On December 1, 1856, U.S. Patent No. 18,788, issued to Ephraim Ball on a Mowing Machine:

Ephraim Ball was born in Stark County, Ohio, in 1812. In 1840 Ball started a foundry for making plough castings, and a shop for selling ploughs known as “Ball’s Blue Ploughs.” He formed a partnership with Cornelius Aultman and Lewis Miller, and in 1851 opened Ball, Aultman & Co. appeared in Canton, Ohio. In 1854, ball created the “Ohio Mower,” but a fire delayed completion of a practical machine until 1856, when the company made 500 “O.

In 1856, Ball, Aultman & Co., made five hundred “Ohio Mowers.” In 1858 the firm dissolved, with each partner forming a new business. Ephraim Ball went on to manufacture Ball’s New American Harvester.