History of Dakota Territory, volume V, Part 79

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1262

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John L. Minder is the eldest in a family of ten children, eight of whom are yet living. He was educated in the common schools of Wilmot and afterward engaged in farming for a number of years, following agricultural pursuits until 1905, when he was elected to the office of sheriff of Roberts county for a term of four years. He proved a capable official and at the end of his term retired from that position. Four years later, however, he was once more eleeted sheriff and is now serving for the second term, discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity and without fear or favor. He owns real estate both in Wilmot and in Sisseton and his investments in property have been judiciously made.

In 1891 Mr. Minder was united in marriage to Miss Ida E. Raymond, who was born in Waseca, Minnesota, and died in 1893, leaving a son, George J., who is now proprietor of a lumberyard in Wilmot, South Dakota. In 1906 Mr. Minder was again married, his second union being with Stella Lavachek, who was born in Iowa. They have the following children : Ruth, who was graduated from the high school of Sisseton in the spring of 1915; Violet, at home; and John W. and Delores, both attending school.

Mr. Minder is a member of the Lutheran church, while his wife holds membership in the Catholic church. Fraternally he is well known as a member of the Masonic order and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party sinee age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he has been an Vol. V- 29

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active worker in its local ranks. He served as township clerk of Lake township and in the office of sheriff he has made a most commendable record, as is indicated in the fact of his reelection. In all matters of citizenship he stands for progress, reform and improvement and his cooperation can be counted upon to aid any measure for the public good.

FRANKLIN J. KRUG.

Franklin J. Krng is a resident farmer of Lake county, his home being on section 3, Lake View township. He was born in Wisconsin on the 12th of February, 1872, and is a son of Albert and Bertha Krug. The father was a pioneer farmer of Wisconsin. Born in Ger- many, he came from that country when seventeen years of age, and, making his way to the Badger state, he there bought land and reared his family, numbering seven sons and a danghter. Both he and his wife still survive and are numbered among the estcemed residents of their locality.

Franklin J. Krug was educated in the district schools and when his course was completed he concentrated his efforts upon assisting his father in the further development and improve- ment of the homestead farm. In 1893 he rented land and hegan farming on his own account. Coming to this state, he lived in South Dakota, for a year, after which he returned to Wis- consin, where he again engaged in farming. In the fall of 1905 he once more came to South Dakota and purchased bis present place of three hundred and twenty acres. Upon this farm he built a home and made many improvements, developing his land according to practical and progressive methods. He now keeps a herd of forty head of blooded cattle and fifty head of Poland China hogs. He has been very successful in his stock-raising ventures as well as in the production of crops.

On the 27th of May, 1897, Mr. Krug was united in marriage to Miss Augusta Grueffroy, a daughter of Jobn Grueffroy. Their children are six in number, namely: Hattie, Helen, Agnes, Mabel, Alvin and Harry.

The religious faith of the family is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, while in political belief Mr. Krug is a republican. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows, the Woodmen and with the Neenah Life Insurance Company of Wisconsin. He is also a director of the Lake County Mutual Fire & Lightning Insurance Company, is a stockholder and director of the Lake County Agricultural Society, is a stockholder of the Farmers Elevator Company and is local agent for the Dakota Silo Company. Upon his place he has flocks of Chinese pheasants and quails, which he protects from the hunter. He enjoys both fishing and hunting but he does not believe in the slaughter of game that will annihilate the kind. In a word, he looks at all public questions from a safe, sane standpoint, prompted by a progressive spirit, and he is regarded as one of the valued citizens of the community.

FRANK J. TUOR.

