History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 128

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

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for many years. Samuel White married, in his native commonwealth, Miss Elizabeth Elliott, whose father served with distinction in the war of 1812, and later became an early settler of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where he acquired a large landed estate and where his death occurred during the cholera epidemic of 1833. To Samuel and Elizabeth White were born eleven children, namely: George (deceased) served during the late Civil war in the Sixth Vermont Volunteers ; John E., of Auburn, New Hamp- shire, was the leader of a New Hampshire band in the same war: Stephen, a member of Company C. Sixth Vermont Infantry, Sixth Army Corps. was killed in the second battle of Winchester, Virginia; Samuel G., who also served in the above regiment, has of late years been living in Oregon ; Charles K., a resident of Randolph, Vermont ; Edwin Terry, whose name introduces this sketch; Elizabeth, deceased : Emily B., an unmarried lady living in Manchester. New Hampshire : Frances, deceased ; and Mary C. V .. who makes her home in the city of Concord. New Hampshire.

Edwin Terry White was born in Woodstock, Vermont. on the 6th day of June, 1847, and ac- quired his education in the public schools of his native place. At the early age of fourteen years he began shifting for himself, and for some years his experiences were varied. working at anything he could find to do, including farm labor, peddling notions through the country, and carpentry. By money thus earned, he paid his expenses while attending high school, and after finishing his course he followed the above and other vocations until 1869, when he was ap- pointed second assistant clerk in the Vermont legislature. Meanwhile, at the age of eighteen, he began the study of law at Woodstock, in the office of Converse & French, the leading legal firm of that place, and during this time sup- ported himself. as before stated, devoting his evenings and such leisure as he could find to his books. Hampered by the necessity of self- support, Mr. White pursued his studies under peculiar difficulties and it was not until his twenty-third birthday that he was formally ad-

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mitted to the bar. About three days after this event he started west in search of a location and, after stopping for a short time at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he proceeded to Marshalltown, in that state, where C. J. B. Harris, a friend of his, was then living. In 1870 Messrs. White and Harris came to South Dakota, reaching Yankton on July 7th of that year, and immediately there- after they opened an office and entered upon the practice of their profession. One year later this partnership was dissolved and Mr. White then associated himself with Hon. S. L. Spink, for- merly a delegate to the United States congress, the firm thus constituted lasting about three years and winning worthy prestige at the Yank- ton bar. Since severing his connection with Mr. Spink, Judge White has practiced alone, but of recent years he has withdrawn largely from gen- eral legal and court business and now devotes his attention mainly to insurance, real estate, loans, etc., in which line he enjoys an extensive and lucrative patronage. In 1890 he was elected judge of the courts of Yankton county, which office he filled by successive re-elections for seven years, discharging the duties of the same in an eminently creditable manner and establishing the reputation of an able, impartial and exceed- ingly careful and painstaking public servant. He was the first man elected to the judgeship after the admission of South Dakota to the Union, and in addition to this office. he has also been United States commissioner since 1890, besides serving at different times as justice of the peace, city justice and city clerk, in all of which posi- tions he displayed marked ability and devoted himself untiringly to the public welfare.

On January 1, 1874, Judge White was married to Miss Mary L. Bagley, of Bethel, Vermont, an estimable and accomplished lady, who has not only presided over his home and looked carefully after his domestic comfort, but who, like a true helpmate, has co-operated with him in his various enterprises and endeavors, and by her wise counsel and judicious assistance has contributed in no small degree to the success with which his life has been crowned. Judge and Mrs. White have no children of their own,

but they have done much in the way of helping others, being alive to all charitable and benevo- lent work and ready at all times to lend their influence and active assistance to the promotion of these and other worthy ends.

