USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial, Volume II > Part 30
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Politically Mr. Hunt is an adherent of the republican party, of which he is an earnest supporter, being at the present time a member of the county central com- mittee. He has served with general acceptance to the people as tax collector of Brighton, member of the town board and township clerk, and is now filling the office of clerk of the school board of the township. Fraternally he is identified with Brighton Lodge, No. 366, I. O. O. F., and has passed through all the chairs in that organization. He is also a member of the Rebekahs and of Brighton. Camp, No. 1688, M. W. A. He and his family are connected with the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a man of unusual business capacity and accomplishes with apparent ease what would appear to be impossible to many of less resourceful mind. He is one of the foremost citizens of Brighton, and justly deserves the high regard in which he is held by a large and growing circle of friends and associates.
GEORGE WASHINGTON ARNETT.
Although he has passed his eighty-second year on life's journey, George Washington Arnett, who is now living retired at Carlinville, is greatly interested in the continued development of Macoupin county, having been a resident of this county since 1834. He has been a witness of the changes from the wild
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prairie to the beautiful farms, dotted with homes, which are supplied with all the comforts of modern life. It is doubtful whether there is any other man in the county who is more familiar with the progress of this section than Mr. Arnett.
He was born in Overton county, Tennessee, near Monroe, June 24, 1829, and comes of pioneers on both sides of the house, being a son of Thomas and Eliza- beth (Reeder) Arnett. The father was a native of North Carolina and the mother of Virginia. In 1829 he removed with his family from Tennessee to Illinois and engaged in farming for two or three years in Morgan county, near Jacksonville. He then moved to a farm near Waverly, where he also spent sev- eral years, at the end of which time he came to Macoupin county and settled in Bird township, becoming the owner of about two hundred acres of land there. He died in 1874, at the age of about seventy years. His wife died in 1863, being then about fifty-eight years of age. He was a member of the Methodist church, while his wife held membership in the Presbyterian church. An industrious and progressive citizen, he was always willing to perform his part in forwarding the interests of the community and served for a number of years as justice of' the peace and also as township treasurer. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Arnett were twelve children, nine of whom grew to maturity: Nancy, who married Holiday Peebles and is now deceased; Martha, who became the wife of William Wiggins and is also deceased; George Washington, the subject of this review ; John H., who is deceased; Sarah, who married George Wallace and is deceased ; Paschal L., of Wichita, Kansas ; James, deceased; Thomas, also deceased; and William, a resident of Oregon.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was John Arnett, who was a na- tive of North Carolina and of Scotch descent. He engaged in farming and was also a blacksmith. He married Rebecca Comer and moved to Tennessee, but in 1833 settled in Morgan county, Illinois, where they continued during the re- mainder of their lives. Mr. Arnett died at the age of sixty-two and his wife at the age of seventy-six years. In their family were twelve children, among whom were William, Thomas, John, Peter, Mary, Susan, Sarah, Nancy, Rebecca and Martha. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Jeptha Reeder. He was a native of Virginia but moved to Tennessee and in 1833 came to Illinois and settled in Western Mound township, Macoupin county, where he continued until his death, which occurred when he was sixty-two years old. His wife was Winnie Fritty Harrison. She lived to the age of seventy-six years and was the mother of twelve children, eleven daughters and one son, five of whom died in early childhood, the others being Nancy, Elizabeth, Brown, Margaret, Mar- tha, Rebecca and Paschal L. The great-grandfather of our subject on the ma- ternal side was James Harrison.
At the age of three months George W. Arnett was brought by his parents to Morgan county, Illinois, and he has lived in Macoupin county since he was five years of age. He grew to manhood in Bird township, where he possessed advantages of attendance at the old-fashioned subscription school. At twenty- one years of age he began working out by the month and then rented land for two years, which he cultivated on his own account. Having acquired sufficient capital, he purchased ninety acres of land and built a comfortable home, devot-
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ing his attention to such good purpose as a farmer and stock-raiser that he became the owner of two hundred and fifty acres in this county. Since 1889 he has lived at Carlinville, retired.
