History of Dakota Territory, volume V, Part 92

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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Mr. Dalton was married on the 30th of March, 1910, to Miss Ellen Bradley, also a native of Mauston, Wisconsin. Her parents, Edward W. and Emma ( Anderson) Bradley, are natives respectively of Indiana and of Nevada and are still residing in Mauston, Wisconsin, where the father is engaged in merchandising. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Dalton served in the Union army and died while incarcerated in Libby prison.

Mr. Dalton is independent in politics, voting for the man whom he deems best fitted for the office in question without regard to his party affiliation. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church, of which he is a devout communicant, and fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Columbus. He is still a young man but has gained a success that many who are his seniors might well envy. He has not only won a high standing in business and financial circles of Sully county because of his business ability and energy, but he has also gained the esteem of all who have come in contact with him, as he possesses many admirable traits of character.

JOHN B. EAGAN, M. D.

Dr. John B. Eagan, a member of the firm practicing as Drs. Grove, Eagan & Grove in Dell Rapids, is widely known as one of the able and successful young physicians and sur- geons of eastern South Dakota. His birth occurred in Iowa county, Wisconsin, on the 27th of December, 1881, his parents being Frank J. and Catherine (Gallagher) Eagan, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Wisconsin. They were married in the Badger state, to which the father had been taken as a child by his parents. Frank J. Eagan was for a number of years engaged in the drug business at Muscoda, Wisconsin, but recently has been in the service of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway at Muscoda, where he still makes his home.

John B. Eagan was reared under the parental roof and obtained his education in the public schools of Muscoda, Wisconsin, completing the high-school course with the class of 1901. In the fall of that year he took up the study of medicine, entering the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago, the medical department of the University of Illinois, from which institution he was graduated in 1905. Subsequently he spent some months in

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seeking a desirable field for his professional labors and in the summer of 1906 located at Excelsior, Wisconsin, where he was successfully engaged in practice for about three years. On the expiration of that period he came to South Dakota and for about ten months main- tained an office in Woonsocket, this state. It was on the 1st of February, 1910, that he took up his abode in Dell Rapids, where he has remained continuously since. During the first year of his residence here he was employed by Dr. Martin M. Grove, and in February, 1911, a copartnership was formed between Drs. Eagan and Grove. On the 1st of February, 1914, Dr. A. F. Grove became a member of the firm, which is now practicing under the name of Drs. Grove, Eagan & Grove. They conduct a hospital containing thirty-five beds and do the principal major surgery of their section of the state. Dr. Eagan has firmly established himself in public regard and has also won the recognition of his fellow practitioners through his ability and close conformity to professional ethics. He is a member of the Sioux Valley Medical Society, the Seventh District Medical Society of Sioux Falls, the South Dakota State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

On the 15th of June, 1909, Dr. Eagan was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Meier, of Museoda, Wisconsin, by whom he has a son, John C. He is identified fraternally with the Knights of Columbus and the Modern Woodmen while his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, of which his wife is also a devout communicant. Although the period of his residence in Dell Rapids has been comparatively brief, it has nevertheless been of suffi- cient length to convincingly demonstrate to those who have come in contact with him that he is a man of high principles, trustworthy and loyal in every relation of life.

JUDGE ELMER R. JUCKETT.

Among the successful attorneys of Hot Springs is Judge Elmer R. Juckett, a native of White Hall, New York, born August 13, 1863, of the marriage of Michael and Nancy (Ben- jamin) Juckett. The birth of the father occurred in Sandy Hill, Washington county, New York, in November, 1836, and that of the mother in White Hall, that state, April 4, 1842. They removed from New York to Vermont but never came west. The father was a farmer by occupation and was highly esteemed in the communities in which he lived. He passed away in February, 1908, having survived his wife for more than three years, her demise having occurred in October, 1904. They had five children, of whom Elmer R. is the second in order of birth.

