The Van Fossen Family In America
pages 83-86

John Wilson Van Fossen
1834 - 1912
Corporal, Fifth Independent Ohio Sharpshooters

John Wilson Van Fossen (named for Dr. John Wilson of Newark) was born on February 11, 1834 in Appleton, Licking County, Ohio, the second child of William Van Fossen and Mary Ann Sloss. He attended country school in Williams County and later went to the Northern Indiana Institute at Orland, a prepatory school for teachers. He taught school in Williams County and later secured the job of carrying the mail on horseback between Maumee, Ohio and Hillsdale, Michigan until the completion of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway to those terminals. Much of the route was through virgin forest trails.

Neighbors were emigrating to Dubuque, Iowa about 1860 and John went along in the capacity of guide, guard, and expert rifleman for their protection on the hazardous journey. He secured a position to teach school in Iowa and remained there until the first Civil War draft in Ohio when his name was drawn. He returned home and volunteered for the duration of the War. His service was with Capt. Barber’s 5th Ohio Volunteer Independent Sharpshooters. This was a hand-picked company of 100 expert marksmen, between 5’8” and 5’10” in height, of the Northwest Ohio Regiment. It was recruited about the last part of 1860 and on April 24, 1861 was ordered to Cleveland to rendezvous. In 1864 the majority re-enlisted and the regiment was filled up with new recruits.

Capt. Barber’s Company was one of three companies of 100 men each, assigned as Head Quarters Guard to Gen. Rosecrans and later to Gen. Thomas, when he took over this command. John first came in contact with Gen. Rosecrans at the time of his birth in Licking County, through his father and mother when they and their two children lodged in the backroom of the store where “Billy” Rosecrans was clerking. John wrote many of the Head-quarters reports which were sent in to Washington and Gen. Rosecrans presented him with a silver pen-holder in recognition of his service. Gen. Thomas gave him a daguerreotype of himself as a token of appreciation.

John married February 22, 1866, Eliza Jane Gillis (b. Aug. 5, 1840 in Richland County, Ohio, daughter of William and Jane McClaren Gillis). They located on 100 acres in North West Township, two miles east of the Ohio-Indiana line. In 1891, he with his family, removed to Greenfield Township, LaGrange County, Indiana, as manager of a group of farms owned by his uncle, Dr. Thomas B. Sloss. He was always active in church work, attending the Eagle Creek Presbyterian Church in North West Twp, where he was choir leader as well as an Elder. He became a member of the Orland Congregational Church when he moved to Indiana.