Biography - William White
William WHITE, farmer, was born in Italy, near Venice, April 24, 1816, to John and Ellen (MURRY) WHITE, who were also natives of Italy; was education as a seaman, and was on the ocean from the time he was five years old, and made his last trip in 1837, when he followed steamboating on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. In 1846, he came to Jefferson County, Ill.; farmed in summer, and was on the river in winter; in 1851, he removed to Morgan County, where he followed only farming - being compelled to give up navigation on account of an accident in dislocating his shoulder - where he remained until the spring of 1865, when he came to his present residence, where he has since remained, engaged in farming; when he came here, he bought 100 acres of land; there were but few improvements, and only a small house; he now has a large house, which shows that he is as well adapted to farming as he was to navigation. He was married, in 1835, in Arkansas, to Delia THOMPSON, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, born in 1828; she died in 1881; she bore him four daughters and three sons; his son, John H. WHITE, was in the Federal army, under Gen. Sherman, as a member of a regiment from this State; he was wounded, and died sixteen months after he returned home. Mr. WHITE has been selected for office at different times, but has uniformly declined all such honors; self and family are members of the Methodist Church, he having held connection with that church since 1850; is an Odd Fellow, and helped to get a charter for the lodge located at Mt. Vernon; is a Republican.
Extracted 20 Nov 2016 by Norma Hass from 1882 History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 2 Biographical Department, pages 241-242.
