Aretas Blood, whose death November 24, 1897, deprived Manchester of one her largest manufacturers and best of influential citizens, was born in Weathersfield, Vermont, October 8, 1816, son of Nathaniel and Roxellana (Proctor) Blood. He came of sturdy New England stock, being a decended from James Blood who came to this country from England and settled in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1639. The family was prominent in the early history of Groton and Pepperell, Massachusetts, and in the days of the Revolution gave its quota of soldiers to the Patriots' Army; Sewell Blood, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, being one of those who served in this war. His son Nathaniel, died in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1876, having reached the advanced age of eighty-seven years. Aretas Blood spent his boyhood upon his father's farm, taking advantage of the schools of the town and bearing his full share of the toil of the farm. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to a blacksmith, and worked at the forge for two years and a half, and then turned to something a little broader which gave him more opportunity for the exercise of his mechanical and inventive bent. In 1840 he went to Evansville, Indiana, where for a year he followed his trade of machinist. Upon his return to the East he was employed successfully in North Chelmsford, Lowell, and Lawrence, Massachusetts, where in the latter place he was given charge of the manufacturer of the tools, implements, and machinery for a large machine shop then in course of erection. His ability and industry won him promotion, and soon he assumed the management of the establishment. Mr. Blood removed to Manchester in September, 1853 where, associated with Oliver W. Bailey, he established the Vulcan works, under the firm name of Baily, Blood & Company. The business being the manufacturer of locomotives. In the Spring of 1854 new buildings were erected, and in the same year the company was incorporated as Manchester Locomotive Works, with Oliver Baily as its first Agent. He was succeeeded by Mr. Blood three years later. The company's operations grew steadily producing a hundred of fire engines a year, besides other fire appratus, hose carriages, etc. Mr. Blood built the first horseless engine used in this country. The locomotive departments of the works has a capacity of being characterized by great executive ability, indomitable industry, foresight, good judgment, and sound common sense. Mr. Blood was also President and Treasurer of the Nashua Iron and Steel Company; President of the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Mass; Treasurer of Globe Nail Company of Boston, Mass; President of the Amoskeag Paper Company of Manchester; Owner/Treasurer of the Manchester Hardware Company of Manchester; Treasurer and Principal Owner of the Manchester Sash and Blind Company, Manchester; President of and Owner of the H. H. Piper Company; Manchester which manufacturers axe handles, spokes, base-ball bats and the like; Director of the Merrimack River Bank from 1860-1868; Director of the Manchester National Bank from 1874 to 1877, and from that time until his death President of the Second National Bank; Director of the Wakefield Rattan Company of Boston, Massachusetts; the largest stockholder and President of the Columbia Cotton Mills of Columbia, SC; also connected with the Water Power Company of the same place; Vice-President and Director of the Burgess Sulphite Fibre Company of Berlin, NH; owner of a large peg mill in Lisbon, the largest NH stockholder of the Manchester Mills, and was elected President of the same succeedig Dexter Richards, receiving a re-eletion; and Director of the Boston & Maine Railroad for several years. How Mr. Blood retained his active control of these interests, which only increased with years, nobody knows. Age brought him no rest, for his indomitable determination and will would not let him retire. The methods of the modern business man he never used. He knew no private secretary, no stenographer awaited his call, no typewriter clicked of his business letters. Much of his success he attributed to the early training he received from his mother. In politics Mr. Blood was a staunch Republician. His first vote was cast for William Henry Harrison. While he was never very active in politics his endorsement always carried weight and he served in a number of offices. He was twice Alderman, and was a Garfield Elector. Although unostentatious in his charities he gave liberally to all worthy objects that met his approval. An instance of his generousity was the gift of the Woman's Aid and Relief Society of Manchester of twenty-five thousand dollars, which made it possible to acquire the building now used as its home. Mr. Blood married September 4, 1845, Lavania Kimball. He had two daughters: Nora, the wife of Frank P Carpenter and Emma, wife of Dr. L. Melville French. Information compiled from Men of Progress, Biographical Sketches & Portraits of Leaders in Business and Professional Life and in and out of the State of NH, compiled under the Supervision of Richard Herndon, Edited under the auspicous of the Manchester Union. Boston, New England Magazine 1898, copyright 1898 by Richard Herndon, Rumford Printing Co. Concord, NH.