Frank J. Tnor is a resident farmer of Lake county, living on section 13, Badus town- ship. He was born in Stillwater, Minnesota, on the 7th of April, 1868. a son of Anthony and Rosina Tuor. The family came to South Dakota with the Lidga Grisa colony, Anthony Thor and Joseph 'Tenner being selected by the colony to make a trip to this state and choose a location for the band. They picked out claims for thirty families, most of whom removed to the state in the spring of 1880. The settlement was made in Lake county, around Badus Lake. They secured land eighty rods wide and a mile in length, so that all would be close together, and thus was formed the little colony which has been an important element in the settlement, development, progress and prosperity of the county. Mr. Tuor located his homestead on section 24. Badus township, and secured a tree claim on section 13. The land was destitute of all improvements bnt with characteristic energy he began the work of development, breaking the sod, planting the crops and in due time gathering good harvests. He carried on general farming there until his death, which occurred in 1896 as the result of an accident. His widow survived him for only a few years, passing away in 1901.

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Frank J. Tuor was a youth of eleven years when the family came to this state. He pur- sued his education in the district schools and afterward gave his undivided attention to the work of the farm under the direction of his father. Following the father's death he took charge of the farm for his mother, for whom he conducted it for four years and then hegan farming the place independently, meeting with a fair measure of success as the years have gone by. He uses all the latest farm implements and machinery and annually his field- bring forth good erops for which he finds a ready sale on the market. He keeps on hand twenty-two head of horses and twenty-five head of cattle and his business management and progressive spirit have been the chief factors in his continued success. He is likewise a stock- holder in the Farmers Elevator Company and the Woodmen Opera House Company at Ramona.

On the 19th of October, 1898, Mr. Tuor was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Palli, a daughter of Jacob and Paulina Palli. Their children are as follows: Cora; Frank and Grace, twins; Margaret; and Lawrence.

The family are communicants of the Catholic church and Mr. Tuor holds membership with Sioux Falls Council of the Knights of Columbus and also with the Modern Woodmen of America. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he has filled the office of town treasurer. He has also been a school director and is a public-spirited man, taking an active and helpful interest in those plans and measures, which work for the benefit and upbuilding of both town and county. He is numbered among the earliest settlers of his part of the state and can relate many interesting incidents of the early days and as well tell the tale of progress which has brought Lake county to its present condition.

GENERAL GEORGE ADDISON SILSBY.

The history of General George Addison Silshy is thought to he of interest to the citizens of Mitchell and Davison county and to many others throughout the state because of the active and prominent part which he has taken in the substantial development of that see- tion. He is a native of Rockford, Illinois, born March 28, 1847, the only son of Harvey H. and Melinda Silsby, both of whom were natives of Sullivan county, New Hampshire. The father was a descendant of two brothers who left England in 1631 and settled in Connecticut. The mother was a lineal descendant of the "House of York" of England. Harvey H. Silsby was engaged in merchandising in Rockford, where he and his wife were mimbered among the most highly respected citizens.

In that eity General Silsby was reared and in the spring of 1862, at the early age of fifteen years, he responded to the country's call for troops, succeeding in enlisting as a member of Company F, Seventy-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was on active duty for two years and was then mustered out but immediately reenlisted as a member of Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-second Illinois Infantry, in which he was made corporal. He became very ill, so much so that he was reduced in weight to ninety-three pounds, and this led to his honorable discharge in December, 1864, when he was mustered out at Chicago.

Before going to the front General Silsby had learned the machinist's trade at Roekford and after the war resumed work along that line. Subsequently he engaged in the shoe business in his native city and later spent several years as a traveling salesman upon the road for a wholesale shoe factory of Utica, New York. In the early '80s. impressed by the opportunities offered by the undeveloped country included within what is now the boundaries of South Dakota, General Silsby came to the territory and secured a homestead, obtaining a quarter section just west of Mitchell, in Beulah township, Davison county. He secured title to his claim by living upon it for two years and it was during that period that he produced a famous crop, producing on two acres onions which sold for eight hundred and thirty-five dollars and forty-five cents.

