USA > South Dakota > History of South Dakota, Vol. I > Part 118
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GOLD BROTHERS.
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HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA.
cid bosom of this lake of all lakes for grandeur and sport." It may also be said that the hotel accommodations are excellent and that fine hunt- ing and fishing are to be had. Sidney R. Gold is secretary of the Inter-State Chautauqua Asso- ciation and of the company controlling Simpson park, where are also held the summer schools of the Inter-State Teachers' Association, covering the states of North and South Dakota and Minne- sota.
Sidney R. Gold has been prominent in public affairs and is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Republican party, as are also each of his brothers. He represented Grant county in the house of the state legislature in 1893 and 1895, and served on the appropriation committee. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Masonic order and the Modern Woodmen of America.
In Clinton, Iowa, on the 18th of May, 1876, Sidney R. Gold was united in marriage to Miss Eva M. Sloan, who was born and reared in Clin- ton, Iowa, and they are the parents of seven chil- dren, namely: Mabel E., who is stenographer in the Big Stone Bank: Edith M., who is the wife of Charles Wallace, cashier of the Albee Bank, at Albee ; Florence L. and Ruth S., who are students in the Northwestern University, at Ev- anston, Illinois ; and Ralph S., Milton J. and Eva A. The family residence, one of the finest in the county, is located on the hill in the north sec- tion of the town, commanding a most beautiful view of the lake and surrounding country, while it is modern in all its appointments and equip- ments.
Frank O. Gold was born and reared in Davis, Illinois. He is the president of the Gold-Stabeck Land Company and vice-president of the First National Bank, both of Renville, Minnesota, where he makes his home. He is a strong Meth- odist, and is not only prominent in his own church, but has been further honored by being chosen as a lay delegate from the Northern Minnesota conference to the general conference of the Methodist church, held at Los Angeles, Califor- nia, in the early summer of 1904.
James A. Gold was born in Davis, Illinois, on the 14th of May, 1860. At the age of fifteen
years he joined his older brothers in Iowa, and acted as station agent and telegraph operator in the various towns in which they were located, having served in such capacity for eight years after coming to Big Stone City. He has served as treasurer of the school district for the past dec- ade. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a member of the board of trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Big Stone City. He has executive charge of the affairs of the Gold & Company Bank, of which he has been cashier from the time of its establishment, in 1894. His residence is the finest in the city and one of the best to be found between Minneapolis and Aberdeen. At Waubay, Day county, on the 22d of December, 1884, Mr. Gold wedded Miss Ida B. Stone, who was born in the state of Maine, being a daughter of C. C. Stone, now a resident of Big Stone City. Of this union have been born nine children, namely: Ray E., Lee A., Earl S., Grace M., Irene M., Verna B., Mildred C., James C. and Kenneth.
John T. Gold was born in Davis, Stephenson county, Illinois, on the 15th of November, 1862, and he joined his brothers in Iowa in 1875. He is now treasurer of the Gold Brothers Land and Investment Company, to which he devotes the major portion of his attention. He was a mem- ber of the village council of Big Stone City for eight years, and is one of the public-spirited and popular citizens of the county. He is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is one of the stewards of the First Methodist Episcopal church, having held this office from the time of coming to the county, and having been superin- tendent of the Sunday school for the past twelve years. His attractive modern home is eligibly located on the shores of Big Stone lake. On the 15th of September, 1885, John T. Gold was united in marriage to Miss Alice Harrington, of Delmar, Iowa, and they have three children, Marjorie A .. Paul J. and Malcom L.
William H. Gold is president of the Gold- Stabeck Bank, at Redwood Falls, where he re-
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sides, and devotes his attention to that institution. Mr. Gold is a Methodist and in the early summer of 1904 was a lay delegate from the Southern Minnesota conference to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, held at Los Angeles.
MAJOR ROBERT DOLLARD, an honored citizen of Scotland, Bon Homme county, is a rep- resentative member of the bar of the state. has been prominent in public and civic affairs in South Dakota, rendered distinguished service as a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and as one of the sterling pioneers of this state demands recognition in this history.