Aretas Blood, whose death November 24, 1897, deprived Manchester of one her largest manufacturers and best of influential citizens, was born in Weathersfield, Vermont, October 8, 1816, son of Nathaniel and Roxellana (Proctor) Blood. He came of sturdy New England stock, being a decended from James Blood who came to this country from England and settled in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1639. The family was prominent in the early history of Groton and Pepperell, Massachusetts, and in the days of the Revolution gave its quota of soldiers to the Patriots' Army; Sewell Blood, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, being one of those who served in this war. His son Nathaniel, died in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1876, having reached the advanced age of eighty-seven years. Aretas Blood spent his boyhood upon his father's farm, taking advantage of the schools of the town and bearing his full share of the toil of the farm. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to a blacksmith, and worked at the forge for two years and a half, and then turned to something a little broader which gave him more opportunity for the exercise of his mechanical and inventive bent. In 1840 he went to Evansville, Indiana, where for a year he followed his trade of machinist. Upon his return to the East he was employed successfully in North Chelmsford, Lowell, and Lawrence, Massachusetts, where in the latter place he was given charge of the manufacturer of the tools, implements, and machinery for a large machine shop then in course of erection. His ability and industry won him promotion, and soon he assumed the management of the establishment. Mr. Blood removed to Manchester in September, 1853 where, associated with Oliver W. Bailey, he established the Vulcan works, under the firm name of Baily, Blood & Company. The business being the manufacturer of locomotives. In the Spring of 1854 new buildings were erected, and in the same year the company was incorporated as Manchester Locomotive Works, with Oliver Baily as its first Agent. He was succeeeded by Mr. Blood three years later. The company's operations grew steadily producing a hundred of fire engines a year, besides other fire appratus, hose carriages, etc. Mr. Blood built the first horseless engine used in this country. The locomotive departments of the works has a capacity of being characterized by great executive ability, indomitable industry, foresight, good judgment, and sound common sense. Mr. Blood was also President and Treasurer of the Nashua Iron and Steel Company; President of the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Mass; Treasurer of Globe Nail Company of Boston, Mass; President of the Amoskeag Paper Company of Manchester; Owner/Treasurer of the Manchester Hardware Company of Manchester; Treasurer and Principal Owner of the Manchester Sash and Blind Company, Manchester; President of and Owner of the H. H. Piper Company; Manchester which manufacturers axe handles, spokes, base-ball bats and the like; Director of the Merrimack River Bank from 1860-1868; Director of the Manchester National Bank from 1874 to 1877, and from that time until his death President of the Second National Bank; Director of the Wakefield Rattan Company of Boston, Massachusetts; the largest stockholder and President of the Columbia Cotton Mills of Columbia, SC; also connected with the Water Power Company of the same place; Vice-President and Director of the Burgess Sulphite Fibre Company of Berlin, NH; owner of a large peg mill in Lisbon, the largest NH stockholder of the Manchester Mills, and was elected President of the same succeedig Dexter Richards, receiving a re-eletion; and Director of the Boston & Maine Railroad for several years. How Mr. Blood retained his active control of these interests, which only increased with years, nobody knows. Age brought him no rest, for his indomitable determination and will would not let him retire. The methods of the modern business man he never used. He knew no private secretary, no stenographer awaited his call, no typewriter clicked of his business letters. Much of his success he attributed to the early training he received from his mother. In politics Mr. Blood was a staunch Republician. His first vote was cast for William Henry Harrison. While he was never very active in politics his endorsement always carried weight and he served in a number of offices. He was twice Alderman, and was a Garfield Elector. Although unostentatious in his charities he gave liberally to all worthy objects that met his approval. An instance of his generousity was the gift of the Woman's Aid and Relief Society of Manchester of twenty-five thousand dollars, which made it possible to acquire the building now used as its home. Mr. Blood married September 4, 1845, Lavania Kimball. He had two daughters: Nora, the wife of Frank P Carpenter and Emma, wife of Dr. L. Melville French. Information compiled from Men of Progress, Biographical Sketches & Portraits of Leaders in Business and Professional Life and in and out of the State of NH, compiled under the Supervision of Richard Herndon, Edited under the auspicous of the Manchester Union. Boston, New England Magazine 1898, copyright 1898 by Richard Herndon, Rumford Printing Co. Concord, NH.
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