Harry Emmett lived his entire life in La Harpe, Illinois and served as the City's Mayor in 1901. He was educated in the LaHarpe public schools and was the only child of Sarah Ann Barr and Elisha Aquilla Claycomb that lived to adulthood. he had a sister Delphine that only lived for two years. On September 23, 1884, Harry married Cereda Belle Hartzell; they both were 23. They had four children: George in 1886, Clair in 1889, Fay in 1893, and Wendell in 1902.
In the 1870s and 1880s Harry was a Hotel Keeper, running the Tremont Hotel, which his parents Sarah and Aquilla Claycomb owned. Harry's father died in 1884 and his mother died in 1897 leaving Harry the Hotel. At some point between 1893 and 1900, Harry lost the family's hotel and livelihood as a result of gambling. After the loss of the hotel, Harry purchased a farm east of LaHarpe and took up the life of farming. He and his wife resided there for a time and it was there that their second child, Clair, was born. The farm did not work out for Harry so he moved his family back to town where he became associated with the Hartzell Mercantile Company. After that he served for 23 years as a rural mail carrier for the LaHarpe Post Office.
The citizens of LaHarpe manifested their confidence in Harry by electing him to various public offices. He was a member of the school board and the city council for a number of years and was chosen to be mayor of the city in 1901. The population of LaHarpe at that time was about 1600. During his term as mayor, he made many public improvements and helped in the institution of various civic reforms.
Harry was an early member of the Methodist Protestant church and also assumed
brotherhood in the Masonic lodge. He was a member of the Sourwine Island club and spent innumerable "happy days at the river". His love of such outdoor sport was appreciated and understood by his family whose participation with him in such wholesome pursuits had been one of the joys of his long life.
In the 1930's Harry retired and was living with his youngest son Wendell and his family.
Harry was a kind and considerate father, and his friendly and congenial personality had endeared him to a great many people. His honesty and self-reliance won him the full confidence of those who knew him. His 85 years of residence in LaHarpe linked him with the early days of the community's history, and death came quietly. Four children and eight grandchildren survived him.
Bio compiled by JCM - 2023
=============================================================
History of the Tremont Hotel (newspaper and date unknown)
Old Landmark Wrecked
With the wrecking of the Hotel Tremont which is now taking place, one of LaHarpe's best known "land marks" passes out of existence. Robert Gittings has purchased the building and grounds and is tearing down the old building to make room for a new and up to date eating place.
Erected in the early seventies, the building now being torn down was for many years one of the best known hotels in Western Illinois. In early years the Gilman hotel burned and was rebuilt by Rapalee who ran a hotel which also burned, and in the 1850's the brothers, Aquilla and Elijah Claycomb purchased the lot from Rapalee and erected the first hotel which burned within a few years, and was replaced by a new building which in about 1874 suffered a like fate. It was then that the Claycomb's erected the building which has stood until the present time.
Harry Emmett Claycomb, a son of Aquilla Claycomb was born in the hotel in 1861 and this continued to be his home until at the death of his father in 1881 he became the land lord. Already a popular hostelry it prospered still greater and for almost a half century no hotel in this section was better known or better liked by the travelling men than the Tremont.
Emmet Claycomb disposed of the hotel to Harry Owens who proved a very capable land lord. Murbarger, Motter and Geo. Warner, the last named being the father of Clifford and Harry Warner followed as landlords, Mr. Warner coming here in 1899. Layton, Wilson and Turpin followed for longer or shorter periods and, in 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Will Dennis came here from Warsaw and ran the hotel till 1912. Mrs. Dennis is now Mrs. C. D. Rice. It was during their tenure of management that the hotel probably enjoyed its greatest prosperity. To get a room, a traveling man, in the fore part of the week, would write or telegraph ahead and every room would be taken. A big bus met the trains, and it was no uncommon thing for the passenger train from the east arriving at 8 o'clock to unload ten or a dozen "drummers". Artie Wright had a good team and a good bus and did a big business for several years.
Another Warsaw man and an equally successful landlord was Mr. Young who with the aid of his wife and two daughters, Ethel and Bess, now Mrs. Newt Gillett of Peoria, and Mrs. Frank Fox of Lewiston, conducted the hotel for several years. Later landlords were Major Bright and a Mr. Turpin, and now for several years Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Adams have been in charge and have 'given LaHarpe as good a hotel as was possible with the changed conditions, brought about with the growing use of the automobile.
