History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 109

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998

USA > South Dakota > History of South Dakota, Vol. I > Part 109

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annually to his stock. He is raising both cattle and Poland-China hogs and his sales bring to him a very creditable and gratifying income. He has planted all of the trees upon his farm and has made valuable improvements which consti- tute it one of the very desirable farm properties of the locality. Although he found that America afforded good advantages to its citizens, he also found that difficulties and trials were to be borne at times. He lived here when the grasshoppers destroyed all of the crops and was also bothered to a considerable extent with the crickets, which were so numerous that they in some localities stopped trains. His brother's property suffered because of the flood, though he saved most of his cattle by putting them on top of a shed. Mr. Freng has gained very desirable property since coming to America and now has a nice home, in the rear of which stands substantial barns and outbuildings and these in turn are surrounded by good fields or by pasture lands, wherein are fed many head of stock. He has planted an excellent orchard, including both cherry and apple trees, having two acres planted to fruit. He erected his home in 1890 and also built large barns. .

On the 6th of January, 1874, occurred the marriage of Mr. Freng and Miss Anna Freng. Her mother came to Yankton county and is still living in this locality, having attained the age of eighty-one years in April, 1903. The subject and his wife have six children: Mary, who is the wife of Matt Hanson; Bertha, the wife of Ole Bruget ; Ida, who was educated in Yankton and is now a successful school teacher at James- ville ; Emil, at home; and Karl and Clara, who are also with their parents. In his political views Mr. Freng is a Republican who has served as a school officer and as county commissioner. The cause of education finds in him a very warm friend, for he realizes its importance as a prepa- ration for life's practical duties. He belongs to the Lutheran church and in citizenship is very progressive, doing everything in his power to promote the material development of his com- munity. Intelligent and enterprising, his labors have been effective and far-reaching for the benefit of the county and at the same time he has

so directed his business efforts that he has become a leading representative of agricultural life in his adopted state.

REV. WILLIAM LEWIS MEINZER was born on a farm in Winnebago county, Illinois, on the 26th of December, 1868, and is a son of William and Mary Julia Meinzer, both of whom were born near Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany, the former being a lad of nine years when he ac- companied his parents on their emigration to America, while his wife was seven years of age when she came to the United States with her parents, both families being numbered among the pioneer settlers in northern Illinois. The father of the subject became a successful farmer and resided for half a century on his homestead farm in Winnebago county, Illinois. He and his wife are now residing in Davis, Illinois, having retired from active life. The ancestry of the subject, in both the paternal and maternal lines, has been identified with the history of southern Germany, and his grandparents were the first of the respective families to locate in the new world. The maternal grandfather was prominent in the revolution of 1848, and this fact led to his emigration from the Fatherland. One of his brothers was for many years burgo- master of the village of Neureuth, Baden.

William L. Meinzer secured his early edu- cational discipline in the district schools of his native county, and as a mere boy began to assist in the work of the home farm, having followed the plow when but ten years of age, while he was able to attend school during the winter terms of about four months. Of alert and respective mentality, his ambition to secure a broader education was early quickened, and in the fall of 1887 he entered Northwestern Col- lege, at Naperville, Illinois, but by reason of illness he was compelled to temporarily abandon his studies there a few months later, and upon resuming collegiate work he interspersed the same with periods of teaching, in order to secure the means with which to further prosecute his studies. In the autumn of 1889 he came to Lin-

