Biography - Samuel Welch
SAMUEL H. WELCH, a prominent farmer of Montgomery County, is located on section 11, Pitman Township, where he owns a fine farm. Mr. Welch was born in Muhlenburg County, Ky., September 11, 1833, and is the son of Jesse and Sarah (Landers) Welch. The father of our subject was a native of Kentucky, and his ancestors were of Irish blood, while the mother was of German descent.
In Kentucky our subject was reared and there he gained his education, which was limited, as in those days comparatively little attention was paid to mental training. The log cabin was a shelter, if not a very good one; the slab benches could rest weary little limbs; the big chimney could keep the temperature as near from freezing as it was in many of the pioneer homes; and the teacher could wield the birch, which boys of all ages were supposed to need.
In the fall of 1854, Mr. Welch came to Illinois, and for several years worked on a farm, and earned about $16 a month. This was considered good wages and the young man, with no expensive habits and the hope of a home of his own in the future, was able to save a great part of his earnings. His marriage took place August 26, 1858, to Miss Arminda C. Orr, who was a native of Sangamon County, Ill., and was born December 27, 1840. She was the daughter of Andrew and Honor (Rieger) Orr, natives respectively of Virginia and Tennessee. Her parents were early settlers of Sangamon County, Ill., to which place her father had come when a boy. They are deceased, but five of their children survive, namely: Elizabeth, the wife of Marion Caliss; Newton, James, Thomas, and the wife of our subject.
To Mr. and Mrs. Welch have been born eight children: Charles, Nora (deceased), William, Clifford, Benjamin; Maggie, who became the wife of George Carroll; Samuel and Ettie. For many years Mr. Welch was operating rented farms in Sangamon and Montgomery Counties, but in the spring of 1878 he came to Montgomery County, and, after renting for a time, bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres under a good state of cultivation, upon which he has placed many improvements. His position in politics is with the Democratic party, and he has taken some part in local affairs. For three years he has served as .Highway Commissioner of Pitman Township, and has favored all the improvements in the county.
The Baptist Church finds in Mr. Welch and his good wife two most worthy members, and in the neighborhood they are held in high regard. There is pleasure in presenting people such as these as representatives of old Montgomery County. The pioneer days have gone by in this State, but the memories of those days should be cherished, and those who endured the heat and burden of the day should be remembered by those for whom so many sacrifices have been made.
Extracted 10 Jan 2017 by Norma Hass from 1892 Portrait and Biographical Record of Montgomery and Bond Counties, Illinois, page 424.