The Tremont has served its day and generation mighty well, and while our citizens regret its passing, all realized that the march of time demands new setups and the modern up-to-date eating house as will be provided by Robert Gittings is in line with the present demand and it will serve the new generation as the Tremont did the old.
In the 1870s and 1880s Harry was a Hotel Keeper, running the Tremont Hotel, which his parents Sarah and Aquilla Claycomb owned. Harry's father died in 1884 and his mother died in 1897 leaving Harry the Hotel. At some point between 1893 and 1900, Harry lost the family's hotel and livelihood as a result of gambling. After the loss of the hotel, Harry purchased a farm east of LaHarpe and took up the life of farming. He and his wife resided there for a time and it was there that their second child, Clair, was born. The farm did not work out for Harry so he moved his family back to town where he became associated with the Hartzell Mercantile Company. After that he served for 23 years as a rural mail carrier for the LaHarpe Post Office.
The citizens of LaHarpe manifested their confidence in Harry by electing him to various public offices. He was a member of the school board and the city council for a number of years and was chosen to be mayor of the city in 1901. The population of LaHarpe at that time was about 1600. During his term as mayor, he made many public improvements and helped in the institution of various civic reforms.
Harry was an early member of the Methodist Protestant church and also assumed
brotherhood in the Masonic lodge. He was a member of the Sourwine Island club and spent innumerable "happy days at the river". His love of such outdoor sport was appreciated and understood by his family whose participation with him in such wholesome pursuits had been one of the joys of his long life.
In the 1930's Harry retired and was living with his youngest son Wendell and his family.
Harry was a kind and considerate father, and his friendly and congenial personality had endeared him to a great many people. His honesty and self-reliance won him the full confidence of those who knew him. His 85 years of residence in LaHarpe linked him with the early days of the community's history, and death came quietly. Four children and eight grandchildren survived him.
Bio compiled by JCM - 2023
=============================================================
History of the Tremont Hotel (newspaper and date unknown)
Old Landmark Wrecked
With the wrecking of the Hotel Tremont which is now taking place, one of LaHarpe's best known "land marks" passes out of existence. Robert Gittings has purchased the building and grounds and is tearing down the old building to make room for a new and up to date eating place.
Erected in the early seventies, the building now being torn down was for many years one of the best known hotels in Western Illinois. In early years the Gilman hotel burned and was rebuilt by Rapalee who ran a hotel which also burned, and in the 1850's the brothers, Aquilla and Elijah Claycomb purchased the lot from Rapalee and erected the first hotel which burned within a few years, and was replaced by a new building which in about 1874 suffered a like fate. It was then that the Claycomb's erected the building which has stood until the present time.
Harry Emmett Claycomb, a son of Aquilla Claycomb was born in the hotel in 1861 and this continued to be his home until at the death of his father in 1881 he became the land lord. Already a popular hostelry it prospered still greater and for almost a half century no hotel in this section was better known or better liked by the travelling men than the Tremont.
Emmet Claycomb disposed of the hotel to Harry Owens who proved a very capable land lord. Murbarger, Motter and Geo. Warner, the last named being the father of Clifford and Harry Warner followed as landlords, Mr. Warner coming here in 1899. Layton, Wilson and Turpin followed for longer or shorter periods and, in 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Will Dennis came here from Warsaw and ran the hotel till 1912. Mrs. Dennis is now Mrs. C. D. Rice. It was during their tenure of management that the hotel probably enjoyed its greatest prosperity. To get a room, a traveling man, in the fore part of the week, would write or telegraph ahead and every room would be taken. A big bus met the trains, and it was no uncommon thing for the passenger train from the east arriving at 8 o'clock to unload ten or a dozen "drummers". Artie Wright had a good team and a good bus and did a big business for several years.
Another Warsaw man and an equally successful landlord was Mr. Young who with the aid of his wife and two daughters, Ethel and Bess, now Mrs. Newt Gillett of Peoria, and Mrs. Frank Fox of Lewiston, conducted the hotel for several years. Later landlords were Major Bright and a Mr. Turpin, and now for several years Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Adams have been in charge and have 'given LaHarpe as good a hotel as was possible with the changed conditions, brought about with the growing use of the automobile.
The Tremont has served its day and generation mighty well, and while our citizens regret its passing, all realized that the march of time demands new setups and the modern up-to-date eating house as will be provided by Robert Gittings is in line with the present demand and it will serve the new generation as the Tremont did the old.
