Charles Hearn
Title
Charles Hearn
Charles Hearn's Wife
Hearn & Co.
C. Hearn Optical Institute
Type
Company
Individual
Coverage
Toronto, ON
Montreal, QC
Active From
1857-01-01
End Date
1874-01-01
Location
85 King St. W., Toronto, ON (1859)
160 Notre Dame Street, Montreal, QC (1864)
242-244 Notre Dame Street, Montreal, QC (1869)
54 St. Jean Baptiste St., Montreal, QC (1869)
Product Areas
Surveying
Scientific Instruments
Optical
Activities
Manufacturing
Supplying
Timeline
- 18?? – Born in Exeter (Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1857 – In Toronto (Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1859-60 – Listed in as “Hearn, Charles, late Hearn & Potter, mathematical instrument maker 85 King St. W.” This seems to conflate William Hearn and Charles Hearn; it was William Hearn, not Charles, who was in a partnership with Charles Potter. (Caverhill’s Toronto City Directory 1859-60)
- 1859 – Charles Hearn moves his business to Montreal (Montreal Illustrated 1894)
- 1864 – “Optical, Mathematical, and Philosophical Instruments of every description” at 160 Notre Dame Street (Corner Jean Baptiste), Montreal. “Specific Gravity instruments for Brewers, Distillers, Soap Boilers, Sugar Refiners &c. Repairs of all kinds executed promptly, and on reasonable terms.” (Mitchell’s Canada Gazetteer Business Directory for 1864-65)
- 1865 – Listed in Mitchell’s directory under “Mathematical Instruments” at 242 Notre Dame. (Mitchell’s Canada Gazetteer Business Directory for 1864-65)
- 1865 – Died: “After his death in 1865, his wife Susan Watson Hearn took over running the company.” (Pantalony; Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1869 – “The business passed into the hands of Mrs. S.W. Harrison, who conducted it under the style of Hearn & Harrison.” (Montreal Illustrated 1894, 253); Company still appearing as “C. Hearn Optical Institute” at 242 & 244 Notre Dame Street, “the largest assortment in Canada of Mathematical, Optical and Philosophical Instruments… Manufactory, 54 St. Jean Baptiste St.” (Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1869-70)
- 1870 – Company is renamed Hearn & Co. (Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1870-1871 - Susan Watson Hearn, married Thomas H. Harrison. The company is advertised as “Hearn, Harrison & Co., mathematical instruments, 242 Notre Dame.” (Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1870-71)
- 1857 – In Toronto (Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1859-60 – Listed in as “Hearn, Charles, late Hearn & Potter, mathematical instrument maker 85 King St. W.” This seems to conflate William Hearn and Charles Hearn; it was William Hearn, not Charles, who was in a partnership with Charles Potter. (Caverhill’s Toronto City Directory 1859-60)
- 1859 – Charles Hearn moves his business to Montreal (Montreal Illustrated 1894)
- 1864 – “Optical, Mathematical, and Philosophical Instruments of every description” at 160 Notre Dame Street (Corner Jean Baptiste), Montreal. “Specific Gravity instruments for Brewers, Distillers, Soap Boilers, Sugar Refiners &c. Repairs of all kinds executed promptly, and on reasonable terms.” (Mitchell’s Canada Gazetteer Business Directory for 1864-65)
- 1865 – Listed in Mitchell’s directory under “Mathematical Instruments” at 242 Notre Dame. (Mitchell’s Canada Gazetteer Business Directory for 1864-65)
- 1865 – Died: “After his death in 1865, his wife Susan Watson Hearn took over running the company.” (Pantalony; Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1869 – “The business passed into the hands of Mrs. S.W. Harrison, who conducted it under the style of Hearn & Harrison.” (Montreal Illustrated 1894, 253); Company still appearing as “C. Hearn Optical Institute” at 242 & 244 Notre Dame Street, “the largest assortment in Canada of Mathematical, Optical and Philosophical Instruments… Manufactory, 54 St. Jean Baptiste St.” (Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1869-70)
- 1870 – Company is renamed Hearn & Co. (Brooks & Daniels, 1041)
- 1870-1871 - Susan Watson Hearn, married Thomas H. Harrison. The company is advertised as “Hearn, Harrison & Co., mathematical instruments, 242 Notre Dame.” (Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1870-71)
Sources
Brooks, R., Daniels, W.S. “Surveying Instrument Makers of Central Canada” (1993) Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 20, 1037-1046 (1993): 1040-1041
Caverhill’s Toronto City Directory 1859-60 (1859): 92
Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1869-70 (Lovell, 1869): 567
Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1870-71 (Lovell, 1870): 52
Mitchell’s Canada Gazetteer Business Directory for 1864-65 No. 1, (W.C. Chewett & Co., 1864): 418
Mitchell & Co.’s Canada Classified Directory for 1865-66 (Mitchell & Co., Toronto): 513
Montreal Illustrated: The Metropolis of Canada (Montreal: Consolidated Illustrating Co., 1894): 253
Pantalony, D. “Charles Hearn” Digital Museum Seminar (https://biblio.uottawa.ca/omeka1/dpantalony/exhibits/show/canadian-survey-instrument-mak/charles-hearn) [15-07-24]
Caverhill’s Toronto City Directory 1859-60 (1859): 92
Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1869-70 (Lovell, 1869): 567
Lovell’s Montreal Directory 1870-71 (Lovell, 1870): 52
Mitchell’s Canada Gazetteer Business Directory for 1864-65 No. 1, (W.C. Chewett & Co., 1864): 418
Mitchell & Co.’s Canada Classified Directory for 1865-66 (Mitchell & Co., Toronto): 513
Montreal Illustrated: The Metropolis of Canada (Montreal: Consolidated Illustrating Co., 1894): 253
Pantalony, D. “Charles Hearn” Digital Museum Seminar (https://biblio.uottawa.ca/omeka1/dpantalony/exhibits/show/canadian-survey-instrument-mak/charles-hearn) [15-07-24]
Citation
“Charles Hearn,” Precision Instrument Culture in Canada, accessed October 16, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/instrument-precision/items/show/2189.