USA > Illinois > Madison County > Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 1912, Volume II > Part 11
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and at the time of his death, in 1859, only twelve years after he had come to America, he had acquired some very valuable property to be divided between his three children, as his wife had crossed the river before him. His son Christian was fourteen years old when the family came to the States. He had received as good an education as his father could afford in his native province and he showed great aptitude, especially for languages. His par- ents left him plenty of leisure for study, so that at the age of fourteen he was much more advanced than many okler students. After the death of his father he found himself, at the age of twenty-six, the owner of one hundred acres of land which he had inherited from his father, and he was the proprietor of a saw mill and threshing machine, which he operated for ten or twelve years. He bought his sister's share of his father's property and that, with his own land made a very fine estate. He was a progressive farmer and was always on the look out for improved methods. If they looked to him feasible he was always ready to adopt them.
Shortly after his father's death Christian P. Smith made a trip to Europe for his health. Hle visited the scenes of his childhood, but soon came back to his foster land restored to health. The same year, December 12, 1860, he married Frances Keiser in Madison county. His wife had come to the United States with her parents when she was a little maiden of six and they had settled in Madison county and there the two families had become acquainted. Hiram and Helena Keiser, father and mother of Frances, had a large family of eight children and they lived happily together for many years. Mr. Keiser died at the age of seventy- five, and his widow survived him, living till she had attained the age of eighty-seven. Both Mr. and Mrs. Keiser were natives of Han- over in Germany, now Prussia. Mr. and Mrs. Christian P. Smith were blessed with a large family of nine children, six of whom are liv- ing now (1911). Henry Smith is the eldest ; next is Edward L .; the third is Emma, now the wife of William H. Bohm; Clara C. is the fourth and she is the wife of William C. . Kriege; and last came Ida C. W. and Louis A. Mr. Smith lived in the old home that his father had built until 1868, when he built one of the finest brick residences in Madison county at a cost of ten thousand dollars. Every detail of this house was considered with a view of obtaining the greatest amount of comfort and beauty, without display ; the re-
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sult was a home, in every sense of the word, much more pretentious than the little cabin Philip Smith had occupied when he first came to Madison county, but the same spirit was in both, that spirit which makes the poorest hut a home and without which no home can exist. In 1887 Mr. Smith took a trip to the Holy Land, where he visited many Bible points of interest and on his return visited the place of his birth. He had worked hard for many years and had risen from a position of small means to one of wealth. He realized the re- sponsibilities which wealth brings and he tried in every way to fulfil the requirements. In ad- dition to his large landed estate he was pro- prietor of a bank in Kansas. He was a leader among men and it was the universal opinion that he was the best of citizens, most honest in his dealings with his neighbors, most chari- table towards those who were unfortunate. He was not of the kind who blazon their good deeds, but there are many who could testify to the help he has given them, the words of en- couragement he has spoken to the despondent, the helping hand he has extended to those financially broken. Nor was he a man who showed his good qualities to outsiders alone. To his family he was an ideal son, husband and father. He took a deep interest in poli- tics and his first vote after he came of age was cast for John C. Fremont for president. He was loyal to his county and served his town- ship as supervisor. In 1906, accompanied by his wife he took a trip to Europe and they had a delightful time visiting their children then in Europe. He was a member of the German Methodist church and was a liberal supporter of this body. When he died, in March, 1908, there was no one with whom he had been brought in close relations who did not miss him and feel that his passing left a vacancy which it would be impossible' for any one man to fill. His widow is still living in the beautiful home they built together. She is universally respected, not because of her hus- band's influential position, but because of her own noble qualities. She is loved on account of her sweet and sympathetic nature. She finds that for her there is a work still to do ;. she cannot afford to waste time in grief over the death of her husband, but she realizes that she must not only do her own duty towards her neighbors but she tries to carry on the good works that he would have completed if he had been spared. No woman with such ideas of life can be altogether lonely or unhappy, for she lives not to herself but to others.
