Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Waters, Jonas 
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com March 25, 2006, 12:55 pm

Author: Bio/Gen Record LaSalle/Grundy 1900

Jonas Waters

Jonas Waters, son of William and Bathenia (Booth) Waters, was born February 
22, 1851, on his father’s old homestead in Mazon township, Grundy county, 
Illinois, and is a twin brother of George Waters, a biographical sketch of 
whom appears in this work. He attended the public schools and was, in a very 
practical way, instructed in all that pertains to successful farming. He was 
married December 3, 1871, in Gardner, Illinois, to Miss Alvaretta Whitesel, 
who was born in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1853, a daughter of 
John N. and Susan (Truby) Whitesel and a granddaughter of Jonathan and Susan 
(Wensel) Whitesel, of Pennsylvania Dutch stock. Jonathan Whitesel was a tanner 
and pioneer in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, where he settled in the woods, 
cleared up a farm, built a sawmill and operated both the farm and the sawmill 
and prospered very satisfactorily. He married September 17, 1815, and his 
children were named John N., Elizabeth, Susan, James P., Diana, Catherine, 
Jonathan and Mary E. He was a man of strong religious opinion and of high 
moral character, a Presbyterian and a Democrat. He died July 1, 1875, aged 
eighty-five years, having been a widower since July 1, 1854. His father came 
to Pennsylvania in early days and died aged ninety-three.  

John N. Whitesel was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, March 30, 
1816, and his educational advantages were limited to those afforded by the 
common schools. He married Susan Truby, October 6, 1842. Miss Truby was born 
in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Christopher and Elizabeth 
(McCoy) Truby, of Pennsylvania Dutch extraction, who had other children named 
James, John and Margaret, who died many years ago. Mr. Truby died when about 
seventy years of age. They were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal 
church. John N. Whitesel settled on his father’s homestead in Armstrong 
county, Pennsylvania, and farmed and operated the sawmill on the place for 
many years. In 1867 he came to Illinois, bringing his family with him, and on 
the first day of April located at Gardner, Grundy county, Illinois. Not long 
afterward he settled in Good Farm township, Grundy county, on eighty acres of 
land, which he improved and on which he lived until 1883, when he removed to 
Adams county, Nebraska, and settled on an improved farm of two hundred and 
forty acres, where he died December 30, 1891, aged seventy-five years and nine 
months. He was a Democrat and a Presbyterian, a man of public spirit, 
especially devoted to the common schools, for many years a school commissioner 
and long an elder in his church. He was held in high esteem by his fellow 
citizens, and died regretted by all who knew him. His children, all born in 
Pennsylvania, were as follows:  Mary E.; Lobana C.; Jonathan L.; Johanna, who 
died in Pennsylvania, aged eight years; Alvaretta; James P., who died in 
Pennsylvania, aged six years; Christopher T.; John E.; and William C.  Mary F. 
was the only one of the surviving children of Mr. Whitesel who did not come 
west with him. She had married Isaac Wible and located in Pennsylvania.

Jonas Waters and his wife settled in Mazon township, in 1872, on one hundred 
and twenty acres of land which Mr. Waters rented. They removed to their farm 
in Maine township, March 8, 1876. The place then consisted of eighty-six acres 
under considerable improvement. By hard work and good management Mr. Waters 
has added to his acreage until it has expanded to three hundred and twenty-
nine acres.  In 1895 he built a tasteful two-story residence, which bears many 
evidences of refinement and is one of the model homes of the township. In all 
the years of struggle which have thus brought their substantial reward to Mr. 
Waters he has been ably assisted by his faithful and helpful wife, who has 
proven herself a helpmeet to him in the best sense of the term. Recently Mr. 
Waters has erected a very pleasant residence in the village of Mazon, and is 
now living retired there, enjoying the rest which he has truly earned and 
richly deserves.

Mr. Waters is a prominent Republican and a member of the Republican central 
committee of Grundy county. He was for three years town trustee, is a justice 
of the peace and has been for thirteen years a member of the district school 
board. His interest in education impels him to do everything in his power to 
improve the standard of the public schools. He has won the success of the self-
made man and has a right to be proud of what he has achieved. No man in his 
township has a higher reputation for uprightness and integrity and all of the 
other attributes of the good and useful citizen. He began the battle of life 
aggressively at the age of eighteen and has fought a tireless and winning 
fight.

Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Waters have two sons, — Clarence B., born May 27, 1876, and 
Ollin W., born March 8, 1889, and they brought up from childhood Mrs. Waters’ 
niece, Clara A. Whitesel, daughter of Lobana C. Whitesel, whom they educated 
and treated in every respect as if she had been their own daughter, and who is 
now the wife of William Spence, a well-known Grundy county farmer. Their borne 
is a pleasant one, characterized by refinement, and is presided over by Mrs. 
Waters in a manner well calculated to impress the visitor with its generous 
hospitality.

