History of South Dakota, Vol. II, Part 102

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1138

USA > South Dakota > History of South Dakota, Vol. II > Part 102

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FRANK SEARS, a leading member of the bar of Day county, and a prominent citizen of Webster. the county seat, was born July 18, 1856, at Moscow. Livingston county, New York. He is the son of William and Margaret A. (Poor- man) Sears, both natives of New York state, the former born in Livingston county in 1828. and the latter in Seneca county in 1833. The Sears are of English descent. The grandparents

(paternal) were Franklin and Elizabeth (Shad- ders) Sears, the former born in Massachusetts and the latter in Hagerstown, Maryland. Wil- liam Sears, the father, removed from Livingston county, New York, to Woodford county, Illinois, in 1857. and from there hie removed to Chatworth, Livingston, Illinois, in 1866. He is a lawyer by profession and has held local public office for many years. He and wife are still living. The mother of the subject is the daughter of Jacob Poorman. Frank Sears was reared in Chats- worth, Illinois. He graduated from the Chats- worth high school in 1875, following which he attended German school for three years, becoming a fluent writer and talker in that language. Fol- lowing his schooling, he spent four years in the service of the Illinois Midland Railroad Com- pany. In 1884 he came to Andover, Day county, South Dakota, where he took up the study of law. In November. 1888, he was admitted to the bar, and in 1890 he was elected state's at- torney for Day county, while living at Andover. He removed to Webster, where he assumed the duties of his office. He was re-elected state's attorney in 1892. In April, 1895. he was elected the first mayor of Webster. In 1904 he was renominated for state's attorney by the Repub- lican party. He has been prominent in legal circles for fifteen years, and has been connected with the most important cases in this section of the state. He makes a specialty of criminal practice. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Improved Order of Red Men and Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan. He is a self-made man in every respect.

In June, 1881, Mr. Sears was married, at Pekin. Tazewell county, Illinois. to Isabell Hammond, the daughter of Daniel Hammond. The following four children were born to that union : Mayme, married to Frank J. O'Regan. of St. Paul : William Wallace, now of St. Paul; Frank, Jr., now of St. Paul; Madaline, of St. Paul. On October 27, 1901. Mr. Sears was mar- ried to Miss Alice Cavanaugh, who was born at McComb, Illinois, the daughter of John Cava- naugh. To them two children have been born, Barnabus and a daughter, unnamed.

FranFears.

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THEODORE HESNARD is an American by adoption and has been a citizen of the United States but a short time, his residence in this country covering a period of only twenty-three years. He was born April 17. 1843. in Flers. Normandy, France, and grew to maturity in that city, receiving an excellent scholastic training the meanwhile, and while still young he began earning his own livelihood in the woolen mills of his native place. He became quite proficient in this line of work, which he followed as long as he remained in France, and by industry and thrift, not only provided comfortably for himself and those dependent upon him, but succeeded in laying up a surplus by means of which he was afterward enabled to emigrate to a country of greater advantages and larger opportunities than obtained in the land of his birth. Mr. Hesnard married and practically reared his family in Flers, and made that city his home until 1881, in the spring of which year he came to America and proceeded as far west as Pierre, South Da- kota, where his wife and children stopped tem- porarily, while he went further looking for a favorable place in which to locate. Staging it through to the Black Hills the same season, he took up land where Hermosa now stands, but through the dishonesty of a would-be friend he was cheated out of his valuable real estate. He then settled on a ranch about five miles east of the town to which he brought his family the following spring, and turned his attention to agri- culture and cattle raising. in both of which pur- suits he was totally inexperienced, his previous mode of life in a large city having been in an entirely different direction. He soon accustomed himself to the new conditions, however, and ad- dressing himself manfully to the task before him, made much better progress as a tiller of the soil than many who have devoted their lives to the pursuit. Mr. Hesnard improved his ranch by erecting a comfortable dwelling and good out- buildings, and with such assistance as his older sons could render, succeeded in due time in getting a substantial start. He managed his affairs in a systematic and business-like manner. and by continued toil and perseverance, in the

