History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY 443
was later known as Chaplin and now constitutes the southwestern
part of the village of Franklin Grove, which village was laid out
in 1853 for A. W. Tolman, Christian Lahman and F. D. Robertson.
He became the owner of several farms and assisted many
early settlers financially and with wise counsel. His life was,
indeed, an exemplary one in all of its business and personal rela-
tions. He and his wife were members of the Church of the
Brethren (Dunkard). To them were born seven sons and three
dajughters. Two of the sons, William H., now of Chicago, and
John D., of this review, are still living. The mother survived her
husband for several years, passing away in 1872.
John D. Lahman had but limited educational opportmiities.
He attended the country schools and spent two terms as a pupil
at Lee Center. He remained upon the home farm until he attained
his majority, then learned the milling Inisiness and afterward
operated his father's mill on Franklin creek, which mill he and his
brother Joseph C. aftei'ward purchased. This was the same mill
which their maternal grandfather, Joseph Enmiert, had l)uilt
about 1847. Mr. Lahman followed the milling business until 1861,
when he purchased and located upon the southeast quarter of
section 26, township 22, range 10, this farm l:)eing about a mile and
a half north of Franklin Grove. Upon that farm he and his wife
resided until they removed to Franklin Grove thirty years later,
and throughout the entire period he had his land under a high state
of cultivation, making it one of the valuable j^roperties of the dis-
trict. In addition to farming Mr. Lahman was a member of the
firm of J. D. Lahman & Company, which for a number of years
engaged in the manufacture of the Great Western Seeder, which
machine obtained a large sale in the west and northwest. He was
also interested in stock-raising and feeding in Story county, Iowa,
and dealt quite largely in farm real estate. He has served as president
of the Franklin Grove Bank for twenty-five years, commencing
with its organization in 1889.
On the 11th of November, 1860, at Panora. Guthrie county,
Iowa, Mr. Lahman was united in marriage to Miss Mary C.
Haughtelin, a daughter of John C. and Eliza (Diehl) Haughtelin,
all members of the Church of the Brethren. Her father was a
descendant of Abraham H. Haughtelin (or Hoogtalin), who.
served in the Revolutionary war, participating in fourteen battles.
Her great-great-grandfatiier, Huskeya (Hezeldah) Hoogtalin,
was born in the vicinity of East Shore, New Jersey, in 1729. He