Henry P. S. Smith, her eldest son, is prov- ing himself to be worthy of the love and care which his parents bestowed upon him. He is one of the foremost business men and farm- ers in this locality. He is a wide reader and is posted not only on farming, but on almost every subject. He can talk in a most interest- ing manner about what he has read and seen, but he also knows when he can best keep si- lence. When he was a small boy he attended the district school and, although his father was not a poor man, he insisted that his chil- dren should learn to work at an early age. Henry, therefore, assisted his father in the duties of the farm during the summer time. When he was seventeen years old he became a student at Central Wesleyan College and later went to the State University at Cham- paign. He had learned a good deal of the practical part of farming. There he learned, together with other things, a great deal of theoretical knowledge which he has found in- dispensible, and they have brought him in dol- lars and cents. He did not, however, confine his studies to those branches which were to bring him material returns, but he studied many things which have helped to make him the man he is and have given him that fine culture which can only come through college life.
In 1896 he married Miss Bertha M. Whe- ling of Nokomis, Illinois, daughter of Charles W. and Minnie (Funk) Wheling. Mrs. Smith is a woman of culture and refinement and is well suited to fill the position in the county which Mr. Henry Smith's wife would naturally occupy. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have five children, Frieda, Edna, Luella, Irving and Irene.
Mr. Smith is a member of the German Methodist church, as was his father before him, and he is a liberal supporter of the church work in all its branches. He has not shown any desire for political honors, but if he should be induced to become a candidate for any of- fice it is safe to predict that the duties will be performed in the same capable, conscientious manner he does everything he undertakes.
CHARLES P. HESS. Most men will succeed better as employes than as employers or in business for themselves. That is doubtless the reason why so many men who buy farms or inherit them lose their holdings, because they cannot make them pay. It is not that they do not labor enough, but they do not use their heads enough. This has not been the fault of Mr. Hess of Edwardsville, Madison
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county, Illinois. Hle has made a decided suc- cess of farming. He has not only been able to make a good living for himself and family, but he has done much good for the county and the township. He is a public spirited man. Would that there were more farmers like him.
Charles P. Hess was born in Madison county, Illinois, October 4, 1861, the son of Charles and Lottie (Bruener) Hess, both of whom were born in Germany. They settled in Edwardsville township, where they farmed. Four children were born to them, Charles P., Junior, Louis, Lena and George. Lena is now the wife of Michael Link, of California.
Charles Hess Junior was educated in the country schools of his native county until he was sixteen years old. He then began to work on the farm with his father and has continued there ever since, each year profiting by the ex- perience gained in the past and improving his farm accordingly.
On May 6, 1891, he married Dora Ahrens, daughter of Christ Ahrens, of Madison county, and to this union there were born two chil- dren: Christ, aged eighteen, who is helping his father on the farm, and Della, fifteen years old, who also lives at home. . Both children are attending the schools in the county.
Mr. Hess is a member of the St. Paul's Evangelical church, where he and his family are very regular attendants. In politics he is a Republican and has held the office of school director for the period of six years, at the end of which time he refused to serve any longer. He did excellent work while serving in this capacity ; he realizes the importance of a good education, feeling that the future of the na- tion depends on the education of the young. He is giving his children the best that he can procure. Mr. Hess owns ninety acres of ground, in addition to which he and his son farm one hundred and twenty acres, which be- longs to his father's estate. Mr. Hess is re- spected in the community for his fine character and he is liked because of his pleasing man- ners and happy disposition.
J. S. CULP, of Wood River township, Madi- son county, Illinois, is, a farmer who is up-to- date in his agricultural undertakings, who is progressive in his educational ideas, who is conservative in his business relations, who is loyal to his country, and who is at all times anxious to assume his share of responsibility in aný connection.
A native of Madison county, Mr. Culp be- gan life on the 6th of June, 1844. His par- ents, Benjamin F. and Matilda (Rhoades)
Culp, were both of German descent and American birth, the father's nativity having occurred in Ohio, while the mother was a life- long resident of Madison county, Illinois. Father Culp, when a young man, settled in Wood River township, where he followed the occupation of farming.
