Biography N. W. Ballantyne (Hancock County, WV) ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** Submitted by: Valerie Forren Crook The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 360-361 N. W. BALLANTYNE. Of the citizens of known business ability who have been called to public office in Hancock County, one of the best known is N. W. Ballantyne, a member of the Board of County Commissioners, and one of the proprietors of the West Virginia Fire Clay Company of New Cumberland. Connected with this line of enter- prise practically since youth, he has made a success of his operations therein, in view of which fact it was thought that he would be equally successful as a county official. His record in office shows this faith to have been fully vindicated. Mr. Ballantyne was born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Alexander Ballantyne, a glass manufac- turer, who died when his son N. W. was but fifteen years of age. The latter then went to live with his maternal grandfather, James L. Freeman, a son of Thomas Free- man. Thomas Freeman was the original operator of a plant taking out fire clay, which was under his own farm, one mile south of New Cumberland, and James Freeman was also engaged in the fire brick and sewer pipe business, his plant being on the site of the present Freeman plant, one-half mile below the above plant. James Freeman died when past eighty years of age. His daughter, Irene (Free- man) Ballantyne, who was the mother of N. W. and C. A. Ballantyne, died at the age of sixty-eight years. N. W. Ballantyne secured a good, practical educational training, and with his brother, C. A., came into the owner- ship of the old Freeman home place. In 1896 they started a small plant of their own in partnership, and have con- tinued to be associated together in their business ventures ever since. In 1903 they founded the West Virginia Fire Clay Company at New Cumberland, and in 1906 the busi- ness was incorporated by them, with a capital of $50,000. This plant manufactures fire clay, which is sold to the manufacturers of fire brick and similar products, and has a capacity of 300 tons daily, this coming from a vein of clay of from eight to twelve feet thick under the hill on the edge of the works. Something unusual and most opportune connected with this plant is that immediately above the vein of clay lies a three-foot vein of excellent steam coal, the mining of which involves but slight expense, and which supplies the fuel for the plant. Above this is the solid rock forming a natural permanent roof. The average out- put for one entire year was 6,000 tons per month, and the securing and preparation of the product, done by elec- trical machinery, necessitates the employment of from twelve to eighteen miners, and from about thirty to forty men in all. This clay goes into grinders to make it uni- form, and is then shipped to the southern states, New England and Canada, from 120 to 175 cars monthly being utilized. The pay-roll approximates $2,500 monthly. The selling office of the concern is at Pittsburgh. N. W. Ballantyne is also interested in other plants, manufacturers of fire clay products in Beaver Valley, Pennsylvania, and in Ohio, with offices at Pittsburgh. He has several civic and fraternal connections, and is actively interested in all good movements for the community wel- fare. In 1920 he was elected a county commissioner, hav- ing been nominated by the republicans and receiving the endorsement of the democratic party. The county is now engaged in building good roads, keeping pace with other sections, and in 1921 a new Court House was built, cost- ing approximately $100,000, to replace the old building, destroyed by fire, which was erected in 1884 and donated to the county by the citizens in order to secure the county seat from Pughtown, four miles distant. The sheriff's residence and jail are in a separate building, but in close proximity to the Court House. Mr. Ballantyne married Miss Lucie Brown, daughter of the late Adrian W. Brown, for many years publisher of the New Cumberland Independent and a leading and in- fluential citizen. She was reared at New Cumberland, graduated from the West Virginia University as a mem- ber of the class of 1900, and for a time taught English at the West Liberty Normal School and later at Marshall College, Huntington, West Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Bal- lantyne have two children: Robert and Irene Virginia.