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File contributed to the Fulton County ILGenWeb Project
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Source: The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Fulton County
Munsell Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908

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The Biography of Hon. William Hart HEMENOVER 

[Surnames: ALLEN, BARNES, BELL, FITCH, HEMENOVER] 

HEMENOVER, HON. WILLIAM HART, (DECEASED)

    
Former Justice of the City Court, Canton, he was born in Byron, Sussex County, NJ, July 4, 1822. The family is of German descent, the first American ancestor, Anthony Hemenover, having come from Moravia before the American Revolution. His son George H., married Phoebe Angeline Allen, a descendant of Ethan Allen, of Ticonderoga fame, and of this union the subject of this sketch was born. 
    
The original family name was Hem-in-over ("of the upper house"), but was changed by the our subject while engaged in journalist work in Warren Co., NJ. At twelve years he was known as the "Boy Politician; from 12 to 20 years he was engaged in learning the printer's trade at the Sussex County Herald, in which he served as foreman and editor for three years. He then became proprietor of the Warren County Journal at Belvidere, NJ, for 3 years, and also served as Mayor of that city two terms, and State Printer one term. 
    
The father was a farmer and also engaged for a time in mercantile pursuits. The grandfather was a native of Germany and after coming to America, bought a farm in Northwestern NJ, on which William Hart Hemenover was born. The newly arrive immigrant looked from one mountain to another over the valley, with a lake at each end and finally bought the valley tract, consisting of 1,000 acres, paying the Indians therefore, seven army coats, five gallons of apple whisky (hard cider) and a quantity of ammunition. This land was afterward divided between the children of the pioneer. 
    
When our subject was six years old, his father moved to the county seat of Sussex County and engaged in business, but soon closed it out, removing to Clyde, Wayne Co., NY. This was soon after the Morgan episode in which the Masonic fraternity was charged with murdering one William Morgan who had mysteriously disappeared after revealing the alleged secrets of Free Masonry. 
    
Here the father engaged in the hotel business, taking charge of what was known as the Dixon Stage House, the name being changed to Hemenover Corner, and remained here for 5 years. He returned to NJ, in Newton and resumed the mercantile business. 
    
About 1844 William H. became an apprentice under U. G. Fitch in the office of the Newton Herald, a paper still in existence. The father died in Belvidere, the countyseat of Warren Co. NJ, after which the son went to Hoboken where he took charge of the Hudson County Democrat. The mother is still living in Belvidere. 
    
While employed as editor of the Hoboken paper Mr. Hemenover came west and was employed as a reporter of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, for a New York paper. He next located on the south line of Warren Co., IL, 5 miles west of Prairie City, where the Mound Church is located, and bought 80 acres, but remained only 2 years. He next bought 180 acres in Fulton Co., four and a half miles northeast of Canton, known as the Old Barnes Farm. He sold this land and moved to Canton and became a clerk in the drugstore of Dr. Arthur Bell, remaining there about three years. He bought town property and a farm in Warren Co, and then bought 8 acres in the southwest corner of Canton Twp., where he sunk a coal shaft, but suffered an attack of typhoid fever, which last for 3 months. Returning to Canton he bought the corner on which the Canton Hotel stands. This property was burned down but was rebuilt about 1900. He had conducted for a time the old Pacific Hotel, now the New Churchill House at Canton. His hotel business was turned over to his son Edwin. 
    
For a number of years previous he served as Justice of the Peace, and during the year 1896 was elected Justice of the City Court for several years. Due to impaired health and deafness he felt it necessary to resign.