CHRIST J. HUSS is a retired farmer, living in Beardstown, and was born near Westphalia, Prussia, March 11, 1827. He came of respectable German parents and was the second of the family to come to the United States, coming from Bremer-Haven on a sailing vessel, which was forty-two days on the water. He landed in New Orleans and came thence up the Illinois and Mississippi rivers to Beardstown, making the trip in nine days. He had a brother, August, now deceased who had come to Beardstown in 1845, being the first to come to the country. Our subject was fifteen years old when his father, Henry, a farmer, died, having been engaged on a farm in Prussia, Germany, for forty-nine years. He was seventy-two years old when he died, and was a Lutheran in religion. The maiden name of his wife was Caroline Andres, and she survived her husband some years, dying in Prussia at the age of seventy-two. She was a life-long and faithful member of the German Lutheran Church. Christ is the only member of the family now living in this county. A sister, Charlotta, wife of Henry Backman, lives on the old farm in Germany.

Our subject came here in 1849 when a young man twenty-three years of age. He worked on year on a farm as a laborer. In 1850 he began teaming in Beardstown and in 1861 he sold out this business and bought a good farm, where he afterward did a large stock business in connection with grain farming. In 1890 he retired to the city of Arenzville, where he lives in comfort, enjoying a well earned fortune, which he obtained by his own efforts, assisted by his good wife.

He was married in Beardstown to Miss Mary Bronkar, who was born August 29, 1833, in Hanover, Germany, and came to the United States in 1848 with her parents, who settled in Cass county, where they lived and died. Her father, Ernest Bronkar, was a successful farmer and lived to be eighty years of age. His wife lived to be sixty five. Her maiden name was Mary Kelver. They were members of the Lutheran Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Huss are parents of eleven children, four died young, an infant, Edward, William Sr., and William Jr. The living are, August, married Mary Kuhlman and is a farmer in this county; Henry is a shoemaker and dealer in the firm of Fish & Huss, married to Minnie Coblones; Christian, dealer in agricultural implements and groceries, married Mary Hurbert; John operates his father's farm in this county, and married Amelia Buck; Minnie is the wife of Peter Hems, a farmer in this county; George is a farmer of this county, and Lizzie is at home.

This is one of the large and most respectable families in the counties.