Founded in 1834 by Elijah Leonard Jr. as an iron foundry. He moved to London in 1838. Mr. Leonard bought a steam engine from the Cuyahoga Works, a Cleveland, OH firm, in 1845. This was reputed to be the first steam engine in Canada. The firm started building steam engines about 1846 and added timber sawing machines in the 1860s. In the 1880s the firm purchased the rights to manufacture the Ball Automatic Engine from the Ball Engine Co. of Erie, PA.
From January 1900 Canada Lumberman
In 1954 the firm merged with John Thompson Ltd. and became John Thompson-Leonard Ltd., which lasted until the early 1960s when the company closed.
Information Sources
- Steam Power on the American Farm by Reynold M. Wik, 1953 page 253
- Steam Engines & Threshers by Mike Hand, 2012 page 20