For over fifty years Charles W. Tietsort, of Medora, editor,
financier and successful business man, has been a resident of Illinois,
and during a large part of the time he has been actively and effectively
interested in the development of Macoupin county. Since 1895 he has been
closely connected with the Medora Messenger, of which he was the
founder, and which is one of the most reliable and progressive country
newspapers of the state. As a banker he, for many years, displayed an
ability and enterprise which greatly redounded to his credit and to that
of the community. He comes of one of the oldest colonial families of
America and was born at Cassopolis, Michigan, December 17, 1837, a son
of Abram V. and Rachel (Thompson) Tietsort. The father was born in
Butler county, Ohio, July 16, 1805, and the mother in Preble county,
Ohio, July 17, 1807.
The paternal branch of the family has been
traced to Staffordshire, England, where the old manor house still
stands. The Tietsorts were driven out of their native land through
political persecution in 1030 and took refuge in Holland. The original
English name was Tietsworth. The word “worth” is rendered “ort” in
Dutch, hence the change in the spelling to Tietsort. The emigrant
ancestors in America arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, from Holland
between 1620 and 1630 and a branch of the family from which Mr. Tietsort
of this review descends later settled in Sussex county, New Jersey. The
great-grandfather of our subject was Peter Tietsort, who was born in New
Jersey in 1744. He and a younger brother, William, removed to Kentucky,
and, after a number of years, to Butler county, Ohio, becoming with
their families pioneers of western Ohio. Peter Tietsort is known to have
had three children, the youngest of whom was Abram H., the grandfather
of our subject. Abram H. Tietsort was born February 6, 1777, in Sussex
county, New Jersey, and his wife, Margaret Banta, was born in New
Jersey, January 6, 1785. They had six children, of whom Abram V., the
father of our subject, was the eldest. In 1829 Abram H. and his son
Abram V. moved from Butler county with their families to Niles,
Michigan, where they operated a flatboat on the St. Joseph river for a
year. They then located on government land on the present site of
Cassopolis, the region being then a wilderness. The grandfather devoted
his attention to farming and the father ran a cabinet shop. They
continued at Cassopolis during the remainder of their lives. Abram H.
Tietsort died February 1, 1847, his son Abram V. having preceded him May
31, 1842. There were five children in the family of Abram V. and Rachel
Tietsort, the subject of this review being the youngest. The others
were: John, who lived at Cassopolis and is now deceased; Julia Ann, who
is a widow and now resides near Detroit, Michigan; and Perry Andrew and
Ira, who took up their residence at Detroit, Michigan, and are now
deceased. Mrs. Rachel (Thompson) Tietsort was married again, her second
husband being Rev. Joseph Byron, a cousin of Lord Byron, and to this
union four children were born: Melissa G., who is now the widow of
William Van Giesen, of Litchfield, Michigan; Linnie P., who is the wife
of Byron Warren, of Bellwood, Nebraska; Elizabeth R., who is the wife of
Deo Devereaux, of Blackbird, Nebraska; and Joseph E., who was killed in
a railway accident while serving as conductor of the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy Railway.
Mr. Tietsort of this review, having been
deprived of his father by death at five years of age, took up his
residence with Peter Tietsort, a distant relative, and grew to manhood
under his protection. He received his preliminary education in the
public schools of Michigan and in 1856, being then eighteen years of
age, he came to Illinois with his benefactor, the family locating on a
farm in Jersey county, near Fidelity. However, the young man was
attracted to other pursuits than that of farming and after a few months
he secured a position as clerk in a mercantile establishment at
Fidelity. Here he remained for about twelve years with the exception of
one year which he spent at Detroit, Michigan. In 1868 he removed to
Jerseyville, where he engaged in clerking for a year, at the end of
which time the store burned down. He returned to Fidelity and associated
with W. T. Whitfield, his father-in-law, purchasing the stock of Holden
& Miner. After a few months he disposed of his interest and went to
Kane, Illinois, where he ran a mill for D. Carmichael. In 1870 the mill
was closed down and Mr. Tietsort moved to Tecumseh, Nebraska, in the
spring of 1871, continuing there until the fall of 1873, when he
returned to Jerseyville, Illinois. For several years he served as
assistant cashier in the bank of Bowman & Ware, thus gaining practical
acquaintance with a line of business for which he showed special
adaptability. On March 1, 1877, the Bank of Medora was opened, of which
he was one of the organizers. He served as cashier of this institution
until January 1, 1898, a period of about twenty-one years, the bank
becoming known as one of the leading financial concerns of this part of
the state. Upon the date last named he disposed of his interest and
retired. In 1895 he started with his son Walter B. the Medora Messenger,
with which he is stdl actively connected. He is also a stockholder and
director of the State Bank of Jerseyville and is a stockholder in the
Medora Telephone Company, of which he was formerly a director.
In 1862 Mr. Tietsort was married to Miss Emily Jane Whitfield, a
daughter of Wilson T. and Nancy Jane (Kuhn) Whitfield. One child,
Charles Henry, was born to this union October 12, 1863, who married
Margaret M. Little and is now living in El Paso, Texas. Mr. Tietsort was
married to Miss Cornelia Frances Bowman, a daughter of Charles H. and
Mary (Hooper) Bowman, residents of Jerseyville. The father was born in
Jersey county, a son of Elisha Bowman, of Vermont, who was born in 1795
and came to Illinois in the early ’20s, settling in Jersey county. He
died October 21, 1870. To the union of Charles W. and Cornelia F.
Tietsort one child, Walter B., was born October 8, 1879. He is now in
charge of the Medora Messenger. He married Miss Velma Lane, a daughter
of Dr. J. H. Lane, of Medora, and they have two children: Dorothea L.,
who was born June 13, 1907; and Eleanor Frances, born December 7, 1908.
Mr. Tietsort, whose name stands at the head of this sketch, is
well known in fraternal circles and holds membership in the Odd Fellows
and in Fidelity Lodge, No. 152, A. F. & A. M., of Medora, being
secretary of the latter organization. He has for many years been
connected with the Illinois State Press Association and has several
times been sent as a delegate to the National Press Association. His
study of political and social conditions has made him a prohibitionist
but he has never sought public office, preferring to devote his
attention to private business affairs. He is recognized as a man of
unusual intelligence, thoroughly competent in the discharge of every
responsibility to which he may aspire and one who always has at heart
the best interests of the community. Successful financially, he is now
enjoying the results of many years of wisely applied effort and at the
same time possesses the respect and confidence of the people to an
extent accorded to few men in Macoupin county.
Extracted 14 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 320-322.
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