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coln county, South Dakota, for the purpose of teaching in the public schools, and in the follow- ing spring he entered the State Agricultural College, at Brookings, where he continued his studies until the spring of 1893, when a quarrel arose between the faculty and a large number of the students, whereupon our subject left the in- stitution and was matriculated in the Iowa State College, at Ames, being there graduated as a member of the class of 1894 and receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science. In the same year he took up the study of theology, prosecuting the course designated by the Dakota conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he con- tinued his ecclesiastical studies after entering upon active pastoral work. He was received on trial into the conference, at Aberdeen, in 1895; was ordained a deacon, at Mitchell, by Bishop Warren, in 1897; and an elder by Bishop Hurst, at Huron, in 1899. In November, 1894, Mr. Meinzer became pastor of the church at Armour, Douglas county, and in 1896 he was assigned to the pastorate at Howard, where he remained until 1899, when conference assigned him to the pastoral charge of the church at Redfield, Spink county, where he rendered most effective service until 1902. His wife died in April, 1902, dur- ing the pastorate at Redfield. In the following June he resigned his charge and made an ex- tended European tour, returning to South Da- kota in October, 1902, when the conference ap- pointed him to Clark, South Dakota. Since his return from abroad, in connection with his pas- toral duties, Mr. Meinzer has gained high com- mendation on the lecture platform, having em- bodied his experiences and observations in Europe into a most interesting and original lec- ture entitled "Kings, Crowns and Castles." He is a man of high intellectual attainments and is instinct with enthusiasm and nervous vitality, and his devotion and loyalty have made him a force for good in the pulpit and on the platform, while he stands as a type of the best citizenship. In politics he has ever given a stanch allegiance to the Republican party, having cast his first presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison.

On the 31st of December, 1895, Mr. Meinzer was united in marriage to Miss Dora Jane Squires, the ceremony being performed at Armour, this state. Mrs. Meinzer was born and reared near East Fairfield, Vermont, and came to South Dakota in 1890, being for four years a successful and popular teacher in the public schools of Armour. She died in Asbury hospital, in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the 15th of April, 1902, as the result of an operation for cancer. No children were born of this union.

EDWARD J. MONFORE is a native of the old Empire state of the Union, having been born in Delaware county, New York, on the 13th of March, 1828, so that he has now passed the psalmist's span of three score years and ten, but is a man of marked mental and physical vigor, giving slight indication of the years which stand to his credit. He is a son of Garrett and Paty (Smitlı) Monfore, and is the eldest of their four children, all of whom survive, the others being as follows: Rebecca, who is the wife of Rodney Chichester, of New Canaan, Connecticut ; Mary, who is the wife of Henry Monroe, of Council Grove, Kansas; and Elizabeth, who is the wife of John Waterman, of Broome county, New York. The maternal grandfather Smith was a Revolu- tionary soldier and his widow drew a pension. The father of the subject was born in the state of New York, where the family was established in the early pioneer epoch, and there he passed his entire life. As a young man he learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed for a num- ber of years, after which he was engaged in farming during the remainder of his active busi- ness career, having removed from Delaware county to Broome county, where his death oc- curred in 1845. He was a Whig in his political proclivities and was an ardent abolitionist. He and his wife were both consistent members of the Congregational church. The latter was like- wise born in the state of Connecticut and lived to very old age. They were persons of noble

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characteristics and lived lives of signal honor and usefulness.

Edward J. Monfore, whose name initiates this sketch, was reared under the sturdy dis- cipline of the home farm, and after attending the common schools of Broome county he continued his studies for some time in an excellent academy at Homer, New York. As a young man he worked on the farm and at various other oc- cupations, being signally energetic and ambi- tious and early exemplifying that good judgment which has conserved his success in later years. At the age of twenty-five years he entered upon an apprenticeship at the trade of wagonmaking, becoming a competent workman, and to this vo- cation he continued to devote his attention for about a decade, in the meanwhile carefully hus- banding his resources and exemplifying the utmost thrift and perseverance. In 1864 he left his native state and came to the west, locating in Warren county, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, as well as forty acres in the adjoining county of Marion. One year later he disposed of both of these properties and purchased another farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres in Warren county, to which he subsequently added until he had a good farm of two hundred and five acres. There he continued to be successfully engaged in agricultural pur- suits for nearly eighteen years, becoming one of the honored and influential citizens of the com- munity. He there served two terms as clerk of Belmont township, and one term as a member of the board of county commissioners.

