Massey-Harris– a company well-known for its contribution to the evolution of agriculture in Canada

Reuniting the Massey and Harris Families

On my walks through Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto and Greenwood Cemetery in Brantford, Ontario, I recently reunited two families whose legacies helped shape Canadian agriculture and manufacturing — Hart Massey and Alanson Harris — names forever linked as Massey-Harris.

Hart Massey joined his father’s agricultural equipment business and later renamed it the Massey Manufacturing Company. In 1879, he moved operations to Toronto, where the company became one of the city’s leading employers. Meanwhile, in Brantford, Alanson Harris ran A. Harris & Son, achieving great success with mowers, reapers, and the well-known Brantford Binder. His company soon became a major competitor to Massey’s.

Recognizing his rival’s strength, Hart Massey proposed a merger. On May 6, 1891, Hart and Alanson (with the help of his eldest son, John) reached an agreement, forming the Massey-Harris Company Ltd., which would become the largest agricultural equipment manufacturer in the British Empire.

There are also some fascinating family connections:

• Alanson’s son, Thomas M. Harris, served as company secretary and was the father of one of Canada’s greatest artists, Lawren Harris of the Group of Seven.
  Hart Massey’s grandsons included Vincent Massey, the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada, and Raymond Massey, the celebrated Hollywood actor and Academy Award nominee.

Hart Almerrin Massey died in Toronto on February 20, 1896, at the age of 72.
Alanson Harris died in Brantford on October 3, 1894, at the age of 78.

Massey-Harris Company Ltd., which would become the largest agricultural equipment manufacturer in the British Empire.

Entrance to Greenwood Cemetery, Branford and trains roaring by the Harris plot. A small well maintained chapel is situated near the Harris family plot.