Major Dollard was born at Fall River, Mas- sachusetts, March 14, 1842, and was educated in the public schools of the old Bay state. His fa- ther. Thomas Dollard, was born in Thomastown, Ireland, in 1810, and came to America in 1836, residing for a short time in New York and there- after making his home in Massachusetts until his death, in 1882. In 1838, in New York, he mar- ried Miss Mary Collyer, and they became the par- ents of one son and one daughter, the death of the mother occurring in 1843.
Prior to the outbreak of the Civil war Major Dollard joined a company of the Massachusetts militia, and in the winter of 1860-61 was one of the number who volunteered for service in sup- pressing the rebellion. He was called to active duty on the 15th of April, 1861, bivouacing with his regiment the following night in historic old Faneuil Hall, in the city of Boston. This old building has been consistently called the "cradle of liberty." Within its ancient walls lay in state the body of the first patriot killed in the war of the Revolution and there the eloquent voices of Daniel Webster, Wendell Phillips and other fa- mous orators were often heard in the stormy days before the Civil war. Major Dollard's regiment was called into service for three months, and the men who comprised this and the other three regi- ments of infantry, a battalion and a company of light artillery-about thirty-eight hundred in number-were called the "Minute-men of Massa-
chusetts," and it is claimed they were the first volunteers to enter the field in the Union cause. The Major's regiment was the first to arrive on what eventually proved to be the "dark and bloody ground" of the war, the state of Virginia, and on the day which marked their arrival in the Old Dominion General Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States army to cast in his lot with the fortunes of his native state and to repel the invasion of the northern troops. Shortly after the expiration of his three months' term of service Major Dollard re-enlisted, becom- ing a member of Company I, Twenty-second Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, to which Gen- eral Miles, late commanding general of the United States army, came soon afterward as a lieutenant, while the commander of the regiment was Henry Wilson, then United States senator and later vice- president with President Grant. Major Dol- lard's company, however, did not have the re- quired quota of men, and therefore disbanded, its members joining other organizations in the Twen- ty-third Massachusetts Infantry, while our sub- ject fell in with a company of "pilgrims" from Plymouth Rock. He served with this command in the campaigns in Maryland, North and South Carolina and Virginia, holding the office of ser- geant and later being promoted first sergeant, then lieutenant and finally, in December, 1863, being made captain in a regiment of colored car- alry, which was believed to be intended to beconie a part of the regular army at the close of the war. With this command he served in the Rich- mond and Petersburg campaign of 1864-5. and he was seriously wounded while commanding the advance of an attack on the works at Rich- mond, while in the general orders Major General Benjamin F. Butler thus complimented him on this occasion : "Captain Robert Dollard, Second United States Colored Cavalry, acting as field officer and in command of the skirmish line at Newmarket Heights, inspired his command by his great personal bravery, coolness and ability. until he fell severely wounded near the enemies' main line, is hereby promoted to major." Major Dollard. having partially recovered from his wound. returned to the field and commanded his
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regiment thereafter until the close of the war. Shortly afterward there was organized a corps, of which his command formed a part, for service on the Rio Grande in Texas, to watch the move- ments of Maximilian in Mexico. The cavalry brigade of which the Major's regiment formed a part seemed to be under a high state of disci- pline, being comprised of regiments commanded respectively by Colonel Charles Francis Adams, of Massachusetts; Colonel Jeptha Garrard, of Cincinnati ; and Major Dollard, but when about to take transports for Texas a rumor was circu- lated to the effect that the men were to be kept in service five years, though their term of enlist- ment would expire in about eighteen months, and that they were to be taken to the south to raise cotton and thereby assist in paying the na- tional debt, and this caused an outbreak of mutiny in the ranks. The Major had ten of his twelve companies, about eight hundred men, with him and armed with carbines and well supplied with ammunition ; and all, with the exception of the men on guard duty, declined to go on shiphoard, breaking out in turbulent disorder and defiance, but later the presence of a large white regiment, well armed and with their position commanded by two or more cannon, effectually cooled the rebel- lious ardor of the colored regiment, and they went on board, but made threats to take the ship when out at sea-a move which seemed quite pos- sible of accomplishment, in view of the fact that there were but thirteen white officers to control them. This plan was never carried out, for the white officers took drastic measures when well out at sea; thirty of the ringleaders were dis- armed and confined in the coalhole below the engines ; all ammunition in the possession of the men was thrown overboard and that in reserve placed beneath the officers' cabin, with a hint that it would be used to blow up the ship if any attempt were made to take it, and thus quiet and order prevailed for the remainder of the journey, from Portsmouth, Virginia, to Brazos Santiago, Texas, where the troops designated for service on the Mexican border were landed. They were dis- tributed along the Rio Grande until the early part of the following year, when they were discharged.
