History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 90

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 90

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On the 22d of February, 1881, was solem- nized the marriage of Mr. Ericson to Miss Sylvia A. Hayes, who was born in Richland Center, Wis- consin, on the 22d of April, 1856, being a daugh-

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ter of Benjamin and Phoebe ( Marquot) Hayes. Of this union were born three children, namely : Harry Francis, who died on the 4th of November, 1903, at the age of twenty years and ten months ; Nellie H., who is eighteen years of age at the time of this writing ( 1904) ; and Sylvia Florence, aged ten years.

SVANTE JOSEPHSON, of whose career we are permitted to offer a brief sketch in this work, is one of the extensive landholders and successful farmers and stock-growers of Brule county, and has been a resident of South Da- kota for the past twenty years, having been closely identified with the development and prog- ress of the commonwealth and being one of the honored citizens of the same.

Mr. Josephson is a native of Sweden, where he was reared and educated, having been born on the 25th of December, 1840, and being a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Swanson) Anderson, while his surname is held in accordance with the custom of his native land, he being "Joseph's son." He received his education in the excellent schools of his native place, where his father was a farmer and tradesman, and after leaving school he learned the trade of his father's, to which he there devoted his attention until 1863, when, as a young man of twenty-three years, he set forth to win a home and a position of independence in America, to whose hospitable shores have come so many of his sterling and sturdy countrymen. He landed in New York city and thence came . westward to Chicago, where he engaged in car- pentering, being finally employed by the govern- ment in this capacity and assisting in the erec- tion of various buildings utilized in connection with the federal armies, the Civil war being in progress at the time. He was engaged in car- penter work about four years, finally removing to Minnesota, where he remained a short inter- val, after which he located in Mitchell county, lowa, where he devoted his attention to agricul- tural pursuits for the ensuing fifteen years-up to the time of his removal to South Dakota, in 1884. In that year he disposed of his interests 41

in Iowa and came to this state, locating in Union county, where he purchased two hundred and twenty acres of land. He there improved a good farm and there maintained his home until 1895, when he sold the property at a good profit and came to Brule county, where he purchased a quar- ter section of land in Willow Lake township. To this he has since added until the area of the home ranch is eight hundred acres, while he also owns another tract, of three hundred and twenty acres, in the county, so that the aggregate area of his landed estate reaches the very considerable amount of eleven hundred and twenty acres. He has one hundred acres under a fine state of culti- vation, and the balance is given over to the rais- ing of fodder of various kinds and to grazing purposes, as he is engaged in the raising of live stock upon a somewhat extensive scale, being pro- gressive and energetic in both departments of his tarm enterprise and being known as one of the reliable and substantial citizens of the county. He has made the best of permanent improvements on his ranch property, and his home is one of the attractive places of this section of the state. His residence is located four miles northeast of the village of Kimball, which is his postoffice ad- dress and principal trading point. In politics Mr. Josephson is a stanch Republican, and while he has never sought official preferment his inter- est in the cause of education has led him to ac- cept a position on the school board of his dis- trict. Fraternally he is affiliated with Brule Lodge, No. 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons, at Kimball, and both he and his wife are valued members of the Presbyterian church.

On the 24th of March, 1873, in Osage, Mit- chell county, Iowa, Mr. Josephson was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Evans, who was born in Pennsylvania and reared in Iowa, and they are the parents of three children, Minnie H., who completed her education in the high schools of Union county, South Dakota, and who has for eight years been a popular and successful teacher in the schools of Brule county, being employed as primary teacher in the village of Pukwana, South Dakota, for the past three years ; Cora M .. who likewise was a successful teacher in Brule

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county, for a period of seven years, and Guy, who was born in 1883, assists his father in the management of the homestead ranch, being one of the popular young men of this section, and is now at the Agricultural College of Brookings, South Dakota.

