Spouse(s) Lucina Bradley Name Daniel Massey | Role Manufacturer Children Hart Massey | |
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Born 24 February 1798 ( 1798-02-24 ) Windsor, Vermont, United States Resting place Bowmanville Cemetery, Clarington, Ontario Occupation blacksmith, businessman Died November 15, 1856, Newcastle, Ontario, Canada | ||
Daniel Massey (24 February 1798 – 15 November 1856) was a blacksmith in what is now Newcastle, Ontario, who began production of agricultural implements in 1847.
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Life and career
Massey was born in Windsor, Vermont to Daniel Massey Sr. and Rebecca Kelley. The Massey family originated in Cheshire, England and arrived in America around 1630, first in Essex, Massachusetts and later in New Hampshire and Watertown, New York.
His parents, Daniel and Rebecca Massey, moved to Upper Canada some time between 1802 and 1807. He later lived and studied in Watertown, New York, and returned to run his father's business. His business grew and its eventual successor, Massey-Ferguson, is a multinational farm implement manufacturer today. The company's history goes back to 1847, when Massey opened a workshop to build simple farm implements in Newcastle. A decade later – also in Ontario - Alanson Harris established a foundry to make and repair farm machinery.
Massey and Harris both became pre-eminent in harvesting machinery, and eventually the arch rivals merged in 1891. The new company was responsible for producing the world’s first commercially successful self-propelled combine harvester in 1938. Massey-Harris merged with the Ferguson Company in 1953 and brought together their twin skills in harvesting machinery and tractor design to produce one of the world’s most powerful forces in farm equipment.
Family
Massey married Lucina Bradley in 1820 and had three sons and seven daughters. His son Hart Massey also joined the family company. Massey died in 1856 and is buried in Bowmanville Cemetery.
The actor Raymond Massey was Daniel Massey's great-grandson (Hart Massey's grandson), and the actors Daniel Massey and Anna Massey were Raymond Massey's children.