HENRY
RITTENHOUSE, a farmer, living near Cave in Rock, Hardin county, Ill., is one
of the best known men in his locality. He was born in Switzerland county,
Ind., Oct. 14, 1840. When he was about four years old his parents removed to
Schuyler county. Ill., where he grew to manhood and received his education
in the public schools. On Oct. 7, 1861, just a week before he reached his
majority, he enlisted as a private in Company G, Twenty-eighth Illinois
volunteer infantry, and was mustered in at Rushville. The regiment was
ordered to Kentucky and while there employed in the construction of some
earth works Mr. Rittenhouse was seriously ruptured. For some time he
remained in the hospital and on Dec. 17, 1861, was discharged from the
service on account of his disability. On Sept. 16, 1863, he was married to
Miss Charlotte Persinger, who was born and reared in Schuyler county, her
parents being Allen and Paulina (Peters) Persinger. About two months after
his marriage Mr. Rittenhouse came with his wife to Hardin county, where he
rented land until 1875, when he bought forty acres, about half of which was
cleared, and lived on that place for five years. He then removed to the
place where he now lives. The farm is known as the "Jackson Farm," contains
188 acres, and is one of the best in the neighborhood. Mr. Rittenhouse
carries on a general farming business and devotes considerable attention to
stockraising. He is one of the leading Republicans in his part of the
county, and was elected on that ticket to the office of county commissioner
for a term of three years. The only fraternal organization to claim him as a
member is the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he belongs to the post at
Cave in Rock. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Rittenhouse are Rosa, Laura,
Peyton, William A., Hattie and Pennington. Rosa died at the age of six
months; Laura and Peyton were twins; Peyton died and Laura is the wife of
Joseph Riggs living near; William is an attorney and abstractor of titles in
Chicago; was educated at the Northern Indiana normal, at Valparaiso, read
law with Col. Dick Taylor, and practiced for a while at Shawneetown. In
Chicago he was associated with Mr. Deneen, who was elected governor of
Illinois in 1904. Hattie and Pennington were twins. The latter died and the
former is now the county superintendent of the Hardin county schools. She
was educated at the normal school at Carbondale and began teaching at the
age of seventeen. Mrs. Rittenhouse is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. The daughter is a Baptist.
Extracted 2016 May 15 by Norma Hass from Memoirs of the Lower Ohio Valley, Personal and Genealogical with Portraits, published in 1905, Volume 2, page 397
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