HENRY WILBER is one of those energetic and sturdy pioneers who have shown to the world the possibilities involved in the develop- ment of the agricultural resources of the great state of South Dakota, and he is today the owner of a finely improved and valuable farm in Bath township, Brown county, where he took up his abode more than a score of years ago. Mr. Wilber is a native of the fine old Wolverine state, having been born in Lapeer county, Michigan, on the 19th of November, 1845, and being a son of Joel and Hannah Wilber. He was reared on the homestead farm and received a common- school education, and in his youth he began working in the great lumber woods of his native state, continuing to be identified with this line of industry for a period of fifteen years, while for three years he held the position of foreman. For five years he followed the hazardous business of driving logs on Mill creek, becoming an ex- pert in the management of the logs, which were thus floated down to the mills each spring. In the summer of 1880, in company with his hroth- ers, Ira and Martin, Mr. Wilber came to the James river valley of Dakota, reaching their des- tination in May. On the 3d of the following month each of them filed entry on homestead and tree claims, our subject securing two claims on section 6, Brown county. That same autumn he took up his residence on the place, upon which he erected a sod house and barn, of the type com- mon to the early pioneer days. Lumber at that time here commanded about one hundred and fifty dollars per thousand feet, and few of the settlers felt inclined to make the necessary expenditure to secure the same, even if able to do so. In this township those who wintered here that year were few in number, including the subject and S. H. Cook, P. C. Cavanagh, two bachelor brothers

named Lamb, and I. Chamberlain. Mr. Wilber continued to occupy his primitive sod house for three years, and in the meanwhile vigorously prosecuted the work of improving his farm and rendering it available for effective cultivation. At the expiration of the period noted he erected a small frame house, which is an integral portion of his present substantial and commodious resi- dence, which was erected about five years ago. while the other permanent improvements are in harmony therewith. A tree claim which was orig- inally a part of his home farm he has given to one of his sons, but added five other quarter sections to his holdings, one of which he has since given to another of his sons, so that he re- tains in his home farm a half section at the pres- ent time, while he also owns a quarter section one-half mile to the south and another one-half section on the James river, three miles distant, the last mentioned being utilized mainly for graz- ing and raising hay. In addition to raising large quantities of grain Mr. Wilber is also prominently interested in the raising of Hereford cattle, hav- ing at the present time about seventy-five head. thoroughbred and graded. He has raised ten thousand bushels of wheat in one year, and he now devotes about five hundred acres to this product and sixty-five acres to corn. He has been very successful in raising corn and pronounces this section as well adapted to the propagation of the sanie as is his native state of Michigan. For the past seven seasons Mr. Wilber has operated a threshing outfit and has found this enterprise likewise profitable. He is wide-awake and enterprising and is one of the model farmers of this section of the state. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church.

In Lapeer county, Michigan, on the 7th of May, 1866, Mr. Wilber was united in marriage to Miss Esther Clement, who was born in Massa- chusetts, whence she accompanied her parents to Michigan when she was a girl of thirteen years. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wilber we enter the following brief record : Adel died at the age of four years ; Lena died at the age of sixteen;

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Ruby died on the 24th of May, 1902, as the re- sult of an operation for appendicitis, being in the bloom of gracious maidenhood, as she was nine- teen years of age at the time; Hattie is the wife of Rev. W. O. Gram, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Bath, this county ; Frank, who married Lillian Rievert, is engaged in farm- ing, his place being one-half mile distant from the old homestead; Frederick, who married Lizzie Schnase, is engaged in farming 'in this county and Estella and Clifford remain at the parental home.

IVER BAGSTAD .- The subject of this sketch is one of the representative business men of Yankton county, retaining his residence in the village of Volin, and his career illustrates in no uncertain way what is possible of accomplishment on the part of a young man who will bend his energies to the accomplishment of a definite ob- ject. Mr. Bagstad is a native of Norway, where he was born on the 28th of January, 1843, being a son of Peter and Mary Bagstad, who were like- wise native of that portion of the far northland, where they were reared. When the subject of this sketch was in his seventh year his parents immigrated to America and located in the eastern part of Wisconsin, where his father took up a tract of wild land, which he reclaimed to culti- vation, and there our subject was reared under the conditions of pioneer life, his educational priv- ileges therefore being very limited. In August, $869, in company with his parents, he came to South Dakota, which was then on the very fron- tier of civilization, and the family located about four miles south of the present thriving village of Volin, Yankton county, where our subject con- tinued to be engaged in farming about four years. In 1873 he took up his residence in Gayville, where he engaged in the mercantile business, starting in a most modest way and having to en- counter many difficulties and put forth the most strenuous efforts, but the enterprise grew to be one of magnitude under his effective direction. His capital was very limited at the start, but such had been his course that he held the confidence of