On the 14th of October, 1852, Mr. Arnett was married to Serena Elizabeth Lasater, a daughter of Enoch and Charity (Hill) Lasater, and four children have been born to this union: Viola, of Carlinville, who is the widow of Elra P. Deeds and the mother of two children, Walter and Mary; Horace W., who married Mary Wills and died at the age of twenty-two years; Lilly M., who became the wife of H. C. Wilhite, of Greenfield, Illinois, and has one son, George M .; and George B., a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Arnett was born in Greene county, Illinois, February 3, 1836. Her parents were natives of Tennessee, her mother having been born near Nash- ville. They came to Illinois among the pioneers that settled in Greene county and the father died there when he was about thirty-five years old. He was the father of six children, Eliza Ann, Serena Elizabeth, Mary Ellen, Almira, Ma- tilda Jane and a son who was killed by a tree falling on him when he was eight years old. Mrs. Lasater married a second time, her husband being John Court- ney, and they came to Macoupin county and settled in Bird township, where she died when she was about sixty-eight years. By her second marriage she became the mother of two children who lived to maturity: Carroll C., of Wav- erly ; and Cyrus B., of Carlinville. The grandfather of Mrs. Arnett on the pa- ternal side was Stanford Lasater, who married a Miss Copeland, and the grand- father on the maternal side was Abner Hill, a native of North Carolina. His wife was Anna Johnson. They were pioneers of Bird township, 'Macoupin county, and were the parents of ten children, among whom were Mary, Anna, Charity, William, Robert, Abner, Lewis and Thomas.
Mr. and Mrs. Arnett accept the Bible as a divine revelation and are both consistent members of the Baptist church. In politics Mr. Arnett affiliates with the democratic party. Recognizing his duties as a citizen, he filled most of the township offices during his active years, serving with general satisfaction to the people as supervisor, assessor, collector, school trustee and school director. Throughout life he has had an abiding sense of justice and honor and he has always aimed to follow the principles of the golden rule, thus earning the con- fidence of neighbors and of all who have had the honor of his acquaintance. As a result he is one of the most respected and venerated men in Macoupin county.
C. D. KING, M. D.
In the field of medicine Dr. C. D. King, of Gillespie, occupies a position at the front in the section where he makes his home, as is indicated by the fact that he is now serving as president of the Macoupin County Medical Society. He is a native of Hillsboro, Illinois, born March 26, 1879, a son of George B. and Lydia (Dil- worth) King, the former of whom was born in North Carolina and the latter in Kentucky. George B. King was reared on a plantation, his parents being landowners but not friendly toward slavery. At the time of the Civil war he was forced to
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join the Confederate army, and continued with that cause until about the close of the war. He then came to Hillsboro and taught school, also working at farm- ing and in other employment, until he acquired sufficient capital to enter the lum- ber business. He was married at Hillsboro to Miss Lydia Dilworth, who came north after she had reached womanhood. The father died in 1883, while engaged in business at the home of his adoption. Politically he was a stanch adherent of the republican party and served with general acceptance in various local offices.
C. D. King possessed good advantages of education in the public and high schools of Hillsboro and, having decided to apply himself to medicine as his life work, he matriculated in 1901 in the medical department of St. Louis, at St. Louis. After pursuing the regular course at that institution he was graduated in 1905 with the degree of M. D. Very soon after graduation he located at Gillespie, where he has successfully engaged in practice. Being a man of fine address and thoroughly qualified in his calling, he has advanced steadily in the confidence of the people and enjoys a lucrative patronage. He is in close touch with the progress which is being made in all departments of professional and business life, and holds membership in the American Medical Association, the Illinois State Medical Society, and the Macoupin County Medical Society, being especially active in promoting the welfare of the latter organization.
On the 4th of October, 1905, at St. Louis, Dr. King was married to Miss Mildred Strebe, who was born at St. Paul, Minnesota. They are the parents of two children, Charles F. and Mildred Nellie. It is through unremitting applica- tion and the exercise of clear and correct judgment that Dr. King has gained the high standing he now possesses as a physician and surgeon, and each year wit- nesses an increase in the field of his usefulness. He is well known in fraternal circles and holds membership in Silver Star Lodge, No. 322, K. P., and the camp of Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he gives his support to the republi- can party and in religious faith adheres to the Lutheran church. He and his wife have made many friends and their home is a center where all are assured of a cordial greeting.
DAVID FERGUSON.
