Joseph Fornance was born c Apr. 1841 at Washington, District of Columbia. He was the son of
Hon. Joseph Fornance and
Anne McNight. Joseph Fornance married
Ellen Knox, daughter of
Col. Thomas Pope Knox and
Sarah Ann Leedom, on 22. Feb. 1881.
Joseph Fornance and
Ellen Knox appeared on the census of 9. Jun. 1900 at Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; 3 children, 2 living. Joseph Fornance was shown in the census on 9. Jun. 1900 as a lawyer. Joseph Fornance, the eldest child of Hon. Joseph and Anne B. Fornance, was reared in Norristown, and attended the public schools of that borough, entering Treemount Seminary, and pursuing special studies there under the instruction of the Rev. Samuel Aaron, a teacher of wide reputation. On relinquishing school studies he taught school for several years.
Afterwards for a short time he was employed as a clerk in the office of the United States District Court in Philadelphia. He then decided to study law, and entered as a law student the office of Gilbert Rodman Fox, Esq., a noted member of the Norristownbar. Passing the usual examination, he was admitted to the bar of Montgomery county, April 12, 1866, and at once began the practice of law.
In 1877 he removed to St. Louis, Missouri, with a view of locating permanently in that city, but after a trial of one year returned to Norristown, where he has ever since resided, engaged in the practice of law. He has met with very gratifying success, and has achieved an excellent reputation as a lawyer. Politically he is a Democrat, but adhered to sound money principles during the temporary deviation of the party, from good financial ideas, involved in the nomination of William J. Bryan for the Presidency in1896 and again in 1900. Mr. Fornance has taken some interest in local politics, though not in any sense an office seeker. He is an earnest advocate of good local government, and exerts his influence in its favor.
Mr. Fornance has for a score of years been deeply interested in matters relating to local history. He took a very prominent part, in 1884, in the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the rganization of the county of Montgomery, being president of the Centennial Association which made the celebration so great a success from first to last. Much of the success achieved on that occasion was due to his effective labors and his skill in organizing those interested for the proper commemoration of the event after the lapse of a hundred years. It was also a financial success, there being after
the accounts were closed a balance of twelve hundred dollars, which was turned over to the Historical Society of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, the celebration having been planned and executed under the auspices of that organization, and the surplus fund so realized ultimately formed the nucleus of the fund used to purchase the substantial building known as Historical Hall for a permanent home for the Historical Society. Mr. Fornance is and has been for a number of years the honored president of that society, laboring for its best interests in every way.
He, as chairman of the Publication Committee, has done a large share of the work of editing two handsome volumes of "Historical Sketches", one of them published in 1895, the other in 1900. His influence has been employed to harmonize all elements in the Society, and to develop its work along practical lines, his efforts and those of his coadjutors being rewarded with a considerable measure of success.
Ellwood Roberts' Biographical Annals, 1904: Montgomery Co, PA.