Major Dollard was in active service throughout his army career and in the numerous battles in which he participated he won credit and distinc- tion. Perhaps no better testimony as to the merit of his military service could be given than that tendered by the historian of a certain town in Massachusetts, a talented minister of the gospel and former Union soldier, among whose parish- ioners was a millionaire governor of the state, for, in a letter to Major Dollard touching his place in the history, he spoke as follows : "I have given vou more space than I have given Governor Ames, not because I desired to punish him or fa- vor you, but because you deserved it."
In 1866 Major Dollard located in Galesburg, Illinois, subsequently taking up the study of law and being admitted to the bar in 1870. In 1875 he married Miss Carrie E. Dunn, no children having been born of this union. Mrs. Dollard is a talented and public-spirited woman, devoted to art and music and to the advancement of projects for the betterment of the race. She is a daugh- ter of Imri and Jane M. Dunn, formerly of Yates City, Illinois, and is one of a large family of chil- dren. Her father was born near Winchester, Virginia, in 1810, and was closely related to the Thurman family, of which the late Allan G. Thur- inan was a distinguished representative, and be- ing a strong advocate of the principles of the Free-soil party, he early emigrated to Ohio. In Highland county, that state, in 1830, he married his wife, who was born there in 1813. About 1837 they immigrated to Fulton county, Illinois, being prominently identified with the develop- ment of that section, of which they were hon- ored pioneers, and there and in the adjoining county of Knox they passed the remainder of their lives.
In April, 1879, Major Dollard located in Doug- las county, Dakota territory, being its first settler. He organized and led the fight against the fraud- ulent organization of the county and was suc- cessful in this important issue, which brought about the repudiation of fraudulent warrants to the amount of sixty thousand dollars, that would have proved a great burden ón the taxpayers of the county. He was a prominent and influential
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member of the constitutional conventions of 1883 and 1885 and a leading member of the last terri- torial council. He also has the distinction of hav- ing served as the first attorney general of the new state of South Dakota, and later he was elected a member of the state legislature and also of the state senate, being a stanch Republican in poli- tics. The Major has been continuously engaged in the practice of law for thirty-three years and, in the full strength of a vigorous manhood, his usefulness in his chosen field of labor bids fair to long continue. He has large farming interests in the state but, like "Uncle Jerry" Rusk, is not a farmer but an agriculturist-he does his farm- ing by proxy.