David Ferguson, who is living at ease at Staunton, in the enjoyment of a comfortable home, can look back upon a long and active life during which he con- tributed his share toward the development of the agricultural resources of Ma- coupin county. As a member of a pioneer family he passed through experiences in his early life of which the farm boy of today has little conception, and he has lived to witness the great improvements by which the entire appearance of the country has been changed and the wild prairie has been reduced to the uses of man.
He is a native of Ireland and was born in County Derry, October 31, 1837, a son of Henry J. and Sarah (Swan) Ferguson, both of whom were born in County Derry. The father emigrated to America with his family in 1839 and located a half-mile east of Staunton, Macoupin county, Illinois, where he purchased a
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tract of partially improved land and also preempted land from the government. He applied himself during the remainder of his life to farming and died in 1883, at the age of eighty years. He was a stanch Presbyterian in religious belief and assisted in building the first church at Staunton. He had two brothers : Robert, who engaged in farming in Ireland ; and David, who was educated as a physician at Glasgow, Scotland, and devoted his life with marked success to the healing art. The mother of our subject had three brothers, Henry, Thomas and Hugh, the latter of whom went to Australia and became a member of the parliament of that country. There were seven children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson : Hugh and Isaac, both of whom are deceased; Henry, a resident of Staunton ; David; Sarah Jane, deceased; Susan, the widow of Captain Archibald Burns ; and Martha, deceased.
After receiving his preliminary education in the common schools David Fer- guson devoted his attention to the home farm and continued with his parents until twenty-eight years of age. He then purchased an adjoining farm and made his home there until 1884 when he moved to Staunton, being still actively identified with farming and live-stock interests. About 1895 he went to Benton, Illinois, where he purchased a farm but returned to Staunton in 1902 and has since made his home among old friends and amidst familiar scenes.
In 1875 Mr. Ferguson was married to Miss Mary J. Dey, a native of Jersey county, Illinois, who has been to him a true and helpful companion. He cast his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas but soon afterwards transferred his alle- giance to the republican party which he supported until a few years ago when he became a prohibitionist. He was at one time a member of the Good Templars and is actively identified with the Presbyterian church of which he is a liberal supporter and an elder in the same for forty years. His entire life has been devoted to farming, and through energy, application and sound judgment he has acquired a competency. Always thoroughly upright in his dealings, he com- mands the esteem and confidence of his associates and acquaintances and is in every respect a worthy representative of the best citizenship.
JOHN H. LOVELESS.
John H. Loveless, who for many years was a prominent, farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Macoupin county, was born in eastern Tennessee, December 30, 1825, and was sixteen years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Macoupin county. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage, when he removed tò a farm not far from the old homestead and con- tinued to reside in this county until his death with the exception of two years spent in Champaign county, this state. Throughout life he engaged in agricultural pursuits.
On the 23d of December, 1847, Mr. Loveless was united in marriage to Miss Rhuhama Brown, a daughter of John M. and Christina (Etter) Brown, who removed from Virginia to Indiana at an early day and later came to Illinois, be- coming residents of Western Mound township, Macoupin county, in 1842. Mrs.
MR. AND MRS. J. H. LOVELESS
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Loveless was the seventh daughter in their family and was born near Indianapolis, Indiana, January 1, 1826. Mr. and Mrs. Loveless became the parents of eleven children, namely: William R., who married Anna Crowder; James M., who married Mary Clark and died in November, 1876; Elizabeth J., who died in in- fancy; Emanuel; Matilda, the wife of Lewis Keorner; George, who married Alano Hoover ; Sarah E., the wife of J. W. Wheeler; Mary V., who died in child- hood; Robert A., who married Hannah Ward; Cyrus O .; and John B.
Mr. Loveless died in this county on the 17th of July, 1908, having survived his wife for about six years, as she passed away September 23, 1902. Both were earnest and consistent members of the Baptist church and in politics he was an ardent democrat, taking a commendable interest in public affairs, especially along educational lines. They had many friends throughout this section of the state, where almost their entire lives were passed.
HENRY W. BIERBAUM.
