CHARLES W. SONGER, farmer, P. O. Xenia, was born in Clay County, Ill., July 24, 1830, and is the son of Frederick and Jane (Helm) Songer. They were both natives of Virginia, but were married in Indiana, and in the fall of 1828, came to Clay County, Ill. He was born August, 1797, and died in 1873. She was born December, 1805, and is still living at Kinmundy, Ill. He gave most of his attention to farming, but about 1838 built a mill in Marion County on Skillet Fork; this was one of the first mills built in this part of the State. At his death, he left a farm of 275 acres, part of which lies in Clay and part in Marion County. They were the parents of eleven children, six sons and five daughters. One of the sons and two of the daughters are now dead. Of the sons now living, two, Giles and Abram, are the proprietors of the Songer Bros. Mills of Kinmundy. Samuel T. is a practicing physician in Fairfield, Ill. William F. Songer, of Oregon, was a member of the Oregon State Legislation about 1856. Our subject, Charles W., after he was six years of age, was reared in Marion County, Ill., and it was there he was educated, and most of his life has been devoted to farming; yet previous to 1873, he had studied medicine, and for some time practiced it very successfully. At that date, however, on account of ill-health of his family, he removed to this county, where he has given his attention again to farming. Two years in his early life he spent in Minnesota and in Macon County, Ill., going to Minnesota in 1856. His present farm contains 127 acres of land. March 20, 1851, he was married to Miss Samantha E. Lewis. She was born in Marion County, Ill., to Sterling and Polly (Hamilton) Lewis, deceased. This union has been blest with the following children: Isaac, Frederick, Wayne, Samuel, Walter, Jane, Cora, Rosela and Nora, living; William, Harriet and Andrew, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Songer are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics, he votes the Greenback ticket.
Extracted 28 Dec 2017 by Norma Hass from 1884 History of Wayne and Clay Counties, Illinois, Part IV, page 169.
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