Born: Edgar County, Illinois, 1842.
Died:
Is a native of Edgar County, Illinois, and has resided there all his life--since 1842. He attended the common country school in winter and worked on his father's farm through summer. In 1861 he entered the military service in Company H, First Missouri Engineers, where he continued for three years and two months. He entered the ministry in 1868. Since then he has served constantly.
His work has been done chiefly in Edgar and twenty-seven near-by counties in Illinois and Indiana--mostly in rural congregations and new fields and gospel-destitute places. He has preached in private residences, sheds, halls, groves and schoolhouses. From the schoolhouses the preachers are now debarred by a wrong notion. For years, Mr. Vanhoutin has read from memory the Scriptures to the public assembly. His ministry has been modest, self-sacrificing, useful and fruitful of much good.