Throughout almost the entire period of his residence in this state General Silsby has been very active in public affairs and in politics. In 1884 he was appointed postmaster of Mitchell by President Arthur and he was removed in the fall of 1886 by President Cleveland for "pernicious political activity." In 1892 he was elected permanent chairman of the repub-

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lican state convention, and so favorable an impression did he make upon the delegates to that body that he was elected to the national electoral college as the first presidential elector- at-large from the then new state of South Dakota, and cast his vote for Benjamin Harrison. In 1898 he was made national bank examiner for the state and ocenpied the position for ten years-a longer period than any other incumbent in that office. He has served as mayor of Mitchell, giving to the city a most husinesslike, progressive and beneficial administration. It was while he was occupying that office that the famous capitol fight was on and during his administration there was accomplished the tremendous task of erecting the imposing granite city hall, which is indeed an ornament to Mitchell and one of which every citizen has reason to be proud. Reelected to the office of mayor, he served from 1902 until 1906 and much important public work was done under his direction.

Almost from the beginning of his residence in South Dakota, General Silshy has been connected with military affairs of the state. He was made captain of Company I at Mitchell and made regular trips from his homestead to drill his company. His work attracted the attention of Governor Mellette, who made him inspector-general for the state. His service in that capacity was directly responsible for his appointment as adjutant general by Governor Sheldon-the highest military office within the gift of the state and one which gave to him the title by which he is now generally known.

General Silshy says the most important event of his life occurred in 1868 on the day when he wedded Miss Emily Derwent, a member of one of the prominent families of Rock- ford. To them have been born two daughters, now Mrs. Herbert E. Hitchcock and Mrs. Harry G. Nichols. Theirs has been truly an ideal married life and the hospitality of their home has always been one of the most enjoyable features in the social life of Mitchell. Soon after removing to South Dakota, General Silsby became identified with the Masonic lodge of Mitchell and he has also been a most prominent, aetive and helpful member of the Elks lodge. He was largely responsible for the erection of the magnificent Elks Home and no meeting of the organization is considered complete without his presence. With every feature of the public life of Mitchell he has been identified and his aid has never been sought in vain when there has been on foot a project for the development and progress of the town. The more important the work undertaken, it has been regarded as the more necessary to have his aid. He was among those who were instrumental in securing an extension of the Omaha railroad to Mitchell and in various other public concerns of importance he has been a most prominent factor.

A local paper said of him: "In all the intervening years which have elapsed since Mr. Silshy came to South Dakota he has been active in all movements for the good of Mitchell and has again and again received manifestation of the appreciation of his fellow citizens for his service. If there is a dominant trait in Mr. Silsby's character, it is loyalty. He has always been loyal to his chosen political views, loyal to his party, loyal to his community where he lived and, above all, loyal and devoted to his family. If there are degrees in his loyalty, they have not been discovered, except that he is more loyal to Mitchell than he is to Rockford, Illinois. And that is saying a good deal, for Mr. Silsby has divided his life between Rockford and Mitchell and his is the capacity for enthusiasm to do justice to the merits of both cities. . But the best thing in all of Silsby's career is Silsby himself. Men have always found it a pleasure to know him. This was not only because he is enongh of a gentleman to do and say that which is courteous and kind. It is also because of his intellectual equipment. He has made so much of a storehonse of his mind and has so trained his thought that he is alike a worthy antagonist in debate and a most entertaining conversationalist. There is only one Silsby."

JOHN E. MeDOUGALL.

Among the citizens of Marshall county who have been most active in shaping its poliey and have also left their impress upon the history of the commonwealth is Hon. John E. Me- Dougall, who has represented his district in both the house of representatives and the senate of the state legislature. Moreover, he is prominently identified with business affairs as an agriculturist and capitalist, carrying on farming and stock-raising on a very extensive scale,