The last named was reared in Vermont and after completing the course offered by the common schools attended the Castleton State Normal School and Norwich University at Northfield, Vermont. When seventeen years of age he decided to come west, as he believed that the undeveloped part of the country offered better opportunities for a young man than the more thickly settled east. He first located in the vicinity of York, Nebraska, where he worked for others for six months. At the end of that time he returned to Vermont and completed his education but in 1890 came to Buffalo Gap, South Dakota. where he taught school and engaged in the practice of law, continuing there until 1894. In that year he located in Hot Springs and during the intervening two decades has gained a large and remunerative practice. He is an able member of the bar and possesses the confidence of both the general public and his colleagues. He is now associated with Elnathan B. Adams and the firm has an unusually large and important clientage. Mr. Juckett is financially interested in a number of local concerns, being a stockholder and director of the Stockman's Bank, of the Wooster Company and of the Hot Springs Garage Corporation. He owns considerable land in this state, as he believes in the wisdom of investing in real estate in general and in South Dakota land in particular.

Judge Juckett was married on the 7th of September, 1891, to Miss Mame E. Hassett, who was born at Northfield, Vermont. and is a daughter of David and Mary (Burk) Hassett. Both of her parents were natives of Ireland although their marriage occurred in Vermont. The father was engaged in railroad work and was for many years roadmaster of the Mexican National Railroad. Both he and his wife passed away in Vermont. To Mr. and Mrs. Juckett have been born five children: Roy W., whose birth occurred May 20. 1893, and who is attend- ing the University of Pennsylvania in preparation for the profession of electrical engineer-

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ing; Kathryn L., who was born July 21, 1897, and who is a student at the State University of Nebraska; Marie M., horn May 20, 1899, who is attending high school; Harold L., born September 13, 1901, and Elsworth E., born May 25, 1904, both of whom are attending school.

Judge Juckett is a republican and has served for five years as judge of Fall River county, being appointed to fill a vacancy and subsequently elected for two terms in suc- cession. He has also been states attorney for two years. As president of the board of edu- cation for ten years he was able to accomplish much for the good of the public-school system and as president of the Commercial Club he is doing much for the business growth of Hot Springs. He is also president of the library board and these connections indicate the great interest that he takes in everything for the public welfare. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church and contributes liberally to its support. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Yeomen and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in all of which he has passed through the chairs, and he also holds membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. There is 110 more highly respected resident of Hot Springs than Judge Juckett, and his friends, who are many, hold him in the warmest regard.

THOMAS H. FERSDAL.

Thomas H. Fersdal, residing on section 32, Sverdrup township, Minnehaha county, successfully operates a good farm of two hundred acres, one hundred and sixty of which is in his name, while forty acres belong to his wife. His birth occurred in Norway on the 13th of February, 1858, and his parents were Henrik and Mary (Kvernmoe) Fersdal. The mother passed away in Norway, but the father still lives in his native land.

Our subject was educated in the public schools of that country, but in 1880, when a young man of twenty-two he left his home and kin and crossed the Atlantic to the new world, locating in Goodhue county, Minnesota, although he remained there but a few months. In Deeember of the same year he came to South Dakota and joined an uncle, J. J. Kvernmoe, who was a resident of Minnehaha county and had homesteaded the farm which Mr. Fers- dal now owns. As he had no children of his own, he gave the farm to our subject with the understanding that he and his wife should be taken care of during the remaining years of their lives. They both passed away in 1886 and the farm then came into the possession of Mr. Fersdal, who has devoted his time to its cultivation. As he uses scientific methods and applies business principles to the business phase of farming, he has prospered and is now one of the substantial agriculturists of the county.

On the 20th of November, 1888, Mr. Fersdal was united in marriage to Miss Berthine John Thompson, who was the first white child born in Minnehaha county. Her father, the Hon. John Thompson, was one of the leaders among the pioneers and a sketch of his life appears in another part of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Fersdal are the parents of seven ehil- dren, six of whom survive as follows: Henry J., Christine M., Laura L., Tillie B., Jolin S. and Gustav A., all of whom are at home. The family are members of the Lutheran synod and are much interested in the work of that organization. Mr. Fersdal is a republican in his political belief and is ever ready to aid in the furtherance of any project for the development of his county.