course of a few years, had one of the best ranches in the locality. In 1889 he purchased several mining claims on Battle creek, in which he put fumes, preparatory to working the same, but receiving a flattering offer for the property, he sold it and resumed agriculture and stock rais- ing, prosecuting the same with good success until 1898, when he disposed of his home place and bought the ranch five miles west of Hermosa on which he has since lived and prospered. Mr. Hesnard's success as a farmer and stock raiser has been marked and he now occupies a promi- nent position among the leading men of Custer county, similarly engaged. Mr. Hesnard is a man of wide intelligence and practical ideas, is well informed, not only on matters coming within his sphere of endeavor. but on public af- fairs and current events, and as a citizen com- mands the respect and confidence of all with whom he mingles. Emil E., the oldest son, is engaged in mining at Keystone, this state, and is one of the rising young men of that city. Arsene T., the second in order of birth, after finishing the common schools, attended the State Normal, at Spearfish, and later took a course in the college at Fremont, Nebraska, graduating from the latter institution. On finishing his edu- cation he engaged in teaching, in which he achieved distinguished success, and in the year 1809 he was elected, on the Democratic ticket. superintendent of the Custer county public schools, filling the position one term with a very creditable record. In 1903 he accepted a pro- fessorship in the Colorado State Normal School, at Saguache, and at this time ranks with the able instructors in that institution. The other sons, Edward and Theodore, assist their father on the ranch. Two daughters complete the fam- ily circle, namely: Amelia and Matilda.

ALLEN W. CAREY, one of the enterpris- ing farmers and stock raisers of Custer county, has been an honored resident of South Dakota since the year 1877. He was born September 27, 1831. in Indianapolis. Indiana, and grew to ma- turity on a farm near that city, receiving a fair

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education. On attaining his majority he engaged in agriculture upon his own responsibility and continued the same in his native state until 1856, when he disposed of his interests there and went to Des Moines, Iowa, near which place he also turned his attention to tilling the soil. When the great Rebellion broke out he tendered his services to the government, enlisting in 1861 in Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry, with which he served with an honorable record until the close of the war, being mustered out in 1865.

Immediately after his discharge, Mr. Carey returned to his Iowa farm, where he remained until the year 1876, when he sold out and, mov- ing to Nebraska, took up a homestead near the city of Lincoln. His residence in the latter state was of short duration, however, for in February of the following year he sold his land and came to South Dakota, where for some time thereafter he gave his attention to prospecting and mining in various parts of the Black Hills. Later, in April, 1880, he went to Battle creek and took up a ranch about six miles from the town of Her- mosa, and on this place he has since lived and prospered as a farmer and cattle raiser, mecting with marked success in both pursuits. Mr. Carey has labored hard to improve his place, and made a comfortable home for his declining years, and by good management and thrift he is now the possessor of a sufficiency of this world's goods to render his future from care or anxiety.

Mr. Carey, on November 23, 1854, was mar- ried, in the city of Indianapolis, to Miss Mary Miller, of Indiana, the union being blessed with five children : Mrs. Sarah Perry, Mrs. Frances Alley, Mrs. Alice Chevront, Mrs. Ella Prouty and James H. Carey.

JOHN E. REDDICK, farmer, stock raiser and one of the representative citizens of Custer county, South Dakota, was born in Crockett county, Tennessee, on the first day of May, 1857. Owing to unfavorable environment while young, he had no school privileges and while a mere lad he was thrown upon his own resources. In the

fall of 1876 Mr. Reddick went to Memphis, thence via the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to southwestern Iowa, where he worked for two years as a farm hand. Discontinuing that kind of labor, he secured the position of janitor of a school building in the town of Atlantic and while discharging the duties of the same attended school. Although a full grown man, he was not ashamed to take his place in classes composed of children, ranging in age from eight to twelve years, and so anxious was he to learn that he spent all of his leisure time and the greater part of each night poring over his books. In his laud- able ambition to acquire an education, he was greatly helped by the principal of the school, J. J. McConnell, now of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who at odd times gave him much assistance and encour- agement. Mr. Reddick attended this school three years, supporting himself the meanwhile and paying his tuition by janitor work, and at the end of that period he was a fairly good scholar. Leaving Iowa in the spring of 1882, Mr. Reddick went to Nebraska, where he spent about one year riding the range, and the following spring found him on the way to the Black Hills. He went by rail as far as O'Neil, and from that place made the rest of the trip on foot. Reaching Battle creek, he took up land about fourteen miles from Hermosa, which he at once proceeded to in- prove, and when not thus engaged he worked on neighboring ranches until earning sufficient money to purchase a tolerably respectable outfit. His progress at first was slow and considerably hampered, but he gradually improved his condi- tion until within the course of a few years he found himself the owner of a comfortable home, a good supply of farming utensils, besides horses and a respectable number of cattle. He enlarged the area of cultivated land, added to his live stoek with each succeeding year, until in due time he forged to the front as one of the largest cattle raisers and most successful farmers in his part of the county, which reputation he still sustains.

