History of La Salle County, Illinois, Part 51

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

USA > Illinois > LaSalle County > History of La Salle County, Illinois > Part 51

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Mr. Haight was married in this county in 1876 to Miss Mary E. Vosburgh, a daughter of

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Dr. David M. and Phoebe ( Breeze) Vosburg, of Earlville. Unto them have been born four chil- dren : D. Max Haight, who died at Wellington, Kansas, having already in his brief life at- tained prominence as an expert accountant, be- ing at the time of his death in the employ of the wealthiest banker in the state of Kansas as a trusted confident ; Ruth M., who has charge of the Dayton school; Merle V., who is with Marshall Field & Company at Chicago; and G. Harold, who is still in school. In his early life and when not in school Mr. Haight worked on the farm and in his later years has obtained pleasure and benefit in personally attending to to the management of and doing work upon his own farm. At certain times of the year when court is not in session and the demands of the office are not exacting Mr. Haight may be found embracing the opportunity to exercise his mus- cles by manual labor and he thus maintains a strength of physical power that is one of the elements in his professional success, enabling him to do a large amount of work in the prepa- ration and trial of his cases. He is a member of Humboldt lodge, No. 555, A. F. & A. M., of which he has been master for a number of years. He also belongs to Shabbona chapter, No. 37, R. A. M .; Ottawa commandery, No. IO, K. T .; and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a liberal contributor to churches and as a citizen enjoys the respect and con- fidence of all. He has those qualities which render him personally popular and has been spoken of by his fellow townsmen as "a prince of good fellows."

JOHN W. FORNOF.

John W. Fornof, president of the Free Press Publishing Company and postmaster of Streator, whose influence on public thought and action has been effective, was born in Butler county, Ohio, August 2, 1855. His father, George Fornof, was a native of Darmstadt, Germany, born in 1830. He became a resident of the United States in 1837 and of Illinois in 1856. In 1853 he was married to Miss Susan J. Burns, whose birth occurred in Pennsylvania in 1830. Three years after their marriage they came to Illinois and at the time of the Civil war Mr. Fornof responded to the country's call for aid, enlisting as a private of Company I, Seventh Illinois Cavalry, September 2, 1861, and served until November, 1864. He then returned to this state, where he lived until 1878, when he re- moved to Fairbury, Nebraska, where he resided until August, 1893.

John W. Fornof acquired his early education in the common schools and in his youth was am- bitious to become an editor. As a natural step to this end he became an apprenticed printer at Maroa, Illinois, in 1869 and after working at his trade in different cities, arrived in Streator in February, 1874, where he continued as an employe in a printing office until the spring of 1877, when he purchased a half interest in the Free Press. He sold a half interest to A. R. Van Skiver in July, 1884, but in four weeks repurchased a half interest in the paper from Walter Hoge, who had formerly been his part- ner. The firm continued as Van Skiver & Fornof until 1905, when the business was incor- porated, Mr. Fornof becoming president of the company, in which capacity he has since re- mained, being at the head of one of the leading newspaper publishing houses of this portion of the state.

In his political views Mr. Fornof has always been a stalwart republican, active in the support of the party and its principles. During the early years of his newspaper career he surprised the organization by selecting a candidate of his own for congress, and caused further consternation by organizing a movement which resulted in the election of his choice to congress. He was actively identified with the Reeves campaign for governor, and subsequently at the request of Mr. Yates took charge of the literary work in the campaign which elected Richard Yates governor of Illinois.

Mr. Fornof was assistant sergeant-at-arms at the national convention in St. Louis, which nom- inated Mckinley for president. He was appointed by Governor Tanner to represent Illinois at the national conference on trusts in Chicago, in I900. He was appointed custodian of public buildings by Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage in 1901, and continues to serve under that appointment. In February, 1898, he was appointed postmaster at Streator by President McKinley, receiving re-appointment from Presi- dent Roosevelt in March, 1902, and again in April, 1906, so that he is the present in- cumbant in the office, wherein he gives a pub- lic-spirited and admirable administration. He is prominent in fraternal circles, having taken the degrees of the lodge, chapter and commandery in Masonry, also belonging to the Elks lodge and the Woodmen camp. He is president of the Golf Club and of the Illinois Valley Golf Associa- tion and president of the Republican Editorial Association of the twelfth congressional district.

