In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1911) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial (1911), Portrait and biographical record of Macoupin county, Illinois (1891)
EORGE W. ARNETT, who is now living in jt retirement in one of the attractive homes S of Carlinville, his handsome residence finely located on College Avenue, is still connected with the agricultural interests of this county as the proprietor of one of the many highly improved farms found within its bounds. He is a son of one of the early pioneers of this section of the State, and though a native of Overton County, Tenn., born there" June 24, 1829, the most of his life has been passed here, and he has lived to see the country develop from a wilderness to a well settled and flourishing community, with beautiful farms and busy towns, and with well-locked pastures of fine horses and cattle where formerly deer, bears, wolves and other wild animals roamed at will over wild and uncultivated prairies or through the forest growths on the banks of the streams. " Our subject is of sturdy Scotch descent. His father, Thomas Arnett, was born in North Carolina in 1804. and w.as a son of John Arnett, who is supposed to have been born in the same State, whence he removed to Tennessee and was a [.ioneerof that State. In 1829 he came from there to this State and was one of the early settlers of Morgan County, ' where he dwelt until 1834..and then came to this county where he died in 1876.
Thomas Arnett was ten years old when his parents went to Tennessee, crossing the mountains with pack liorses and carts. He grew to man's estate amid ioii'-cr sii noun (lings, and continued to live in Tennessee until 1821). In the meantime he had taiven unto himself a wife in the prison of Elizuheth C. a daughter of Jeplha and Winifred (Harrison) Reeder. who was born in Virginia in 1805. In the year mentioned, ho starteil forth from his old home to push forward to the frontier to try life in the wilds of the State of Illinois, accompanied on his momentous journey by his wife and three children, and traveling with a yoke of oxen and a wagon, in which all their earthly possessions were conveyed. Camping and cooking by the wayside at night-fall, the little family proceeded slowly to their destination. On their arrival in IVIorgan County Mr. Arnctt rented land on Buck Horn Prairie, and dwelt there until 1834, when he pulled up states and coming to Macoupin County, became a pioneer of what is now Bird Township. At that time this legion had but few white seUlers, and the greater part of the land was held by the Government and for sale at*1.25 an acre. The father of our subject rented land for a time and then bought a tract in the same township). He worked steadily at the pioneer t.ask of preparing his land for cultivation and making improvements" and on the farm that he developed he spent his remaining d.iys. His wife also died thereon. They were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom were reared to maturity.
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As soon as large enough to be of assistance, Mr. Arnctt had to work on the farm, and he helped his father until he was twenty-one. At that age he engage,] with his unci in farming in Bird Township, remaining with him three years. At the expiration of that time he rented the farm for a period of two years, and then bought land on section 9, of the same township. A log cabin ami a small tract of broken prairie constituted the improvements at the time of the durch.ase. Our subject erected a comfortable frame house, which he later replaced by a more modern and commodious residence, besides making many other substantial improvements, that ni.ade that farm one of the best in its vicinity. It comprises two hundred ami ten.acres of farming land and forty acres of choice I timber. In 1888 he rented his farm and retired to I ins present )le.asant home on College Avenue, Carlinvillo, where he and his amiable wife can enjoy the fruits of their years of industry at their leisure. They are among the most worthy members of the Baptist Church, as they carry their religion into their every-day lives and in all things do.is they would be done by. Their pl.ice in the community is among our best people, and they are field in universal esteem.
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As Ijefore stated, our subject inherits many of the Southern inclinations and tastes from his parents, who were both natives of Kentucky. His father was the late.James Mahan, born in Bourbon County, Ky. His mother was Elizabeth Ann Endicott, wno was born in Fayette County, of the same State. After marriage their first home was made in their native State, where they lived for a few years and then cured by the inducements that llie Central States offer to industry and energy, they removed to Rush County, Ind., and lived there for several years.
In the fall of cither 1849 or 1850, Mr. and Mrs. Mahan. Sr., came to Morgan County, Ill., and lived for one winter near "Waverly. They then came to Macoupin County, and settled in South Otter Township, remaining there for about one year. A change was made to the southeast part of North Palmyra Township, where they remained until the father died, in November, 1868. The mother died in South Palmyra Township, in July, 1889. They had ten children, of whom our subject w.as the third.
Thomas Malian was born in Rush County, Ind.,.January 6, 1837. There be passed the early ye.ivs of his life to the age of about eleven years, when he came to Illinois with his parents. He enjoyed good common-school educational advantages during his boyhood, assisting his parents with the work incident to farm life in the intervals. He remained under his father's roof until his marriage. The lad- whom he invited to preside over his home was Miss Sarah Ditson, and their marriage was celebrated October 4, 1860, in North Otter Township. The lady's iwrenls were.Jesse and Nancy (Tosh) Ditson, natives of New York and Ohio respectively. Thcy were married in Sangamon County, and soon after moved to North Otter Township, being among the early- settlers in this place. The father passed away here in March, 1863. The mother died in North Palmyra Township,.January 17, 1887. The)' were the parents of three children, of whom Mrs. Mahan w.as the youngest. Slie was born in North Otter Township, April 16, 1843.
Soon after the marriage of our subject, he with his wife settled on section 6, South Otter Township, of which he has since been a resident. He has always been faithful to his chosen calling, which is that of agriculture, but makes a specialtyof dealing in stock, and in this particular department has built up a fine and lucrative business. He is the owner of a fine farm of two bnndred and sixty acres. The bouse is well appointed and adapted perfect! to rural life, while all necessary outbuildings are conveniently arranged for the storage of grain and the shelter of stock. Mr. Mahan and his estimalde wife arc the parents of twelve children: Nancy K.; Preston G.,who married Miss Anna Arnett; Charles S.; Carrie B., who is the wife of (george Hays; Ida L., who is the wife of Harry Potter; Hattio A.; Minnie S.; Thomas M.; Walter S.; Ethel M.; Cynthia L. and Cecil.
