A.  Harris,  Son  and  Co.  Ltd.

Alanson Harris, a farmer and mill owner, founded his implement business in 1857 at Beamsville, and was later joined by his son, John, in partnership in 1863. Using some good American designs, such as the Kirby mower and reaper, business flourished, and the company became keen competitors to the Massey company, moving to Brantford in 1872. During the 1880s the "Brantford binder" became one of the firm's best-selling lines and in 1890 the Harris Co. introduced the open-end binder, a modification of the D.M. Osborne company design. Hart Massey, beaten for the first time in a technological advance, did not counter with his own technological change. Instead, he proposed a merger of the two companies. Alanson, perhaps recognizing after the death of his son in 1889 that this course was astute, agreed, and on 6 May 1891 Massey-Harris Company Ltd. was formally established.

The A. Harris and Son Co. collection consists of a b&w (few colour) photographs and catalogues that depict the activities of the A. Harris and Son Co. and its equipment in Canada and around the world. The period covered is mostly 1870's-1880's with some later correspondence and notes concerning historical points prior to its merger with Massey Manufacturing Co. in 1891.

Alanson Harris, n.d.	John Harris, n.d.
	A. Harris, Son and Co. catalogue 1883
	Drawing of original Beamsville factory, 1857
A. Harris, Son and Co. advertisment for South American operations in Chile