My Genealogy Hound

William Lininger is numbered among the younger farmers of Platte township who by their progressiveness and activity have gained a prominent place in agricultural circles. He owns and operates three hundred and thirty acres of land which is very rich and arable and upon this place he has made his home since 1899. He is a native son of Union county, having been born in Platte township about a quarter of a mile east of his present home on the 28th of November, 1867. His father is Osben Lininger, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this work.

William Lininger is the only survivor in a family of three children and upon the home farm he was reared, early becoming familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. His educational privileges were those afforded by the district school and he remained with his father up to the time of his marriage, which was celebrated on the 17th of March, 1897, the lady of his choice being Miss Velretta Huffman, a native of Princeton, Bureau county, Illinois, and a daughter of Thomas Huffman, one of the early settlers of Douglas township.

Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. William Lininger lived with his father for two years or more and in 1896 he bought one hundred acres of good land on section 32, Platte township, where he now resides. He has made this a beautifully improved property, in the midst of which stands a modern two story residence, while not far distant are good barns, corn cribs and other outbuildings that are features of the model farm of the twentieth century. He has a large hog shed with cement foundations and in fact has a splendidly equipped farm in every particular. Since making his first purchase he has bought one hundred and twenty acres on sections 28 and 29 and still later bought one hundred and ten acres adjoining, which he has also improved with a good house and large barn. The home farm is enclosed with woven wire fence, which also divides it into fields of convenient size, and in addition to cultivating the cereals best adapted to soil and climatic conditions he raises good grades of stock and has fed stock for several years, making a specialty of Duroc Jersey hogs. His father was the first man in Union county to breed the red hog and they yet successfully handle that breed.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lininger have been born five children: Ruth, Ellen Jeannette, Florence, Vida Fern and Buryl, all of whom are yet under the parental roof and are attending the public schools.

At state and national elections Mr. Lininger votes with the democracy but at local elections he casts an independent ballot, nor has he ever sought or cared for office. He and his wife are members of the Fairview Methodist Episcopal church, interested and active in its work and for three years he has served on the official board. Mr. Lininger was born and reared in the neighborhood in which he still lives and is familiar with the history of the county from an early day. He has seen many deer in the locality and even upon his father’s farm, having seen five in one herd. He has broken the prairie here and done other work incident to the settlement of the frontier and as the years have gone by has kept in touch with modern, progressive agriculture. He is well known in Union, Adams and Ringgold counties as a man of many friends.