JOHN J. OAKLAND.

Throughout a long period John J. Oakland was identified with the agricultural interests of Yankton county but since 1910 has been living in honorable retirement in a comfortable home in Irene. He is one of the worthy pioneers of this section of the state, having come here in April, 1870, when the settlers in this territory were widely scattered. He is a native of Norway, born near Bergen, July 23, 1846, and was there reared to the age of nineteen years. On the 10th day of May, 1865, he secured passage on a sailing vessel from Haugesund, and, after a long and tedious voyage covering six weeks, landed at Quebec. He thence made his way by lake to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and from the latter city journeyed by rail to Dane

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county, that state. For six months he was employed at farm labor in Penrose township, near Madison, Wisconsin, and on the expiration of that period went to Leland, La Salle county, Illinois, where he was employed at farm work until the summer of 1866. He then made his way to Benton county, Iowa, where he lived for four years, and in 1870 made his way to Dakota prior to the time that railroads were built through this section of the coun- try. In April, of the latter year, he filed on a homestead four miles southeast of Wakonda in Clay county, living thereon until he had proved up on the land and received a deed to the same. In 1874 he took up a preemption claim in Turner county and was identified with the agricultural interests of that section for thirty-five years, in the meantime increasing his holdings until he became the owner of four or five hundred acres of rich and productive land. During this time, however, he endured with other pioneers, many hardships and privations incident to establishing a home in a new country. For seven years, from 1872 until 1879, be suffered loss of crops from grasshoppers and droughts. During one winter he was with- out funds and as he expresses it, "did not have enough money to buy a postage stamp." He walked one season to Sioux City, Iowa, a distance of sixty miles, to secure work and after an absence of three months from home, walked back the entire distance after having secured enough money to provide for his family until spring. For eight years the only fuel he had was dry slongh grass and hay, which was twisted into bundles and used for fuel. In 1881 there was no flour in the house, their only breadstuff being corn meal and wheat meal which had to be ground in a coffee mill. However Mr. Oakland bore these hardships with bravery and gradually worked his way to success until he is now the owner of farm property and is able to live retired from further labor, occupying a comfortable home in Irene, where he has lived since November 12, 1910.

Mr. Oakland has been married twice. He was first married in Benton county, Iowa, to Miss Martha Ponsness, a native of Norway, by whom he had nine children, seven of whom survive: John, who is living on one of his father's farms; Margareta, the wife of Harry Conklin, an attorney of Yankton; Marthina, the wife of John C. Baker, a resident of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Lars, who has taken up a claim in Stanley county; Josephine, the wife of Peter Henset, who is also residing on a claim in Stanley county; Peter, who lives on the old homestead; and Hannah, the wife of Peter Smith, of Cedar county, Nebraska. On July 21, 1909, Mr. Oakland married Mrs. Rachel Torgerson, who bore the maiden name of Scheie, and was born in Woodstock, Illinois. She was first married June 7, 1869, to Thomas Sundy, who for a number of years was a merchant of Canton, South Dakota, and by whom she had four children. He died July 10, 1887, and on the 17th of September, 1890, she married Rev. O. E. Torgerson, who died February 23, 1901.

Mr. Oakland is a republican in his political belief, and he is identified with the Lutheran church, in which he has served as a lay minister. Throughout the greater part of his resi- dence he bas been closely identified with church and Sunday school work and has been instrumental in organizing many church societies and Sunday schools in the state. For the past few years, however, his health has been somewhat impaired, so that while he bears his affliction with a cheerful heart, it yet deprives him of taking an active part in religious or other work as he was formerly able to do. He is a man of high ideals and noble purposes, has given a large portion of his time to the effort of inculcating a higher sense of duty and responsibility in both young and old and his life has indeed been one of activity and far- reaching usefulness.

HAKAN PERSSON.

Hakan Persson, the owner of an excellent general store in Blunt, has never had occasion to regret his emigration from Sweden, his native land, to this country, as here he has found opportunities, the utilization of which has enabled him to gain a gratifying measure of success. He was born in Helsnberg on the 6th of July, 1853, a son of Pers Anderson and Kerste (Hanson) Anderson, also natives of that place. The father devoted his time to agricultural pursuits, and both he and his wife were lifelong residents of Sweden.

