 1/16.

And on the upper surface, right hand side, is stamped 2 0 , perhaps a part number.

It's pretty exciting to find any kind of identification on the carriage.  I am at the end of the line, everything but the front axle has now been cleaned.

I feel it's unlikely that the entire carriage was built in Ohio, I'm sure the axle maker supplied many customers.  But the excitement of finding an actual name anywhere on the vehicle is incomparable.

Now to see if I can bring H. Hay & Sons into the consciousness of the 21st Century!

UPDATE!  HERE IT IS:

County officers in 1888: Auditor, Joseph BURRELL; Clerks, Samuel GAMBLE, Andrew J. HILL; Commissioners, Vincent FERGUSON, Samuel NELDON, Abner McCOY; Prosecuting Attorney, Samuel H. NICHOLS; Probate Judges, Holder BLACKMAN, Wm. R. GAULT; Recorder, Wm. H. COE; Sheriff, James R. MANNER; Surveyor, Samuel M. MOORE; Treasurers, William Walker, Geo. C. RINNER. Newspapers: Coshocton Democrat, Democrat, J. C. FISHER, editor; Age, Republican, J. F. MEEK, editor; Standard, Democrat, BEACH & McCABE, publishers; Wochenblatt, German, Otto CUMMEROW, publisher. Churches: Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Catholic. Banks: Commercial, Jackson HAY, president, Henry C. HERBIG, cashier; Farmers’, J. P. PECK, president, Samuel IRVINE, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees—Buckeye Planing Mill, 5 hands; Houston A Hay & Sons, axles, springs, etc., 65; Wm. Ferrell, iron castings, 3; Tuscarawas Advertising Co., advertising novelties, 12; Coshocton City Mills, flour, etc., 6; J. F. Williams & Co., flour, etc., 11.—State  Report 1887.