A. W. BETTS is living on section 32, Whitefield township, and owns a good farming property comprising the south half of the southeast quarter of section 32 and also eighty acres constituting the west half of the southwest quarter of section 33. He is one of the native sons of Whitefield township, where his birth occurred on the 3d of February, 1855. His parents were John and Christina (GRIFT) BETTS, both natives of Germany. The father was born in Wurtemberg and came to the United States in 1848, at which time he made his way into the interior of the country and took up his abode upon a farm in Whitefield township. His entire life has since been given to general agricultural pursuits and he has long been numbered among the well known and prominent farmers of his community. It was after his arrival in this country that he married Christina GRIFT and unto them have been born six children, of whom four are yet living, namely: A. W., of this review; Margaret, the wife of John RHEINBECK, a resident farmer of Saratoga township; Amy, the wife of Edward RHEINBECK, who carries on farming in La Prairie township; and Henry, who is devoting his energies to general agricultural pursuits in Whitefield township.
Reared under the parental roof, A. W. BETTS early became familiar with the work of the farm and when the labors of the field were finished for the year he would attend the district schools near his father's home. He continued on the old homestead until he had attained his majority and then began farming on his own account, removing to his present place of residence in Whitefield township. Here he has one hundred and sixty acres of rich and arable land situated on sections 32 and 33. It responds readily to the care and improvement placed upon it, so that he annually harvests good crops. The farm is also improved with modern equipments and in all of his work he is progressive and enterprising, being thoroughly familiar with the best methods of carrying on general agricultural pursuits.
On the 29th of May, 1878, Mr. BETTS was united in marriage to Miss Eliza DOYLE, of Saratoga, a daughter of Thomas DOYLE, and they are now pleasantly located on their farm in Whitefield township. Mr. BETTS is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Sparland lodge, No. 441, A. F. & A. M. His political allegiance is given to the democracy and while he has never been prominent as a politician in the sense of office seeking he served as assessor for Whitefield township in 1904.
Extracted July 2011 by Norma Hass from Past and Present of Marshall and Putnam Counties Illinois, 1907.
| Bureau | Putnam | |
| Stark |
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La Salle |
| Peoria | Woodford |
