USA > Illinois > St Clair County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume II > Part 92
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WANGELIN, Hugo E., M. D., who has been engaged in the practice of medicine and sur- gery in Belleville, this county, since 1893, was born in that town March 6, 1868. His father, Richard Wangelin, was a native of St. Clair County, and his mother, Sophia (Evans) Wan- gelin, was born in the vicinity of Chicago. His grandfather, Col. Hugo A. Wangelin, was of German birth. Dr. Wangelin attended the pub- lic schools and was a pupil in the St. Louis Manual Training School, after which he pur- sued a course of study in the St. Louis Medical College, and the medical department of the University of Minnesota. At the age of twenty years, the Doctor practiced dentistry in Belle- ville and in Minneapolis, Minn. When twenty- three years old, he began the practice of medi- cine in Minneapolis and continued there until 1893, when he returned to Belleville. He was appointed County Physician in 1894 and served as such until 1895, and from 1896 to 1897.
In October, 1894, Dr. Wangelin was married to Christine S. Hartmann, who was born and schooled in Belleville. Two children have re- sulted from their union-Hedwig Wanda and Evans Hubert. In 1895 the Doctor built a com- fortable residence on North Church Street, where he has since maintained his office. In politics he is a Democrat, and fraternally, is a member of the A. F. & A. M., R. A., K. T., and Thirty-second Degree Consistory.
WANGELIN, Richard, for more than forty years identified with the Belleville Savings Bank, first as Teller and since 1879 as Cashier, was born in St. Clair County, January 27, 1845. He is the son of Hugo and Bertha (Schubert) Wangelin, natives of Germany, his father hav- ing been born in Pforten, and his mother in Dessau, Prussia. Hugo Wangelin came to the United States in 1834, and settled in Ohio, whence he moved to St. Clair County in 1840, where he married a member of a prominent pioneer family. His first occupation here was farming, and he next became a merchant and miller at. Lebanon, Ill. In 1861 he entered the Union Army as Major of the Twelfth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, of which he was promoted to be Colonel. He was subsequently made Brigadier General for meritorious serv- ice. He participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, the siege of Vicksburg, the battles of Mission- ary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, and in the battle of Ringgold (Ga.) lost his right arm.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
After amputation and recovery he took part in the capture of Atlanta. In the spring of 1865 he was honorably discharged, and on re- turning home was appointed by President Lin- coln Postmaster of Belleville. After serving thus four years, he was reappointed by Presi- dent Grant and served four years longer. He then retired from all active effort, and died in Belleville, February 26, 1883, honored and re- spected throughout the entire community. His memory is warmly cherished, and thousands still dwell upon his name with reverent affec- tion and admiration. His widow survived him until October 18, 1896. Gen. Wangelin was the father of seven children who are now living, namely: Mrs. Anna Ropiequet, of Belleville, a widow; Louisa; Richard; Edward H., of St. Louis; Otto, of Boulder, Colo .; and Irvin and Walter, both of Belleville. Politically, Gen- eral Wangelin was accustomed to act inde- pendently of party, especially in local affairs.
Richard Wangelin received his early educa- tion in the schools of Belleville and at McKen- dree College, Lebanon, Ill. He was deputy Postmaster of Belleville, under Postmaster Tyn- dale, and next served in the commissary de- partment of the Union army at Vicksburg. He then enlisted and became First Sergeant of Company H, One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. After receiving an honorable discharge discharge from the army, he entered the Bryant & Strat- ton Business College, St. Louis, from which he was graduated. On April 1, 1865, he was made Teller of the Belleville Savings Bank, and in 1879 was appointed Cashier, in which capacity he has acted ever since, making a period of forty years of continuous service in this insti- tuiton.
Richard Wangelin was married in St. Clair County to Sophia Evans, who has borne him seven children as follows: Dr. Hugo E .; Ernest E .; Olive, wife of Frank C. Murven, of St. Louis; Wanda, wife of Walter W. Fuess, of the First National Bank of Belleville; Fred C., of St. Louis; Louis E., who is a Justice of the Peace of Belleville; and Hettie May, who lives at home. Fraternally, Mr. Wangelin is con- nected with the G. A. R. and B. P. O. E. He is also a member of the Philharmonic and Lie- derkranz Societies. In every way he is one of the best known and most respected citizens of St. Clair County. In business and social
circles he is regarded with the utmost consid- eration. As a financier his counsel is often sought, and his phenomenal period of service in the Belleville Savings Bank has made him one of the most conspicuous figures in the community.
