In 1832 in the hamlet of East Randolph in Cattaraugus County, NY, Amos Hall established Hall's Machine Works. In 1858, Amos's brother Erastus and Joel F. Stewart patented a shingle machine capable of cutting 1000 shingles per hour, which was subsequently manufactured by Hall's Machine Works. In 1862, Erastus Hall became the proprietor, operating both under the name of Hall's Machine Works and as Erastus Hall. Erastus had enlisted in the Union Army in December 1861 and was not discharged until the end of 1864; perhaps the business was inactive during that period. By 1879 he had six employees but by that time the shingle machine was no longer being manufactured.

From 1860-01-07 Scientific American

Information Sources

• 1858 patent for a shingle machine, granted to Erastus Hall and Joel F. Stewart, both of East Randolph.
• The 1860-01-07 issue of Scientific American has an article on Hall and Stewart's improved shingle machine.
• The 1869/70 edition of the The New York State Business Directory and Gazetteer lists "Hall, Erastus, shingle machines" in East Randolph.
• From the 1879 book, History of Cattaraugus: Illustrations And Biographical Sketches Of Some Of Its Prominent Men And Pioneers, edited by Franklin Ellis.

  In 1827, Jonathan Wood put up a small building on the site of Hall’s machine-shop, in which he fulled cloths. After Wood’s death, about 1832, Amos Hall carried on the business with increased facilities, carding and cloth-making machines having been added, and which were operated under the direction of Archibald Merrill.

  When the woolen-factory was discontinued, HALL’S MACHINE WORKS were here established by Amos Hall, and conducted by him until 1862, when Erastus Hall became the proprietor, and has since continued the business. Power is furnished by a 12-foot fall on Mill Creek, which operates a planing-mill, match, sash, and door machinery, and other devices for doing all kinds of wood work. The shop is 34 by 66 feet, 3 stories high, with an addition 24 by 56 feet. In 1853, Erastus Hall patented a machine for manufacturing shingles, which attained a good reputation, and by the use of which 1000 shingles an hour might be cut. For a number of years this machine was largely manufactured at this shop, and formed an important business. Six men are here employed.

  ...Erastus Hall came to Napoli in 1820, and in 1825 to Cold Spring. He is now doing business in that town, in the village of East Randolph. Four sons reside in the same place.

• The 1893 book, Historical Gazetteer and Biographical Memorial of Cattaraugus County, N.Y., edited by William Adams.

  E. Hall & Co.'s sash, door, and blind factory is located in East Randolph on Hall's book, which furnishes the motive power. The first building on the site was a wood-carding-mill erected by Jonathan Wood at a very early date. The present building was built about 1858 by Hall Brothers. In 1862 Erastus Hall became the sole owner. It is now conducted by him and his sons Lyman and Milo.

  Elsewhere in this book it lists a "Roster of soldiers and sailors" in the Civil War, including "Hall, Erastus, musician Co. F, 64th Inf.; enl. Dec. 1861; disch. at expiration of term." For those enlisting after May 1861, a "term" was three years.
• From the 1893 book, Historical Gazetteer and Biographical Memorial of Cattaraugus County, N.Y., ed. William Adams.

  Philemon Hall, born in Guilford, Conn., about 1772 [actually 1769], was a cook [at a very tender age?] in the Revolutionary War. He married, in his native town, Mary Parmalee and a year or two later removed with an ox-team and sled to Bloomfield, N. Y. and located on his father's claim of 150 acres given to him for service in the Revolutionary War. He was there a farmer and later a hotel keeper in Bloomfield village, where he was burned out. In 1820, he settled in the southwest corner of Napoli. In 1822, he built a saw-mill on the location now occupied by the grist-mill of Enoch Holdridge. About 1824, he built a grist-mill on the same dam and near the saw-mill. He brought the few irons from Bloomfield and the mill-stone were wrought from a pebble rock in Great Valley. Mr. Hall carried on quite a business. He died in 1857 and was succeeded by his sons, Joel, Horace, Amos, and Erastus, of whom only Erastus, an octogenarian, is living. He was born in Bloomfield, N. Y., May 24, 1809 and is a natural mechanic. As a millwright he has built numerous mills in western New York and in Canada. He invented and patented a shingle-mill, and is now the senior member of the firm of E. Hall & Co., In sept., 1827, he married Emeline Rathbone, who has been his helpful companion sixty-four years. Children : Lyman, Milo, Henry, Philander (a soldier in the Civil War), and Mary (deceased, who married Jefferson, a nephew of Judge Chamberlain.

• Various genealogy sites provide information on Philemon Hall (1769-1851), spouse Mary Parmelee (1765-1865), and sons Amos (1805-1878), Joel (?-?), Erastus (1790-?) and Horace (1798-1878).
• From the 1912 book, Genealogical and Family History of Western New York, ed. William Richard Cutter, and available onlinethrough Google Books.

  (VI) Philemon (2), son of Philemon (I) Hall, was born October 3, 1769, in Connecticut. He and his family moved to Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, in the spring of 1793, where he owned and conducted a tavern. A tavern keeper in those days was quite a personage. In February, 1819, the tavern burned. About 1822 he with his four sons moved to the then almost unsettled wilds of Cattaraugus county. He kept the first inn, and store at Cold Spring. He with his sons built a saw mill, which was probably the first in the town of Cold Spring. They built a second mill on the Little Conewango, another in 1836, another in 1839, one in 1841, and one in 1844, on the site now known as the Stewart Mills. They erected a small grist mill with one run of stone on Spring Brook in 1824, and a larger one with three run of stone, in 1833, on the site now known as the Holdridge Mills. They later had a cabinet shop on the site of Morton’s Mill, where they made good hand-made furniture, tables, chairs, bureaus, etc. The business was conducted under the father’s name until his death, where the brothers separated, and Amos took most of the business. Philemon died in East Randolph, May 12. 1851, and after his death his wife, Mary (Parmelee) Hall, lived with the son Amos until her death, July 7, 1865. Her father, Reuben Parmelee, was a revolutionary soldier, sergeant in Captain Vail’s company, stationed at Guilford for defence of coast, 1781; served eight months, twenty days. Children of Philemon and Mary (Parmelee) Hall: Joel, married Lydia Evarts; Horace, married Lydia Rathbone; Erastus, married Emeline Rathbone; Amos, mentioned below. Twelve more children were born, but died in infancy.

  (VII) Amos, son of Philemon (2) Hall, was born July 19, 1805. He was extensively engaged in the lumber and mercantile business, in East Randolph, and owned considerable farm land in the vicinity. He married Emily Prince, and to them were born: Emily, married Charles Brown; Ruth Ann, mentioned below; Mary, married Edward Beales; Clara, married Preston C. Staley; Frances, married Walter Powers: Thomas, died at age of two years. After the death of his wife, at the age of thirty-eight, his home was kept by his daughters until they were married. He later went to Kansas to make his home with his daughter Emily, where he died March 13, 1878.

• We learned of this maker from the 2016 Alexander Steam Show, where an exhibitor, Ed Nageldinger, had a sign asking "Wanted: Information on E. A. Hall shingle mills made in East Randolph, N.Y."