Massey-Harris
From Graces Guide
Massey-Harris was created by forming two companies, the Massey Manufacturing Co and A Harris and Son.
- In 1630 the Massey family emigrated to the United States from England. In the late 1700s Daniel Massey, his wife Rebecca and son Daniel moved to a place called Haldimand Township. Here Daniel purchased land and built a family home.
- The younger Daniel went to live with his grandparents in Watertown, New York, later returning to his parents to help run the family farm.
- Daniel purchased his own land, some two hundred acres near to his parents' farm and as he continued to purchase land and make trips to the United States he became interested in agricultural tools and machinery.
- He set up a small workshop on his farm where he would carry out repairs to tools and machinery for himself and local farmers. Eventually this business became so busy that he handed over the running of the farm to his son, Hart and moved to larger premises in a village called Newcastle so that he could expand his business.
- In 1849 the business was known as the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory and various agricultural machines such as ploughs, stump pullers and harrows were being produced.
- Two years later Hart Massey joined the company and the opportunities to expand opened up with the opening of the Grand Trunk Railroad.
- Daniel Massey died at the age of 58 in 1856.
- The company became known as the Newcastle Agricultural Works in 1862 and in the following years the company received many orders from Europe.
- In 1870 the company changed its name again to the Massey Manufacturing Co. Charles Massey took over the company in 1871 when his father, Hart, retired.
- Alanson Harris, having formed his company A Harris and Son, became a major competitor to the Massey co.
- Alanson Harris had formed an implement business. His son, John, became a partner in the company in 1863.
- When in 1890 they produced the extremely popular open-end binder, Hart Massey proposed a merger of the two companies to which Alanson Harris agreed.
- On 6 May 1891 the companies merged to become the Massey-Harris Company.
- Over the next few years they were able to buy out smaller agricultural companies, thereby adding to their product range.
- In 1910 they bought out a producer of petrol engines, Deyo-Macey, and this was the start of them building their own engines.
- In 1917 Massey-Harris entered the tractor market, the decision was made to import a tractor into the Canadian market. This tractor was the Big Bull model of the Bull Tractor Co, sold in England as the Whiting-Bull.
- The Big-Bull tractor was already established in the United States and England with its 25 HP engine and three wheel design.