Gelder, John
HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
DESCRIPTIVE OF ITS SCENERY,
AND
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SOME OF ITS PROMINENT MEN AND PIONEERS.
Published by Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia
1879
Page 244
JOHN GELDER, one of the leading farmers of Virden township, is a native of the county, and a son of Capt. Thomas Gelder, of Chesterfield township; a sketch of whose history will be found elsewhere. He was the oldest child, and was born on the farm which his father still owns in Chesterfield township, August 11, 1837. The latter part of his education he received at Shurtleff college, in which institituion he was a student for two years. After leaving college he spent fourteen months in Europe, traveling through England, Holland, Belgium, and France, during part of 1862 and 1863, and visiting all the principal places of interest in those countries. Returning home n 1863, he went to farming in Chesterfield township. He was married September11, 1866 to Miss Clara Tolman, daughter of James Tolman. She was born in Jersey county. After his marriage he moved to his present farm in Virden township. His farm at Virden consists of 140 acres and he owns land beside in Montgomery, Sangamon, and Christian counties, making all together 1120 acres. The lands in Sangamon, Montgomery, and Christian, he bought unimproved, and they now farm fine and valuable farms situated near Harvel on the Wabash railway. His Virden farm is one of the finest and best improved in the county. He has four children. He is a republican in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian church. He has a natural taste for farming, and conducts it acccording to business principles and modern ideas, and his name deservesa place among the successful agriculturalists of Macoupin county.
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