The Thomases returned the favor of their original capitalization by purchasing an iron blast furnace from James Ward when he went bankrupt in 1879.
Fire brick was first invented in 1822 by William Weston Young in the Vale of Neath in Wales, the county just east of Llanelli where the Thomas family lived before emigrating to Niles.
Patrick J. Sheehan worked various jobs at Niles Fire Brick Company from age 13 up until 1897 when he was appointed superintendent of the plant.
When Sheehan started with the company they occupied a plant covering a floor space of 3,600 square feet, two kilns, and the output was 640,000 bricks per year.
Immigrants from Southern States and European countries, especially Italy, were sought to perform labor under difficult working conditions.