Among the pioneers of Macoupin county who are deserving of a record in a work pertaining to the history of this section is Henry W. Bierbaum, now in the eightieth year of his age and one of the honored citizens of the county. Coming to America many years ago from a distant country, he found himself amidst strange surroundings, but he bravely met and conquered obstacles as they arose and he now enjoys in peace and comfort the results of his courage and self reliance. He was born in Prussia, Germany, October 18, 1831, being a son of Gottlieb and Min- nie Bierbaum. The father died when the son was quite young. The mother and one daughter came to the United States in 1854, the son Henry W. sending money to pay their expenses upon the journey. He was not married at that time and his mother and sister made their home with him and had charge of the household duties. The mother died about 1862 and is buried in Macoupin county.
Henry W. Bierbaum was reared on a farm in the old country and possessed advantages of education in the common schools. He emigrated to the United States in 1850, being then nineteen years of age. Like thousands of young men of European birth who have sought to establish a home under the favoring influence of the American republic, he was practically without money and a friend gener- ously advanced the amount necessary to meet traveling expenses. After landing he came direct to Macoupin county and secured employment as a farm hand under John Ramey, his wages being four dollars per month during the winter and ten dollars per month in the summer. He was married at the age of twenty-five and rented a farm in Cahokia township, which he cultivated for four years. He then acquired forty acres of land, for which he gave a team of horses, a set of harness, a wagon and twenty dollars in money. He prospered in his work and subsequently purchased another tract of forty acres, for which he paid eight hundred dollars. He has since added to his land holdings and at the present time is the owner of two hundred and ten acres of land, which is considered as good as any in the state of Illinois. When he arrived in this region it abounded in deer, wolves and wild turkeys, and the lives and habits of the people conformed to pioneer conditions.
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Neighbors were friendly and a spirit of helpfulness prevailed of which we can now form little conception. The country was principally wild prairie and an occa- sional log cabin could be seen in the woods along the streams, being the only sign of civilization, except a few settlements which were found along lines of travel. The pioneers were a brave-hearted race and their descendants today are right- fully among the leaders in the state and are represented among its most prosperous and progressive citizens.
In 1856 Mr. Bierbaum was married to Miss Minnie Sophia Miller, who was a native of Germany and came to Macoupin county, Illinois, with her parents in 1847, when she was six years of age. To this union ten children have been born, five of whom survive, namely: Henry, who is now living at Farmersville, Mont- gomery county, Illinois; William, who resides at Beebe, Arkansas; Charles, also a resident of Beebe; Gottlieb, who is engaged in farming in Cahokia township; and Anna, who is the wife of William Seiler, an electrician of Sawyersville, Illi- nois.
In politics Mr. Bierbaum is a supporter of the democratic party but he has never been an office seeker, preferring to devote his energies to his family and his farm. He and his wife are consistent members of the Evangelical Lutheran church. As a representative of a generation which made possible the comforts and conveniences of the present day, he is accorded a high place in the estimation of the people of this region. He is one of the survivors of pioneer times-a period in the history of America which has passed never to return. Each year they be- come fewer in number, but the work they accomplished stands as an enduring monument to their energy and persistence.
CHARLES W. TIETSORT.
For over fifty years Charles W. Tietsort, of Medora, editor, financier and suc- cessful business man, has been a resident of Illinois, and during a large part of the time he has been actively and effectively interested in the development of Macoupin county. Since 1895 he has been closely connected witli the Medora Messenger, of which he was the founder and which is one of the most reliable and progressive country newspapers of the state. As a banker he, for many years, displayed an ability and enterprise' which greatly redounded to his credit and to that of the community. He comes of one of the oldest colonial families of America and was born at Cassopolis, Michigan, December 17, 1837, a son of Abram V. and Rachel (Thompson) Tietsort. The father was born in Butler county, Ohio, July 16, 1805, and the mother in Preble county, Ohio, July 17, 1807.