JAMES D. ELLIOTT, of Tyndall, Bon Homme county, stands distinctively forward as one of the able and honored members of the bar of the state of South Dakota. Mr. Elliott is a native of the state of Illinois, having been born in Mount Sterling, Brown county, on the 7th of October, 1859, a son of William and Mary (Mc- Phail) Elliott, of whose seven children he is the eldest of the five surviving, the others being as follows: Belle, who is the wife of Charles E. Baker, of Condon, Oregon ; Effie, who is the wife of Thomas D. Ferguson, of the same place; Lydia, who is the wife of John Stanley, of Parker, South Dakota; and Cliffie, who is the wife of Louis L. Fleeger, also of Parker. The father of the subject was born in England, in the year 1833, and as a child he accompanied his par- ents on their removal to the United States, the family locating in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His father was a skilled mechanic, and for many years after locating in Pennsylvania he was su- perintendent of the Sligo iron works, understand- ing the secret processes in the manufacture of iron, steel, etc. Early in the 'fifties he removed to Brown county, Illinois, where he purchased land and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, with which he there continued to be identified during the remainder of his life, attaining an ad- vanced age. The father of the subject received his early educational training in the city of Pitts-
burg, and there also he began the work of pre- paring himself for the profession of law, continu- ing his technical studies after the removal of the family to Illinois, where in due time he was ad- mitted to the bar. Shortly afterward he took up his residence in Mount Air, Iowa, where he opened an office and engaged in the active prac- tice of his profession. At the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion he enlisted in a Missouri regiment and served until the close of the great internecine conflict which determined the in- tegrity of the Union, while he was mustered out as captain of his company. After his loyal and valiant military career Mr. Elliott returned to' Mount Air and resumed the practice of the law, becoming one of the leading members of the bar of Iowa, while he also served as a member of the legislature of the state. In 1872 he came as a pioneer to the territory of Dakota, locating a claim in Clay county, where, by reason of im- paired health, he continued to reside until 1883, when he removed to Hurley, Turner county, where he resumed the practice of law, soon gain- ing distinctive prestige. About 1891 he was elected county judge and removed to Parker, the county seat of Turner county, and he has ever since presided on the bench of that county, where he is known and honored as one of the leading legists and jurists of the state. Judge Elliott was a member of the constitutional convention and as such was appointed a member of the com- mittee to which was assigned the work of deter- mining as to the proper division of the territory into the two states, and he has long been promi- nent in public affairs and in the civic life of the territory and state. In politics he was originally a Democrat, but while serving in the war of the Rebellion he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party, of whose principles he has ever since been a stanch advocate. Fra- ternally, he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and he is known and honored as one of the representative citizens of the state of which he has been one of the founders and up- builders. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church.
James D. Elliott, the immediate subject of
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this sketch, passed his boyhood days in the state of Iowa, and his early education was obtained in the public schools of Mount Air and Panora, that state. After the removal of the family to Dakota he continued his studies in the public schools of Vermillion, of which Professor Culver was superintendent at the time, and under this able educator he also received a course of special instruction during a period of two years, and while thus attending school he slept in an empty building, in order to protect the owner in the insurance carried on the same, while he also did janitor work to assist in defraying his expenses while carrying forward his studies. He was an ardent and ambitious student, and the burning of the midnight oil while pursuing his educational work was a common thing with him, the ex - pression having no trite application in his case. After completing his more purely literary edu- cation Mr. Elliott was engaged in teaching in the public schools for a period of three years, and he invested his savings in cattle, which he placed on his father's farm, his plan being to eventually place his stock, as appreciated in value, on the market and from the sale of the same secure the funds requisite for continuing his studies in the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. The food of 1881, however, swept away and drowned all his cattle, and his plans being thus overthrown Mr. Elliott started for the Black Hills, driving through with a team and expecting to pass the summer in that district. In the autumn of that year he returned home and for the following year he was engaged in teaching in the public schools at Lakeport, Yankton county, while later he taught the winter term in the school at Meck- ling, Clay county. His father had met with most serious reverses by reason of the flood mentioned, and under these conditions it became necessary for our subject to return home and aid in re- habilitating the family fortunes. He thus abandoned his plans of attending the university, but was still determined to carry on his study of the law, which he had initiated some time pre- viously, and while engaged in teaching he read law under the preceptorship of Colonel John L. Jolley, of Vermillion. In 1883 he entered the law