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As printed in Portrait and biographical record of Macoupin county, Illinois (1891). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
GEORGE WASHINGTON ARNETT.
Although he has passed his eighty-second year on life’s journey, George Washington Arnett, who is now living retired at Carlinville, is greatly interested in the continued development of Macoupin county, having been a resident of this county since 1834. He has been a witness of the changes from the wild prairie io the beautiful farms, dotted with homes, which are supplied with all the comforts of modern life. It is doubtful whether there is any other man in the county who is more familiar with the progress of this section than Mr. Arnett.
He was born in Overton county, Tennessee, near Monroe, June 24, 1829, and comes of pioneers on both sides of the house, being a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Reeder) Arnett. The father was a native of North Carolina and the mother of Virginia. In 1829 he removed with his family from Tennessee to Illinois and engaged in farming for two or three years in Morgan county, near Jacksonville. He then moved to a farm near Waverly, where he also spent several years, at the end of which time he came to Macoupin county and settled in Bird township, becoming the owner of about two hundred acres of land there. He died in 1874, at the age of about seventy years. His wife died in 1863, being then about fifty-eight years of age. He was a member of the Methodist church, while his wife held membership in the Presbyterian church. An industrious and progressive citizen, he was always willing to perform his part in forwarding the interests of the community and served for a number of years as justice of the peace and also as township treasurer. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Arnett were twelve children, nine of whom grew to maturity: Nancy, who married Holiday Peebles and is now deceased; Martha, who became the wife of William Wiggins and is also deceased; George Washington, the subject of this review; John H., who is deceased; Sarah, who married George Wallace and is deceased; Paschal L., of Wichita, Kansas; James, deceased; Thomas, also deceased; and William, a resident of Oregon.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was John Arnett, who was a na five of North Carolina and of Scotch descent. He engaged in farming and was also a blacksmith. He married Rebecca Comer and moved to Tennessee, but in 1833 settled in Morgan county, Illinois, where they continued during the remainder of their lives. Mr. Arnett died at the age of sixty-two and his wife at the age of seventy-six years. In their family were twelve children, among whom were William, Thomas, John, Peter, Mary, Susan, Sarah, Nancy, Rebecca and Martha. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Jeptha Reeder. He was a native of Virginia but moved to Tennessee and in 1833 came to Illinois and settled in Western Mound township, Macoupin county, where he continued until his death, which occurred when he was sixty-two years old. His wife was Winnie Fritty Harrison. She lived to the age of seventy-six years and was the mother of twelve children, eleven daughters and one son, five of whom died in early childhood, the others being Nancy, Elizabeth, Brown, Margaret, Mar tha, Rebecca and Paschal L. The great-grandfather of our subject on the material side was James Harrison.
At the age of three months George W. Arnett was brought by his parents to Morgan county, Illinois, and he has lived in Macoupin county since he was five years of age. He grew to manhood in Bird township, where he possessed advantages of attendance at the old-fashioned subscription school. At twenty-one years of age he began working out by the month and then rented land for two years, which he cultivated on his own account. Plaving acquired sufficient capital, he purchased ninety acres of land and built a comfortable home, devoting his attention to such good purpose as a farmer and stock-raiser that he became the owner of two hundred and fifty acres in this county. Since 1889 he has lived at Carlinville, retired.
On the lath of October, 1852, Mr. Arnett was married to Serena Elizabeth Lasater, a daughter of Enoch and Charity (Hill) Lasater, and four children have been born to this union: Viola, of Carlinville, who is the widow of Elra P. Deeds and the mother of two children, Walter and Mary; Horace W., who married Mary Wills and died at the age of twenty-two years; Lilly M., who became the wife 0/ H. C. Wilhite, of Greenfield, Illinois, and has one son,
George M.; and George B., a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work.
Mrs. Arnett was born in Greene county, Illinois, February 3, 1836. Her parents were natives of Tennessee, her mother having been born near Nashville. They came to Illinois among the pioneers that settled in Greene county and the father died there when he was about thirty-five years old. He was the father of six children, Eliza Ann, Serena Elizabeth, Mary Ellen, Almira, Matilda Jane and a son who was killed by a tree falling on him when he was eight years old. Mrs. Lasater married a second time, her husband being John Court ney, and they came to Macoupin county and settled in Bird township, where she died when she was about sixty-eight years. By her second marriage she became the mother of two children who lived to maturity: Carroll C., of Waverly; and Cyrus B., of Carlinville. The grandfather of Mrs. Arnett on the paternal side was Stanford Lasater, who married a Miss Copeland, and the grand father on the material side was Abner Hill, a native of North Carolina. His wife was Anna Johnson. They were pioneers of Bird township, Macoupin county, and were the parents of ten children, among whom were Mary, Anna, Charity, William, Robert, Abner, Lewis and Thomas.
Mr. and Mrs. Arnett accept the Bible as a divine revelation and are both consistent members of the Baptist church. In politics Mr. Arnett affiliates with the democratic party. Recognizing his duties as a citizen, he filled most of the township offices during his active years, serving with general satisfaction to the people as supervisor, assessor, collector, school trustee and school director. Throughout life he has had an abiding sense of justice and honor and he has always aimed to follow the principles of the golden rule, thus earning the confidence of neighbors and of all who have had the honor of his acquaintance. As a result he is one of the most respected and venerated men in Macoupin county.
As printed in History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial (1911). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: George Washington
The printed record stops around 1911. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.