This pioneering Galt machine tool firm was founded in 1886 by John J. Stevens and Robert M. Hamilton after they left woodworking machinery maker MacGregor, Gourlay & Co. Their new venture survived for only a decade, and never achieved much business success but they were considered to be notable innovators in machine tool design. In 1895 their firm was absorbed by MacGregor, Gourlay & Co.

Following the acquisition, R. M. Hamilton stayed with MacGregor Gourlay. J. J. Stevens entered the employ of R. McDougall Co. of Galt. Within a decade, Stevens went out on his own, forming the Stevens Company of Galt, Ltd.

Information Sources

• 1892-11-18 Industries.

  Messrs. Stevens, Hamilton & Co. of Galt, Ontario, machine tool makers, have taken up the manufacture of Hackney hammers as made by the Hackney Hammer Company, in the United States.

• The 1893 document Sesional Papers for the Third Session of Seventh Legislature of the Province of Ontario, in a section on "Accident Reports for 1892" lists an accident that occured on April 30 at Stevens, Hamilton & Co., to one Robert McDonald: "Tip of third finger of right bruised in back gears of lathe, while turning it by hand.".
• The list of exhibitors for the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition includes "Stevens, Hamilton & Co., Ont., shaping and drilling machines".
• 1893-12-07 The Iron Age.

  Of Ontario's manufacturers who received awards at the World's Fair may be mentioned... Stevens, Hamilton & Co., Galt, for attachment for drilling machine and shaping machine...

• The 1912-12-26 The Iron Age, in an ad from a Detroit used machinery dealer, lists a 20" drill press from "Stevens, Hamilton".
• 1917-09-27 Canadian Machinery.

  ROBERT MORTON HAMILTON

  The career of the subject of this sketch began about the same time as the machine tool industry in Gait had its inception. Robert Morton Hamilton was born in Brantford, Ont., on March 8, 1864, of Scotch parentage, as his name indicates. He was educated partly at the Public School, Brantford, and later moving to Listowel, attended the High School there for two years, which he left at the age of 14, in 1878, to start an apprenticeship in Mcllwraith & Austin's machine shop in that town. This concern was in a small way of business, the work consisting chiefly of repairs to farm and general machinery usually found in country districts. The company went out of business not long after young Hamilton joined it, so he had to look around for another job.

  There was at Baden, Ont., at that time a machine shop owned by the Livingston family, who were also the proprietors of a linseed oil mill. This machine shop was originally the property of the father of Adam Beck, of Hydro-Electric fame, but was turned over to Mr. Livingston a short time before our youthful mechanic resumed his apprenticeship after his brief stay at Listowel. Our spoke in his early days must have exhibited a natural liking for machinery, and while in Baden got plenty of experience, as the firm made a varied line of machinery and also Corliss engines.

  The fame of Gait as a town with good machine shops spread to Baden, where our spoke was busy absorbing mechanical knowledge and aroused his ambition. Realizing that opportunities would be greater in Gait, he went to that town in 1882, and secured a position as machinist at McGregor & Gourlay's Works. He stayed with this firm until 1886, when an opportunity presented itself to start in business on his own account. Our spoke, who was then only 22 years of age, joined J. J. Stevens in an enterprise which was the foundation of the machine tool industry in Galt. Mr. Stevens was a draftsman with McGregor & Gourlay. These two ambitious young men started in building machine tools with a capital of less than $1,000, in an old blacksmith shop in Ainslie Street. They admit that they had more nerve than capital, but this did not prevent them from making a success of the enterprise, for, two years later, in 1888, they built a new shop, which is now owned by the S. J. Shimer Co. Some encouragement may be gleaned from this phase of our spoke's career, for it showed that a large amount of capital is not necessarily essential to success. It also proves that a good deal can be accomplished by a judicious mixture of pluck and hard work. This firm, Stevens, Hamilton & Co., were well known for the good quality of their product and they achieved considerable success until 1895, when they sold the plant to McGregor & Gourlay. In passing it should be mentioned that Mr. Stevens ultimately opened up another machine shop where he specialized in building the Jones & Lamson turret lathe. This concern is still in existence. When Stevens, Hamilton & Co. sold their business, Mr. Hamilton received stock in the McGregor, Gourlay Co. as his share of the transaction and remained with the latter concern as head of the machine tool branch of the business. The McGregor & Gourlay Co. moved the plant to their own premises in Concession Street, which is now the head works of the Canada Machinery Corporation.