It will be interesting in this connection to note something of the history of 
Clarence Waters, who is now operating the farm belonging to his father, Jonas 
Waters. He was reared under the parental roof, enjoying such privileges, 
opportunities and pleasures as are usually afforded to farmer lads. He was 
married January 25, 1900, in Norman township, Grundy county, to Miss Jessie 
May Renne, and thus became connected with another of the old and distinguished 
pioneer families. Her grandfather is one of the few remaining pioneers of 
Grundy county, his residence here dating from 1848.  He was born March 11, 
1812, at Cairo, Greene county, New York, son of James and Sarah (Smith) Renne. 
His father was the son of John Renne, who was twice married, his second wife 
being Miss Effie Wood. John Renne was born in 1735, in Rennes, France. He and 
his two brothers crossed the Atlantic to Canada at an early day. The brothers 
afterward returned to France, and it was reported that they were drowned. John 
Renne was captured in 1759 in the war against France and brought to 
Connecticut. He settled at Tower Hill, in Dutchess county, New York, locating 
on a farm, and later removed with a company of pioneers to Greene county, New 
York, making the journey with ox carts. There he developed a new farm. He had 
three children—Samuel, Peter and Sally,—by his first wife. The mother died in 
Connecticut, and he afterward wedded Miss Effie Wood, their children being 
James, John, Richard, Stephen, Polly, Phoebe, Susan and Lucy. John Renne died 
and is buried in Greene county, New York. He owned there two hundred acres of 
land and was a substantial agriculturist and an upright citizen. For many 
years he served as a deacon in the Presbyterian church and died in that faith, 
May 14, 1822.

James Renne, great-grandfather of Mrs. Waters, was born at Tower Hill, New 
York, in 1773, and during his early boyhood accompanied his parents to Greene 
county, that state, where he became a farmer. He inherited a portion of the 
old homestead and purchased the remainder. He married Miss Sally Smith, of 
Greene county, and their children were Smith, Horace, Justin, James, George, 
Eleanor, Effie, Emeline, Lucy A. and Sarah J. Mr. Renne resided on his farm in 
Greene county until his death in 1830. He was a man of sterling worth and 
greatly respected. He held the office of justice of the peace for several 
years and was the administrator of several estates. He was frequently called 
upon to arbitrate difficulties, for his justice was one of his strongest 
characteristics. For forty years his decisions as justice of the peace were 
not reversed. He was a man of excellent legal attainments and acquired his 
success through his own efforts. He owned a good farm of one hundred and 
seventy-five acres and his capable management of his farming operations 
brought to him a comfortable competence.

Justin Renne, the grandfather of Mrs. Waters, obtained a good education, 
pursuing a high school course. He was reared to the work of the farm, but for 
a time followed the sea and later worked at tanning, stonecutting and bridge 
building. He also engaged in boating on the Hudson river when a young man. He 
was married in Greene county, New York, October 3, 1837, to Miss Maria 
Hinchman, who was born at Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, New York, August 23, 
1809, a daughter of Obadiah Hinchman. Her father was of English descent, was 
born in Long Island, was a mechanic by trade and died in the Empire state. His 
children were William, Maria, Jane, John, Alfred, Sarah and Elizabeth. After 
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Justin Renne located on the old Renne homestead, a 
part of which he inherited. There they resided until their emigration 
westward. He engaged in business as a stone-mason, did much bridge-building 
and became a very skillful mechanic, taking many contracts for the stone work 
on bridges along the line of the New York and New Haven Railroad, receiving as 
high as four dollars per day for his services, which was considered excellent 
wages at that time. In 1848 he removed to Illinois, making the journey by way 
of the Hudson river, the Erie canal and Lake Erie to Detroit, thence by Lake 
Michigan to Chicago. He first settled in that city, but did no business there. 
In June, 1848, he came by way of the Illinois and Michigan canal to Morris on 
the first boat that ran through to Rock Island. In July he located upon the 
present farm, then a tract of wild land, and on the 14th of September, 1849, 
purchased the property, consisting of one hundred acres, which he has 
transformed into a very fertile and valuable tract. He was one of the early 
constables of Grundy county, and served in that capacity from 1849 until 1876. 
He was also the first supervisor of Vienna township, holding the position for 
eight years after its organization. He is a man of excellent judgment and much 
natural ability, and has long been regarded as one of the valued citizens and 
honored pioneers of Grundy county. In politics he is a stanch Democrat. His 
children are Ferdinand, George, Jerome, Isabel, Douglass and Horace, all born 
in the Empire state.

George C. Renne, the father of Mrs. Clarence B. Waters, and a son of Justin 
Renne, was born in New York, February 23, 1840, and was about eight years old 
when he came with his parents to Illinois, where he was reared upon the 
pioneer farm. He acquired a common-school education, and during the civil war 
he joined the army as a private in Company D, Seventy-second Illinois 
Infantry, with which he served for three years. He participated in a number of 
battles, including the siege of Vicksburg. Becoming disabled, he was in the 
hospital for a time and never fully recovered, but rejoined his regiment and 
again took part in active service. After the -war he returned to Grundy county 
and was married November 5, 1867, in Norman township, to Harriet M. Allen, who 
was born in New Hampshire, May 11, 1846, a daughter of Rodney Allen. They have 
two children, — Lorena E., who was born September 23, 1870, and Jessie M., 
born July 24, 1873. The former was married February 2, 1898, to George W. 
Smith, a hardware merchant at Smithshire, Illinois. The latter is the wife of 
Clarence B. Waters. Mr. Renne still resides upon his farm and is a progressive 
agriculturist of the community. His wife and daughter are members of the 
Universalist church, and the family is one of prominence it, the community. In 
politics he is a stanch Republican, and has served in several township 
offices, including that of township clerk. He was a very loyal soldier during 
the war of the rebellion and is a highly respected citizen. Mr. and Mrs. 
Clarence B. Waters reside upon the old Waters homestead, for his parents are 
living in Mazon, where his father, Jonas Waters, has recently erected a 
tasteful, modern residence. He purchased seven lots there and is now spending 
his days in quiet retirement from business, while his son Clarence operates 
the home farm, managing affairs with signal ability.

Additional Comments:
Source:  Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle and Grundy County, 
Illinois, Volume 11, Chicago, 1900, p488-492

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