History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

442 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
aid in vain. In his life are the elements of greatness because of the
use he has made of his talents and opijortunities, because his
thoughts are not self-centered but are given to the mastery of life's
problems and the fultillmeut of his duty as a man in his relations
to his fellowmen and as a citizen in his relations to the district in
which he lives.
JOHN DIEHL LAHMAN.
With agricultural and manufacturing interests John Diehl
Lahman vpas long actively connected and since 1889 has been pres-
ident of the Franklin Grove Bank, being chosen for the present
position on the organization of that institution. He was born June
22, 1834, in Washington county, Maryland, one-half mile north of
the Potomac river, five miles south of Williamsport. When ten
years of age he accompanied his parents on their removal westward
to Lee coirnty and for some time they lived on the southeast
quarter of section 35, township 22, range 10, which farm the father
purchased May 26, 1845, save a tract of thirty-one acres. The
father, Christian Lahman, Ji'., was Ijorn Febr^iary 25, 1808,
, in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and married Elizabeth Emmert,
who was born June 12, 1812, in Washingtcm county, Mary-
land, east of the Autietam river. Christian Lahman, Sr., built a
flour mill near Bendersville, Adams county, Pennsylvania, about
1800, and in time his son and namesake ):)ecame owner of a third
interest in the mill, which interest he sold in 1831. About the same
time he married Elizabeth Emmert and in 1833 they took up their
abode upon a farm near Williamsport, in Washingion county,
Maryland, residing in tliat locality for al)out ten years and after-
w^ard for two years lived north of Hagerstown, Maryland, one
mile south of the Pennsylvania state line. In the spring of
1845 they started with their family to Lee county, Illinois, travel-
ing by team, and resided near the present site of Franklin Grove.
The father there successfidly carried on general agricidtural pursuits
imtil 1864, when his life's labors were ended in death. He
had also devoted considerable time to the manufacture of flour,
owning and operating a mill for a number of years that was built
by his father-in-law, Joseph Emmert, on Franklin creek, two and
a half miles northwest of Franklin Grove, about 1846 or 1847. It
was about 1849 that he laid out in town lots ten acres of land, which