Charles Lorenzo Barnum moved west with his parents, Ira and Polly Barnum, settling in Monmouth, Illinois in July 1844. Later they moved to a farm two miles east of Kirkwood, which came to be called the Barnum Homestead. Like his brother George A.Barnum, he served during the Civil War as a soldier in Company "F", 83rd Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The two brothers enlisted together on 8 August 1862, giving their residence as Warren County, IL, and were discharged on 26 Jun 1865. He died in 1908 of cancer of the stomach.
From an unidentified contemporary newspaper: Charles L. Barnum died at the home of his son, Claude, in Monmouth Friday evening, February 7, 1908, aged sixty-eight years and twenty three days. The funeral was held at the home at 10:30 on Monday and the body was brought to Kirkwood and interred in the family lot in Center Grove Cemetery. The following comrades acted as pallbearers: George Winebright,J.L. Shauman, J.C. Ackerman, Abe Lidy, J.H. Gilmore and John Holliday.
Mr. Barnum had been suffering from a cancer of the stomach for a good while and his death was not unexpected.
Charles Barnum was born near Cortland, Oneida Co., New York on January 15, 1840. In July 1844 he came West with is parents, Ira and Polly Barnum and settled in Monmouth where they made their home for a couple of years. They then moved to a farm two miles East of Kirkwood to what is known as the Barnum homestead. Here he remained til four years ago.
In the spring of 1862, he enlisted in Company F, Eighty-Third Illinois Infantry, and served through the entire struggle. Returning from the war, he married Nancy Hogue of Kirkwood, on September 20, 1867. to this union were born three children. Mrs. Effie Winebright, living on the old home place; Claude M. Barnum and Lester E. Barnum both of Monmouth. His wife died on September 10, 1887. Besides his children Mr. Barnum leaves two sisters, Mrs. Helen Abbey of Kirkwood and Mrs. Frances McMahill of Riverside, California.