Politically, the Judge has long been one of the leading Republicans of Yankton and his in- fluence as an organizer and efficient party worker is by no means confined to his own city, but is felt with considerable force throughout the state. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, belonging to St. John's Lodge No. I, at Yankton, of which he served as worshipful mas- ter for three consecutive years. He is also a leading spirit in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, in which he has held high office, being at the present time sec- retary, recorder and registrar of these bodies at Yankton and also secretary of the Scotish Rite Temple Association here. For a number of years his name has also been prominent in local Odd Fellowship, he being an active worker in Dakota Lodge No. I, and he is also serving as worthy patron of Keystone Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, at Yankton. He is one of the best known men in Yankton and, as indicated in preceding paragraphs, his name has been closely interwoven with the history of South Dakota. He has long had the welfare of his adopted state at heart, and as a public-spirited. progressive citizen, lends his generous support and active co-operation to all enterprises calcu- lated to promote its development and foster pros- perity. Personally, he is held in high esteem, and his career as an honorable business man and trusted official demonstrates that the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens has not been misplaced.

WILLIAM A. HOWARD, sixth territorial governor of Dakota, was a native of Vermont, where he was born in 1812. He was a graduate of Middlebury College. Removed to Detroit and served in congress from 1856 to 1863 ; was after- ward postmaster of Detroit. He was appointed governor in 1878 and died in office in 1880.

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HERVEY A. TARBELL, M. D., is one of the representative physicians and surgeons of the state. being established in the practice of his pro- fession in Watertown, Codington county, where he has built up a large and lucrative business. The Doctor comes of stanch old New England stock and is a native of the Green Mountain state, having been born in Windsor county, Ver- mont, on the 16th of November, 1854, and being a son of Addison and Florella (Parker) Tarbell. His father was a farmer hy vocation and passed his entire life in Windsor county, being a son of Captain Oliver Tarbell, who was likewise a prom- inent farmer and a man of much influence in his locality, having been captain of a company of militia during the progress of the war of 1812. The mother of the Doctor was likewise born in Vermont, the Parkers having been the first set- tlers in Cavendish, that state, in the early colonial epoch, while the lineage is traced back to Scotch- Irish derivation. Rev. J. W. Parker, brother of Mrs. Tarbell, was a prominent clergyman of the Baptist church and held for many years an important pastorate in the city of Washington, while another brother, Rev. H. I. Parker, was likewise a clergyman of the same church, the family name having for many generations been prominently identified with public affairs and pro- fessional work.

Dr. Tarbell passed his boyhood days on the home farm and after completing the curriculum of the common schools, he continued his studies in the Kimball Union Academy, at Meriden, New Hampshire, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1874. He was soon after- ward matriculated in the famous old Dartmouth College, where he completed the classical course and was graduated in 1878. After leaving college he came west to Minnesota, where he was en- gaged in teaching in the public schools, in the meanwhile devoting much attention to the read- ing of medicine, with a view to adopting the practice of the same as a life work. He entered the medical department of the University of New York. where he was graduated in 1883. receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine and coming forth well fortified for the practical work of his

chosen profession. In 1896 he took a special post-graduate course in the New York Post- Graduate Medical College, while he continues at all times a close and discriminating student of the sciences of medicine and surgery and keeps in touch with the advances made in both depart- ments of his profession. After receiving his pro- fessional degree Dr. Tarbell came to South Da- kota and located in Plankinton, Aurora county, where he built up a fine practice, continuing his residence there until 1890, when he removed to Watertown, where he now controls a large and representative practice, which places exigent de- mands upon his time, attention and energies. He is recognized as one of the leading physicians and surgeons of this section and his friends are. in number as his acquaintances, since he enjoys marked popularity in business, professional and social circles. He and his brother, Oliver H., es- tablished the first drug store in Watertown, in 1879, but the Doctor finally sold his interest in the enterprise to his brother, who had had the su- pervision of the business from its initiation. The Doctor was also one of those primarily instru- mental in the establishing of that noble and val- ued institution, the Watertown hospital, of which he is secretary at the present time. For several years he served as county physician, and at the time of this writing is incumbent of the office of county coroner, while for a number of years he held the same offices in Plankinton. He is identi- fied with various professional and fraternal or- ganizations, and both he and his wife are prom- inent members of the Congregational church in Watertown, of whose board of trustees he has been a member for several years. In politics the Doctor gives his allegiance to the Republican party.