Mr. Fornof was married in Marion, Iowa, April 26, 1876, to Miss Sarah J. Seavey, of Dixon, Illinois, and unto them were born six

Johnen Formof

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children : George N., who married Hattie Belle Frahm, of Tuscola, Illinois, in April, 1903; Myrtle S., Jessie M., Hattie M., John R., and William Ivan, all at home.

ISAAC NEWTON BEEM ..

"Biography", says Carlisle, "yields in point of interest and profit to no other reading," and there are certainly many elements of interest in the life record of such a man as Isaac Newton Beem, whose history proves the value of in- dustry, perseverance and sound judgment in the active affairs of life, showing that they consti- tute the basis of a gratifying and honorable success, for without special advantages he started out in life on his own account and has worked his way steadily upward to a position of affluence and prominence. He is now practically living retired in Ottawa but for many years was a leading factor in business circles in this city. He is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Licking county on the 7th of August, 1832. The family comes of German lineage and has been represented in America through various generations. Michael Beem, grandfather of I. N. Beem, was a soldier of the Revolution, who valiantly fought for the cause of liberty and the overthrow of British oppression on the American continent. He married and had a family of eight sons and three daughters, who reached adult age. Of this number Jacob Beem was born in 1799 and became one of the pioneer residents of Licking county, Ohio, where he lived to attain the age of seventy-six years. He married Phoebe Rose, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Philip Rose. She survived her hus- band for several years and was also seventy-six years of age when called to her final rest. In their family were ten children, as follows: Mil- ton, who died in Oregon; Orrin, who was a sol- dier in the Civil war and was accidently killed at Marion, Ohio, while his home was in Rich- wood, that state; Albert, who died in Macomb, Illinois; Jacob, an agriculturist of Richwood, Ohio; P. Andrew and Stephen G., who were soldiers of the Union army and died in the service of their country; Arminta Frances, the wife of Adam Marrow, of Union county, Ohio ; and Lewis and Benjamin F., who are residents of Richwood, Ohio.

I. N. Beem, the other member of the family, was only two years of age when his parents re- moved from Licking county to Union county, Ohio, where he was reared to the age of thir-

teen years. His education was acquired in the public schools near his father's home and in Columbus, Ohio, and when a youth of fifteen he entered upon an apprenticeship to the tailor's trade in Columbus under the direction of his uncle, Philip Rose. Having mastered the busi- ness, he sought a favorable location in the west and settled in Magnolia, Putnam county, Illinois, where he established a merchant tailoring busi- ness, which he successfully conducted for some time. That this was largely an unimproved sec- tion of the country in indicated by the fact that he entered a tract of land from the government at the usual price of a dollar and a quarter per acre. The farm was situated near Wenona and he improved and cultivated it until at a later date he was able to sell the property for twenty- eight dollars per acre. Disposing of this farm in 1863, he then removed to Henry, Illinois, and in the following year established a grocery store, which he conducted for several years. Later he returned to Ohio, where he joined his uncle in the merchant tailoring business, in which he was a partner until 1866, when in January of that year he brought his family to Ottawa. Soon afterward he made his way to Arkansas, where he raised a crop of cotton and subsequently re- turned to Ottawa to take charge of the merchant tailoring department of Fiske, Strickland & Wing in 1867. In 1871 he purchased a half interest in the business, succeeding Messrs. Strickland & Wing and thus forming a partner- ship with Mr. Fiske under the firm style of Fiske & Beem, a relation that has been main- tained to the present time. For a number of years they continued in the clothing trade but eventually retired from that field of activity in order to concentrate all of their energies upon their operations in land. They now have an office in the Maloney Building in Ottawa, from which point they supervise their investments in realty and they are today among the leading land agents of the county with a business that is proving very profitable.

