HenryF. Witte
HENRY F. WITTE, a practicalfarmer and stock-raiser, lives on a good farm in section 3, township 18,range 11, where he owns 120 acres of fine prairie land and forty acresof timber. He bought this land in 1862 and has since been successful asa farmer. He was born in Harford, Menden, Westphalia, Prussia, Germany,on August 9, 1824. He is the son of Fred and Minnie (Isserman) Witte, nativesof Prussia, Germany, where they married and began life as farmers. There,too, all the family was born, and in 1855 the parents, with three children,set out for this country, taking passage on a sailing vessel, the Berker,from Bremen, leaving September 8, 1856, and landed in New Orleans aftera voyage of nine weeks and two days. From there they came up to Beardstownon a steamer, landing here November 24, 1855. Here the parents lived anddied, the father when about seventy years old and the mother when ten yearsyounger. They were members all their lives of the Lutheran Church.Henry had two brothers anda sister that finally came to this country, Henry being the only one nowliving. He was a single man when he made the voyage and worked for twoyears in the Park House and brick yards in Beardstown.
In 1856 he was married inBeardstown to Minnie Vette, born near the birthplace of her husband. Hermother had died in Germany, and her father, Fred Vette, followed his daughterto the United States and spent his last years, dying in Cass county whennearly eighty years old. He and his wife were life-long members of theLutheran Church. Mrs. Witte had come to the United States when a youngwoman, in 1855, on the same vessel that brought her future husband. Theywere married about eighteen months after landing. They have lived and laboredto build up a good home. They have reared a large and intelligent familyof eight children, two deceased, Carrie and Edward, aged eight years andone month, respectively. Those living are: William H., a farmer in Arenzville,married Sophia Roegge of this county; Bertha, wife of Ed. Krohe, in Hickoryprecinct; Anna, wife of Frank Lebknecher, farmer in this county; Mariah,wife of Albert Krohe of Hickory precinct; Lizzie, wife of William Roegge,a farmer near Arenzville; and Minnie, who is still at home and cares forher parents. She is an intelligent and accomplished young lady and is greatlybeloved by her parents. The entire family are members of the German LutheranChurch, and Mr. Witte is a stanch Republican.
When Mr. Witte was a youngman he traveled extensively in Germany, and was in the regular German armyfrom 1845 to 1847, but was not in the Revolution of 1848. He and his familyare highly respected by all who know them.
Biographical Review ofCass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review PublishingCo., Chicago, 1892, pages 251-252.
Copyright1999-2006 Judi Gilker; all rights reserved. For personal useonly. Commercial use of the information contained in these pages is strictlyprohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright must appearwith the information.