WARD, John, liquor dealer of East St. Louis, this county, and a prominent Democrat, was born in Delaware in 1867, and is a son of Dan- iel Ward, of Ireland. Previous to embarking upon his present occupation, Mr. Ward followed railroading for many years, beginning when he was twenty-four, and continuing through vari- ous stages of advancement until 1898. He then started his present store on East Broadway, which has since expanded into a large and prosperous establishment. The wife of Mr. Ward was formerly Ada Mason, of Crystal City, Mo.
WARREN, James E., engaged in teaming for the Terminal Bridge & Railroad Company, and owner of a retail liquor business on the corner of Ninth and Baugh Streets, East St. Louis, is a native of Franklin County, Mo., and was born in 1858. As a small boy Mr. Warren located in this city with his parents, Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Johnson) Warren. His father was a native of Ireland; his mother was born in Richmond, Va., and her parents were also American born. After completing his educa- tion in the public schools, Mr. Warren engaged as night foreman for the East St. Louis Packing Company for seventeen years. He then took up the business of grading and hauling, event- ually becoming associated with the firm which now has use for his nine teams and several assistants. Mr. Warren is a stanch Democrat, and formerly served as a member of the School Board for two terms, being President of the same for one term. Fraternally, he is connected with the Eagles. The wife of Mr. Warren was formerly Malvina Hallows, of Centerville Town- ship, St. Clair County, and his marriage oc- curred in 1882.
"WASTFIELD, A. J. (deceased) .- A. J. Wast- field, whose death occurred on the 15th of No- vember, 1866, was one of the representative men in the neighborhood of O'Fallon. His fa- ther, Walter Wastfield, was born in the city of Bath, England. Part of his early life was spent
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
in Ireland, and he was married at Fermoy, to Mary Ann Shannon, a young lady of much in- telligence, who belonged to an Irish family. Walter Wastfield emigrated to America in the year 1819, and, after spending a few weeks in the city of Baltimore, came to St. Clair County and settled in Section 33 of Township 2 North, Range 7, about two miles southeast of O'Fallon. The journey from Baltimore to St. Louis was made by wagon. He was in comfortable circumstances, and he and his wife brought with them to this country ample supplies of money, and every convenience that could make their life in the new country com- fortable. Walter Wastfield died on the 26th of November. Their deaths undoubtedly resulted from the shock occasioned by the sudden death of their son, A. J. Wastfield. They were ad- vanced in years, and after the sad accident they sank into a nervous fever, from which they never recovered.
"A. J. Wastfield was born on the old place, northeast of O'Fallon, where his father settled on coming to the county, on the 6th of Septem- ber, 1829. He was the youngest son, and the next to the youngest child, of a family of nine children, composed of five daughters and four sons. He was raised in the same part of the county. He attended the public schools at Belleville, and also for a time was a student at the old Rock Spring Seminary. He was mar- ried on the 12th of June, 1860, to Miss Elsie Osburn, who was born at Lebanon." (Brink's History, 1881.)
WATSON, Mills W., lawyer and merchant of East St. Louis, this county, was born in 1836, in St. Louis County, Mo., son of Wesley and Sarah (Sumner) Watson, the former being a native of Kentucky, and the latter of Tennessee. After passing through the common schools of St. Louis, M. W. Watson engaged in teaching in Missouri for four years, during which time he occupied his leisure time in studying law, and in 1860 was admitted to the bar of Mis- souri. In 1862 he enlisted in the Thirty-third Missouri Infantry, with which he served until mustered out at the close of the war. He then went to Montana Territory and engaged in a general contracting business there for several years, after which he returned to St. Louis. In 1872 he was readmitted to the bar and prac- ticed his profession until 1880, when he en-
gaged in the newspaper business. He moved to East St. Louis in 1886 and there opened a book store and news depot, which he is still suc- cessfully conducting. In 1859 he married Eliz- abeth Thomas, who was born in Boston, Mass., and acquired her education in the public schools of that city and St. Louis. To them have been born the following children: Mrs. Louisa Truitt, a resident of Chicago, Ill .; Selma Wat- son, of Denver, Colo .; and Mills W., Jr., of East St. Louis. Mr. Watson is a member of the G. A. R.