Mr. Beem was married January 31, 1856, to Miss Mary Clarkson, a daughter of William and Sarah (Alexander) Clarkson, of Putnam county, Illinois. They had three children : William Orrin, who now has charge of the barns of the American Express Company in St. Louis, Mis- souri ; Frances C., who married Charles Brad- ford and who died at the age of twenty-four years, leaving one child, Clarkson Beem Brad- ford, who is now attending the Leland Stanford University in California; and Fred Clarkson, who is farming in western Canada. The elder son married Miss Bronson and has three chil-

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dren; Fanny May, Belle and William. Mrs. Mary C. Beem, who was a member of the Episco- pal church, died in 1874. Three years later, Mr. Beem was married to Miss Vilda Prescott, who died in 1880, leaving a daughter, Vilda P., who is yet with her father. In 1882, Mr. Beem wedded Mrs. Anna M. Boswell, nee Cornell, of Columbus, Ohio.

Mr. Beem is a member of the Masonic fra- ternity and both he and his wife hold member- ship in the Episcopal church. He has long been recognized as an enterprising and progres- sive citizen whose co-operation can be counted upon to further any public measure. While in the west he was elected a member of the city council of Ottawa and served with credit in what was called the improvement council. He has labored untiringly for general progress here and moreover sustains an enviable repu- tation in business circles by reason of his straightforward dealing, enterprise and diligence. Whatever success he has achieved is attributable entirely to his own efforts and his life record should serve as a source of inspiration and en- couragement to others, for he now occupies an enviable position among the successful men of his adopted city.

COLONEL DOUGLAS HAPEMAN.

Colonel Douglas Hapeman was for many years active in business life in Ottawa, being identi- fied with the various interests which have direct bearing upon the welfare and progress of the city as well as his individual prosperity. The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in man are brought forth and developed. Perhaps the history of no people so forcibly impresses one with this truth as the an- nals of our own republic. If anything can in- spire the youth of our country to persistent, hon- est and laudable endeavor it should be the life record of such men as he of whom we write, for without special pecuniary or family advantages in his youth he started out and made a name for himself in military and business circles that was indeed creditable, his record proving conclusively that with a reasonable amount of mental power success is bound eventually to crown the en- deavor of those who have the ambition to put forth their best efforts and the will and manliness to persevere therein. Not only in business affairs but in military life did he make a splendid record. No man but would be proud to be known as a

member of the Eleventh Illinois, and in this regi- ment Colonel Hapeman served for some time as a company officer ; and the military chapter in his history is indeed a most honorable one.

Colonel Hapeman was a native of Fulton county. New York, born in Euphratah, on the 15th of January, 1839. He was of Dutch lineage and was a youth of six years when, in 1845, the family removed to La Salle county, Illinois, set- tling in Earl township, where he remained upon his father's farm until he reached the age of ten. He was a youth of thirteen when he began pro- viding for his own support as an apprentice in the office of the Free Trader at Ottawa. At the different tasks assigned him in the printing office he showed adaptability and willingness, so that he soon became quite proficient and gradu- ally won promotion. He had thoroughly famil- iarized himself with the business in its various departments in the office which was the largest newspaper and publishing house in the county when the Civil war was begun. He had watched with interest the progress of events in the south, had noted the threatening attitude of the people of that section and resolved that if a blow was struck against the Union he would stand stanch in its defense. The fires of patriotism burned strong within him and almost immediately after the first attack was made on Fort Sumter he of- fered his services to the government. The first gun was fired on the 12th of April and two days later he was enrolled as a member of Company H. Eleventh Illinois Infantry, for three months service. This regiment was under command of Colonel W. H. L. Wallace, a man of military genius, skill and bravery, whose troops became splendidly disciplined within a short time, while the record of the regiment for valor and loyalty is unsurpassed by that of any military organiza- tion of the entire Union army. To those familiar with the history of the war it is well known that any soldier may well be proud to say that he be- longed to the Eleventh Illinois. Mr. Hapeman was chosen second lieutenant of his company, re- ceiving his commission on the 23d of April, 1861. The regiment was stationed at Villa Ridge, Illi- nois, watching the enemy across the river and making occasional marches upon rumors of their approach, but participated in no movements save skirmishes until after the re-enlistment for three years. However, through the training of Gen- eral W. H. L. Wallace and Lieutenant-Colonel T. E. G. Ransom the command attained a high degree of military skill and discipline, which were shown forth in later important engagements. Especially did this regiment win renown at Don- elson and Shiloh. Upon the expiration of the first term the Eleventh Illinois re-enlisted for

COLONEL DOUGLAS HAPEMAN.

