Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

• 1834 Richard Sugden Williams born in London, England
• 1838 Williams moves to Hamilton, Ontario
• 1845 Williams apprentices to William Townsend as melodeon maker at age 11
• 1853 Townsend moves to Toronto, Yonge Street
• 1855 Williams takes over failed business from Townsend
• 1861 moves to #143 Yonge St and joined by brother William; their business is called the Toronto Melodeon Manufy.
• 1869 forms R. S. Williams & Co. with William Morris
• 1885 opens dealership in London, Ontario
• 1888 moves factory to Oshawa
• 1889 now R. S. Williams & Son with son Robert (b.1854)
• 1890 organized as R. S. Williams & Sons Co. Ltd. adding sons Richard Jr. (1873-1945) and Herbert
• 1902 the company splits and the Toronto store, run by Richards Sr & Jr, stays as R. S. Williams & Sons
• 1903 Richard Sr. retires
• 1906 Richard Sr. dies and Richard Jr becomes president
• 1917 they are Boosey representatives and have stores in Winnipeg, Calgary, Montreal & Toronto; Williams brand band instruments are models ‘Special’, ‘Artist Class A’, & ‘Class B’; probably all made by B&F in Austria
• 1921 they are selling both Boosey and Conn band instruments with their store and head office at #145 Yonge St., Toronto
• 1931 the company history book ‘Under The Sign of the Big Fiddle’ has them closing in 1931
• 1952 another undocumented source says the Williams store closed in 1952 so possibly 1931 is when they ended instrument production.

Their factory made melodeons, mandolins, violins, banjos, drums, and possibly pianos. The brass were probably all imports. He was known to have been an agent for Boosey. Possibly, the horns he stenciled were from Boosey, others were made by Bohland and Fuchs.

The Dictionary of Canadian Beography Online provides general information on the business interests of Richard Williams.

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