Hakan Persson attended school in his native land but when fifteen years of age began earning his own living by working for neighboring farmers. Subsequently he was engaged in mining coal in Sweden until 1880, when he emigrated to America, making his way to

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Pennsylvania, where he worked in the mines until the spring of 1883. In that year he came to South Dakota and located in Sully county, where he farmed and engaged in the cattle business until about 1905, which year witnessed his removal to Bhint. Since then he has conducted a general store and as his stock is well adapted to the needs of the community and as his prices are reasonable he has gained a large and representative patronage.

Mr. Persson was married in Sweden, in February, 1875, to Miss Johannah Darrell, whose parents spent their entire lives in that country. To Mr. and Mrs. Persson have been born nine children, as follows: Tillie, the wife of Frank Pierce, a farmer of Sully county; John, who is clerk at the Hot Springs Hotel; Andy, a contractor and builder of Lewistown, Montana; Anna, who is teaching in the rural schools of this county; Ellen, who married Perry Rosenberger, manager of a San Francisco theater, and who died May 14, 1914; Charles, who is engaged in farming and stockraising in Sully county, this state; Harry, a farmer living near Blunt; Edward B., who is associated with his father in business; and Arthur William, attending school in Hot Springs.

Mr. Persson is a republican and has held a number of local offices. For four years he served as justice of the peace of Blunt, for two years as county assessor of Sully county and for four years county treasurer. His religious faith is that of the Lutheran church, and fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which he has held the office of master workman for a number of years. He has the greatest faith in the future of South Dakota and has given practical evidence thereof by investing extensively in South Dakota land. No movement for the growth and advancement of Blunt fails to receive his support and hearty cooperation, and his public spirit has gained him the confidence and goodwill of his fellow citizens.

ELLIS M. SMITH.

The name of Ellis M. Smith, vice president of the Woonsocket State Bank, is an honored one in financial circles in Sanborn county. He has proven himself capable of solving intricate financial problems and of guiding banking interests so that they will prove of large benefit to the community as well as a source of profit to stockholders. He was born in Eldora, Har- din county, Iowa, on the 31st of March, 1857. His father, Samuel Smith, a native of Penn- sylvania, hecame one of the pioneer settlers of Iowa and died in Eldora at the age of eighty- six years. He conducted a general mercantile business during his active career and became a well known and honored business man and citizen of Eldora. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Ann Bland, was also a native of Pennsylvania.

Ellis M. Smith, the youngest in a family of thirteen children, acquired his education in the public schools of Eldora, passing through consecutive grades to the high school. In 1873 he became connected with the drug trade, learning the business and afterward conducting a store for three and one-half years in Iowa on his own account. In the fall of 1883 he removed to Woonsocket, where he established a drug store of which he remained proprietor for a quarter of a century. He made this a well appointed establishment, carrying a large line, while his business methods commended him to the confidence and support of the general public. In 1906, however, he turned his attention to banking and established the Woonsocket State Bank, of which he served as president until 1915, when it was merged with the Merchants Bank under the title of the Woonsocket State Bank, of which Mr. Smith became the vice president. He has made large investments in land in this state and is the owner of much valuable property.

On the 17th of October, 1883, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. Greer, a daughter of J. M. and Margaret (Ewert) Greer, of Ontario, Canada. Mrs. Smith is very active in the work of the Presbyterian church. Our subject and his wife have one daughter, Blanche E., the wife of B. W. Baer, who is now serving as county judge of San- born county and by whom she has three children-Ross Melvern, Donald Smith and Charles Wallace.

