The biographical encyclopœdia of Ohio of the nineteenth century:

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOI'AEDIA.
disappointments and losses, comIng out with their good
name and credit untarnished. At this time, I855, they resolved to change their locomotive works into a manufactory
of portable steami-engines and saw-mills, which they began
to build upon a new plan, with a hollowi, continuous bedplate-the invention of Frederick. This was far ahead of
any other engine in the market, and they rapidly worked it
into favor as the people's engine, so that at this writing there
are about 4000 of them working; they can be found in every
State in the Union, and in many parts of Europe, Africa,
South America, Australia, etc. On whatever occasion they
have been exhibited in competition they have invariably
taken the first premiums. Se popular are they that they are
being copied by many builders, thus acknowledging their
superiority to all others. At the time the rebellion broke
out the firm of H. & F. Blandy was doing a brisk and large
uldas' w th eine.ss in the west and South, and had outstanding debtsi l
amos u nting to over $I50,000 s catt per ed all through the clSouth
ern S tates; th e e wa s als head e osns to tohem. But they
persistently strove to ovr t e c all adversities, and their m
trn ad he hae revof eive d again, sore that i i863i they found their Zanesa nevi l los re w inot equal to the odemand, and they purchased the "m N ewa rk Machine Works," at Newark, Ohio,
thi ch equalled in mag n itude their Zanesvi lle works; and in th s r sfu,
I865 they built and sold over one million and a a q uarter dollars' wohth of machinery. In these works they have built
many powerful stationary-engines for Blast furnaces and
mills of all kinds up to 50o horsepower. After the close
of r t hey did a very extensive business, a nd were
working both establishments to their full capacity, when in
the fall of i866 mi-isfortune again overtook them, this time
in the shape of a destructive fire that levelled the entire
Zanesville works with the ground, causing a loss estimated
at over $200,000. Ill spite of this great misfortune, at a
time when they were crowded with work, the business was
carried onl as well as possible-by running the Newark works
night and day. Though Mr. Henry Blandy was at this time
in Europe, before the ruins of twrenty-six years of their labor
were cold a hundred pairs of hands were busy clearing awray
the debris and preparing to rebuild on a still larger scale
than before, and in less than four months the site of the
ruins was occupied by one of the finest-appointed and besstequipped mackine-gorks in the United States. At the time
of this fire Frederic] was engaged in erecting a fine residence; having only the first story up when the works were
burned, be was compelled to finish it or much damage
would have been the result. This house, the finest finished
and most elegant in the county, was completed the followin, year. At this time Frederick was also much engaged
B wa iALL, JOSEPH B., President of the Home Insur) ance Company of Ohio, is a native se of o stCanada,
pl1 0 and was born July 4th, y835e His father was a
m S t wt harness-malker, and a native of New York; his
p mother was a native of same State. In 1837,
awhen Joseph was two years old, his parents
anmoved from Canada and settled in Jefferson county, Newe
York. His first schooling was in an old log school-house
within sight of the St. Lawrence river. When he was nine
thyears old his father died, leaving his family penniless. The
family was broken up and the subject of our sketch was
placed on a farm. Some three years afterwards his mother
hmarried a wealthy farmer and a home was offered to the
of scattered family, but Joseph preferred to " paddle his own
canoe." Until he was fifteen years ojd be worked summers
us and attended schools winters, a portion of the time at the
einstitute at Watertown. The obstacles he met with were
the same as other boys have experienced. At the age of
fifteen he secured the much-coveted position of a clelk in a
country store. He remained in this position until I853,
when he became impressed with the idea that he must " go
West." In the spring of that year he found himself in
Chicago, a stranger to all, but he soon found employment
of E. Batchelder, wholesale dealer in dry goods. He remained in that establishment for two years, when his emanployer retired from business, selling his stock to Joseph,
who removed the same to Lyons, Iowa, doing a prosperous
business until the panic of I857. His business at that time
being greatly extended, it was impossible to realize on property in hand, and he, like thousands of others, was obliged
to succumb; having married in the meantime the daughter
of Dr. Daniel Reed, of Fulton, Illinois, be found himself
poor and with a wife and babe to claim his attention. The
next few yhears be was employed in several positions of trust,
and finally settled in Aurora, Illinois. While employed as
a clerk in a dry-goods store in that city, the Aurora Fire
Insulrance Company, with a capital of $200,000, WAS organized, and he wras solicited to take the management of it,
which be did, and conducted the business very successfully,
until the great Chicago fire of i871 came and swallowed up
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i-iin,-, though the trade has diminished since the panic of
1873 and many competitors have entirely closed. Frederick
also has other interests of considerable importance. Besides
the stock held I)y the firm in the 11 Iron Coal Company, at
Sham,nee, Ohio, Frederic],, is Treasurer of this company, and
individually holds -L large amount of stock. He has two
large farms two mile,, up the Muskingum river, which are
considered very valuable for the underlying coal. He holds
stock in the 11 Ohio Iron Company," 11 Zanesville Woollen
Mill.Company," and the 11 Brown Manufacturing Company,"
and is a Director of the last-named. He is also VicePresident of the Unioi-i Bank.