Alonzo Silas Titus, conducting business under the name of the Waterford Milling Company, was born at Richland Center, Wisconsin, February 14, 1858, a son of Starr and Elsa (Hickox) Titus. The father was born at Buffalo, New York, where he was reared to manhood, and thence removed to Illinois. He was a millwright by trade, but afterward took up the occupation of farming, which he followed for a number of years in McHenry County, Illinois. There most of his children were born. At length, because of failing health, he removed to the pine woods of Wisconsin and in 1859 he passed away. He was a wide-awake, enterprising business man and prospered in his undertakings. He was also active in matters of reform and stood for public improvement along all lines, doing much effective work for the benefit of his community. He was held in high esteem by those who knew him best, for his life record was such as would bear the closest investigation and scrutiny. In politics he was a stanch republican. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Starr Titus were twelve children, of whom three are yet living. Three of his sons were soldiers of the Civil war and two died while defending the Union cause, while the third, Ira, passed away in 1916. Those who still survive are : Frank, a fruit grower in California; Nellie, the wife of Joseph McGandy, of Tacoma; and Alonzo Silas.
The last named was reared by his uncle, Mark Hickox, for he was but a year old when his father died. He attended the district schools to the age of fourteen years and then started out to earn his own living as an apprentice to the milling trade, at which he worked for others for some time, and in 1895 he embarked in the milling business on his own account at Waterford. He had to incur an indebtedness to secure the mill property, but he possessed energy and determination and believed those qualities would prove a substantial foundation on which to build success, nor has he been disappointed, for as the years have gone on he has made the business a profitable one. The product of his plant includes seventy-five barrels of flour per day and the plant also has a capacity of twenty tons of ground feed. The excellence of the flour which he manufactures secures for him a liberal patronage and the business now returns to him a good income.
On the 11th of October, 1893, Mr. Titus was married to Miss Kate Kennedy, a resident of Clinton, Wisconsin, and a high school graduate. She also pursued a course in stenography and was employed as a stenographer for a few years. By her marriage she has become the mother of five children: Leonard K., who is a high school graduate and is now a student at college in Berea, near Cleveland, Ohio; Evelyn A., who is a graduate of the Waterford high school and is now assistant manager of the Craig sanitarium at Rockford, Illinois: Starr, who is a graduate of the Waterford high school; Leta, now a high school pupil; and Catheryn, also in school.
Mr. Titus is a member of the Congregational church and is serving as clerk of the church hoard. Fraternally he is connected with Temple lodge, No. 96, F. & A. M., and Burlington chapter, R. A. M” and of the former is a past master. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Foresters. His political allegiance is given to the Prohibition Party and for two years he was supervisor of the village of Waterford. He is the present fire chief of the Waterford fire department and he is much interested in everything pertaining to the welfare and upbuilding of the district, giving active co-operation and hearty support to many plans and measures for the general good of the community.