In the spring of 1882, having disposed of his interests in Iowa, Mr. Monfore came to South Dakota, and located in Springfield, Bon Homme county, where he has since maintained his home, being one of the founders and builders of this now prosperous and attractive little city, and having also been identified with the in- dustrial development of this favored section of our great commonwealth. He is the owner of six hundred and forty acres of valuable farming land in the county, the same being divided into four farms, and he gives a general supervision to the property, which is well improved and

under effective cultivation. He is also the owner of a nice residence and other property in Spring- field.

In politics Mr. Monfore gave his allegiance to the Whig party until the organization of the Republican party, when he transferred his al- lėgiance to the latter, of whose principles and policies he has ever since been an unswerving advocate, having been one of those who aided in the election of the delegates to the first Re- publican state convention in New York. In 1885 he was elected a member of the board of commissioners of Bon Homme county, in which capacity he served two terms, during which period he gave significant manifestation of his loyalty and intrinsic public spirit. He was also elected and served nine years as a member of the board of education at Springfield. He, with George W. Snow and J. L. Turner, constituted the committee having in charge the erection of its first normal school building here, the cost of which, ten thousand dollars, was donated by the citizens of Springfield, the subject himself con- tributing two hundred dollars. Fraternally he is affiliated with Mount Zion Lodge, No. 6. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and the auxiliary organization, Springfield Chapter, No. II, Order of the Eastern Star, of which his wife likewise is a member; and he is also identified with Springfield Lodge, No. 7, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Deborah Lodge, No. 52, Daughters of Rebekah, of which Mrs. Mon- fore is a member.

On the 15th of June, 1852, at Centre Lisle, New York, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Monfore to Miss Clarissa Chapin, who was born in Michigan and reared in Yorkshire, Broome county, New York. Of this union were born four children, of whom three survive: Edward C., who is a retired merchant of Springfield ; George J., who is engaged in farming in this county ; Carrie, who is the wife of Charles Melick, a farmer of this county. Mr. Monfore's first wife passed away October 8, 1864, dying of typhoid fever at Coloma, Iowa. He subsequently married, in Putnam county, Illinois, Miss Lottie Melick, who was born in New Jersey and reared

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in East Enterprise, Indiana. By the latter union were born three children, all of whom grew to maturity and were married. The eldest, Fanny, who was the wife of Dr. R. D. Melvin, now of Parker, this state, was caught in a folding bed and received injuries which caused her death. She had one son, Adney. The next child, Frank, is proprietor of the Springfield House, at Spring- field, this state, and the youngest, Stella, is the wife of George B. Mead, of Port Stanley, Wash- ington.

JOHN A. JOHNSON .- The home farm of John A. Johnson is a well developed property situated in Yankton county not far from Irene. The owner was born in Norway April 29, 1867, and is a son of Jonas and Olena Johnson. The father came to Yankton county in 1886, settling on section 35, Mayfield township. He had only a few days before arrived in America and South Dakota was his destination for he had heard of the favorable opportunities here afforded for advancement in the business world. Becoming identified with farming interests, he here con- tinued his work until called to his final rest, on the 17th of April, 1899, while his wife died October 24, 1900. In the family were six chil- dren : Einer, John A., Nettha, Olive, Christina and Gena.

In his father's home John A. Johnson was reared and the public schools of his native county afforded him his educational privileges. He was a young man of about nineteen when he crossed the Atlantic and became identified with farming interests in Yankton county. As a companion and helpmate for the journey of life he chose Miss Bertha Larson and they were mar- ried in 1894. The lady is a daughter of Magnus Larson, who came to this county at an early day. Mrs. Johnson passed away on the 24th of March, 1902, leaving two children, Martin and Lena, who are still with their father.