office of Gamble Brothers, at Yankton, and in April of the following year he was duly admitted to the bar of the state, while he remained with the firm mentioned until October 14th of that year, when he located in Springfield, Bon Homme county, and entered upon the practice of his pro- fession. In the spring of the following year Mr. Elliott came to Tyndall, the county seat, having been at the time removed from Springfield to this point, and here he has since continued to reside, while he has gained distinction and suc- cess in his chosen profession, to which he has applied himself with marked singleness of pur- pose, being a close student, an able advocate and one thoroughly grounded in the science of juris- prudence. In 1887 he was elected to the office of state's attorney, in which capacity he served four years, and in 1897, under the administra- tion of President Mckinley, he was appointed United States district attorney, of which import- ant office he has since remained incumbent, by successive reappointments, his last appointment having been made by President Roosevelt. He has proved a most capable and discriminating officer and is held in the highest confidence and regard by his professional confreres and by the people of the state at large. In politics Mr. Elliott has ever given an unqualified support to the Republican party and he has been an active and prominent worker in its cause, having been chairman of the state central committee in 1896, and as such having marshalled his forces most admirably during the presidential campaign of that year. He has been very successful in his profession and in his business affairs, and is dis- tinctively the architect of his own fortunes. He is president of the Security Bank of Tyndall, is the owner of about fifteen hundred acres of land in Bon Homme county and is largely interested in the raising of live stock. Fraternally, Mr. Elliott is identified with Bon Homme Lodge, No. IOI, Free and Accepted Masons ; Scotland Chap- ter, Royal Arch Masons ; Yankton Commandery, Knights Templar, at Yankton; Yankton Consist- ory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and El Riad Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Sioux Falls, while he is
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also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in Tyn- dall, and with Sioux Falls Lodge. No. 262, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Sioux Falls. He is well known throughout the state and enjoys a high degree of popularity in professional, business and social circles.
On the 29th of May, 1890, Mr. Elliott was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Stilwell, daughter of Charles H. Stilwell, the present post- master of Tyndall and one of its leading citizens, individual mention of him being incorporated on other pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are the parents of four children, namely : Marion A., Douglas S., Hiram McP. and Mary H.
JOSEPH V. WAGNER, who is incumbent of the office of treasurer of Bon Homme county, re- taining his residence in the attractive village of Tabor, the county seat, is one of the popular and highly esteemed citizens of the county and one of the representative business men of this section of the state. being largely interested in banking and having attained prosperity and definite pres- tige through his own efforts, being thus entitled to be termed a self-made man, which is ever a title of honor in our republic.
Mr. Wagner is a native of Bohemia, where he was born on the Ist of March, 1855, the family having been resident of that section of the Ger- man empire for many generations. He was there reared to the age of fifteen years, having received his educational training in the excellent schools of the locality in which he was born. At the age noted he bade adieu to home and native land. in company with his elder brother. Albert, and set sail for the United States. From New York city they proceeded westward to Wisconsin, and after passing about ten months in Keewaunee county, that state, they came to what is now South Dakota. this being prior to the division of the territory. Our subject located in Bon Homme county, where he secured employment on various farms, being thus engaged for several years, during which time he carefully saved his carnings. In 1876 he took up a pre-emption
claim of one hundred and sixty acres and later filed a homestead entry on the same property, which was located about twelve miles from the present county seat of Bon Homme county. He located on his farm and vigorously instituted the work of cultivating and improving the same. He resided on this place until 1887, when he sold the property, which had greatly appreciated in value, and then removed to Tabor, where he en- gaged in the general merchandise business, build- ing up a large and prosperous enterprise and gain- ing the good will of the people of the surrounding country. In 1901 he disposed of his store and business and engaged in banking, to which im- portant line of enterprise he has since devoted his attention, while his interests are of wide scope and importance and he is recognized as one of the substantial capitalists of this section of the state. He is president of the Utica State Bank. the Tabor State Bank and vice-president of the Lesterville State Bank. all of which have high standing among the monetary institutions of the state, being ably conducted and amply for- tified in a capitalistic way.
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