WEBER, Herman Gustavus (deceased), who was for thirty years one of the most conspicu- ous and honored citizens of Belleville, St. Clair County, and in whom the people of that city signified their unreserved confidence by choos- ing him for the fourth time their chief exec- utive, was born in Rockenhausen, near Kai- serslautern, Germany, November 9, 1832. He was a son of William and Henrietta (Volmer) Weber, also natives of Germany. In early youth Herman G. Weber received a thorough course of instruction in the manual training school of Kaiserslautern, and at the age of six- teen years became identified with the Revolu- tionists of 1848, under the lead of Col. Fried- rich Hecker. After the suppression of the lib- eral element, being the son of a Government official (his father was a Forester), he was compelled to forsake his native land, and took refuge in Switzerland, whence he came to the United States. In 1854 he located in Belleville, and shortly afterward obtained employment in a sawmill near Freeburg. In 1855 he re- turned to Belleville and declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States. Two years later, during the mayoralty of Edward Abend, Sr., who was his friend and fellow- townsman in Germany, Mr. Weber secured a position as street inspector. Rising rapidly in popular favor, he subsequently filled, in succes- sion, many offices of public trust. In 1861, 1862 and 1863, he was, in turn, City Marshal, As- sessor and Treasurer of Belleville. He was elected Sheriff and Collector of St. Clair County in 1874, succeeding himself in that office in 1876 and 1878. In 1873, he was elected Mayor of Belleville. He was again elected Mayor in 1883, and was re-elected in April, 1885. On July 6 of that year he resigned the Mayoralty to ac- cept the appointment, made by President Cleve-
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
land, of United States Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois. In 1891 he was, for the fourth time, elected Mayor of Belleville. In all of these important public positions Mr. Weber acquitted himself with signal ability and fidelity, reflecting additional credit through- out the long official succession of thirty years upon an already honored name. When he finally retired to private life he left behind him a record not only unsullied by misdoing, but bright with beneficent accomplishment. Dur- ing his last term as Mayor he laid the foun- dation for the public improvements that have since been the pride of Belleville. He estab- lished the sanitary department of the city, and appointed the first Board of Health. To his rigorous and constant exertions are large- ly due the City Hall and Public Library. For twenty years previous to his death, Mr. Weber was a stockholder and Director of the Belle- ville Savings Bank. He was President of the Belleville Brosius Oil Works and a Director of the Sucker State Drill Works.
On April 3, 1857, Mr. Weber was united in marriage with Anna Schuster, who, with two daughters, Louise W., widow of Curt Heinfel- den, and Mrs. Irvin H. Wangelin, survives him. Mr. Weber was a prominent and highly es- teemed member of fraternal orders and social organizations. His death occurred at his resi- dence, No. 20 West First Street, Belleville, Feb- ruary 2, 1897. Few of Belleville's honored citi- zens have left upon the annals of that city a name more deeply impressed than that of Her- man Gustavus Weber.
WEHR, Solomon F., M. D .- Since locating in Illinois in 1866, at least two communities have come to appreciate the professional skill and fine personal qualities of Dr. Solomon F. Wehr -Washington County, where he lived until 1885, and Belleville, with its favorable sur- roundings, and which has since been his home. Dr. Wehr is of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, and was born in Union County, Pa., January 30, 1834, a son of George and Catherine (Faust) . Wehr, and grandson of Simeon Wehr, all na- tives of that State. He was educated in the public schools, at Central Pennsylvania College, and at the University of Philadelphia, complet- ing his professional course at the Medical Col- lege of Philadelphia in 1862. His initial prac- tice was conducted in Madisonburg, Center
County, Pa., the Civil War coming as an inter- ruption in an encouraging and promising start. As assistant surgeon he served his country from June 22, 1864, until October 5, of that year, after which he entered the Seminary Hospital, at Covington, Ky., a position which he was obliged to resign owing to the death of his father. Re- suming practice in Madisonburg, he came to a realization of the limitations of his surround- ings, and decided to join his fortunes with those of less thickly settled Illinois, to which he came in the fall of 1866. Dr. Wehr enjoyed the in- estimable assistance of a sympathetic and ca- pable wife, who was formerly Mary S. Tindale, of Georgetown, Del., and to whose economy and encouragement he owes much of his success in life, but who passed away in the year 1900. Two daughters have brightened his home, and are now established in households of their own -Mrs. Annie E. Gibbs and Mrs. Mollie B. Nel- son. The Doctor is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a conscientious and painstak- ing physician and surgeon, a man of high per- sonal honor and largeness of heart, and one who has ever regarded his profession as a step- ping-stone to great good in the world.
