ORVILLE INMAN, a
retired farmer, still resides on his farm in Eden township. He was born
in Delaware county, New York, April 24, 1836, and is a son of Ashville
and Sallie A. (DeMoney), Inman, who came west in 1849, locating on a
farm in Stephenson county, Illinois, where they spent the remainder of
their lives. They had three sons and two daughters, of whom two sons
and both daughters still survive, namely: John, of Stephenson county,
Illinois; Orville; Mrs. Mary E. Stoner, of Prescott, Iowa; and Mrs.
Catherine Andrews, of Franklin county, Iowa. One son, Austin, died in
Libby Prison; he had enlisted and served in the Forty-seventh Illinois
Infantry, until his capture and incarceration.
Orville Inman lived until fourteen years of age in New York and then
went to Illinois with the family. He received a common school
education, and has since followed farming. He came to Benton county,
Iowa, in 1860, and has since made this his home. In 1862 he enlisted in
Company A, Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry, and served until 1865, within
seven days of three years. He participated in all the engagements in
which his regiment had a part, and was never wounded or captured. The
following were the engagements: Fort Gibson, Champion Hill, Siege of
Vicksburg, Jackson, Cedar Creek, Winchester, and several other battles
and skirmishes. He was also present at the surrender of Lee. After his
return to Benton he resumed farming, and soon married. He started with
very little capital, but has been very successful, and by his industry
and thrift has become the owner of two hundred and forty acres of well
improved land. He carries on general farming and raises graded stock.
He is a member of P. M. Coder Post No. 98, Grand Army of the Republic,
to which he has belonged almost since its organization.
In 1865 Mr. Inman married, in Livingston county, Illinois, Henrietta
McCormick, born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1841, and
daughter of Seth and Mary (Hill) McCormick, who came to Illinois in
1854, locating in Stephenson county, where Mr. McCormick died. Later
the mother and one daughter removed to Nebraska, where the former died.
Mr. McCormick was all his life a wagon-maker. He and his wife had
eleven children, of whom six are living, namely: Mrs. Margaret Brown,
of St. Louis; Mrs. Nancy Lee, of Beatrice, Nebraska; Robert, of Nora
Springs, Iowa; John, of Sumner county, Kansas; Mrs. Inman, and Daniel,
of Colorado. The others are deceased, most of them in childhood. Mrs.
Inman was sixteen years of age when she came with her family to
Illinois.
Mr. Inman and his wife have three children, all born in Benton county.
Mrs. 0. E. Bogle, of Eden township, has six children, Henrietta, Seth
B., Olive, Lawrence, Orville and John; Ashley, operating the home farm,
married Flora Hite and has one daughter, Verna; and Charles, a farmer
in Eden township, married Maud Phillipe, and they have three children,
Myron, Florence and Gerald. Mr. Inman is a supporter of the Republican
party.