all who knew him and his credit was practically unlimited as the business grew in scope and im- portance. Finally he admitted as a silent partner his brother-in-law, John O. Aaseth, having in the meanwhile become extensively engaged in the live-stock business, which required his attention to such a degree that he needed a competent and reliable man to look after the details of the mer- cantile business. In 1893 hie effected the organi- zation of the J. T. Daugherty Company, and en- gaged extensively in the live-stock business, and finally the demands placed upon him by this en- terprise became so great that, in 1901, he dis- posed of his extensive interests in Gayville and has since devoted his entire attention to his other business affairs, having his residence and head- quarters in Volin. In politics Mr. Bagstad is a stalwart Republican, taking an active interest in the cause, and he has been called upon to fill po- sitions of public trust and responsibility. He was for sixteen years postmaster at Gayville and he served two terms as county commissioner. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and have the esteem of all who know them.

On the 22d of February, 1872, Mr. Bagstad was united in marriage to Miss Elena Aaseth, who was likewise born in Norway, and of their six children four survive, namely: Paulina, Clara, Ida and Chester. All of the children re- main at the parental home except Ida, who is at- tending college in Yankton at the time of this writing.

ANDREW J. NOBLE .---- The gentleman to a brief review of whose career this article is de- voted is a well-known farmer and stock-raiser of Bon Homme county, also an enterprising citi- zen who has done much to promote the material development of the community in which he re- sides. Andrew J. Noble, son of John and Betsy (Webber) Noble, was born at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, on the 12th day of July, 1846. He re- ceived his education in the public schools of his native place, was reared on a farm and remained with his parents until thirty years of age. as-

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sisting his father the meanwhile and bearing his full share of the family's support. On leaving home, he engaged in agricultural pursuits at Mineral Point, but six years later came to Bon Homme county, South Dakota, and purchased a quarter section of land, which he has since re- duced to cultivation and otherwise improved. His farm, which is one of the best in the neigh- borhood, contains a good modern dwelling, a substantial and commodious barn and other build- ings in excellent condition and its general appear- ance indicates the energy and thrift displayed by the proprietor in all of his labors and under- takings. Mr. Noble has added greatly to the beauty and attractiveness of his place by plant- ing evergreen trees, of which there are now nearly fifteen hundred fully matured, and he also devotes considerable attention to horticulture, having set out all kinds of fruits grown in this latitude, his orchards at this time being among the largest and most productive in the county of Bon Homme. In addition to cultivating his own place Mr. No- ble rents about three hundred acres of land in the vicinity, the greater part of which is devoted to pasturage, as he raises live stock on quite an extensive scale, besides buying cattle and hogs, principally for the Chicago market. Mr. Noble devotes especial attention to the Hereford breed of cattle, of which he now owns a fine herd, and he also has a wide reputation as a breeder and raiser of thoroughbred Poland-China hogs and a fine grade of road and draft horses. He has suc- ceeded in all of his business enterprises and is well situated to enjoy the fruits of his many years of endeavor, being the possessor of a fine coun- try home and of a sufficiency of wealth to make him independent. Mr. Noble is a man of sound judgment and good practical sense, and his career since coming west presents a series of successes that demonstrate not only business ability of a high order, but tactfulness and fertility of re- source with which few are endowed. He has contributed much to the growth and development of the part of country in which his home is situ- ated and, like all enterprising citizens, takes an active part in promoting the public welfare, be- ing interested in all progressive measures for

the advancement of the community and for the general good of his fellow men.