The first seventeen years of the life of J. S. Culp were passed under the parental roof, during which time he attended the school in his neighborhood. On the 15th day of Au- gust, 1861, when he was just over seventeen years of age, he enlisted in the Union army, Company B of the Eighteenth Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, under Colonel A. F. Rogers. He served in Tennessee and Kentucky, in the Army of the Tennessee, under General Thomas. He participated in the battles of Perryville, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Moun- tain, Franklin, Nashville and in the Atlanta campaign, covering a period of four months and extending from Chattanooga to Atlanta. His command was returned from Atlanta to Nashville, and on their way back they fought Hood's army; they were engaged in Colonel Strait's raid at Nashville, when the Brigade was captured, and among others Mr. Culp. He was kept a prisoner for three weeks being exchanged. On the 10th of June, 1865, the company of which Mr. Culp was a member were mustered out at Huntsville Alabama, and he returned to his home. He has never failed to evince a lively interest in his compan- ions at arms, and has for years been a mem- ber of the G. A. R. post at Bethalto, and is its present treasurer. There are now only two surviving members of the post, Mr. Culp and Mr. Irby Williams, who served in the same company and who have been life-long friends.
After Mr. Culp's return to the life of a civilian, he continued his education, being a student at Shurtleff College for five years. In 1870, equipped for his independent career, he taught school in Madison county, and also began to farm, in a small way at first. Thus for the ensuing nine years he taught school during the winter months and farmed through- out the summer, then in 1879 he abandoned the pedagogical field and devoted his atten- tions to farming. Beginning with a tract of land forty acres in extent, he continued to add to his holdings and today is the proprietor of 436.80 acres in the home farm; of 186.66 acres east of his home ; and of 43-32 acres on the west side, owning in all seven hundred and six acres. One hundred and eighty acres of his land is planted in corn, and he grows
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what is acknowledged to be the finest corn in this section of Illinois ; he has a fruit orchard of six acres, where he grows all varieties of fruit ; one hundred and sixty acres are planted in wheat, yielding about three thousand two hundred bushels per annum and from his corn crop he gets about seven thousand bushels each year. He has (19II) forty head of horses and mules, sixty-five cattle (specializ- ing in black Polands), one hundred and sixty hogs and one hundred sheep.
On the 6th day of April, 1869, just before giving up his teaching, Mr. Culp was married to Miss Mary Moore, daughter of Joshua Moore, belonging to an old pioneer family in Madison county, two members of which family were massacred by the Indians, and of whom further mention is made in the sketch of the Williams brothers on other pages of this book. To Mr. and Mrs. Culp two children were born, Frank E. and Herbert L. The former was born in 1869 and on November II, 1895, he married May Huddel, the descendant of the pioneer family who are well-known. in the county. One child, Edith Florence, is born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Culp, her birth having occurred in 1899. Mr. Frank E. Culp attended Shurtleff College and is now manager of the Star Telephone Company. Herbert L. Culp's nativity occurred in 1872; he attended the public schools and later mar- ried Miss Hattie Greenwood (August 12, 1890), belonging to the Greenwoods of pioneer days. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Culp have three children,-Randall, born November 5, 1890 ; Edna, whose birth occurred on the 30th day of September, 1896; and Lester, who be- gan life October 5, 1900.
In politics Mr. Culp is a Republican, and was elected by that party to membership on the county board of supervisors, a position which he most ably filled for a period of seven- teen years; for six years he was president of the board of trustees of the State Normal School, his own earlier pedagogical experience enabling him to render most valuable help to the educational progress. For six years he has been president of the Star Telephone Company, in which his elder son is the man- ager ; and for six years he has been a member of the State Board of Agriculture. In every sense of the word Mr. Culp is progressive and in every respect he is a man who is liked and honored.