The paternal branch of the family has been traced to Staffordshire, England, where the old manor house still stands. The Tietsorts were driven out of their native land through political persecution in 1030 and took refuge in Holland. The original English name was Tietsworth. The word "worth" is rendered "ort" in Dutch, hence the change in the spelling to Tietsort. The emigrant ancestors in America arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, from Holland between 1620 and
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1630 and a branch of the family from which Mr. Tietsort of this review descends later settled in Sussex county, New Jersey. The great-grandfather of our sub- ject was Peter Tietsort, who was born in New Jersey in 1744. He and a younger brother, William, removed to Kentucky, and, after a number of years, to Butler county, Ohio, becoming with their families pioneers of western Ohio. Peter Tietsort is known to have had three children, the youngest of whom was Abram H., the grandfather of our subject. Abram H. Tietsort was born February 6, 1777, in Sussex county, New Jersey, and his wife, Margaret Banta, was born in New Jersey, January 6, 1785. They had six children, of whom Abram V., the father of our subject, was the eldest. In 1829 Abram H. and his son Abram V. moved from Butler county with their families to Niles, Michigan, where they operated a flatboat on the St. Joseph river for a year. They then located on government land on the present site of Cassopolis, the region being then a wilder- ness. The grandfather devoted his attention to farming and the father ran a cabinet shop. They continued at Cassopolis during the remainder of their lives. Abram H. Tietsort died February 1, 1847, his son Abram V. having preceded him May 31, 1842. There were five children in the family of Abram V. and Rachel Tietsort, the subject of this review being the youngest. The others were: John, who lived at Cassopolis and is now deceased ; Julia Ann, who is a widow and now resides near Detroit, Michigan; and Perry Andrew and Ira, who took up their residence at Detroit, Michigan, and are now deceased. Mrs. Rachel (Thompson) Tietsort was married again, her second husband being Rev. Joseph Byron, a cousin of Lord Byron, and to this union four children were born: Melissa G., who is now the widow of William Van Giesen, of Litchfield, Michigan; Linnie P., who is the wife of Byron Warren, of Bellwood, Nebraska; Elizabeth R., who is the wife of Deo Devereaux, of Blackbird, Nebraska; and Joseph E., who was killed in a railway accident while serving as conductor of the Chicago, Burling- ton & Quincy Railway.
Mr. Tietsort of this review, having been deprived of his father by death at five years of age, took up his residence with Peter Tietsort, a distant relative, and grew to manhood under his protection. He received his preliminary educa- tion in the public schools of Michigan and in 1856, being then eighteen years of age, he came to Illinois with his benefactor, the family locating on a farm in Jersey county, near Fidelity. However, the young man was attracted to other pursuits than that of farming and after a few months he secured a position as clerk in a mercantile establishment at Fidelity. Here he remained for about twelve years with the exception of one year which he spent at Detroit, Michigan. In 1868 he removed to Jerseyville, where he engaged in clerking for a year, at the end of which time the store burned down. He returned to Fidelity and asso- ciated with W. T. Whitfield, his father-in-law, purchasing the stock of Holden & Miner. After a few months he disposed of his interest and went to Kane, Illinois, where he ran a mill for D. Carmichael. In 1870 the mill was closed down and Mr. Tietsort moved to Tecumseh, Nebraska, in the spring of 1871, continuing there until the fall of 1873, when he returned to Jerseyville, Illinois. For several years he served as assistant cashier in the bank of Bowman & Ware, thus gain- ing practical acquaintance with a line of business for which he showed special adaptability. On March 1, 1877, the Bank of Medora was opened, of which he
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was one of the organizers. He served as cashier of this institution until January 1, 1898, a period of about twenty-one years, the bank becoming known as one of the leading financial concerns of this part of the state. Upon the date last named he disposed of his interest and retired. In 1895 he started with his son Walter B. the Medora Messenger, with which he is still actively connected. He is also a stockholder and director of the State Bank of Jerseyville and is a stock- holder in the Medora Telephone Company, of which he was formerly a director.
In 1862 Mr. Tietsort was married to Miss Emily Jane Whitfield, a daughter of Wilson T. and Nancy Jane (Kuhn) Whitfield. One child, Charles Henry, was born to this union October 12, 1863, who married Margaret M. Little and is now living in El Paso, Texas. Mr. Tietsort was married to Miss Cornelia Frances Bowman, a daughter of Charles H. and Mary (Hooper) Bowman, residents of Jerseyville. The father was born in Jersey county, a son of Elisha Bowman, of Vermont, who was born in 1795 and came to Illinois in the early '20s, settling in Jersey county. He died October 21, 1870. To the union of Charles W. and Cornelia F. Tietsort one child, Walter B., was born October 8, 1879. He is now in charge of the Medora Messenger. He married Miss Velma Lane, a daughter of Dr. J. H. Lane, of Medora, and they have two children : Dorothea L., who was born June 13, 1907 ; and Eleanor Frances, born December 7, 1908.
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