J. O. Tillotson Still
  J. O. Tillotson, Rolan Teemley, Milton Stebbins and Chas. Fox, all from Sherman, Chautauqua county, New York, filed on homesteads in the vicinity of Farnam in the spring of 1885.
Mr. Tillotson homesteaded about a mile and a half southeast of Farnam, a place he still owns, in addition to two other quarters adjoining. Mr. Stebbins took a homestead about a mile south of Mr. Tillotson. Mr. Teemley and Mr. Fox took places about five miles northeast of town. Of these four men, only Mr. Tillotson is living.
The summer of 1886 Mr. Tillotson and Joe Harrop took a contract to haul the large drain pipe for the Burlington railroad construction, between Elwood and Curtis. These pipes were of cast iron 12, 20 and
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24 inches in diameter and sixteen feet long, one of the 24 inch pipe made a load for one team, and a 12 and a 20 inch, put inside of each other made a load. On the hills it was necessary to use both teams on one wagon. Some of these pipes were hauled to about five miles west of Moorefield, a 39 mile trip and it was possible to make only two trips a week.
Mr. Tillotson married Miss Susan A. Foote Christmas Eve, 1891 and the homestead became the family home, until 1929 when Mr. and Mrs. Tillotson moved to Farnam where they since made their home. Their son, LeRoy has operated the farm since Mr. Tillotson retired.
Mr. Tillotson first near neighbors were M. C. Divoll, who homesteaded a place now where J. P. Thomalla lives, and Frank Hawkenberry, the quarter north of the Thomalla place, just south of the county line. The other quarter north of Mr. Tillotson was the tree claim of W. M. Stebbins.
1886
1936
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