In the year 1890 Mr. Noble contracted a marriage with Miss Armina, daughter of John McNiell, of Tyndall, South Dakota, and his fam- ily at this time consists of five children, namely : Percy, Beatrice, Howard, Myrtle and Gladys.

In politics the subject is a Republican, but his ambition has never led him to seek the honors and emoluments of office. He is content to be a plain common man of the people, but neverthe- less a well-rounded man whose influence has al- ways been on the right side of every moral ques- tion and whose presence has been felt for good in every relation with his friends and fellow citi- zens.

John and Betsy Noble, the subject's parents, were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania respec- tively. They moved to Mineral Point, Wiscon- sin, a number of years ago, and the father farmed and dealt in real estate there until 1886, when he came to South Dakota and purchased eleven hun- dred acres of land in Bon Homme county, which he still owns. Since the death of his wife, in 1890, he has made his home with his son, the subject of this review, and is now spending the closing years of his life in honorable retirement. John Noble was twice married, his first wife hav- ing been Mary Ann Lieurance, by whom he had five children, only two of whom survive, namely : Mrs. Sarah Whitford, of Mineral Point, Wiscon- sin, and Henry, a real estate dealer, living in Jowa. The second marriage resulted in the birth of children as follows: Mary Ann, wife of Wil- liam Thomas; Merilda, now Mrs. Oliver Mat- thews : Andrew J., of this review ; Charles : Mrs. Nancy Parkinson and Clara, of whom the first and last named are deceased.

JOHN HOLLENBECK, who was for some time proprietor of the leading livery business in the city of Aberdeen, is one of the active and en- terprising young men of the city, and not only at- tained marked success in his chosen field of en- cleavor but commands the entire confidence and esteem of the community. His close application

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to business gave adequate returns and his facili- ties were such that he was able to cater most suc- cessfully to the demands of his many patrons. He enjoys distinctive popularity in both business and social circles.

JOSEPH J. VOLIN .- With the pioneer con- ditions of South Dakota Joseph J. Volin is en- tirely familiar and he has been an important fac- tor in the upbuilding and development of Yank- ton county. He was born near Montreal, Can- ada, on the 17th of December, 1838, and is a son of Charles and Mary (Bornier) Volin, who were also natives of the Dominion, where the fa- ther was engaged in farming in early life. In 1848 he removed with his family to Dubuque county, Iowa, and bought forty acres of land near the city of Dubuque, making his home there until called to his final rest at the age of fifty-two years. Throughout his active business life he continued to engage in general farming. Polit- ically he affiliated with the Democratic party and religiously was a communicant of the Catholic church. In his family were thirteen children, seven of whom are still living.

During his boyhood Joseph J. Volin accom- panied his parents on their removal to Dubuque county, Iowa, and there grew to manhood. In 1866 he married Miss Amanda Taylor, a daugh- ter of Lamb and Margaret (Cornell) Taylor. whose early home was in North Carolina. Leav- ing there in 1853, when Mrs. Volin was quite young, Mr. Taylor and his family came north and settled in Decatur county, Iowa, where he resided until 1865, which year witnessed his arrival in Vermillion, Clay county, South Dakota. He, too, was a farmer by occupation. His death occurred in 1873, and his wife died in 1880. They had twelve children and six of the number are still living. Both he and his wife were earnest mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and in politics he was a Democrat. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Volin have been born eight children, as follows : Mary, now the wife of Charles Devoe, a farmer ; Gertrude, deceased ; Hattie, the wife of Samuel Good, a farmer ; Estella, the wife of George Han-

ney, also a farmer ; Nellie, the wife of James De- vine, a farmer ; and Edward, Lyda and Ray, all at home. The children have been provided with good educational privileges, all attending the common schools, and Ray is now a student at Yankton College.

