JOHN L. CLAUDIN
Looking away from the Tazewell County farm, upon which he was born in 1861. John L. Claudin, conscious of the dignity and honor of his calling, was nevertheless oppressed with its drudgery and monotony and inspired with a desire to lighten the burdens of those whose mission it is to till the soil, and thus lay the foundation of the country’s prosperity. Possessing mechanical ahility of a high order, variously utilized ever since he was old enough to handle tools, he shifted his energies into broader channels, and is today one of the foremost inventors of agricultural devices in the State of Illinois.
In Morton, which has been his home for several years, Mr. Claudin has just sold for $40,000 his interest in a company organized by himself for the manufacture of the interlocking fence wire, of which he is sole inventor and patentee. Another equally meritorious mechanism, invented in 1886, is a device for weighing and measuring grain as it comes from the thresher, and known as the Little Giant pulverizing harrow. Interspersed with his inventions are other interests in which he has been prominent. For fifteen years he was engaged in the transfer business in Morton, and at the present time is serving on the Town Board of Aldermen.
As his name indicates, Mr. Claudin is of French ancestry, and his parents, Basile and Mary Claudin, were born in France, the former in 1835 and the latter in 1839. The father was an early settler in Tazewell County, bringing with him from across the sea the thrift and energy of the Gallic nation. His son continued to follow agricultural pursuits until he was twenty-eight years of age, in the meantime removing to Milford, Neb. There, in 1884, he married Anna Kremer, also French born, and the fruits of this union are the following children: Lee 0., Edna, Orville, Olla, Nettie and Lulu.
Mr. Claudin is a member of the German Apostolic Church. He is one of the influential men of the community of Morton, and, aside from the credit reflected by his inventive talent, has the reputation of being a thoroughly practical and progressive citizen, favoring all measures which have for their object the advancement of the municipality.
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Tazewell County - page 987