Moultrie County IL Archives Bios.....Kanitz, William
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Sarah Howard sjhoward375@yahoo.com


Extracted from: Portrait and Biographical Record of Shelby and  Moultrie
Counties, Illinois; Pages 344 and 347; Chicago: Biographical Publishing,
1891; Moultrie County, Illinois.


WILLIAM KANITZ. One of the substantial farmers of the township and a man
who, having had experience in two countries in his chosen  calling,  and
having profited by the example and results in original experiments among
the Germans in an agricultural way, Mr. Kanitz has been enabled to  make
a success of buccolic life, that while it has not been void of  pleasure
and beauty, has been an advantage  to  him  pecuniarily.  He  is  now  a
resident on section 34, of Lowe Township, Moultrie  County,  whereon  he
has a fine farm that boasts of the best improvements. It is  as  fertile
and prolific as constant cultivation and intelligent care will make it.

Mr. Kanitz is a native of Germany, as his name  would  indicate,  having
been born in Saxony, March 26, 1830, and being a  son  of  Godfried  and
Theresa Kanitz. There were seven children in the family, four  sons  and
three daughters, and of these three sons were attracted  to  the  United
States by the superior advantages that it  offered  young  men  who  are
industrious and ambitious to acquire homes and fortunes for  themselves.
The three who came hither are Charles,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Moultrie
County, Edward, who, however,  was  killed  by  lightning  in  Christian
County, this State, and our subject.

The original of our sketch passed his boyhood on the farm in his  native
land, and in addition to the manifold duties of the farmer's lad,  which
he early learned, he acquired the miller's trade, and  having  this  for
his main resource, in 1853, accompanied by his brother Charles, he  came
to the United States. Their passage hither was made in a sailing  vessel
which landed in New Orleans, and in that strange cosmopolitan city, they
met many of their own countrymen, and divers were the advices given  the
young men as to the best place to locate, but with  a  customary  German
confidence in one's  own  judgement,  they  determined  to  decide  that
important matter for  themselves.  They  went  to  St.  Louis  and  were
occupied in that city as common laborers. At the time, our  subject  was
afflicted with that dread disease which attacks many foreigners who have
not yet become acclimated, and many a time, while shaking with ague, has
he longed for his native land, but he was in the position of the general
who had burned his bridges behind him, for he was without money, and  so
obliged to remain here.

In 1854, he of whom we write came to this State and located in  Sangamon
County, where he was engaged for several years  as  a  farm  hand.  From
there he went to Marion County, and four years later, in 1871,  he  came
to Moultrie County, first settling in Arthur, where  he  purchased  some
land, a part of which, however, he donated  for  railroad  purposes.  In
1874 he traded this land for that which he now owns in Lowe Township. He
is now the proprietor of three hundred and  sixty  acres  of  good  land
which bears fair improvement. Although he is a general farmer, for  some
years he has followed stock-raising and in that specialty has made great
advancement in the breeding of fine stock.

Mr. Kanitz, while in St. Louis, took upon himself  the  responsibilities
and obligations of married life. In 1856  he  was  married  to  Caroline
Hines, who was born in Lowenstein, Germany. She came  with  our  subject
and one brother to this country, and the friendship that was  formed  on
the way over ripened into an affection that  ended  in  a  wedding.  Mr.
Kanitz's brother, with whom she came hither, was by name Frank Hines who
died later in Montana.

Mr. and Mrs. Kanitz are the parents of nine  children  whose  names  are
Richard, Frank, Henry, Joseph, Charles, Emma, Josephine, Ella and  Anna.
They are all bright and intelligent young people, who are bound to  make
themselves a place in the world. Politically our subject is a  Democrat,
his early training prepairing him for a recognition of  the  merits  and
advantages of that party. In his church relations, he with  amiable  and
admirable wife who has ever been a loving and tender helpmate to him and
a fond and careful mother, is a Baptist.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/moultrie/bios/KanitzWmbio.txt