The home farm of Mr. Johnson comprises one hundred and sixty acres of land, all under a high state of cultivation with the exception of a tract of thirty acres. He has made excellent

improvements upon his place, including the erec- tion of a fine residence in 1902. Two years be- fore he built large and substantial barns and other outbuildings upon his place with abundant shelter for grain and stock. He makes a spe- cialty of the raising of shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs and in addition he produces good crops in his well tilled fields. His desir- able property, neat and thrifty in appearance, stands as a monument to his life of industry and enterprise and he is widely recognized as one of the more progressive and successful young farmers of Yankton county. He holds member- ship in the Lutheran church and in his political views he is a Republican. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to public office and he is now serving as township treasurer, and a member of the Re- publican central committee. He is also a share- holder and director in the Farmers' Co-operative Stock Company, of Irene, South Dakota.

CINCINATUS C. WILEY .- In the career of this enterprising business man and gallant ex- soldier of one of the greatest wars in the annals of history, the reader will not only find much that is interesting but may also profit by those experiences which when properly applied to pre- vailing conditions invariably lead to success. Cincinatus C. Wiley, of the firm of Wiley, Allen & Company, real estate dealers, Watertown, is a New England product and inherits many of the sterling qualities for which the people of that historic section of the Union have long been distinguished. His father, Dr. Hazare Wiley, a well-known physician and surgeon, was a native of Massachusetts and of Scotch descent, and his mother, who hore the maiden name of Mary Pierce, was also born and reared in the same state. Cincinatus C. is one of seven children, two now living, and was born in Franklin county, Massachusetts, on the 8th day of October, 1842. At the proper age he entered the public schools of his native place and prosecuted his studies therein until a youth in his teens, the meantime spending his vacations on a farm, with the rug-

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ged duties of which he early became familiar. After acquiring his education he followed agri- cultural pursuits until the breaking out of the great Civil war, when, with true patriotic fervor, he tendered his services to the country in the time of its need, enlisting, in 1861, in Company B, Tenth Massachusetts Infantry, for three years, being mustered in at the city of Springfield on June 2Ist of that year. Mr. Wiley's regiment was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and took an active part in many of the noted Vir- ginia campaigns from the beginning of the war until near its close, participating in some of the bloodiest battles of the struggle. Among these were Fair Oaks, second Bull Run, Antietam, Mil- burn Hill, Mine Run, first and second battles of Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, Gettysburg and a number of others, to say nothing of numerous skirmishes and minor engagements, in all of which the subject bore himself as a brave and gallant soldier, prompt in his response to every duty and ready at all times to face danger and death in defense of the great principles for which so many patriots gave the last full measure of their devotion, to the end that the union of the states might be pre- served inviolate. He was wounded at Spottsyl- vania, but not seriously, and on July 1, 1864, at the expiration of his enlistment was mustered out of the service, immediately after which he returned home and the following spring engaged in the lumber business in the state of Vermont.

Mr. Wiley devoted his attention to this line of activity from 1865 to 1876, a period of eleven years, and then disposed of his interests in New England and came to South Dakota, arriving at Yankton on March 27th of the latter year. The following May he went to the Black Hills and for some time thereafter devoted his attention to prospecting and mining, with Deadwood as his headquarters, returning to Yankton the ensuing fall. In the spring of 1877 he came to Cod- ington county, driving from Yankton with an ox- team and taking possession of one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he had previously entered by filing a soldier's claim and on which he lived until the spring of 1879, when he moved

into town. Some months later he had his build- ings moved to Watertown and, putting up an addition thereto, started a hotel which he con- ducted from 1880 to 1894, inclusive, and which the meanwhile became a well-known hostlery and one of the most popular resorts of the traveling public in the eastern part of the state. Disposing of his hotel interests, he again turned his at- tention to mining and after prosecuting the same almost exclusively until the spring of 1899, principally in the Black Hills district, he began dealing in real estate. The real estate firm of Wiley, Allen & Company does the largest busi- ness of the kind in Watertown and one of the most extensive in the state, having lands listed in all parts of the Dakotas, Oregon, California and other states and territories, their operations being far-reaching and important and of a mag- nitude which demonstrates their capacity as enter- prising, progressive and thoroughly reliable busi- ness men. Additional to his real estate business, Mr. Wiley owns valuable mineral properties in various parts of the west, the most important of which are his interests in the group of gold, silver and lead mines on Kittle river, one hundred and twenty-eight miles north of Spokane in the state of Washington. These are being developed as rapidly as circumstances will admit and the richness of the territory and the vast quantity of ore in sight indicate independent fortunes for the owners at no distant day. Recently Mr. Wiley removed to Lents, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, where he is engaged in the real-estate business under the firm style of C. C. Wiley & Company.