Mr. Volin is now the owner of a fine farm of four hundred acres, all under cultivation, though his early life here was fraught with many hardships. For twelve years he lived in a dirt house, his present comfortable frame residence being erected in 1880. For four years the grass- hoppers destroyed nearly all his crops, and in 1881 and 1882 he lost over one thousand dollars in the damage by the floods, but he has steadily overcome all obstacles in the path to success and is now a prosperous and substantial farmer. In 1873 he helped to organize the first school in his district, which was conducted in a log house for five years, and for twenty years he most effi- ciently and satisfactorily served as school trustee. He generally supports the men and measures of the Democratic party but at local elections votes for the candidates whom he believes best quali- fied for office regardless of party ties. Relig- iously he is an active member of the Congrega- tional church and is held in high regard by all who know him.

OLE ANDERSON .- Owing to its climatic conditions and geographical situation, the great northwest has secured the great bulk of the immi- gration coming to this country from the Scandi- navian peninsula. In obedience to a natural law, the movement of nations en masse is apt to be along isothermal lines and hence we find the Swedes and Norwegians instinctively gravitating towards Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas, where they find congenial surroundings and conditions somewhat similar to those in their native coun- try. It is a very desirable population, being fru- gal, industrious, law-abiding and quick to assim- ilate themselves to American institutions. In fact, all the states of the northwest are much in- debted for their rapid development to the sturdy sons of Sweden and Norway.

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Ole Anderson, who was born in the last men- tioned country in 1850, spent the first thirty years of his life amid the rugged scenery of his native land, but eventually decided to follow the host of his compatriots who had come to the new world. Crossing the ocean in 1880, he made his way directly to South Dakota and for awhile was located in Yankton county, but soon removed to Charles Mix, of which county he was one of the early settlers. In 1883 he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land which, by subsequent ad- ditions, has been increased to two hundred and twenty acres, and this estate is cultivated by Mr. Anderson in accordance with most improved modern methods. He raises Poland China hogs, Durham cattle and other fine stock, besides all the cereals appropriate to South Dakota, such as wheat, corn, oats and hay. In addition to his own raising, he also buys and feeds some stock for the market and during his residence of twenty years at Geddes has been quite successful in his undertakings. In fact he is regarded as one of the model farmers of Charles Mix county and a fine sample of the kind of men sent from the best countries of northern Europe to enrich the population of the parallel section in the United States. His land, when first entered, was raw and wild, but Mr. Anderson has greatly improved it by setting out trees, erecting suitable buildings and trimming things up generally. He soon found that the true secret of profitable farming was to feed the output of the land to stock and thus return the fertilizing elements to the soil to enrich it, instead of selling the crops and thus impoverishing the land from year to year.

In 1878 Mr. Anderson was married to Elina Paulson and has four children: Paul, Anna, Clara and Agnes. He is a member of the Luth- eran church at Bloomington, of which he has been trustee for three years. A self-made man in ev- ery respect, industrious and honorable, Charles Mix county contains no better example of good citizenship than Ole Anderson.

HENRY ROTH, who is one of the success- ful farmers and stock growers of Hanson county,

is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of the county, his parents having been the first permanent settlers in Spring Lake town- ship. Mr. Roth was born in Houston county, Minnesota, on the 2d of July, 1862, and is a son of Jacob and Mary E. (Fry) Roth, who were born in Germany and are prominent and valued members of the Lutheran church. Jacob Roth was reared and educated in the fatherland, where he learned the trade of tailoring, and in 1850 he emigrated from Germany to the United States, being engaged in the work of his trade in New York city until 1854. when he removed to Wis- consin, where he worked in a sawmill and was otherwise employed until 1858, when he took up his residence in Houston county, Minnesota, where he was numbered among the pioneer farmers and where he continued to make his home until 1879 and where he has served eigh- teen years as school treasurer of district No. 46. In that year he came to what is now the state of South Dakota, taking up government land. in Hanson county, where he has ever since resided. having become one of the prosperous and hon- ored citizens of this section, where he owns a fine farm of three hundred twenty acres. Mr. Roth also has held the office of school treasurer in South Dakota for twenty-two years. Jacob and Mary E. Roth became the parents of nine children, all of whom are living except one.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 90

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