JOHN E. MeDOUGALL

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thereby contributing to the material prosperity of the state as well as to his individual she- cess. His residence in South Dakota dates from 1886. He came here when a young man. his birth having occurred on Prince Edward Island, February 24, 1860. His father, John Mc- Dougall, was born on the same island in 1821 and was a son of Alexander McDougall, whose birth occurred in Scotland and who in early life became a resident of Prince Edward Island, where his remaining days were passed. His son John hecame a farmer and won substantial success in the conduct of the work of the fields. He was also a well educated man and a public-spirited citizen and guided his life according to the teachings of the Presbyterian church, of which he was a consistent member. He took an active interest in the politics of his country and served as sheriff there for several years. He was married on his native island to Miss Grace Mersereau, who was born in New Brunswick in 1823. Her father, however, was a native of France and her grandfather was a general in the French army. The death of Mr. McDongall occurred in June, 1900, while his wife passed away in 1873.

John E. MeDougall was the seventh in order of birth in a family of nine children, of whom seven are yet living. The common schools afforded him his educational privileges, while his business training was that of the farm, his attention being directed to that work until he reached manhood. He then left home and for nine months was a resident of the castern states. In November, 1880, he arrived in Minneapolis, where he learned the carpenter's trade and, becoming an expert workman, held the position of foreman with a firm of that city. At length he began contracting on his own account and prospered in the undertaking.

In June, 1886, Mr. MeDougall removed to Britton, South Dakota, where he entered at once upon the work of contracting and building, erecting one-fourth of the houses of the town. He followed his trade in Britton for three years and then purchased a farm and a meat market, dividing his time between the two undertakings, both of which prospered. He has had in his lifetime eighteen hundred men work for him and there are now in his employ about forty men. He has extended the scope of his activities along agricultural lines and is one of the extensive landowners of his part of the state, having thirteen hundred acres. He resides in Britton, but owns and operates a farm of four hundred and eighty acres and keeps there registered Durham cattle, milking twenty-five cows. He made all of the improvements upon the place and has converted it into a very valuable and attractive farm property. In addition he owns a ranch on Nine Mile Lake, about fifteen miles east of Britton, on which he has eight hundred head of cattle. The ranch is also well improved and in addition to that property he has rented ten sections from the state. Something of the immense volume of his business is indicated in the fact that in the present season, 1915, he is putting up one thousand tons of hay. For several years he has thus been actively and extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits and is accounted one of the foremost farmers of Marshall county. For a quarter of a century he has also dealt in farm implements and machinery at Britton, where he is accorded liberal sales, his patronage steadily increasing. Although he started out in life empty-handed, he is today a wealthy man and his success is the merited reward of his perseverance and labor. His prosperity does not arouse envy because it has also meant the upbuilding of the interests of others and the development of the state. When determination, perseverance and talent are arrayed against drawbacks, poverty and trials, the result is almost absolutely certain. The former qualities are in- vincible-they know no defeat-and it is these qualities which have placed Mr. MeDongall in his present enviahle position.

Mr. MeDougall has been married twice. On the 3d of August, 1883, in Norton. Massa- chusetts he wedded Miss Isabelle Munroe by whom he has a son, Edward J., who is engaged in the machine business at Britton and is also accorded a liberal patronage as a dealer in farm implements. The wife and mother died on the 26th of December 1884. passing away in the faith of the Presbyterian church. On the 13th of June, 1893, Mr. MeDongall was again married, his second union being with Miss Nettie A. Marsh, who was born near Kalamazoo, Michigan, and by whom he has two children: Tyrrell G., a registered pharmacist : and Portia, who is a high-school graduate.

Both Mr. and Mrs. McDougall hold membership in the Presbyterian church and they are regarded as people of the highest respectability, enjoying the warm esteem of all who know them. He has served for many years as Sunday-school superintendent and takes an active part in church work. There is an interesting military chapter in his life record as he has spent nine years as a member of the National Guard. serving as captain. while for

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five years he has been lieutenant colonel. While a member of the legislature he introduced the law establishing the National Guard. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons, having taken the degrees of the lodge, chapter, the Scottish Rite and the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen and in the Masonic lodge served as master for two years, while in the Odd Fellows lodge of Britton he was a charter member and the first noble grand.