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three years, Lieutenant Hapeman receiving his second commission for that rank on the 30th of July, 1861. He participated in all the va- rious marches and engagements of his com- mand and in the fall of 1861 and early in the winter of 1861-2 expeditions were made into Mis- souri, resulting in encounters with the enemy at Charleston and Bloomfield. Lieutenant Hape- man also participated in the reconnoisance of General Grant to Columbus, Kentucky, and par- ticipated in the advance on Fort Henry in Feb- ruary, 1862. Soon he won distinction and rec- ognition for bravery and the skill with which he commanded his company at Fort Donelson on the 13th, 14th and 15th of February, 1862, where the regiment lost in killed and wounded three hundred and thirty-nine men, Lieutenant Hape- man's company losing forty-two of that number. They entered the engagement with fifty-one guns and came out with only nine. At Shiloh the Eleventh Illinois was destined to win still greater laurels in the two days' battle on the 6th and 7th of April, 1862, its losses there being nearly fifty per cent. Colonel Hapeman won special mention for bravery on the field at Shiloh from the war department. At the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, Lieutenant Hapeman held a field po- sition as adjutant of the regiment. In Illinois the One Hundred and Fourth Infantry was organ- ized in La Salle county. The fame of the Elev- enth and the gallantry of its officers and men were well known to the people of the county, from which many of them had enlisted and in August, 1862, Lieutenant Hapeman, then in the field, was, unexpectedly to himself, tendered the position of lieutenant colonel of the newly or- ganized command, which became the crack regi- ment of the county. He accepted, was "dis- charged for promotion," returned home and was commissioned lieutenant colonel for gallant serv- ice in the field on the 23d or August, 1862, being mustered in on the 3d of October.

On the 6th of September, 1862, the One Hun- dred and Fourth with Lieutenant Colonel Hape- man in command left for Louisville, Kentucky, and in that locality the regiment remained for five weeks, Major Widmer not arriving until Oc- tober, so that the task of teaching one thousand men, most of whom were raw recruits, the rudi- ments of military life, drill and discipline fell upon the lieutenant colonel very largely, he being the only field officer present. In October the One Hundred and Fourth began its series of marches, campaigns and battles, first following Bragg to- ward Perryville and with other troops occupy- ing Frankfort, Kentucky, where the regiment continued for some time, Colonel Hapeman drill- ing his men and thus advancing them to a high

degree of proficiency on the march to Bowling Green, Tennessee, and participated in the cam- paign of Tennessee, Lieutenant Colonel Hape- man commanding at the battle of Hartsville. He displayed splendid soldierly qualities but the rebel troops outnumbered the Union forces. He was never held as a prisoner of war but for about five months was held as a hostage, spending but nine days in Libby Prison, being sent first to At- lanta, where he was incarcerated for some months. In the spring of 1863 he rejoined the regiment at Brentwood, Tennessee, on the 21st of May. The One Hundred and Fourth Illinois was then ordered to Murfreesboro and assigned to the First Brigade of the Second Division of the Fourteenth Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland under "fighting" General John J. Beatty. This was on the eve of the Tullahoma campaign, in which Colonel Hapeman partici- pated, taking part in the engagement at Elk River and wherever fighting occurred. He was also in: the Chickamauga campaign and participated in the remarkable military movement at Davis Cross Roads, September 11, 1863. He command- ed the regiment in the battle of Chickamauga, one of the decisive engagements of the war, on the 19th, 20th and 21st of September and for meritorious service was commissioned colonel of the regiment following the resignation of Colo- nel A. B. Moore. He had command of the One Hundred and Fourth in the siege of Chattanooga and in the hotly contested battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Later he led his regiment in pursuit of Braggs' fleeing army and was engaged in Graysville and Ringgold. In the Atlanta campaign, beginning May 2, 1864. he commanded the One Hundred and Fourth for four months in that hard series of skirmishes, battles and marches, being under fire during each day of that time, being present at the engage- ments at Rocky Face, Resaca, Pumpkin Vine Creek and the actions on the Chattahoochee, at the bloody battle of Peach Tree Creek in July, 1864, when half of the right wing had been killed and wounded and further disaster seemed imminent Colonel Hapeman, ably supported by Major Widmer, rallied the remainder of the reg- iment and hurled it upon the foe to victory. He was present at Jonesboro, the last battle of the Atlanta campaign and with the capitulation of this city marched on to Atlanta, where he was ordered to take command of the brigade Sep- tember 8, 1864. He then commanded the bri- gade in pursuit of Hood. or until November 8, 1864, when Colonel Hobart returned to assume command by virtue of seniority of rank, while Colonel Hapeman afterward commanded the demi-brigade on the march to the sea and in the

