Maker/Dealer
R.S. Williams
Toronto
Canada
1869 - 1931
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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