U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Blanchard, Frank J. (b. 1835) ------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Tucker County, West Virginia From the Earliest Explorations and Settlements to the Present Time. by Hu Maxwell Kingwood, W. Va.; Preston Publishing Company, 1884. Page 371-373 Frank J. Blanchard was born in Maine, in 1835, of American descent: was raised a farmer, but he soon manifested a strong inclination for machinery, and he turned his attention to that channel, and soon became a first-class mechanic. When the war broke out, he was drafted, and was given ten days in which to appear. When the ten days were out, he appeared in Canada. He traveled to a considerable extent, and was in eleven states within 24 hours; was in the West as far as Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri: was married in 1860 to Elizabeth Harrold, of Ireland. His wife died and in 1876 he married Emma, daughter of Stephen Dumire. Children: John, James, Mary, Edward and William. He is a farmer, living five miles from St. George on Horse Shoe Bun, where he owns 100 acres of land, of which 18 is improved. By him was manufactured the first sawed shingle ever made in Tucker County, and probably in the State. Since then he has sawed over 3,000,000 shingles in Tucker County; and has in his life sawed 4,000,000 feet of long lumber, of which 3,000,000 feet was cut on Macomber's mill. John Blanchard, son of Frank J. Blanchard, was born in 1863, and deserves a place in history more as a curiosity than anything else. He always was a venturesome boy. In his early life he lived in Maine. When he was a little older, he lived at Middletown, Conn., where he became the best swimmer in all the region. When a flood came down the Connecticut River, he swam out into the middle of the stream and attempted to take a ride on a floating hay stack. But it sank with his weight, and his feet sticking fast in the hay, he was pulled under the water. This came near ending his adventures forever; but he wriggled loose, and got to the shore. When he was ten or eleven years old, he came to Rowlesburg, and soon afterwards to Horse Shoe Run, where he became the leader of the boys in all manner of deviltry. When he was fourteen, he ran off from home, and went to work for S. N. Swisher, at $3 a month. He remained at this and in the neighborhood until he was seventeen, when he made up his mind to go back to Maine and search out the home of his ancestors. He collected all the money left of his three years' wages, and had $22.00. A ticket from Oakland to the point in Maine to which he was going cost over $20, and with this small margin, he struck out, with a carpet-sack on his back, a pair of overalls on, held on by one suspender, and a hat that had years before gone to seed. In New York he paid $1.00 for a lunch, and had no money left. However, he got to Maine, and chopped cord wood all winter, and in the spring of 1881 returned to West Virginia by the way of Boston, Fall River and Long Island. He again set to work to earn more money, for his was all gone. He worked here and there, every once in a while taking a wild goose chase through the southern or eastern part of the State, and as soon as he got money enough he went to Michigan, staid there a few days, returned to Tucker, and in two or three weeks went back to Michigan, and in a short time returned to Tucker, and as soon as he had earned enough money, he went back to Michigan. He staid there until in the fall of 1883, when he went to California; staid fifty-nine days, and started back. He got caught in the Hoods with which the country was deluged, and the cars ran off the track five times before he got through to Arizona. He passed through Texas, Indian Territory, back to Michigan, and was never since been heard of. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Tucker County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/tucker/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------