Beam, O. J. bio

History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 886, Union Township
O. J. Beam, banker, Avon, whose portrait we give, was born in Clark county, O., Dec. 30, 1838. His parents moved to Champaign county when he was quite small, and he came to Warren county, Ill., in 1851, and to this county in 1875. He attend the common schools and then entered Abingdon College, from which he graduated in 1869. He was united in marriage with Miss Emma Lafftos on the Christmas of 1870. She was born in Warren county, Ill. Grace E. and Walter H. are their children. Mr. B. united with the Christian Church in Feb., 1859, and is now serving his fourth year as President of the Western Illinois Christian Conference. In 1870 he began business as a farmer with a capital of $1,000, and the following year bought a farm of 40 acres. Having a desire for a commercial business, however, he quit farming, and, Nov. 2, ’75, embarked in the banking business in Avon. So successful has he been that even at this early day he is numbered among the wealthiest and most enterprising men of Avon. During this year (1879) he erected a magnificent brick block in which his bank is situated. The upper and lower stories are used for various branches of business.