Biography - JOHN W. ANDERSON
John W. Anderson was born April 28, 1872, upon the farm on which he now
resides, near the town of Nokomis. His parents were Henry Clay and Ellen T.
(Holmes) Anderson, and the former was born in Effingham county, Illinois,
while the latter was a native of Yorkshire, England. Mr. Anderson carried on
farming in St. Clair county, Illinois, for a number of years and removed to
Montgomery county about 1867, settling in Witt township. Later he look up
his abode on section 29, Nokomis township, purchasing one hundred and twenty
acres of land to which he afterward added a tract of forty acres, making a
farm of one hundred and sixty acres, upon which he lived until his death in
1878. His widow still survives him and is now living in Witt at the age of
sixty-six years. In their family were four children: Minnie, the wife of
Mercer Hargitt, whose home is in Witt; James H., who is in the employ of a
mining company in the Black Hills of South Dakota; John W., of this review;
and Lewis Clay, who died in infancy.
John W. Anderson acquired his preliminary education in the district schools
and supplemented it by a short period of study in Witt. He put aside his
textbooks at the age of sixteen and began work as a. farmer. In 1895 he
began farming on his own account on the Miltchell farm, one mile southwest
of Witt, and in 1896 he removed to his present location, where he has since
resided, having here an excellent tract of land, which he has cultivated and
improved until it is now a valuable property, his well tilled fields
yielding to him golden harvests. He is also one of the directors of the
Central Illinois Creamery Company of Nokomis.
On the 6th of March, 1895, occurred the marriage of John W. Anderson and
Miss Sadie Bote, a daughter of Adam and Mary A. (Zeolzer) Bote. Her father
was born in Prussia, in 1826, and the mother's birth occurred in the same
country in 1831. She came to the United States about 1843, at which time she
settled in St. Louis, Missouri, and in 1846 Adam Bote crossed the Atlantic.
They were married in St. Louis in 1851 and subsequently became residents of
Montgomery county. The father has now passed away, but the mother is still
living in Witt. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have been born three children:
Chester C., eight years of age; Gladys L., who is seven years of age; and
Foster Shelby, who died in infancy and was buried in Nokomis cemetery.
Mrs. Anderson is a member of the Presbyterian church in Witt and is a most
estimable lady. Mr. Anderson gives his political support to the Republican
party and is now serving as highway commissioner and as school director and
secretary of the board. He has been very successful in his farming
operations since he started out in life for himself, and, although he is yet
a young man, he has nevertheless attained success which is enviable and
creditable.
Extracted 11 Apr 2020 by Norma Hass from 1904 Past and Present of Montgomery County, Illinois, by Jacob L. Traylor, pages 15-16.
