Widmer, John H.

Born: 1835-02-17 Ohio

Died: 1923-10-10 Ottawa, Illinois

Flourished: Ottawa, Illinois

John H. Widmer was a teacher, surveyor, attorney and Union Army officer. Born in Wayne, Wayne County, Ohio, Widmer received his education in his native state of Ohio. In 1856, Widmer moved to Magnolia in Putnam County, Illinois, where he worked as county surveyor and taught school. Widmer relocated to Ottawa, Illinois, in 1859 to read law. Admitted to the bar in 1860, Widmer practiced in Ottawa until the onset of the Civil War. In April 1861, he joined the army, enlisting as a private in the Eleventh Illinois Infantry. At the conclusion of his enlistment, he assisted in raising a company in the Eleventh Illinois Infantry, receiving a commission as second lieutenant. Widmer led his company at the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, receiving promotion to captain for meritorious service rendered in the latter engagement. In September 1862, he transferred to the newly-raised 104th Illinois Infantry, joining his regiment in Louisville, Kentucky, after having received promotion to major. In December 1862, he fought alongside his regiment at the Battle of Hartsville, where he was captured. Widmer remained in Confederate prisons in Atlanta and Richmond until April 1863, when he was exchanged and rejoined his regiment in Tennessee. Widmer participated in all the regiment's campaigns, battles, and skirmishes until the end of the war. In May 1865, he was among the officers that rode in the grand review held in Washington, DC. Widmer mustered out of service in June 1865.

In June 1865, Widmer married Rebecca Law, with whom he had four children. In the postwar years, he made his home in Henry, Illinois. Widmer was a Republican, Congregationalist, and member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

History of La Salle County, Illinois(Chicago: Inter-State, 1886), 564-65; Michael Cyprian O'Byrne, History of LaSalle County Illinois (Chicago: Lewis, 1924), 3:507-8; Henry A. Ford, The History of Putnam and Marshall Counties (Lacon, IL: Henry A. Ford, 1860), 148; Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Daily Republican-Times (Ottawa, IL), 10 October 1923, 1:7, 5:4; Gravestone, Ottawa Avenue Cemetery, Ottawa, IL.