WILLIAM DIETZ, a farmer and stockman residing in Alhambra township, has attained prominence not only in the district in which
he resides but throughout Madison county. If we should look for the causes of his suc- cess we might recall the fact that in his veins flow the blood of Germany, Switzerland and America, and Mr. Dietz has inherited from each country qualities which largely account for his advancement. Combined with the in- dustry of the Germans in his personality we find the vivacity of the Swiss French and the enterprise of the Americans. He has ever commanded the unqualified confidence and es- teem of all those with whom he was brought in contact, as a result of the rectitude and honor which have characterized him in all the relations of life, and the publishers of this book are grateful for the opportunity of offer- ing within its pages a brief review of the prin- cipal events in his life.
Born on the 9th day of March, 1866, Wil- liam Dietz began life on a farm in Marine township, Madison county, Illinois. He is a son of William and Maria (Pagan) Dietz, the father a native of Germany, while the mother made her first appearance in the world among the mountains of Switzerland, later immi- grated to America with her parents and subse- quently married Mr. Dietz at Highland, Madi- son county, Illinois. William Dietz crossed the ocean alone, and as soon as he had discovered the agricultural possibilities in this great coun- try, his parents followed him. Grandfather Dietz was possessed of considerable means, and on his arrival in Madison county he as- sisted his son to purchase a farm, on which they both worked industriously. Mr. and Mrs. William Dietz, Sr., became the parents of four children,-Emil (deceased), Lena, Lucy and William-all of whom obtained their educa- tion in the country school of their district. In the year 1892 Mr. Dietz was summoned to his last rest ; for four years the widow remained on the farm where she had spent so many days of her wedded life, then, in response to the urgent invitation of her son William, she took up her residence in his home, where her declining years were eased by the solicitude with which son and daughter-in-law alike af- fectionately forestalled her every wish. In 1903, seven years after she had come to live in her son's home, the angel of death took her to her permanent abiding place, her body be- ing laid to rest bv the side of her husband. Their two daughters, Lena and Lucy, are both · married and reside in Kansas.
After William Dietz, the subject of this biography, had finished his schooling he re- mained at home on his father's farm, assist-
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ing in its cultivation, until 1893, the year fol- lowing the demise of his father. In that year he moved to the farm which is his home today, situated five miles south of Alhambra, for- merly the property of . William Dietz, Sr. Commencing his independent agricultural ef- forts on this one hundred and sixty acre tract, with the zeal and enthusiasm which is char- acteristic of youth, he has constantly improved and beautified his home,-planted fine shade trees and choice varieties of fruit trees, which are today standing monuments of his indus- try. He has over nine hundred fine fruit trees-apples, pears, peaches, plums, prunes and grapes being found in abundance ; he has built a fine commodious house and farm build- ings and it is the general opinion that his barns and silos are the most up-to-date structures of their kind in this part of Madison county. The year round he milks on an average four- teen cows, and he ships his milk to St. Louis.
The year 1893 is doubly memorable to Mr. Dietz, in that he then moved on to the farm he now occupies and he was married to the lady of his choice-Miss Louise Ahlmeyer, whose birth occurred in Germany in 1866. Her parents, Henry and Henrietta (Over- beck) Ahlmeyer, were both natives of that fine old Fatherland, were there married and became the parents of three children,-Lottie, Minnie and Louise. Mr. Ahlmeyer, desirous of obtaining more than a mere livelihood for himself and family, determined to try his for- tunes in America ; his daughter Minnie died, and when Lottie was four years old and Louise numbered only three months, the little family severed the ties which bound them to their German home and embarked for the land where they hoped to make their fortunes Louise had been delicate from her birth, and the friends of the family tried to persuade the father and mother to leave her in Germany for the time, prophesying that she would not sur- vive the passage across the Atlantic. Parental love, was, however, too strong for Mr. and Mrs. Ahlmeyer to accede to these suggestions, and the babe was brought safely to New York and seemed to thrive in the new climate and changed conditions. Mrs. Ahlmeyer's par- ents had come to America some time previous to the arrival of the young couple and their children, and had made a home in Marine township, Madison county, to which they glad- ly welcomed daughter, son-in-law and grand- daughters. Later Mr. and Mrs. Ahlmeyer were able to purchase a farm in the same township, where they lived and prospered. Six
more children were born to them after their arrival in America,-William, Henry, Minnie, llerman, Emma and Louis. These children, as well as their German-born sisters, obtained their education in the public schools of Ma- rine. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. William Dietz commenced their wedded life on the farm in Alhambra town- ship, and both derived happiness in working together to transform their house into a true home. Joyous as their lives have been for the most part, they have been saddened by the deaths which have occurred. First, in 1903, Grandmother Dietz, who had formed a part of the family circle for seven years, was sum- moned to her last rest, and two months later Father Ahlmeyer died, when his widow re- moved to the town of Marine, where she main- tains her residence with her son Henry.