WEIRBACK, Jacob M., a son of Samuel and Katherine (Mann) Weirback, was born August 2, 1852, in Bucks County, Pa., in whose public and high schools he obtained a thorough edu- cation. At the age of fourteen he began work- ing in a planing mill at Bethlehem, Pa., remain- ing there nine years; then he was employed in various steel works for three years, and in 1877 came to Belleville, where he obtained a po- sition in the Harrison Machine Works, having charge of the wood-working machinery depart- ment for four years. For the following two years he engaged in house building and later took up pattern making, which he has since fol- lowed and in which capacity he has been con- nected with Rogers' foundry for the past three years. The marriage of Mr. Weirback occurred March 16, 1871, when he was united to Mary Billiard, who was born and educated in Lehigh County, Pa., and they are the parents of the following children: Edgar Alvin, who died at the age of twenty-eight years; Gertrude G., de- ceased at the age of twenty-six years, and Rob- ert A., at the age of twenty-one; Nellie A., who married August Weisenborn, and died when
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
twenty years of age; Minnie Minerva; Emily Christina and William Henry. The paternal and maternal grandparents of Jacob M. were natives of Bucks County, Pa. In religion, Mr. Weirback is an adherent of the Presbyterian Church, in politics, he is a Democrat, and fra- ternally, he is a member of the Hora Gura and the Carpenters' and Joiners' Union.
WERNER, Jacob, engaged in the retail liquor business in East St. Louis, and formerly con- nected with railroading for many years, is a native of Joliet, Ill., and was born in 1871. His father, J. Werner, is also a native of that city. At the outset of his independent career Mr. Werner took up railroading, and in 1901 came to East St. Louis, where he established a saloon, soon after starting and operating two others. At present he has one establishment, and is doing an extensive business. Fraternally, Mr. Werner is connected with the Eagles and the Improved Order of Hibernians. In 1896 he mar- ried Lollie Leasey, a native of East St. Louis, and has two sons, John Roderick and George.
WEST, Edward William (deceased), one of the oldest of the pioneer settlers of Illinois, within which he lived for more than four-score years, an honored resident of Belleville and its vi- cinity, was born near Fincastle, the county seat of Botetourt County, Va., September 20, 1815. He was a son of Washington and Frances (Mitchell) West, natives of that State, and a grandson of Benjamin and Virlinda (Hilleary) West, both born in Maryland. John West, the great-grandfather, who was born in Kent County, England, came to the United States at an early period, and located in Maryland, where he owned a plantation, on which he spent the remainder of his life. He had a brother who settled in Virginia. Benjamin West, grandfather of Edward W., was a noted painter in Virginia. He was also a soldier in the Revolutionary War, in which he served until its termination, and was one of the pa- triotic colonists who endured the hardships and privations of the terrible ordeal at Valley Forge. His marriage to Virlinda Hilleary oc- curred before the commencement of the war, his wife being the daughter of a Maryland planter, who was of English nativity. Their union resulted in eight children, as follows: Henry, Tillman, Hilleary, Washington, Mrs.
.
Calhoun, Mrs. Ripley, Fannie and Sarah. In 1818, the parents of this family accompanied four of their children-Henry, Washington, Sarah and Fannie-to St. Clair County, the en- tire party who made the journey consisting of about sixty-six persons. Benjamin West died at the age of eighty-four years, and his wife was ninety years old at the time of her decease. Both are buried in St. Clair County on the old West homestead in St. Clair Township. During the War of 1812, Washington West, father of Edward W. West, was Captain of a company of troops which marched from Fin- castle, Va., to Norfolk, in that State, to de- fend the latter city against a threatened attack by the British. For several years he held the office of Magistrate, and was a prominent citi- zen, respected and honored by all. His life- long occupation was that of a farmer, and at one time he was the owner of 650 acres of land. In politics, he was originally a Jackson Demo- crat, and at a later period a Whig. During the Civil War he was a supporter of the Democratic party. In religious belief, he was an adherent of the Episcopal Church. His wife was a daughter of Rev. Edward Mitchell, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who accom- panied the West family to St. Clair County in 1818. She died in 1819, when about thirty years of age, the mother of three children who sur- vived her, namely: Frances, who became the wife of John Flanagan, of Winchester County, Va .; Benjamin H., who was engaged in agri- cultural pursuits just south of Belleville, and died in that city; and Edward William. A son of Benjamin H., Dr. Washington West, is a well known medical practitioner of Belleville.