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siege of Savannah. Following the capitulation of that city Colonel Hapeman left the regiment in command of Major Widmer and returned home for a brief furlough, rejoining the regiment near Raleigh and was present at Johnston's surrender. With the troops with whom he had been asso- ciated so closely through four long years of ac- tive warfare he then went to Washington, where he participated in the grand review, the most cel- ebrated military pageant ever seen on the west- ern hemisphere and was there mustered out on the 6th of June, 1865, after serving four years and two months. He made a splendid record by reason of his military prowess and skill, his splen- did discipline and the care which he took of his men, never needlessly exposing them to danger and yet never faltering in the performance of the most arduous task if duty called.

On reaching Ottawa Colonel Hapeman again became connected with the Free Trader as a partner and later a book and stationery business was established, which as the years passed was developed until it became the leading enterprise of this character in the city. He was also presi- dent or manager of several other business inter- ests in Ottawa and his wise counsel and sound judgment were regarded as most valuable factors in business connections. He was a man of keen discernment and sound judgment and his exec- utive ability and excellent management brought to the concern with which he was connected a . large degree of success. The safe conservative policy which he inaugurated with his publishing business commended the enterprise to the trust of all and secured to the company a patronage which made its volume of trade of great impor- tance and magnitude. The prosperity of this and other business concerns is certainly due in a large measure to his association therewith. About three years prior to his death he retired from active business to spend his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest.

In 1867 Colonel Hapeman was married to Miss Ella Thomas, a daughter of William and Phoebe (Wilder) Thomas. They became the parents of a son and daughter, William Thomas Hapeman, now a practicing attorney of Chicago; and Mary Hapeman, the wife of Dr. J. R. Hoffman, who practices in Chicago and in Ottawa.

Colonel Hapeman secured a medal of honor and his account of the same was as follows: "At the battle of Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, my regiment, the One Hundred and Fourth Illinois, was the first regiment on the right and con- nected with the Twentieth Corps. The One Hundred and Fourth was in advance of the rest of the brigade and when attacked the Confed- erates enveloped our right flank and got posses-

sion of our works. I rallied the regiment and charged the enemy, driving them from their works and capturing a number of prisoners. Our loss was very heavy, the right of the regiment being nearly annihilated. I was awarded the medal of honor for this service on the recom- mendation of General Carlin, General Anson, G. McCook and officers of my regiment." Such is the modest tale which Colonel Hapeman told of a brilliant action and one which displayed un- faltering valor. He was received as a compan- ion of the first class of the Medal of Honor Le- gion of the United States of America on June 9, 1898, dated at Washington, D. C., Octo- ber 19, 1898, and signed by Amos J. Cummings, commander, and L. E. Estes, adjutant. He was received as a companion in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, December 3, 1884, through the commandery of the state of Illinois, dated at Philadelphia, January 7, 1885, signed by Major General Winfield S. Hancock, commander in chief, and John P. Nicholson, recorder in chief.

Colonel Hapeman always retained the deepest interest in military affairs and was widely known in this connection throughout the country. He likewise belonged to the Grand Army of the Re- public and Seth C. Carl post, No. 156, and in the Masonic fraternity he attained the thirty- second degree. He was not actively interested in politics to the extent of office seeking and yet was a patriotic citizen whose aid could be counted upon to further any progressive movement for the public good, either local or national. He won the respect of his fellowmen not by any boasted superiority but by that true worth of character that cannot be hid. His business activity was of value to his city as his military service was to the nation and by the consensus of public opinion he occupied for many years a foremost place in the ranks of business life in Ottawa.

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History of La Salle County, Illinois, Part 51

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855 Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286