Three bright, energetic daughters are now the inmates of William Dietz's home,-Lucy, Martha and Edna. The parents have taken pains to train their daughters in the most painstaking manner; the girls have attended the American district school and also the Ger- man school at Marine, thus obtaining a thor- ough knowledge of both English and German ; their musical education has been carried on thus far under the guidance of the Rev. Paul Buchmueler, of Marine, and they already at- tained a fair amount of proficiency. Martha Dietz is an especially brilliant scholar, and on the 24th day of June, 1911, she became the proud possessor of a diploma awarded in Ed- wardsville, certifying to the fact that she has successfully passed the eighth grade. She is ambitious to follow one of the most noble call- ings in life-that of imparting knowledge to others-and is to be congratulated on having progressed thus far towards the desired goal.
In political regard Mr. Dietz has ever ren- dered his unwavering allegiance to the Repub- lican party, who, in return, have shown their appreciation of his executive abilities and his sterling qualities of character by electing him to the office of school director. This position he has retained for sixteen consecutive years, the public always feeling that their educa- tional interests are in good keeping as long as they remain in Mr. Dietz's hands. He is re- garded as one of the progressive citizens of Madison county-a man who is always desir- ous of promoting any good and useful enter- prise. He and his wife are both members of the German Evangelical church, and are active in their interest in every good work advanced by the church. They have a host of friends in
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the community in which they reside, and the whole family unite in hospitably welcoming their friends to their happy home.
WESTLEY W. HALLIBURTON, M. D. One of the best known and most prominent physicians and surgeons of Alton, Westley W. Hallibur- ton, M. D., is devoted to his profession, and well deserves the reputation which he enjoys of being one of the most skilful and faithful followers of his profession in the county. A son of Hon. Westley Halliburton, he was born at Linneus, Linn county, Missouri, of pioneer stock.
The Doctor's paternal grandfather, Am- brose Halliburton, was born in one of the Carolinas, being a lineal descendant of one of two brothers who emigrated from Scotland to the United States in early colonial days, lo- cating in the South. While he was still a child, his parents migrated to Tennessee, where he was reared and married. Subsequently fol- lowing the trend of migration westward, he crossed the territories of Indiana and Illinois with teams, and crossed the Mississippi river at the present site of Alton, when this section of the country was but sparsely settled, and the greater part of the land was still in its vir- gin wildness. Becoming a pioneer settler of Macon county, Missouri, he bought a tract of Government land and immediately began the arduous task of redeeming a farm from the forest. There he lived for a number of years in a very primitive manner, in common with his neighbors depending upon the productions of the soil and the wild game to be easily se- cured for subsistence, wearing garments made of homespun, and teaming the surplus prod- ucts many weary miles to market. After a few years he embarked in mercantile pursuits, opening a general store, which he conducted until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Mary Freeman.
Born in Tennessee, Westley Halliburton was a small lad when his parents moved to Mis- souri, where he grew to manhood. Acquir- ing a good education while young, he began his career as a merchant, but afterwards he studied law and was admitted to the bar. He became prominent in legal circles, and ere long was made county and probate judge, and later was chosen as circuit attorney. The cir- cuit in which he was employed embraced sev- eral counties, and in making the rounds he accompanied the judge on horseback. He was very active and influential in public affairs, being a personal friend and ardent supporter of Thomas Benton, and prior to the Civil war
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