Mr. Reddick's ranch contains one thousand three hundred acres of land, three hundred acres irrigated and from one hundred and sixty acres in cultivation, he raises abundant crops of all the

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grains, vegetables and fruits grown in this part of the country.

Mr. Reddick was married in Rapid City, South Dakota, July 5. 1886, to Miss Rose A. Mc- Mahon, of Wisconsin, and is the father of seven children, viz: Benjamin, James, John, Theoph- ilus, Mary, Martha and Rosa, all living except the oldest son, who met with a tragic death some years ago by the turning over of a loaded wagon, being crushed beneath the same.

JOHN W. STRATER was born in Ger- many, November 11, 1845. When a child he was brought to the United States by his parents and spent his early life on a farm in Jasper county, Iowa, remaining at home until his seventeenth year. In 1863 he left the parental roof and went to New Mexico, where he remained several years engaged in prospecting and mining, and later traveled over the greater part of that ter- ritory, Colorado and other mining districts of the southwest, meeting with fair success at times, but failing to realize the fortunes which he set out to seek. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills Mr. Strater, with three companions, at once started for the new Eldorado, leaving Denver in the spring of 1875 for Fort Laramie, thence to Custer Park, reaching the latter place on May 20th of that year. At the time of Mr. Strater's arrival there were only four or five men in the Black Hills, and they went there despite the orders of the government to the contrary. Locating temporarily on Castle creek, the sub- ject and his companions continued prospecting until the following August, when they were ar- rested by a detachment of soldiers and taken to Fort Laramie, where they were turned loose. They retraced their steps to the Hills and in due time arrived at their diggings on Castle creek. Resuming mining, the little party worked with might and main, determined if possible to make a lucky find, but they appear to have reck- oned without their host, for only ten days passed until they again fell into the hands of the sol- diers, who took them to Custer City, where they were imprisoned in what was known as the "Bull

Pen," a rude corrall made of rough logs and de- void of everything in the shape of comfort or convenience.

After being detained a little over a week they were taken to Cheyenne and soon after the mar- shal gave the prisoners their freedom, admonish- ing them, as they left, against repeating their former offenses, unless they wished to incur the severe displeasure of the government. Nothing daunted. however, the men immediately returned to their camp, and again began digging and were never thereafter interfered with. After remaining at the original camp on Castle creek until April. 1876. Mr. Strater went to Custer City, thence a little later to Spring creek, where he prospected during the summer months, and in the fall located at Haywood, where he con- tinued prospecting and mining until 1880. In the latter year he engaged in mercantile business at Hayward, purchasing his goods in Rapid City. and he soon had a lucrative trade, his establish- ment being the first of the kind in the town. After doing a successful business until 1882, he moved his store to his ranch on Battle creek, ten miles from Hayward, where he continued to sell goods about three years, in connection with which he also raised cattle, besides farming on a limited scale. At the expiration of the period noted he changed the location of the store to a point on the Sidney road, south of Battle creek, where a postoffice was established and named, in compliment of himself, Strater. he being the first postmaster. Mr. Strater's business experi- ence at the latter place lasted until 1887. at which time he moved to Hermosa, a new town. which was settled in the spring of that year. The subject has been very closely identified with the business interests and general prosperity of Hermosa, and he is now not only the oldest merchant in the place, but also one of its most enterprising and public-spirited citizens. He car- ried a full line of general merchandise. com- manded the bulk of the trade, and had one of the largest and most successfully conducted stores in the Black Hills. He sold his interest in this business in January, 1904. Mr. Strater's ranch, on which he still makes his home, contains

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about six hundred and forty acres of fine grazing land, and being situated only one mile from Her- mosa, he experiences little difficulty in it manage- ment. His live-stock business is extensive and successful and in the main he has been quite prosperous in his various undertakings, being at this time one of the financially strong and relia- ble men of his part of the state. In addition to his career as a prosperous miner, pioneer and busi- ness man, he also has a military record, having served about one year in the late Civil war, as private in a Colorado regiment, enlisting in 1864. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Hermosa, belongs to the Grand Army post at the same place, and manifests a lively interest in the deliberations of both or- ganizations.

