John Harmon & Son were enumerated as having a sawmill and grist mill in Precinct 4, Rusk County, in 1870. The mills were worth, respectively, $2,000 and $1,000. The sawmill, from $1,500 in raw materials, milled 150,000 feet of lumber worth $2,500, and the grist mill, from $750 worth of corn, ground $950 worth of meal. Three men were paid a total wage of $300 for four months fulltime work.
James J. Harmon operated a steam-powered sawmill, worth $500, in Rusk County during 1879-1880, according to the Census. The firm employed five men at peak production and four normally. The men earned $.75 daily, working eight-hour shifts. In four months, the sawmill manufactured from $450 worth of supplies and sawlogs a total of 50,000 feet of lumber, valued at $750.