In politics an earnest republican, Mr. McDougall is recognized as one of the leaders of the party in the state. For twenty-five years he served as chairman of the republican county central committee and in 1901 was chosen to represent bis district in the state legis- lature, where he was made a member of the judiciary and other important committees. In 1903 he was sent to the state senate, where he was chairman of the committee on appropri- ations. Moreover, he was connected with much constructive legislation and was frequently heard upon the floor in behalf of some measure which he believed would prove of benefit to the commonwealth. He is a very able talker and, moreover, he judges public questions from the standpoint of the capable business man as well as from that of the patriotic citizen. Still higher honors awaited him in election to the office of lieutenant governor in 1905 and over the record of his official career there falls no shadow of wrong nor suspicion of evil. His position has always been an unequivocal one. He has stood firmly in support of what he believes to be right and at the same time he has been actuated by a progressive spirit that has recognized the needs and demands of the hour, meeting them in wise legislation and able public service.

WILLIAM H. EDMUNDS.

For thirty-eight years William H. Edmunds was prominently associated with banking interests in Yankton. He now owns one of the finest homes in that city, in which he spends the summer months, while he passes the winter seasons in Florida, where he also has an attractive residence. He was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, December 7, 1854, a son of Newton and Margaret E. (Heartt) Edmunds, both of whom were natives of New York. They were married, however, in Michigan, having accompanied their respective parents to that state in early life. After attaining adult age Newton Edmunds embarked in the lumber business in Michigan, operating in the Saginaw district. In 1861, however, he cast in his lot with the earliest residents of Dakota territory. He arrived in Yankton in 1861 and was joined by his family in 1864. He became chief clerk in the office of the surveyor general and was appointed governor of Dakota territory in the year of his arrival, being the second incumbent in that position. As the years passed he played a more and more important part in the develop- ment and upbuilding of city, county and state. On the 13th of August, 1891, he organized the Yankton National Bank but for many years before had been identified with financial in- terests. About 1872 he bought out the private bank of P. P. Wintermute and conducted that institution under the name of Edmunds & Sons until he reorganized the business under the name of the Yankton National Bank, of which he became president, with Charles P. Edmunds as vice president and William H. Edmunds as cashier. In 1909 they sold out to the First National Bank, that is, the business was sold but their bank was liquidated. The father remained as president of the institution until his death in 1905. He did much to firmly estab- lish financial conditions upon a sound basis and otherwise advanced the business interests of city and state. He was active in republican politics and a recognized leader of his party and served as a member of the school board and as a member of the city council of Yankton. His wife, who has also passed away, was a consistent member of the Episcopal church.

Mr. and Mrs. Newton Edmunds were the parents of seven children. Frank H., who was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, rose to the rank of major in the United States army and died of yellow fever in Cuba while serving in the Spanish- American war. Charles P., who served as deputy United States marshal at Yankton at an early day and was afterward prominently connected with banking for an extended period. is now living retired in Yankton. William H. is the third of the family. Eliza E. is the wife of Frank .J. Washabaugh, of Yankton. John died at the age of five years. Maggie and Minnie, twins, have. hoth passed away.

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William H. Edmunds spent the first ten years of his life in his native state and then accompanied the family to South Dakota, where he continued his education as a publie- school pupil to the age of seventeen years, when he secured a position in the private bank of P. P. Wintermute. Later, when the firm of Edmunds & Sons was organized, he became cashier and afterward was cashier of the Yankton National Bank until it was sold. He was in the bank continuously for thirty eight years and became one of the best known representa- tives of financial interests in his part of the state. In 1910 he first went south to spend the winter in Florida and has returned to the Peninsula state each year, sojourning there in a beautiful home through the months in which Dakota is wrapt in winter. His residence in Yankton is one of the finest in the city and it indicates the success which has come to him as the result of an honorable, well spent life.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume V, Part 79

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1262