Harry Emmett lived his entire life in La Harpe, Illinois and served as the City's Mayor in 1901. He was educated in the LaHarpe public schools and was the only child of Sarah Ann Barr and Elisha Aquilla Claycomb that lived to adulthood. he had a sister Delphine that only lived for two years. On September 23, 1884, Harry married Cereda Belle Hartzell; they both were 23. They had four children: George in 1886, Clair in 1889, Fay in 1893, and Wendell in 1902.
In the 1870s and 1880s Harry was a Hotel Keeper, running the Tremont Hotel, which his parents Sarah and Aquilla Claycomb owned. Harry's father died in 1884 and his mother died in 1897 leaving Harry the Hotel. At some point between 1893 and 1900, Harry lost the family's hotel and livelihood as a result of gambling. After the loss of the hotel, Harry purchased a farm east of LaHarpe and took up the life of farming. He and his wife resided there for a time and it was there that their second child, Clair, was born. The farm did not work out for Harry so he moved his family back to town where he became associated with the Hartzell Mercantile Company. After that he served for 23 years as a rural mail carrier for the LaHarpe Post Office.
The citizens of LaHarpe manifested their confidence in Harry by electing him to various public offices. He was a member of the school board and the city council for a number of years and was chosen to be mayor of the city in 1901. The population of LaHarpe at that time was about 1600. During his term as mayor, he made many public improvements and helped in the institution of various civic reforms.
Harry was an early member of the Methodist Protestant church and also assumed
brotherhood in the Masonic lodge. He was a member of the Sourwine Island club and spent innumerable "happy days at the river". His love of such outdoor sport was appreciated and understood by his family whose participation with him in such wholesome pursuits had been one of the joys of his long life.
In the 1930's Harry retired and was living with his youngest son Wendell and his family.
Harry was a kind and considerate father, and his friendly and congenial personality had endeared him to a great many people. His honesty and self-reliance won him the full confidence of those who knew him. His 85 years of residence in LaHarpe linked him with the early days of the community's history, and death came quietly. Four children and eight grandchildren survived him.
Bio compiled by JCM - 2023
=============================================================
History of the Tremont Hotel (newspaper and date unknown)
Old Landmark Wrecked
With the wrecking of the Hotel Tremont which is now taking place, one of LaHarpe's best known "land marks" passes out of existence. Robert Gittings has purchased the building and grounds and is tearing down the old building to make room for a new and up to date eating place.
Erected in the early seventies, the building now being torn down was for many years one of the best known hotels in Western Illinois. In early years the Gilman hotel burned and was rebuilt by Rapalee who ran a hotel which also burned, and in the 1850's the brothers, Aquilla and Elijah Claycomb purchased the lot from Rapalee and erected the first hotel which burned within a few years, and was replaced by a new building which in about 1874 suffered a like fate. It was then that the Claycomb's erected the building which has stood until the present time.
Harry Emmett Claycomb, a son of Aquilla Claycomb was born in the hotel in 1861 and this continued to be his home until at the death of his father in 1881 he became the land lord. Already a popular hostelry it prospered still greater and for almost a half century no hotel in this section was better known or better liked by the travelling men than the Tremont.
Emmet Claycomb disposed of the hotel to Harry Owens who proved a very capable land lord. Murbarger, Motter and Geo. Warner, the last named being the father of Clifford and Harry Warner followed as landlords, Mr. Warner coming here in 1899. Layton, Wilson and Turpin followed for longer or shorter periods and, in 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Will Dennis came here from Warsaw and ran the hotel till 1912. Mrs. Dennis is now Mrs. C. D. Rice. It was during their tenure of management that the hotel probably enjoyed its greatest prosperity. To get a room, a traveling man, in the fore part of the week, would write or telegraph ahead and every room would be taken. A big bus met the trains, and it was no uncommon thing for the passenger train from the east arriving at 8 o'clock to unload ten or a dozen "drummers". Artie Wright had a good team and a good bus and did a big business for several years.
Another Warsaw man and an equally successful landlord was Mr. Young who with the aid of his wife and two daughters, Ethel and Bess, now Mrs. Newt Gillett of Peoria, and Mrs. Frank Fox of Lewiston, conducted the hotel for several years. Later landlords were Major Bright and a Mr. Turpin, and now for several years Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Adams have been in charge and have 'given LaHarpe as good a hotel as was possible with the changed conditions, brought about with the growing use of the automobile.
