Biography - FRANZ JOSEPH WELTE

Franz Joseph Welte, who for two years has been conducting a machine shop in Carlinville, during which time he has demonstrated that he is a most capable workman, was born in Bondorf, Germany. He is the only child of Martin and Caroline (Bachmann) Welte, his natal day being the 17th of March, 1856. The father was a farmer in the vicinity of Reiberg, Germany, and died at Bondorf in 1865 at the age of thirty-five years. The mother lived until 1910 and was eighty-three at the time of her demise. Both were devout members of the Roman Catholic church. Of the grandparents little is known save that they were farmers and the paternal grandfather, Anton Welte, was the father of four children.

Franz Joseph Welte, who was only a lad of nine years when his father died, was reared by his mother, attending the common schools of his native land in the acquirement of his education. When he was fourteen he was apprenticed to learn the trade of wagonmaking, with which vocation he has now been identified for forty-one years. In 1879 he took passage for the United States and upon his arrival here first located in St. Louis, where he resided for a short time and then went to Troy, Madison county, Illinois. He lived in the latter place until 1909, when he came to Carlinville and bought the machine shop of Thomas McSherry, which he is still conducting. His shop is well equipped for doing all kinds of wagon and carriage repairing and he also does horse-shoeing. That he is a most capable workman is attested by the long period he followed his trade in Troy, this state, as well as by the satisfactory work he has done since living in Carlinville.

In December, 1888, Mr. Welte established a home for himself in America by his marriage to Miss Caroline Reutel, a daughter of August and Caroline (Stull) Reutel. She is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whence her parents removed to Troy, Illinois, where she was living at the time of her marriage. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Reutel; Elizabeth, the wife of John Schlichting; Caroline, now Mrs. Welte; August; Henry; Mary, the wife of Fred Pohenstiel; and William. Mr. and Mrs. Welte have one son, Franz August, who married Elnora Dorothy Rathke. While still a resident of Germany, Mr. Welte married Miss Frieda Gauter, who died in the fatherland, and they also had one son, Martin, who is now a resident of Carlinville, as is his second son, Franz August.

Mr. and Mrs. Welte are members of the Lutheran church, and he votes the republican ticket. He has never taken a very active part in political affairs, however, although he meets the requirements of good citizenship by casting a ballot at each election. He is an industrious, enterprising man, whose thrift has enabled him to acquire a comfortable competence that relieves him of any apprehensions as to his last years.

Extracted 17 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 572-575.