A man of literary tastes and talents, possessing good business and executive ability, Charles C. Burton is an esteemed and popular citizen of Belle Rive, and as editor and proprietor of the Belle Rive Enterprise is doing much toward promoting the highest interests of the community in which he lives. Coming on both sides of the house of excellent New England ancestry, he was born February 6, 1879, on a New Hampshire farm.

His father, William Burton, also a native of the Granite state, was born in 1840, and died in 1906. He was a farmer by occupation, but was for many years identified with military affairs, during the Civil war serving in both the army and the navy, being first in the Seventh New York Volunteer Infantry and later in the Eleventh New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and on board the gunboat "Anderson." After the close of the conflict he enlisted in the regular service, and served in the Sixth United States Cavalry for fifteen years, when he was retired as a captain. Two of his brothers and two of his wife's brothers also served in the Civil war, and of those four soldiers three lost their lives at Gettysburg and one at the battle of Antietam.

William Burton married Ellen Campbell, a daughter of John Campbell, who served in the Revolutionary war as an officer, and subsequently migrated from his native state, Massachusetts, to New Hampshire.

Three children were born of their union, as follows:

1. Charles C., with whom this sketch is chiefly concerned;
2. William, deceased; and
3. Emma, deceased.

Brought up in New Hampshire, Charles C. Burton attended the public schools and in a country office learned the printer's trade. At the age of sixteen years he made his way to Boston, where he followed his trade two years. Going from there to Buffalo, New York, Mr. Burton was in the employ of the Buffalo Courier Company for four years. Again moving westward, he went to Missouri, and until coming to Belle Rive was a resident of Saint Louis. Imbued with the same patriotic ardor and zeal that animated his father and his Grandfather Campbell, he enlisted for service at the first call for troops for the Spanish-American war, and for eleven months served in the Eighth Massachusetts Hospital Corps.

In June, 1911, Mr. Burton, who is an expert journalist, established the Belle Rive Enterprise, an eight page, five-column, sheet, bright, interesting, clean and newsy, which has already a large local circulation, and a most liberal advertising patronage. Mr. Burton has without doubt one of the best job printing establishments in Jefferson county, and in addition to doing much local work is well patronized by people from Mount Vernon and other cities who desire a neat, attractive and accurate job of printing done.

Mr. Burton married, January 22, 1908, Edna F. Gerdom, of Saint Louis, Missouri, and they have one child, Charles E. Burton, born February 6, 1910.

Source: History of Southern Illinois George Washington Smith, M. A. VOLUME I - III ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1912
Page 1170
Submitted by Robert W. Loman