Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Bain Machine Shop fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
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Level of description
Fonds
Reference code
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Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1914-1923 (Creation)
Physical description area
Physical description
1 volume
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Bain Machine Shop was established in Hamilton in 1880 on the corner of Mary and Cannon Streets, by James Dickson Bain (1836-1909), who emigrated from Scotland. The company was originally known as Bain and Colville, advertising as general machinists and engine fitters. The shop produced mostly farm equipment such as tractors, but was also well known for machinery repairs of gears, levers, frames and cylinders on many different types of machines, as well as materials including iron and steel. The machine shop was favourably known in the city for its superiority of workmanship and the ability to repair machines back to their original state at low cost. In 1901, the company name changed to James Bain & Sons. Thomas Bain (1866-1950), the eldest son of James, became the manager of the company and remained in this position until the company went out of family hands around 1947. It is unclear if the name officially changed again after Thomas took over, but future references to the business were in the name of Bain Machine Shop.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of an account ledger for the Bain Machine Shop covering the years 1914 to 1923. The ledger records various aspects of the business including cash account entries, records of deposits and balances at the Bank of Hamilton, wage entries, material accounts, records of expenses such as taxes and water rates, office furniture, new machinery costs, building repair costs, and machine repairs, as well as business transactions with various entities such as the County of Wentworth and the Public Board of Works Department, as well as firms such as the Hamilton Bridge Works, the Hamilton and Toronto Sewer Pipe Company, the Hamilton and Barton Incline Railway, the Times Printing Company, the Spectator Printing Company, and the Steel Company of Canada among many others. The entries record the company name, the date, the amount owed, the type of payment made including cash, cheque or merchandise in lieu of payment, as well as the resulting balance or debts. There are also account entries for Thomas Bain and Mrs. Bain.
Notes area
Physical condition
The volume is wrapped due to its fragile and damaged condition and red rot staining.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
No
Restrictions on access
The material is open to researchers. There are no restrictions on access. Gloves should be worn when handling the material.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
There are no restrictions on reproduction for research and private study. Preferred citation: Bain Machine Shop fonds, 00458, Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton, Ontario.
Finding aids
File list not applicable.
Associated materials
The following related material can be found in the Local History & Archives (LH&A) department at the Hamilton Public Library pertaining to the Bain Machine Shop fonds:
Bain Machine Shop Scrapbook – Library Call Number: 728.09713521 BAI
“James Bain & Son.” Hamilton Herald. December 19, 1908.
“New Machinery Firm.” Hamilton Spectator. June 12, 1884.
Accruals
No accruals are expected.
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Standard number
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Rules or conventions
Status
Final
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
The material was processed in January 2025 by Archives Technician Kelly Bucci.
Language of description
Script of description
Sources
Author Unknown. “James Bain & Son.” Hamilton Herald. December 19, 1908.
Author Unknown. “New Machinery Firm.” Hamilton Spectator. June 12, 1884.
Bain Machine Shop Scrapbook – Library Call Number: 728.09713521 BAI
Houghton, Margaret. Bain Machine Shop Finding Aid. (date unknown). Local History & Archives Department, Hamilton Public Library.