William Winter came to Greene County, MO from IL as a young man in the early 1870s. At that time he was working as a farm hand for Seth Riley Sr., who had taken him in as a sort of foster son when William was just a boy. His father was born in Germany and his mother in IL, and he lost both parents at an early age. Recently I discovered probate records in Fayette County, IL that very strongly indicate that he was the son of Godfrey E. Winter, who died 7 October 1864. The probate records mention that William and his brother "Odo" were the sons of Godfrey and his first wife (apparently Polly Ann Moore, who married Godfrey Winter in Bond County, IL in November 1852 - she seems to have passed away before 1860). William married Sarah Elvina Reynolds in Greene County in about 1877, and the couple had two sons: Franklin and Lafayette. Sarah died on June 13, 1881, about six months after her second son's birth. William then married Nancy Elizabeth Gilliland on March 23, 1882, and they had three children: Ernest, Gertrude, and Mae. The Winters owned a large home on a substantial farm west of Republic, MO. The photo at right shows the family posing in front of this farm house, probably around 1895. In his later years, William moved to another home in the town of Republic.
William Winter came to Greene County, MO from IL as a young man in the early 1870s. At that time he was working as a farm hand for Seth Riley Sr., who had taken him in as a sort of foster son when William was just a boy. His father was born in Germany and his mother in IL, and he lost both parents at an early age. Recently I discovered probate records in Fayette County, IL that very strongly indicate that he was the son of Godfrey E. Winter, who died 7 October 1864. The probate records mention that William and his brother "Odo" were the sons of Godfrey and his first wife (apparently Polly Ann Moore, who married Godfrey Winter in Bond County, IL in November 1852 - she seems to have passed away before 1860). William married Sarah Elvina Reynolds in Greene County in about 1877, and the couple had two sons: Franklin and Lafayette. Sarah died on June 13, 1881, about six months after her second son's birth. William then married Nancy Elizabeth Gilliland on March 23, 1882, and they had three children: Ernest, Gertrude, and Mae. The Winters owned a large home on a substantial farm west of Republic, MO. The photo at right shows the family posing in front of this farm house, probably around 1895. In his later years, William moved to another home in the town of Republic.
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