Thomas Harris, father of one of Canada’s greatest artist Lawren
A Fall Walk at Greenwood Cemetery, Brantford
On my fall walk through Greenwood Cemetery in Brantford, Ontario, I was in search of the father of one of Canada’s greatest artists — Lawren Stewart Harris.
His father, Thomas Morgan Harris, served as secretary to the firm of A. Harris, Sons & Company Ltd., founded by his own father Alanson Harris, who is also buried in the same family plot. The company, merchants of farm machinery, later merged with the Massey firm in 1891 to form the Massey-Harris Company, a cornerstone of Canadian industry.
What little is known of Lawren Harris’s father tells us that Thomas was born in Brantford in 1861. He was active in his community, serving as president of the Baptist Young People’s Union and holding several positions in the Y.M.C.A. He married Annie Jane Stewart, whose maiden name Lawren would carry as his middle name.
Thomas and Annie had two sons: Lawren (born 1885) and Howard (born 1887). Tragically, Howard died during the Great War on February 22, 1918, at the age of 31, in France.
Thomas himself suffered from Bright’s disease (a kidney ailment) and died in New York City in 1894 at the age of 32, where he had gone to consult a specialist.
As the only surviving son of Thomas and Annie Harris, Lawren inherited a considerable fortune at a young age, freeing him from financial concerns for the rest of his life and allowing him to pursue his passion for art and the eventual making of the Group of Seven.
Near Thomas Harris’s grave is his older brother’s plot and Lawren’s uncle, John Harris. He was responsible for the great success and expansion of A. Harris and Co. and was the visionary of the Massey-Harris merger in 1891.