Mr. Wiley is a wide-awake, public-spirited citizen, deeply interested in the public welfare, and he encourages with his influence and finan- cial support all laudable enterprises to promote the same. He has taken an active part in county and municipal affairs, served two terms as treasurer of each, and as custodian of the people's funds made a record unshadowed by the slightest suspicion of anything dishonorable. In politics he is a Republican and for a number of years has been considered one of the leaders of his party in the county of Codington. Fraternally,

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he is identified with the Grand Army of the Re- public, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Ancient Order of United Workmen and he has been honored with the highest offices within the gift of the different local lodges to which he belongs.

Mr. Wiley was married April 12, 1865, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Miss Harriett P. Sprague, a native of Vermont and the daugh- ter of Farnum and Harriett F. Sprague, the union resulting in the birth of five children, namely : Lewis E., of Butte, Montana ; Elmer, who died at the age of seven years; Alice F .; Cora A., wife of Oscar Eichiger, of Watertown, and Birdie, who died in childhood. Mrs. Wiley departed this life December 4, 1902, and her loss was deeply mourned in Watertown where she had a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances who held her in the highest personal esteem. She was a devoted member of the Congrega- tional church, always profoundly interested in religious and benevolent enterprises and her beautiful Christian character and zealous en- deavor in every good work endeared her to all who came within range of her influence.

WILLIAM BYRNE, who is one of the rep- resentative farmers and stock growers of Faulk county, where he is the owner of a large and valuable ranch, is a native son of the great west and has exemplified its progressive spirit in a marked degree, gaining success through his well directed efforts in connection with the industrial development of South Dakota, where he has maintained his home for the past score of years, so that he is entitled to consideration as one of the pioneers of Faulk county.

Mr. Byrne was born in Allamakee county, Iowa, on the 18th of September, 1861, and is a son of Lawrence and Delia Byrne. This worthy couple became the parents of ten children, of whom eight are living, while four of the number are residents of this state.

William Byrne was reared on the homestead farm which was the place of his birth, and re- ceived his education in the excellent public

schools of Iowa. He continued to be associated in the management of the homestead until 1882, when the property was sold, and he then, in company with his mother and the other members of the family, came to South Dakota. They passed the winter of that year in Turner county and in the spring of 1883 came to the newly or- ganized county of Faulk, where each of the family entered claim to government land. The subject took up a pre-emption claim, six. miles east of the present village of Orient, which is his postoffice address, and at once instituted the im- provement of his land, to which he has since added until he has a valuable estate of nine hundred and sixty acres, the major portion of which is under effective cultivation, being de- voted to the raising of wheat, oats, corn, barley and hay, in large quantities. He is also giving careful attention to the raising of high-grade stock. His place has an excellent supply of pure water, which may be secured at a depth of about sixteen feet on almost all portions of the ranch. He is a stanch supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party and fraternally is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Maccabees.

On the 15th of May, 1895, Mr. Byrne was united in marriage to Miss Mary Paul, who was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, being a daugh- ter of August Paul, who removed from that state to South Dakota in 1884, locating in Faulk county, where he remained until 1894, when he removed to the state of Virginia, where he and his wife now maintain their home. He is a native of Germany, and his wife, whose maiden name was Bertha Schulz, was born in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Byrne have four children, namely : Paul, Raymond, Theodore and Leonard.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 109

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 998

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998