In Mankato, Minnesota, on the 24th of May, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Tar- bell to Miss Anna M. Gleason, who was born and reared in that state, having been graduated in the State Normal School at Mankato, and hav- ing been for several years a popular and success- ful teacher in the public schools of that city. Dr. and Mrs. Tarbell have three children, Lilla M., Helen I. and Hervey Gleason. The family home

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is one of the most attractive and modern resi- dences in the city, being pleasantly located on Warner avenue and having been erected at a cost of about eight thousand dollars, while it is rec- ognized as a center of gracious and refined hos- pitality.

R. E. HAYES, senior member of the firm of Hayes & Black, dealers in grain and agricultural implements in Pollock, Campbell county, merits mention in this work as one of the representative business men of this section of the state.

Mr. Hayes is a native of the old Keystone state, having been born in Erie county, Pennsyl- vania, on the 24th of December, 1862. The sub- ject was reared in his native county and his edu- cational advantages were those afforded in its public schools. He continued to reside in Penn- sylvania until 1882, when he came to what is now the state of South Dakota, where he joined his uncle, J. L. Thompson, who had come here two years previously and located on a ranch near Vanderbilt, on the Missouri river. Our subject remained with his uncle for one year and thereafter passed one year in a store on Beaver creek, North Dakota. He then returned to Van- derbilt, where he continued in the same line of enterprise and also engaged in the cattle busi- ness until 1894, when he went to the Cheyenne Indian agency, where he assisted in the conduct of a trading business there conducted by J. E. Horton. One and one-half years later Mr. Haves removed to Eureka, McPherson county. where he engaged in the buying and shipping of grain until the autumn of 1901. when he came to Pollock. He removed to this place a ware- house from Eureka, transporting the building on wagons, and bought the first grain ever shipped from this station, the same being stored on the ground while the weight was determined by guessing as definitely as possible. His partner, David Black, accompanied him from Eureka, and they have been since associated in business. Pollock has become an important station for the shipping of grain, and in addition to this im- portant feature of their business the firm also

handle agricultural implements and machinery, flour, coal, etc., and they have built up a pros- perous industry and gained the unqualified con- fidence and esteem of the people of the section covered by their operations.

JOHN M. SCHAEFER, who is incumbent of the office of treasurer of Hutchinson county and is also one of the representative business men of the attractive village of Tripp, is a native of southern Russia, where he was born on the 12th of April. 1861, being a son of John M. and Christiana (Klopfer) Schaefer. The father of the subject was born in Germany, about 1814. and when he was about fifteen years of age he accompanied his parents on their removal across the border into southern Russia, where he was reared to manhood and where he continued to be identified with agricultural pursuits until his death, at the age of fifty years. In 1886, which vear witnessed the founding of the town of Tripp, Mr. Schaefer came hither as one of the first permanent settlers, and here he opened a general store in partnership with Gottlieb Doer- ing, with whom he continued to be thus associ- ated for many years, the partnership being dis- solved in the spring of 1901, while the business of the concern had grown to be one of the most prominent and prosperous in the county. In the fall of 1900 Mr. Schaefer was elected to the office of county treasurer, and he disposed of his mer- cantile interests the following spring, his partner simultaneously retiring. In the spring of 1903 Mr. Schaefer purchased of F. F. Mayer his in- terest in the mercantile business of Mayer & Wildermuth, and the business has since been continued under the title of Schaefer & Wilder- muth, while the well equipped establishment of the firm caters to a large and discriminating pat- ronage, its trade extending throughout a wide radius of country normally tributary to the thriv- ing town of Tripp. He was re-elected county treasurer in November. 1902, and his adminis- tration of the fiscal affairs of the county has brought to him unqualified commendation. He is a stanch supporter of the Republican party,

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and he and his wife are valued members of the Lutheran church.