JOHN J. BEATTY, farmer and stock raiser. living on a fine ranchi two and a half miles from Hermosa, is a native of Winnebago county. Illi- nois, where his birth occurrred on September 25, 1857. His father was a farmer and to this useful calling the subject was reared. He en- joyed the best educational advantages the com- mon schools of his neighborhood afforded, de- voting the summer seasons to farm labor until twenty-one years of age. On attaining his ma- jority, Mr. Beatty left home and in January, 1879, went to western Kansas, where he spent the greater part of the following summer with a cattle outfit. In the fall he helped drive a herd to western Dakota and for some time thereafter was employed by different parties, riding the range along the Cheyenne river and other parts of the country. While thus engaged he several times returned to Kansas and Nebraska to buy cattle and from those states he drove them through to the Black Hills, continuing this free cowboy life until 1887, when he took up a ranch about two and a half miles north of Fairburn, and turned his attention to farming. Mr. Beatty spent the greater part of four years on this place, and in the main met with good success, but an intensely dry season coming on at the expiration of that time, he was obliged to dis-

continue agricultural pursuits in that locality and seek a more favorable location elsewhere. The next season he rented the old Slater ranch, on Battle creek, which was well irrigated, but after spending three years on the same with fairly profitable results, he purchased a ranch of his own, making a judicious selection on Battle creek, about two and a half miles from Hermosa, where, since 1896, he has been quite extensively engaged in agriculture and stock raising. When Mr. Beatty took possession of his ranch it con- tained but little in the way of improvements. He at once addressed himself to the matter and within a comparatively brief period a large part of the place was irrigated and in a high state of cultivation, a comfortable dwelling was prepared for the reception of his family, suitable outbuild- ings made their appearance at intervals, and in due time he had one of the most beautiful and desirable homes on the creek. He has continued his improvements ever since, and in addition to cultivating the soil and raising abundant crops of grains, vegetables and fruits, his herds have steadily increased until he now ranks with the leading live-stock men in his part of the state.

Mr. Beatty was married, on November 24, 1890, to Miss Lena L. Robinson, who was born and reared in South Dakota, the union being blessed with two children, Cora and Archie. Since coming west Mr. Beatty has contributed his share to the material development of the county of which he is an honored citizen, and achieved distinctive success in his business af- fairs.

LOOMIS S. CULL, who is not only one of the leading members of the Fall River county bar, but enjoys honorable distinction in legal cir- cles throughout the state, is a native of New Eng- land and dates his birth from the 24th day of July, 1860, having first seen the light of day in the village of Waterville, Lamoille county, Ver- mont. He spent his childhood and youth at the place of his birth and after finishing the public- school course, prosecuted his studies for some time at Norwich University, at Northfield. When

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twenty years of age, Mr. Cull went to Marshal- town, Iowa, where he studied law in the office of a prominent local attorney and in due time was admitted to the bar, following which he came to Dakota, locating in April, 1882, at Plankinton, ! where he opened an office and began the practice of his profession under favorable auspices. He built up a lucrative business in that town and made it his place of residence until 1886, in Sep- tember of which year he located at Hot Springs, where, as already indicated, he soon won recog- nition at the local bar, besides earning the repu- tation of one of the ablest lawyers in the Black Hills. In addition to his general practice, he was frequently employed to try important cases in the United States courts, and in 1891 was ap- pointed by Judge Edgerton United States com- missioner, which position he filled with marked ability during the five years following, retiring from the office in 1896.