The Tremont has served its day and generation mighty well, and while our citizens regret its passing, all realized that the march of time demands new setups and the modern up-to-date eating house as will be provided by Robert Gittings is in line with the present demand and it will serve the new generation as the Tremont did the old.
In the 1870s and 1880s Harry was a Hotel Keeper, running the Tremont Hotel, which his parents Sarah and Aquilla Claycomb owned. Harry's father died in 1884 and his mother died in 1897 leaving Harry the Hotel. At some point between 1893 and 1900, Harry lost the family's hotel and livelihood as a result of gambling. After the loss of the hotel, Harry purchased a farm east of LaHarpe and took up the life of farming. He and his wife resided there for a time and it was there that their second child, Clair, was born. The farm did not work out for Harry so he moved his family back to town where he became associated with the Hartzell Mercantile Company. After that he served for 23 years as a rural mail carrier for the LaHarpe Post Office.
The citizens of LaHarpe manifested their confidence in Harry by electing him to various public offices. He was a member of the school board and the city council for a number of years and was chosen to be mayor of the city in 1901. The population of LaHarpe at that time was about 1600. During his term as mayor, he made many public improvements and helped in the institution of various civic reforms.
Harry was an early member of the Methodist Protestant church and also assumed
brotherhood in the Masonic lodge. He was a member of the Sourwine Island club and spent innumerable "happy days at the river". His love of such outdoor sport was appreciated and understood by his family whose participation with him in such wholesome pursuits had been one of the joys of his long life.
In the 1930's Harry retired and was living with his youngest son Wendell and his family.
Harry was a kind and considerate father, and his friendly and congenial personality had endeared him to a great many people. His honesty and self-reliance won him the full confidence of those who knew him. His 85 years of residence in LaHarpe linked him with the early days of the community's history, and death came quietly. Four children and eight grandchildren survived him.
Bio compiled by JCM - 2023
=============================================================
History of the Tremont Hotel (newspaper and date unknown)
Old Landmark Wrecked
With the wrecking of the Hotel Tremont which is now taking place, one of LaHarpe's best known "land marks" passes out of existence. Robert Gittings has purchased the building and grounds and is tearing down the old building to make room for a new and up to date eating place.
Erected in the early seventies, the building now being torn down was for many years one of the best known hotels in Western Illinois. In early years the Gilman hotel burned and was rebuilt by Rapalee who ran a hotel which also burned, and in the 1850's the brothers, Aquilla and Elijah Claycomb purchased the lot from Rapalee and erected the first hotel which burned within a few years, and was replaced by a new building which in about 1874 suffered a like fate. It was then that the Claycomb's erected the building which has stood until the present time.
Harry Emmett Claycomb, a son of Aquilla Claycomb was born in the hotel in 1861 and this continued to be his home until at the death of his father in 1881 he became the land lord. Already a popular hostelry it prospered still greater and for almost a half century no hotel in this section was better known or better liked by the travelling men than the Tremont.
Emmet Claycomb disposed of the hotel to Harry Owens who proved a very capable land lord. Murbarger, Motter and Geo. Warner, the last named being the father of Clifford and Harry Warner followed as landlords, Mr. Warner coming here in 1899. Layton, Wilson and Turpin followed for longer or shorter periods and, in 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Will Dennis came here from Warsaw and ran the hotel till 1912. Mrs. Dennis is now Mrs. C. D. Rice. It was during their tenure of management that the hotel probably enjoyed its greatest prosperity. To get a room, a traveling man, in the fore part of the week, would write or telegraph ahead and every room would be taken. A big bus met the trains, and it was no uncommon thing for the passenger train from the east arriving at 8 o'clock to unload ten or a dozen "drummers". Artie Wright had a good team and a good bus and did a big business for several years.
Another Warsaw man and an equally successful landlord was Mr. Young who with the aid of his wife and two daughters, Ethel and Bess, now Mrs. Newt Gillett of Peoria, and Mrs. Frank Fox of Lewiston, conducted the hotel for several years. Later landlords were Major Bright and a Mr. Turpin, and now for several years Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Adams have been in charge and have 'given LaHarpe as good a hotel as was possible with the changed conditions, brought about with the growing use of the automobile.
The Tremont has served its day and generation mighty well, and while our citizens regret its passing, all realized that the march of time demands new setups and the modern up-to-date eating house as will be provided by Robert Gittings is in line with the present demand and it will serve the new generation as the Tremont did the old.