On the 13th of September, 1885. Mr. Schaefer married Miss Christina Doering, a daughter of Gottlieb Doering, of Hutchinson county, and of their ten children six are living, namely : Albert. Hulda, Amanda, Gustave, Edwin and Ella, all of whom remain at the parental home.

THOMAS B. McMARTIN has been a resi- dent of South Dakota for more than a score of years and has risen to a place of distinction and honor as a member of the bar of the common- wealth, being actively engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Sioux Falls.

Thomas Bell McMartin is a native of the state of Iowa, having been born in Fairfield, on the 30th of October, 1857, a son of Finlay and Mar- tha McMartin. In 1865 the family removed to Dixon. Illinois, where the subject of this sketch was reared to maturity, completing the curricu- lum of the public schools and later pursuing stud- ies under private tutors. In 1877 he began reading law under the direction of Engene Pinckney, of Dixon. and was admitted to the bar of the state on the 18th of March, 1879. He served his novi- tiate as a practitioner in Dixon, where he remained about one year after his admission to the bar, and in May, 1880, he came to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he has ever since been actively engaged in the practice of his chosen profession, having rapidly forged forward to the front rank, by reason of his ability, devotion to his work and his well directed energy. After coming to Sioux Falls he was a clerk in the law office of the firm of Kershaw & Flagg about nine months, at the expiration of which he entered into a professional partnership with Eugene Coughran, under the firm name of Coughran & McMartin, and this alliance continued until October. 1889. when it was dissolved by mutual consent. Of Mr. McMartin's efforts during this period another writer has spoken as follows: "During this time he had a constantly growing practice and was employed in some very important cases, which

he conducted with distinctive ability." In 1889 our subject entered into partnership with Judge John E. Carland, under the title of McMartin & Carland, and this association obtained until Sep- tember 23, 1893. since which time Mr. McMar- tin has conducted an individual practice of gen- cral order. He is known as an able advocate and safe counsel, being well grounded in the learning of the law and sparing no pains in the prepara- tion of his cases, so that he is ever able to present his causes with clearness and power. He has had a particularly wide and important experience as attorney for receivers of insolvent institutions. having thus been retained by the receivers of the First National Bank of Sioux Falls, the Cham- berlain National Bank, the Madison National Bank, the Bank of South Dakota (at Madison). the Dakota National Bank and the Insurance Company of Dakota. Of him it has been said in the connection that "in the case of the Sioux Falls National Bank versus the First National Bank of Sioux Falls, which grew out of the at- tachment of the assets of the First National by the Sioux Falls National. he won the admiration of the bar by his persistent and successful prose- cution of the case on the part of the defendant bank. He was defeated in the circuit and su- preme courts of the state, but took the case to the United States supreme court and there prevailed. He took this final recourse against the advice of the comptroller of the currency and the opinions of distinguished lawyers, and his victory was thus the more gratifying and the more indicative of his tenacity of purpose and his professional ability." Mr. McMartin has served several years as United States commissioner since taking up his residence in the state, and while he is a stalwart supporter of the principles of the Republican party he has in no sense been ambitious for political prefer- ment. He is a close observer of the ethics of his profession and stands high in the regard of his confreres and the general public, having a host of friends in the city in which he has so long maintained his home.

On the 28th of February, 1888, Mr. McMar- tin was united in marriage to Miss Jennie M. Bowen. of Broadhead. Wisconsin, and they have one child living, named Thomas Bowen.

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HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA:

ASA E. CURTISS has been incumbent of the office of postmaster at Wessington, Beadle county, since 1897 and is one of the honored and repre- sentative citizens of this section of the state, where the circle of his friends is circumscribed only by that of his acquaintances.