The same year in which he entered upon his duties as commissioner Mr. Cull was appointed county judge, to fill out the unexpired term of Judge Wood, and the next year was chosen his own successor by the votes of the people, having been the Republican nominee for the office. His career on the bench was creditable to himself and eminently satisfactory to the public, as he dis- charged the duties of the position ably and im- partially and by the uniform fairness of his rul- ings and decisions gained the confidence of all who had business to transact in his court. In 1897 Mr. Cull removed to Lead and a little later was appointed city attorney, but after a brief resi- dence at that place he returned to Hot Springs and resumed the practice of his profession. In the spring of 1900 he was appointed to the office of city attorney of Hot Springs, and the follow- ing fall was further honored by being elected, on the Republican ticket, state's attorney, holding the latter position two terms, having been re-elected in 1902. In addition to the offices enumerated, Mr. Cull has served the people in several other public capacities, besides being identified with various important enterprises for the advance- ment of the different interests of the community. As already indicated, he has achieved a distin-

guished record as a lawyer and stands today among the foremost practitioners in his part of the country. In the trial of suits he has been uni- formly successful. The careful preparation of his cases, his watchfulness over the just interests of his clients, his knowledge of authorities and his ability to see and utilize the strong points in his cause, combined with his earnestness and well- known integrity make him a strong advocate be- fore court and jury, as well as a formidable an- tagonist in matters involving legal acumen and technical knowledge of the law. Mr. Cull has long been recognized as one of the Republican Icaders in southwestern Dakota, being firm and decided in his political opinions, and earnest in their support.

Mr. Cull was married at Buffalo Gap, South Dakota, in the year 1887, to Miss Carrie M. Holp, a native of Ohio and a sister of Col. P. E. Holp, formerly of Sioux Falls, later a prominent citizen of Watertown, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Cull have one child, a son by the name of George C.

HON. CHAUNCEY L. WOOD. of Rapid City, was born on April 20, 1851, in Jones county, Iowa, and there received his early edu- cation, meanwhile working with his father on the farm. He continued his scholastic training at Cornell College at Mount Vernon, and se- cured his professional preparation at the Iowa State University, where he was graduated from the law department in 1875. After his gradua- tion he remained on the farm one year, and in 1877 began the practice of law at Anamosa, the county seat of his native county. In April, 1878, he arrived at Rapid City in this state, and there met Hon. J. W. Nowlin, a member of his class who had come to the Black Hills in 1877, and who was afterward the first circuit judge in this part of the state. They formed a partnership for the practice of law and opened an office in Rapid City. The firm was very successful and rose rapidly to prominence, the partnership con- tinuing until Mr. Nowlin was elected judge of the seventh circuit court of South Dakota in the fall of 1889. After that Mr. Wood practiced

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alone for some time, then formed a partnership with C. J. Buell which lasted twelve years. Since February, 1902, Mr. Wood has again been alone in professional work and has built up an exten- sive and representative practice in all depart- ments of the law. He has been connected in a leading way with many of the most important cases that have been tried in this section of the country and has won high distinction as an able and adroit trial lawyer, an eloquent and effective advocate, and a jurist of great learning and breadth of view. He practices in the United States court also and has considerable business before that tribunal. From 1895 to 1900 he was special assistant United States attorney, and as such had full control of all timber cases in which the interests of the government were involved. As a member of the territorial constitutional con- vention in 1883 he displayed a wide and accurate knowledge of affairs and great power in present- ing and enforcing his views ; and as a member of the convention that met in 1889 and formulated the present state constitution, he was of great service to his county and the state at large in securing the insertion of wise provisions in the organie law and the elimination of unwise ones therefrom. Being an ardent Democrat in polit- ical faith and warmly devoted to the welfare of his party, Mr. Wood has never shirked a duty in connection with its progress and vitality. In 1893 he led the forlorn hope of his party .as its candidate for judge of the state supreme court after having made a similar race the year before as a candidate for the United States house of representatives, he being the most prominent man in the party in this portion of the state. He was however, elected mayor of Rapid City in 1894 and again in 1899, and in 1808 was chosen state's attorney for Pennington county. In this posi- tion he has had some remarkable cases to try, and in conducting them has so borne himself that all the opposers have been wary of him. One of the most celebrated cases with which he has been con- nected was that of the Jacob Reid Heirs v. the Holy Terror Mining Company in 1895, which he conducted to a successful conclusion for his side and received as his fee two-ninths of the stock

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History of South Dakota, Vol. II, Part 102

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1138