On moving from the East to Illinois, then the frontier, the West family brought their eight slaves with them. Some of these were after- ward liberated. Others remained with the fam- ily until 1842, when they were freed by State legislation. Of the latter number, a part dis- appeared, but some remained in the vicinity of their former masters, who were their best friends, and cared for them in sickness and death. When they located in St. Clair County the Wests were possessed of ample financial resources and other property, and were made heartily welcome to the new country. They were classed with the well-to-do and influential members of society, were honored and re- spected, and always left the impress of their
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
excellent charactersitics on the community in which they lived.
Edward W. West obtained his early education in the schools of St. Clair County. For eight years during his early youth, he was the re- cipient of instruction under the preceptorship of his uncle, John Henry Dennis, a collegiate of superior culture, who taught in the Belleville schools from 1824 until 1860. In early man- hood, Mr. West was engaged in mercantile pur- suits in Belleville for a period of six years. In 1845 he located on a farm adjoining the town, which was composed largely of woodland and contained 250 acres. A portion of this was converted into city lots and disposed of for building purposes. At the time of his death Mr. West was still the owner of 200 acres adjoining the farm tract, on which he had been engaged as a progressive horticulturist. He acted in the capacity of Corresponding Secretary of the Old Farmers' and Fruit Growers' Association, and was President of that organization for several years.
Mr. West was twice married. His first wife, to whom he was wedded in Belleville, was formerly Mrs. Amanda Cannon (nee Paul), of Philadelphia, who died in 1849. She was the mother of Mrs. General Powell. In 1851, Mr. West was united in marriage with Mrs. Amanda Hyde (nee Gregory), and they became the parents of two children, Edward and Myra. The former is prominently and successfully engaged in the real estate business in Belle- ville, with offices in the First National Bank Building; and the latter is a resident of Spring- field, Mo., having become the wife of Theodore J. Krafft. Mr. West lived a long, upright and useful life, and in the ripeness of his years, was the object of profound respect and ven- eration, his numerous friends recognizing the sterling worth of his character. He died at his residence, No. 120 Pennsylvania Avenue, on March 29, 1906, and was laid to rest in Green Mount Cemetery, Belleville.
WEST, Washington, Sr., M. D .- Distinction is lent the career of Dr. Washington West, Sr., not only because he is the oldest practicing physi- cian of Belleville, but because he is a man of great personal worth and large capacity for usefulness. Since his permanent settlement here in 1870, he has realized in gratifying meas- ure the expectations of a humane and resource-
ful healer, and his name has become an ex- pression of those professional and general quali- ties which inspire confidence, affection and good will.
Dr. West was born in Belleville, February 9, 1847, and comes of one of the pioneer families of St. Clair County. His father, Benjamin Hil- leary West, was a native of Botetourt County, Va., born in 1817, and his mother, Maria G. (Hill) West, of King and Queen County, that State. His paternal grandparents were Major Washington and Fannie (Mitchell) West, the former born in Hagerstown, Md., and the lat- ter in Virginia; and his paternal great-grand- parents were Benjamin and Anna (Hailey) West, natives of Maryland, and the former a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His ma- ternal grandparents, William and Lucy G. (Bailor) Hill, were natives of Virginia. Dr. West's early influences were such as to devel- op the best traits in his character, and to stimulate an interest in intellectual and prac- tical pursuits. His preliminary education in the public schools of Belleville, accomplished at the age of seventeen, he attended the City University of St. Louis, Mo., until the spring of 1866, and the following fall entered the med- ical department of the Washington University, from which he was duly graduated in March, 1868.
'The professional practice of Dr. West was inaugurated under favorable circumstances, and offered opportunity for varied and valuable experience. The fall of his graduation he was appointed Acting Assistant Surgeon of the United States Army by General Sherman, who had made a treaty with the Sioux Indians in 1867, and was sent to the Sioux Indian Reserva- tion, in Dakota, under General Harney, where he remained until returning to Belleville in 1870. The same year, June 30th, he was united in marriage to Mary Agnes Wolfe, a native of St. Louis, who was born near Pittsburg, Beaver County, Pa., and who was educated at the Mary Institute, St. Louis, and at Bonham's Seminary. Dr. and Mrs. West are the parents of the fol- lowing children: Basmath A .; Booth; Mary Agnes, deceased; Dr. Washington, Jr .; Mrs. Maria Katherine Salter; Way; Stephani; Ruth; and Grace Bryan, deceased. Dr. West has paid little attention to affairs outside of his profession, and it is to the persistent concen- tration upon the subject nearest his heart and
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