Prof. Charles F. Willcutt

WILLCUTT, STANLEY, MASON, HERRICK

Posted By: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs (email)
Date: 5/18/2009 at 13:53:53

1889 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF
SHELBY AND AUDUBON COUNTIES, IOWA
W. S. DUNBAR & CO., PUBLISHERS
113 ADAMS STREET, CHICAGO

pages 730-731

PROF. CHARLES F. WILLCUTT, Super-
intendent of the Audubon County schools,
was born in Franklin County, Massachu-
setts, August 26, 1841. He is the oldest son
of George and Martiaette (Stanley) Willcutt,
both natives of Massachusetts. George Will-
cutt was a farmer by occupation, and when
his son Charles was four years old he removed
with his family to Portage County, Ohio, in
the section which is now known as the West-
ern Reserve. The father died in 1852, his
wife and three children surviving him. The
mother of our subject was the daughter of
Phineas Stanley, of English descent, three
generations having been born in America.
The great-grandfather of Charles Willcutt,
Zebedee Willcutt, was a soldier in the Revo-
lutionary war. The Willcutts were of Eng-
lish descent. Charles F. passed his boyhood
in Portage County, Ohio, attending the dis-
trict school until his thirteenth year, during
that time losing only two clays. The father
dying about that time, the mother removed
to Hiram, Ohio. There Charles entered what
was called then the Western Reserve Eclectic
Institute, which is now Hiram College. Here
he pursued his studies four years, working on
the farm during his vacations. At the age
of seventeen years he began teaching school,
boarding around among the pupils, thus earn-
ing money in the winter to pay schooling
during tile spring and fall terms at the Ec-
lectic Institute. Thus he passed four more
years of life. At the age of twenty-three
years he removed to Sangamon County, Illi-
nois, and there engaged in teaching three
years. Here he was married to Miss Amelia
B. Mason, a native of New York, and a
daughter of Dr. Milton Mason. In 1867 he
was elected principal of the third ward school
in Springfield, Illinois, a position which he
held for a period of eight years. After leaving
Springfield he taught six years in Illinois. In
1881 Mr. Willcutt came to Exira and taught
two terms of school. In 1883 he was elected
to the office of county superintendent, a posi-
tion he still holds, being re-elected on the
Republican ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Willcutt
are the parents of four children -- George B.,
Jessie L., wife of Julius Herrick; Maud and
Paul B. Mr. Willcutt has devoted the greater
part of his active life to the profession of teaching, a profession than which there is none
higher.