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LINDSEY C. FARNAM. Among the business enterprises that contribute to the welfare of the village of Pawnee, the brick and tile works of which Mr. Farnam is proprietor, are certainly deserving of mention. This manufacturing establishment turns out three hundred thousand tile and two hundred thousand brick per annum, and furnishes employment for a number of workmen, as well as increasing the circulation of our medium of trade in other ways. The establishment is one whose work is considered reliable and whose proprietor enjoys the confidence and esteem of the people among whom he has made his home.
Mr. Farnam is a native of Meigs County, Ohio, born February 8, 1840. His parents, Ephraim and Rebecca (Cushman) Farnam, removed to Ohio from the Empire State and a few years after the birth of our subject came to Illinois. They established their home in Macon County, where the wife and mother died. The husband and father afterward came to this county and breathed his last in Buffalo Hart. Our subject has resided in this State since he was about six years old, was educated under her school system and is thoroughly identified with her interests.
In August, 1862, Mr. Farnam became convinced that his duty lay on the field of battle and enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Sixteenth Illinois Infantry. The famous engagements in which he participated include the battles at Arkansas Post, Champion Hills, Vicksburg during the siege, Jackson, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge and Resaca. Besides the heavy engagements he acted gallantly in skirmishes and marches and cheerfully endured the discomforts of a soldier's life in its various minor phases, until July 15, 1865, when he was discharged. He returned from the front on crutches and still suffers from the effects of army life; as a partial compensation for injuries received he is given a pension of $8 per month. After resuming the arts of peace he began the manufacture of brick and tile in Niantic, Macon County, and was engaged there until 1884, when he came to Pawnee and built the factory which he now operates.
At the bride's home in Marion County, Mo., November 24, 1870, Mr. Farnam led to the hymeneal altar Miss Mary F. Settles, a native of the county in which their marriage took place. Mrs. Farnam is a worthy companion, being energetic and efficient in the home and in society. She and her husband have one daughter living, who bears the name of Ada M. They have buried one child - Amy - who died when fourteen months old. Mr. Farnam is convinced the principles laid down in the Republican platform are the best adapted to the needs of the citizens of this great nation, and he therefore supports them with his vote and his influence. He is not identified with any religious body, having liberal ideas, but his character is such as to give him good repute in the community, and his business enterprises add to the worth of his name.
On another page of this volume the reader will find the lithographic portrait of Mr. Farnam.