Mr. Curtiss is a native of Derby, Connecticut, where he was born on the 21st of January, 1832, being a scion of stanch old New England stock and a son of Joseph and Mary (Hart) Curtiss. His father was a sea captain, and stood as a rep- resentative of that class of sturdy and noble sea- faring men which has gained so wide a reputa- tion and respect the world over. He was one of the first captains employed in connection with the navigation of the Great Lakes, having removed to the western part of New York state when the subject of this sketch was a lad of eight years. Asa E. Curtiss received his early educational training in the common schools of New York. and though his advantages were necessarily lim- ited he made the best use of them and thus gained a foundation for that broad and exact fund of information and practical knowledge which he has since gained by personal application and by active association with men and affairs. As a youth he became identified with navigation on the lakes, and continued to be identified with this im- portant industry for many years, being at the age of twenty-one years master of the steamer "Alle- gheny," plying between Buffalo and Chicago, and known as the youngest master on the lakes, while he resided in Ozaukee county, Wisconsin, until his removal to what is now the state of South Dakota. In 1855 Mr. Curtiss was united in mar- riage to Miss Sarah A. Davison, who was born and reared in the state of New York. She proved a devoted wife and helpmeet until her death, which occurred on the 23d of November, 1894, and she is survived by her only son, Charles N., of whom specific mention is made on another page of this work. On the 20th of October, 1898, Mr. Curtiss consummated a second marriage, being then united to Miss Mary B. Spiller, of Ashland, Kentucky. No children have been born of this marriage.

Mr. Curtiss came to South Dakota in the year

1882 and settled in Beadle county, where he took up three claims of government land, under home- stead, pre-emption and timber-culture entries, and developed the property, where he has main- tained his residence since 1882. In politics Mr. Curtiss has ever been aligned as a stalwart advo- cate of the principles and policies of the Republi- can party, and he has been an active factor in the promotion of its cause. In 1897, during the re- gime of the late lamented President Mckinley, he was appointed postmaster at Wessington, and he has ever since continued to serve in this capacity. while he is known as a capable executive and as one whose administration of postal affairs has met with unqualified popular approval. He also served for several years as justice of the peace of Beadle county.

CHARLES N. CURTISS .- Elsewhere in this work will be found an individual sketch of the life of Asa E. Curtiss, the honored father of the subject, so that a recapitulation of the family history will not be demanded at this juncture.

Charles N. Curtiss, who is one of the repre- sentative business men of Wessington, Beadle county, was born in Port Washington, Ozaukee county, Wisconsin, on the 7th of August, 1858. and his early educational discipline was received in the public schools of that state, after which he was for two years a student in the University of Notre Dame, at South Bend, Indiana. In 1876 he was matriculated in the University of Chicago, where he completed the course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1878. After leaving college he secured a position in a · leading wholesale house in Chicago, and re- mained with this concern until 1882, gaining a thorough knowledge of the details of the busi- ness. In April of the year mentioned he came to what is now the state of South Dakota and took up his résidence in Wessington, where he established himself in the lumber trade and also in the general merchandise business, being one of the pioneer business men of the town and having ever since continued the merchandise enterprise mentioned. He has the unequivocal confidence

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and esteem of the community and has built up a large and prosperous trade in the line mentioned, while he is known as a man of progressive ideas and one straightforward in all his dealings. He has been and continues an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party and stands forward as one animated by a helpful and insistent public spirit. He is identified with the Masonic frater- nty and also with the Modern Woodmen of America, while he enjoys marked popularity in hoth business and social circles.

On the 14th of April, 1892, Mr. Curtiss was united in marriage to Miss Clara L. Ahlers, of Dubuque, Iowa, a lady of refinement and gra- cious social qualities. She was born in Dubuque and is a daughter of Herman and Sophia (Sani- ter) Ahlers, her father having been for many years engaged in fruit growing in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Curtiss have two children, Adele and Charles A.

CHARLES WESLEY ATKINS .- The sub- ject of this review has been a citizen of South Dakota for nearly a quarter of a century, during which time he has resided in Brown county and taken an active interest in the growth and devel- opment of the thriving town of Columbia. Charles W. Atkins, lawyer, farmer and stock raiser, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, on the first day of July. 1844. When a youth he went to Illinois and received his early education in Wesleyan University. at Blooming- ton. that state, after which he began the study of law at Streator under the direction of Hon. Walter Reeves, a leading attorney of the latter city and for a number of years a representative in the United States congress.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 128

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