In 1870, the capital investment of the J. M. Lawrence sawmill in Precinct 4, according to that year's Census Products of Industry Schedule, was d to be $1,500. Ten men earned earned $2,800 in eight months. Raw materials included $4,500 worth of logs and and $2,000 in unmilled corn. The sawmill manufactured 1,250,000 feet of lumber valued at $25,000. The grist mill produced cornmeal valued at $2,500.
In 1880, the facility, now titled the J. M. Lawrence & Son sawmill, was again enumerated in Precinct 4 in the Census of that year. It had a capital value of $1,800. It employed eleven men. They were paid $.80 per day for unskilled labor, working eight-hour shifts in the summer and seven-hour shifts in the winter. The low pay , the short hours, and the fact that only 350,000 feet of lumber were manufactured during the reporting period indicate that this was a small, parttime operation. The men received a total of $750 in wages and raw material were worth $1,925. The total value of sawmill production was $3,500.