Floodwood, Athens county, Ohio

The Mourn Lumber Mill

Photo of three generations of sawmill operators provided by Harold Mourn Sr.

This was  a portable, coal operated, steam generated sawmill located in Floodwood, Ohio.  Notice the two pairs of oxen which were used to bring the logs to the mill. Look closely behind James Mourn and you can see the steam engine protected from weather elements by the roof of the pole barn.  James Mourn born in 1823 in Athens county, Ohio (the son of  John Mourn of Ireland),  was the progenitor of the family in the above photo, and was the brother of John Mourn of the biography below.  John Mourn (born in 1853) in the above photo was the son of James Mourn (born in 1823).  John Mourn's wife was Isabelle Garber (Gerber) married May 19, 1874; and Earl and Zadoc were his sons. The circular saw blade can be seen beside John Mourn.  Earl is the father of Harold Mourn, Sr. who generously provided this photo for the website. Harold is the father of my closest life long friend and Space Rocket Engineer, Janalee Mourn.

 About steam powered sawmills: "Portable sawmills had blades up to 54 inches in diameter and which turned at 450 rpm.'s, cut 20,000 board feet per day and cost between $1,600 dollars to $2,200 dollars." (Douglas L. Crowell, 1995 History of Coal Mining  page 158)  I recommend this book to anyone interested in Ohio coal mines and mining operations!  Phone the Division of Geological Surveys Columbus, Ohio 614-265-6576.

Illustration from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (October 20, 1860, p. 346)

republished in Douglas L. Crowell's History of Coal Mining 1995, p. 158.

1883 History of the Hocking Valley Page 756 

"John Mourn, merchant of Chauncey, was born in York Township, Athens county, October 14, 1831, and is a son of John Mourn, deceased, a native of Ireland who came from Maryland to this county about 1818, and settled in the woods at Thompson's Ford, on the Hocking River.  He was the father of nine boys and one girl, of whom our subject John Jr. was the third child. He was reared on the old homestead and received a common-school education.  He started to  California in the spring of 1852, overland route, arriving the following October, and returned by the Nicaragua steamship route in the fall of 1855, and settled in Dover Township, where he has since resided.  He ran a saw-mill near Chauncey for three years, and was foreman of the Chauncey Salt Works for about eighteen years.  In 1878 he became established in the mercantile business in Chauncey.  He keeps a full line of everything usually kept in a first-class general store, and is doing a good business.  He  has held the office of Clerk of Dover Township for the past eight years, and for the past five years has held the office of Postmaster of Chauncey.  In the fall of 1855 he married Sarah Six, a daughter of  Leonard Six, deceased.  They had six children, of whom three are living, Addie, John W. and James B.  One daughter, Arminta, died at the age of sixteen years, and a son Saudell S., died at the age of six years.  Three of Mr. Mourn's brothers, Patrick, Robert and Thomas, were soldiers in the late war, in the sixty third Ohio Infantry.  The two latter were stricken down with the measles while in the service and died soon after returning home.  Mr. and Mrs. Mourn are members of the Methodist Episcopal church."

From  records we can see that John (1792) and Jane (1798) Mourn of Ireland came to Maryland/Delaware and on to York township Athens county in 1818. They are in the 1830 (John Morn), 1840, and 1850 York township census for Athens county, Ohio.  They had nine children James (1824), Felix (1830) , John (1831), Patrick (1832),  Daniel (1834), Francis (1836), Sarah J. (1838), Robert (1842), and Thomas (1844).  Robert and Thomas Mourn died during the civil war of measles.  The Mourn family was industrious and farmed and ran a sawmill and salt works and general store.  James Mourn was married to Lois T. Matheny Aug. 24, 1851 , John Mourn was married to Sarah Six Sept. 28, 1855,  Francis Mourn was married to Amy Matthews Oct. 28, 1858,  Daniel  Mourn married Sarah Jane Mercer June 6, 1865, and Patrick Mourn married Mary Kay Clements Aug. 30, 1866,  all in Athens county, Ohio.

The information above is for educational and historical purposes only, not to be used in commercial publications without permission of the author's.

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