Personal Details

Born	April 25th, 1821
Birthplace	Woodstock, Vermont, USA
Baptized	No Entry
Baptized at...	No Entry
Baptized by...	No Entry
Baptized in...	No Entry
Occupation(s)	No Entry
Died	July 30th, 1886, aged about 65 years
Died at...	Seymour, Indiana, USA
Cause of Death	No Entry
Burial Place	No Entry
Disposition	No Entry

Parents

Father	[349]	John Blish 6
Mother	[349_sa]	Merab Ann (Wales) Blish 6

Spouses, Mates & Children

Wife #1 [641_sa] - Sarah (Shields) Blish 7 Married by: No Entry Married at: Seymour, IN, USA Children by this spouse: I [968]+ Meedy Shields Blish 8 b. December 14th, 1855 c. March II [969]+ Emma Merab (Blish) Thompson 8 b. June 1st, 1858 c. September III [970] Commander John Bell Blish 8 b. September 8th, 1860 c. December IV [971]+ Lucy Shields (Blish) Humbert 8 b. October 8th, 1862 c. January V [972] Tipton Shields Blish 8 b. January 13th, 1865 c. April

Immediate Family Tree

Gen. 7	Gen. 6	Gen. 5	Gen. 4	Gen. 3
John Hedding Blish	John Blish	Deacon David Blish	David Blish, (***)	Tristham Blish, (***)
				Anne (Fuller) Blish
			Zeruiah (Skinner) Blish	Deacon Nathaniel Skinner
				Mary (Gillett) Skinner
		Lucy (Wilcox) Blish	Obadiah Wilcox	No Entry
				No Entry
			Sarah (Talcott) Wilcox	No Entry
				No Entry
	Merab Ann (Wales) Blish	Stephen Wales	No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
			No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
		Mary (?) Wales	No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry
			No Entry	No Entry
				No Entry

