From The Hamilton Telegraph, Hamilton, Ohio, Thursday, March 11, 1897: An acquaintance with the virtues of our fellow men stimulates us to more noble endeavors and therefore every person's life is more or less instructive. There perhaps never lived an individual whatever his station, whose biography might not be rendered greatly productive of good to mankind. Some lives seem to be so completely made up of good deeds and kind words that when death seals the lips in silence, it also canonizes a great name. Such characterized the life of the subject of our sketch, the late deceased old pioneer Mr. Caleb Barnum. His ancestors Pliny and Lydia Barnum together with their children, Delazon Dibble, Joseph Orlando, Caleb Lorenzo, Archelaus Homer and Mary Madelia, emigrated from Conn., in 1818, overland to Pittsburgh thence down the Ohio River by flat boat to Illinois where he preempted a farm. The climate there proved very unhealthy and at that place, the mother took sick and died. Owing to the swampy country the funeral cortege made the trip to the cemetery in skiffs. Mr. Barnum returned with his children to near Cincinnati, Ohio in 1820. In 1821, he married for his second wife Miss Rachel Bennett and by this union nine more children, Lydia Saloma, Noah A. Ward, Martha A., Benj. F., Eunice Aurilla, Lorena Priscilla, Rebecca Ann, William Parker and Martin Van B. were added to the family. Of this large family of children but four are now living. The oldest one Mr. Delazon D. is a well known and highly respected citizen of the near vicinity and will be the subject of a near future sketch. After this brief genealogical preface we will now introduce the subject of this sketch. Mr. Caleb Lorenzo Barnum was born in Connecticut August 18, 1813. He was early in life united in marriage to Sarah Jane Flint February 2, 1843.
Twelve children resulted from this union, Adelia, Harriet Ann, Riley, Julia A., Ira, Fannie, Philena, Sarah [N.B., probably should be Anna, b. abt. 1849], Elizabeth, Lida (Lydia), Joseph and Mary. Shortly after their marriage Mr. Barnum purchased the old Flint homestead and with the exception of about two years, lived there ever since. Mr. and Mrs. Barnum united with the Old Indian Creek Primitive Baptist church in their early married life but later transferred their membership to Bethlehem. For thirty-three years Mr. Barnum was a deacon in the church. Mrs. Barnum died January 8, 1888, and since then Mr. Barnum has lived at the old homestead in company with his daughters, Misses Fannie and Lydia. After a prolonged illness of about a year, Mr. Barnum passed over the river of life and joined his awaiting loved ones on the other shore. He died February 14, 1897, aged about 81 years. The near relatives consist of eight children, twenty-two grandchildren and three great grandchildren.