Fraternally Mr. Smith is a Modern Woodman. His political allegiance is given the democratic party and for eight years he served as a member of the city council of Woon- socket. In 1901 he was elected to the state senate and served a term of two years and in

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1912 he was again elected for a term of two years. He was a member of various important committees, proved an able working member on the floor of the senate and was connected with much important constructive legislation. He attends and supports the Presbyterian church and he enjoys the pleasure that comes through fishing, motoring and driving good horses. Along those lines he finds his recreation when important business interests can be so arranged as to leave him leisure. Ilis success is due to hard work and close application and he may truly be called a self-made man, for he started out in life empty-handed, pos- sessing as his capital only the qualities of industry and determination with which nature endowed him. It is a well known fact that progress is a cumulative process and he has advanced step by step where favoring opportunity has pointed out the way. Character and ability have brought him to the front and he is now one of the leading men of his community.

DRS. T. Y. AND R. R. STEVENSON.

Thomas Young and Romeo Roderick Stevenson are specialists and partners in the treat- ment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat at Sioux Falls. They constitute the oldest firm of specialists in their line in the state and their careful diagnosis and expert surgical work have given them statewide and well merited reputation. The brothers are natives of Minnesota. Thomas Young Stevenson was born in Quiney on the 25th of May, 1859, and Romeo R. in Quincy on the 16th of July, 1866. Their parents were Thomas and Jane (Aitken) Stevenson, who were born, reared and married in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Drs. Stevenson display many of the sterling characteristics of their Scotch ancestry-the thor- onghness, ability and industry which have ever been strong traits of the Scottish race. The parents sailed for the United States immediately following their marriage and after reaching American shores made their way to Kewanee, Illinois. Two or three years later they moved to Quiney, Minnesota. Mr. Stevenson was employed as hoisting engineer in a coal mine in Seotland but after coming to this country devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits.

Thomas Stevenson was reared under the parental roof and acquired his early education in the public schools. In 1881 he took up the study of medicine, reading under the preceptor- ship of his brother, Dr. G. A. Stevenson, of Albert Lea, Minnesota. In the fall of the same year he entered the Bennett College of Eclectie Medicine and Surgery in Chicago, being graduated from that institution with the class of 1885. In 1896 he attended and was graduated from the Harvey Medical College of Chicago, which institution also conferred upon him the degree of M. D. In 1898 he took a trip abroad and pursued special work in the treatment of the eye, ear, nose and throat in Berlin, Vienna, London and Paris, spending about six months in this manner. Following his graduation from Bennett College, in 1883. he located for practice at Wentworth, South Dakota, where he followed his profession until 1892, when he removed to Sioux Falls and has there since remained. Since his return from Europe he has been engaged in special practice, giving his entire attention to the treatment of the eye, ear, nose and throat, in which he has attained an enviable reputation and prestige.

In 1887 Dr. Stevenson was united in marriage to Miss Emma Lord, of Wentworth, South Dakota, who passed away in 1911, leaving one son and an adopted daughter. Dr. Stevenson is well known in Masonic cireles, belonging to the following organizations: Sioux Falls Lodge, No. 5, A. F. & A. M .; Sioux Falls Commandery, K. T .; Sioux Falls Consistory, A. & A. S. R .; and El Riad Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is likewise identified with Sioux Falls Lodge, No. 262, B. P. O. E .; Sioux Falls Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Knights of the Maccabees; the Ancient Order of United Workmen; and the Woodmen of the World.

R. R. Stevenson, like his brother, acquired his preliminary education in the public schools 'of Minnesota and, entering upon the profession of teaching, spent five years as principal of schools, his last position in that connection being at Eyota, Minnesota. After completing a full course of study in the Northwestern University Medical School of Chicago he won his M. D. degree in April, 1894, and in May of the same year located for practice in Sioux Falls. After a short period spent in general medical and surgical practice he began special study in Chicago on diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat and afterward studied abroad

DR. ROMEO R. STEVENSON

DR. THOMAS Y. STEVENSON

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for a year. Since that time he has confined his practice exclusively to the line of his specialty and has supplemented his earlier preparation by frequent trips to Europe for post-graduate work in his chosen line, studying in London, Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Zurich and Christiania. His chief ambition has ever been along the line of his profession that he might attain high rank therein and make his service of the greatest possible benefit to his fellowmen.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume V, Part 92

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