Personalized History Timeline, 1821 to 1886

1478-1834: Torquemada's Spanish Inquisition from before birth until age 13 1817-1824: James Monroe president of US from before birth until age 3 1817-1823: 1st Cholera pandemic from before birth until age 2 1817-1825: Erie canal constructed from before birth until age 4 1820-1830: Reign of King George IV (Hanover) from before birth until age 9 1821: Missouri enters the union - 24th at age 0 1821: US pop. reaches 9.2 million at age 0 1821-1829: Greek war of Independence from age 0 to age 8 1821: 1st US women's college at age 0 1822: Florida organized as a territory at age 1 1824: Internal Combustion Engine at age 3 1824-1828: John Quincy Adams president of US from age 3 to age 7 1824: Erie canal finished at age 3 1826: 1st railroad tunnel (England) at age 5 1827: 1st Black newspaper Freedom's Journal at age 6 1827: Ship's propeller (screw) at age 6 1827: Ohms Law formulated at age 6 1828: 1st railroad in the US at age 7 1828: 1st Webster's Dictionary at age 7 1828-1836: Andrew Jackson president of US from age 7 to age 15 1829: 1st US patent on a typewriter at age 8 1829-1851: 2nd Cholera pandemic from age 8 to age 30 1830-1860: Underground railroad leads 100,000+ slaves to freedom in US from age 9 to age 39 1830-1837: Reign of King William IV (Hanover) from age 9 to age 16 1830: Mormons (Latter Day Saints) founded at age 9 1832: Horse-drawn trolleys in New York at age 11 1833: Slavery abolished in British Empire (home and colonies) at age 12 1833: Telegraph at age 12 1834: Modern computer conceived by Charles Babbage at age 13 1835: Mormon leader Joseph Smith prophesies of 'coming of lord' by 1891 at age 14 1835: Halley's Comet at age 14 1835-1842: 2nd Seminole War from age 14 to age 21 1836: Texas war for independence from Mexico at age 15 1836: Arkansas enters the union -25th at age 15 1836: Battle of the Alamo at age 15 1837: Michigan enters the union - 26th at age 16 1837-1840: Martin Van Buren president of US from age 16 to age 19 1837-1901: Reign of Queen Victoria (Hanover) from age 16 until after line end 1837: Depression and Panic in the US - inflation, speculation at age 16 1838-1839: Forced relocation of Cherokee from age 17 to age 18 1839-1842: Opium war between China and the English from age 18 to age 21 1841-1844: John Tyler president of US from age 20 to age 23 1842: Chinese cede Hong Kong to the English at age 21 1844: 1st telegraph line message, Washington to New York at age 23 1845-1848: James K Polk president of US from age 24 to age 27 1845: Florida enters the union - 27th at age 24 1845: Texas enters the union - 28th at age 24 1845-1849: Irish Potato Famine from age 24 to age 28 1846: Iowa enters the union - 29th at age 25 1846-1848: The Mexican-US War from age 25 to age 27 1848: Oregon organized as a territory at age 27 1848: Wisconsin enters the union - 30th at age 27 1848-1856: 1st gold rush in California -- Sutters Mill from age 27 to age 35 1848: NY allows women to own real estate at age 27 1849-1852: Zachary Taylor president of the US from age 28 to age 31 1849: Fizeau measures speed of light at age 28 1850: World pop. est. at 1.1 billion at age 29 1850: California enters the union - 31st at age 29 1850: US pop reaches 23 million at age 29 1850: Utah (included Nevada) organized as a territory at age 29 1850: New Mexico organized as a territory at age 29 1851: Gold rush in Australia at age 30 1852-1859: 3rd Cholera pandemic from age 31 to age 38 1853: Washington (included pt. of Idaho) organized as a territory at age 32 1853-1856: Franklin Pierce president of US from age 32 to age 35 1854: Nebraska organized as a territory at age 33 1854: Kansas organized as a territory at age 33 1854-1856: Crimean War from age 33 to age 35 1857-1860: James Buchanan president of US from age 36 to age 39 1857: Dred Scott decision: Blacks could not be US citizens at age 36 1857-1866: Transatlantic cable laid from age 36 to age 45 1858: Minnesota enters the union - 32nd at age 37 1858: India bill transfers government of India to England at age 37 1859: Darwin pub. Origin Of Species at age 38 1859: Oil Well at age 38 1859: Oregon enters the union - 33rd at age 38 1860: South Carolina Secedes from the Union at age 39 1860: Rifled barrel invented at age 39 1861: The Apache Declare War on the US at age 40 1861: South Dakota organized as a territory at age 40 1861: Transcontinental Telegraph completed at age 40 1861-1865: Confederate States of America Exist from age 40 to age 44 1861-1865: Civil War from age 40 to age 44 1861: Nevada organized as a territory at age 40 1861: North Dakota organized as a territory at age 40 1861-1865: Abraham Lincoln president of US from age 40 to age 44 1861: Gold rush in New Zealand at age 40 1861: Colorado organized as a territory at age 40 1861: Kansas enters the union - 34th at age 40 1862: US Homestead act at age 41 1863-1879: 4th Cholera pandemic from age 42 to age 58 1863: Idaho organized as a territory at age 42 1863: Arizona organized as a territory at age 42 1863: West Virginia enters the union - 35th at age 42 1863: Battle of Gettysburg at age 42 1863: Emancipation Proclamation frees southern slaves at age 42 1864: Louisiana organized as a territory at age 43 1864: Nevada enters the union - 36th at age 43 1865: Ku Klux Klan founded at age 44 1865: Lister invents Disinfection at age 44 1865: President Lincoln assassinated at age 44 1866: Walker, Mitchell 1st elected US black officials (Massachusetts) at age 45 1866-1868: Andrew Johnson president of US from age 45 to age 47 1867: Dynamite at age 46 1867: Alaska purchased from Russia at age 46 1867: Diamonds discovered in South Africa at age 46 1867: Nebraska enters the union - 37th at age 46 1867: Confederation of Canada at age 46 1868-1878: War between Cuba and Spain from age 47 to age 57 1869: Financial black friday caused by attempt to corner gold at age 48 1869-1876: Ulysses S Grant president of US from age 48 to age 55 1869: Trans-continental railroad completed at age 48 1869: Suez canal opened at age 48 1869: Cutty Sark built at age 48 1870-1871: Franco-Prussian war from age 49 to age 50 1870: 1st black US senator (Hiram Revels) at age 49 1870: US black men can vote at age 49 1871: Great Fire destroys Chicago at age 50 1873-1878: Depression, banks fail from age 52 to age 57 1873: Color Photographs at age 52 1876: Colorado enters the union - 38th at age 55 1876: Telephone (Bell, Latimer) at age 55 1876: Little Big Horn - Battle at age 55 1876: American Centennial at age 55 1877: Wax Cylinder Musical Recordings at age 56 1877-1880: Ruthorford B Hayes president of US from age 56 to age 59 1878: 1st commercial telephone exchange in US at age 57 1879: Electric Light Bulb (Edison) at age 58 1879: Zulu war at age 58 1881: President Garfield assassinated (dies of med. care) at age 60 1881-1885: Chester Arthur president of US from age 60 to age 64 1881: James A Garfield president of US at age 60 1881-1896: 5th Cholera pandemic from age 60 until after line end 1884: Motorcycle at age 63 1884: 1st subway at age 63 1885-1888: Grover Cleveland president of US from age 64 until after line end 1885: Automobile at age 64 1886: Induction Telegraph (Grandville T. Woods) at age 65

Additional Information

John Hedding Blish attended school at Middlebury, Vermont; in 1849 he started for California, but meeting his friend Frank Marsh, who afterwards married his sister Mary, at Jeffersonville, Indiana, he was prevailed upon to take a position on the engineering corps of the first railroad in Indiana, the old "Madison Road". He was soon promoted to the position of chief engineer, and held it till the road was completed to Indianapolis and then to Louisville, Kentucky. It was about this time that he married, and became associated with his father-in-law, in the grain packing and milling business, until 1871 when he accepted a position as chief engineer of a railroad which was to run from Evensville to Richmond, Indiana. This project was abandoned during the financial troubles of 1872-1873, and he returned to the grain and milling business, at which he remained until his death. In 1883, his sons Meedy Shields and Tipton Shields, joined their father in the business. Blish Milling Company promotional item - folding "pig" fan from the collection of Charles Benjamin Blish The plant was burned in the winter of 1885, and in January, 1886, the Blish Milling Company was organized, the stock being divided among the father, mother and five children, the father and sons having a controlling interest. A new and greatly enlarged and improved plant was erected and completed in July, 1886, increasing the capacity of the mills four fold. John Hedding Blish was for fifteen years vice president of the First National Bank of Seymour and active in its management. During the last few years of his life, his chief aim was to put his family on a sound financial basis, and in this he was eminently successful. He died July 30th, 1886, shortly after the new mills were completed.