  From about this period the machine tool industry in Gait began to grow from comparatively small proportions until now it is the most important machine tool centre in Canada, when considering the number of firms engaged in the business and various types of tools built there. A few years later, in 1910, the Canada Machinery Corporation was formed, one of the firms absorbed being the McGregor, Gourlay Co. About this time Mr. Hamilton, needing a rest and change of scenery, took an extended vacation, returning to the Canada Machinery Corporation in the fall of 1914 as works manager. Since then the C.M.C. has enjoyed a most prosperous run of business, which coincided with Mr. Hamilton's return to the scene of his former activities. While the C.M.C. have not been actually engaged on production of munitions, they were for some time working night and day on machine tools for this purpose, and, although not so busy now, are actively engaged on work of a more general character.

  Mr. Hamilton is fond of traveling, having recently returned from a combined business and pleasure trip to the Pacific Coast. He went as far North as Skagway and visited Prince Rupert and other important points while en route; this being his third trip to the Pacific Coast in recent years. Mr. Hamilton is of the opinion that the shipbuilding industry will be of material advantage to that province, and it will be a more permanent character if raw materials can be obtained readily.

  From the foregoing it will be seen that the subject of this sketch has truly grown up with the machine tool industry in Gall. When he went to Gait in 1882, the town had a population of about 6,000; now it has a population of over 12,000, the increase having mostly taken place in recent years. It was the reputation of the Gait machine shops and also the opportunities for advancement for mechanics through the Mechanics Institute and Free Library that attracted our friend to this town. While following his vocation during the day-time he was able to attend night school at the Institute. This is an advantage which few of the smaller towns possess and it means a great deal to the ambitious apprentice. Mr. Hamilton is a firm believer in technical education and study of technical journals. He urges apprentices to embrace every opportunity of acquiring knowledge by those means, and in no better way can this be done than by study in the evening particularly when day classes are not available or if the apprentice cannot spare the time during the day as is usually the case. He advises apprentices to work when they are young if they want to accomplish anything. He believes that any young mechanic with application, good habits and thrift, and able to grasp opportunities now presented by technical schools and journals, etc., can forge ahead so that by middle life he should be in a good position and able to enjoy the good things that life offers. Although our spoke is a hard worker, he is able to find time for activities in other useful directions. Being an Elder of the Knox Presbyterian Church, he takes a prominent part in the work of that body, and is also a member of the Gait Business Men's Club. He is not an active politician, but is a firm believer in the necessity of raising more troops in Canada to aid in the successful prosecution of the war. Mr. Hamilton is fond of outdoor life, but does not claim to be an athlete of any distinction. He says that he is too busy working to play ball, but gets lots of pleasure from motoring. His thoughts turned to more serious things, even in his younger days, for at the age of 24 he married Miss H. J. Webster, daughter of William Webster of Gait. He has a family consisting of three daughters and one son.

  Mr. Hamilton believes that there is a bright future for the machine tool industry in Canada, providing that Canadian manufacturers specialize more in the design of tools they make; this, of course, presumes a demand sufficient to encourage manufacturers to do this. He believes that mechanics in Canada are fully as well trained as those in the United States, but admitting this, the business will have to grow until firms are able to specialize more so than at the present time.

• 1919-10-02 American Machinist.

  U. S. Postage Not Good in Canada

  J. J. Stevens of the Stevens Co., Galt, Ont., Canada, writes us that "nine-tenths of the people in the United States that send stamped envelopes or post-cards, send them with United States Postage on, which is, of course, not good on mails going out of Canada to the United States."

  He asks us to call the attention of our readers to this condition, and advises that those who desire to inclose return postage for their replies take the trouble to secure Canadian post-cards or stamps.

• A 1938 issue of Industrial Canada has the following snippet.

  The MacGregor-Gourlay Co. took over the Stevens-Hamilton Co. and then Mr. Stevens associated himself with the R. Mc- Dougall Co. as a designer of machine...

• A UWO history page on Canada Machinery Corp. provides the connections to MacGregory Gourlay.
• The Tool Group of Canada's Inventory of Canadian Tool Manufacturers 1820–1914 lists "Stevens, Hamilton & Co. / Galt, Ont. / 1886-1915 / forestry equipment and machines / 30 workers in 1895 / capital of $20,000 in 1895".