Massey family
The Massey family is a Methodist-Canadian family that has been prominent since the mid-19th century, known for manufacturing farm equipment and for being patrons of the arts in Canada. Their company, Massey Ferguson, built the family its fortune. Subsequent generations of Masseys have risen to prominence in the arts, philanthropy, and the monarchy, and the Massey name remains visible through institutions such as Massey Hall, Massey College, and the Massey Lectures. History. The Masseys had been in North America since the 17th-century, when Jeffrey Massey (1591–1676) came from England to Massachusetts to work as a surveyor . The Masseys continued to live in Massachusetts for several generations and fought in the American Revolutionary War. In the first decade of the 19th century, Daniel Massey (1766–1832) and his wife Rebecca Kelley (1765–1838) moved their family Haldimand Township in Upper Canada to farm. In 1847, their son Daniel Massey, Jr. (1798–1856) established the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory in what is now Newcastle, Ontario. The enterprise was subsequently renamed as the Massey Manufacturing Co. and, in 1879, moved to Toronto, Ontario. In 1891, the Massey Manufacturing Co. merged with A. Harris, Son and Company to form Massey-Harris Limited , which became the largest agricultural equipment maker in the British Empire. The company eventually became Massey-Harris-Ferguson as a result of a 1953 merger with the Ferguson Company, a British agricultural machinery firm. The company's name was shortened to "Massey Ferguson" in 1958, which it maintains to this day. In 1894, Hart Massey built Massey Hall, a performing arts theatre in Toronto, in memory of his late son, Charles Albert Massey (1848–1884), who loved music. On 8 February 1915, Charles' son, Charles Albert "Bert" Massey II (1880–1915), was shot to death by Carrie Davies (–1961), his 18-year -old British maid, sparking a trial of the century in Canada. Davies, who was ultimately found not guilty, claimed that she shot Bert because she was afraid that he wanted to sexually assault her. In 1918, the family incorporated the Massey Foundation, which was responsible for the construction of various Toronto landmarks and was the first trust of its kind in Canada. In 1919, Vincent Massey, an alumnus and benefactor of the University of Toronto, initiated and financed at the university one of the earliest student centres in North America, naming it "Hart House" after his grandfather. In 1952, Vincent  would be sworn in as Governor General of Canada. In 1962, the Massey Foundation established, built, and partially endowed Massey College, a graduate residential college at the University of Toronto. In 1975, Massey Hall was municipally designated as a historic site under the "Ontario Heritage Act". On 15 June 1981, Massey Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Starting in July 2018, Massey Hall underwent a two-year restoration project to restore and renew both the interior and exterior of the building, improve patron amenities and accessibility, open two new music venues, and enable the return of the  building's original stained glass windows from 1894. In 1978, the family was the subject of a two-part CBC TV documentary, "The Masseys: Chronicles of a Canadian Family", produced by Vincent Tovell, a grandson of Walter Massey, with music by Louis Applebaum. Legacy. The following are some of the various structures and other entities in Canada named in honour of members of the Massey family. Buildings/venues: Locations: Organizations and other: Schools: