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Canada Sewing Machine Company This company was started by two brothers, George and John F. Webster, and operated from 1872 to 1878 in Hamilton. At its peak, it employed approximately seventy-five laborers. Only one type sewing machine is known to have been manufactured by the Canada Sewing Machine Company and that was the "Webster "Patent" Shuttle Sewing Machine. First exhibited in 1872 at the Provincial Exhibition in Hamilton, the primary distinction of this machine was that it was constructed without gears or cams. The throat plate bears the following markings:: The Webster Patent June 29, 1872 Manufactured by the Canada Sewing Machine Company Hamilton, Canada This patent (number 1531) was issued to the Webster for "Webster's Improved Sewing Machine" which featured the following innovations: - a new and improved shuttle with fewer holes so the thread tension remains constant regardless how full the bobbin is - four-motion feed made with a much simpler mechanical device, - face plate in two parts, and - a stitch-regulator at the base of the arm. Like most other sewing machine manufacturers, the Canada Sewing Machine Company displayed its wares at Provincial and local fairs. At the Provincial Fair of 1873, ten different styles of the Webster machine were exhibited, and to show off its capabilities, a demonstrator stitched two thick pieces of sheet lead together for the audience. At the 1876 Exhibition, the company held a drawing -- reportedly 1,142 women entered their names in the contest -- and gave away a free Webster machine. The Canada Sewing Company did rather well financially, considering it was one of six companies producing family machines. In 1878, it was bought by R.M. Wanzer and Company which shortly thereafter discontinued the Webster machine and expanded its factory on the site of the former Canada Sewing Company works.   Gardner Sewing Machine Company The Gardner Sewing Machine Company was established by F. A. Gardner and F. M. Wilson in Hamilton in 1871. Although two types of shuttle machines are known to have been manufactured by the firm, only one model could be located for this study. The earliest machine produced was called the Gardner's Improved Sewing Machine or simply the Gardner. This machine, patented 31 May 1870, claimed three distinctive features: a screw for tightening the needle bar, improvements to the shuttle, and a feeding apparatus regulated by a thumbscrew on the side of the arm. The second machine introduced was called the Royal Sewing Machine. The Royal did not claim any new inventions in the principal of the sewing machine but was rather an improved and updated version of the Gardner. In a circular to agents the improvements to the machine were described as follows: The Royal is similar in design to the Gardner, the arm being higher, giving more room under it enabling the operator to do a large piece of work with much ease. The main shaft is a shade heavier..the slides open both ways, and the shuttle can be taken out either at the front or back of machine. This is a great convenience, and often saves the trouble of removing the work when the shuttle thread is exhausted...The shuttle will contain 50 yards of thread. Another distinctive feature is the spooler spindle which is attached to the table and runs off a separate belt from the flywheel. This is the only Ontario-made machine with this type of arrangement. A third, miniature model named the Governor-General was made especially for the Provincial Exhibition of 1872 as an added attraction to the regular display. It weighed a total of one and a half pounds (including stand) and sewed as perfectly as any Gardner's full-sized machines. The Gardner Company, in operation during the peak years of Ontario sewing machine manufacturing, finally went out of business in 1886.   Wilson, Bowman and Company Another major sewing machine manufacturer established in Hamilton was Wilson, Bowman and Company. This firm was founded 1868 or 1869 by three men: Andrew Wilson, a former bookkeeper for R.M. Wanzer; John Bowman, former agent for Wanzer; and Christopher Lockman, a machinist and inventor. Their combined talents created a prosperous and profitable operation which expanded to a second factory in Fergus in 1870. Between 1869 and 1884, the firm changed partners and names several times. From 1869 to 1871, it was known as Wilson, Bowman and Company. In 1872, when John Bowman left to establish another company, the name was changed to Wilson, Lockman and Company. Finally in 1883, the company was taken over by F. M. Wilson (of the Gardner Sewing Machine Company) and became known as the Wilson Sewing Machine Company. The Wilson Company produced both manufacturing and family sewing machines. However, unlike most of the large manufacturers, the Wilson Company did not make a series of family machines but stuck to one basic model, the Lockman Family Shuttle Machine. Very little is known about the development of the Lockman machine or the company. Andrew Wilson, who remained longest with the firm, took out two sewing machine patents in 1877 for various improvements. These patents were incorporated in an improved Lockman machine which was manufactured before the company went out of business in 1884.   Hespler Sewing Machine Company Very little information has been uncovered on the Hespler Company. In 1872, John Bowman (of Wilson, Bowman and Company) joined up with Mr. Hespler to establish another sewing machine manufactory in Hamilton. As one source described it, Hespler "saw wealth in the manufacture of sewing machines and he hiked to Hamilton to set up a factory"....He lowered his bank account by a few thousand dollars and then, like a wise man, dropped out of the game. Although the exact date is not known, the company probably closed down before 1875. Although most references to Hespler machines mention heavy-duty machines, it appears a small number of family sewing machines were also manufactured. The Hespler family sewing machine is unusually long and thin. Despite this unique feature, it resembled the Lockman machine in two areas: the formation of the gears in the balance wheel and the peculiar throat plate section. The machine was highly-decorated, both in its body and on the legs of the stand, and bears the following information: Hespler Sewing Machine Co Peters Patent Hamilton, Ontario "Peters Patent" refers to the two patents issued to Rudolph Peters of Hamilton in May 1871 and January 1872. His improvements to the thread take-up and stitch-regulator were both incorporated in the Hespler machine. continue

 

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Invention of the Sewing Machine ~ Canadian Sewing Machine Manufacturers
Sewing Machine Values ~ Singer Dates ~ Willcox & Gibbs Dates ~ Needle Threading
Shuttle Identification ~ Common Problems ~ Why Make Quilts? ~ Sewing With Children
Packing a Sewing Machine ~ Paint a Featherweight ~ Favorites and Links

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