History of South Dakota, Vol. II, Part 105

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

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On the 9th of September, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Company C, Twenty-third Maine Volunteer Infantry, in which he was made first lieutenant, remaining in the service for ten months and then receiving his honorable dis- charge. Thereafter he was engaged in the mercantile business for one year at Canton, Maine, in the meanwhile taking up the study of law and making such progress that he secured admission to the bar of Oxford county in 1866, and began the practice of his profession after closing out his mercantile interests. In 1864-5 he served as superintendent of schools in his native county, and was also justice of the peace for a time. In 1868 he removed to Waterloo, Iowa, where he held the superintendency of the East Side school from 1869 to 1871, in which latter year he came to the territory of Dakota and located in Dell Rapids, and he was superintendent of schools for Minnehaha county from 1872 to 1874. inclusive, while from 1872 to 1878 he also served as dis- trict attorney for the county. From 1881 to 1891 he was secretary of the board of education of Dell Rapids, and thereafter was clerk of the county courts, with residence in Sioux Falls, 1111- til 1895. In 1881 he represented his county in the territorial legislature, and he has been other- wise prominent in public and civic affairs, while he has attained precedence as an able lawyer. He has maintained his home in Hartford. In politics Mr. Thorne gave his allegiance to the Democratic party up to the time when the Con- federacy fired upon the walls of old Fort Sum- ter, and thereafter he supported the Republican party until he became convinced that it was bow- ing down to false gods, and he has since opposed its policies in the upholding of trusts, expansion of territory, etc .. while he holds himself aloof from any political affiliation at the present time. On the 7th of September. 1862, Mr. Thorne was initiated in Oriental Star Lodge, No. 21, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Livermore, Maine, and was master of the same in 1868. He became a member of Dell Rapids Lodge, No. 8. Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in 1876, and has held all the principal offices, including that of , chief patriarch of Occidental Encampment, Pa-

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triarchs Militant. He attended the Universalist church and one of its colleges in Maine, and is favorably inclined to the same, but is tolerant in his attitude.

On the 18th of July. 1868, at Canton, Maine, Mr. Thorne was united in marriage to Miss Clara Maria Bolster, of Dixfield, that state, and of their children we here enter the names and respective dates of birth ; Bina May, February 19, 1870 ; Alice Cynthia, July 15, 1873 ; Mabel Marth, July 7, 1875; Otis Albion, May 1, 1879; Arthur Al- bion, May 7, 1883 ; Grace Clara, August 29, 1886 ; and William Bolster, January 27, 1886

M. A. BUTTERFIELD, attorney and coun- sellor at law, Montrose, South Dakota, was born April 20, 1847, in Chautauqua county, New York, the son of Orville K. and Nancy J. (Bem- us) Butterfield, both natives of the Empire state. When about six years of age he was taken by these parents to Spring Creek, Pennsylvania, at which place he grew to young manhood, receiv- ing the meanwhile a public-school education, and as soon as old enough assisting his father by working at different pursuits. When the great Rebellion war broke out, he was one of the first in his community to tender his services to the government, although but a mere youth at the time. being not quite fourteen years and four months old when he entered the army, and ex- perienced in full the vicissitudes and terrible real- ities of warfare. Mr. Butterfield enlisted August 7, 1861, in Company I. Eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until 1864, when he re-enlisted, joining on January 4th of that year the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cav- alry and remaining with the same until honorably discharged. on the 17th day of August, 1865. Shortly after re-enlisting he was promoted quar- termaster sergeant and subsequently was made first sergeant of his company, filling the latter of- fice while in the cavalry service. During the four years in which he upheld the honor of the flag in the southland, Mr. Butterfield took part in a number of the most noted campaigns of the war, principally in Virginia, where his command

was frequently engaged in battles, which made that state truly historic ground. Among the more important actions in which he participated were the seven days' fight in front of Richmond, sec- ond Bull Run, battle of the Wilderness, Sheri- dan's great raid through the Shenandoah valley, and others, sixteen in all, in each of which he bore himself bravely and gallantly, shirked no re- sponsibility and never hesitated at danger or death, while in the discharge of his duty. He was three times wounded, at Bull Run very se- verely, and his escape under many trying cir- cumstances was little less than marvelous.

For some time after Lee's surrender Mr. But- terfield served on provost marshal duty, but on leaving the army he returned to Pennsylvania and for a number of years thereafter taught school in that state. Later he took up the study of law and in August, 1880, came to Montrose, South Dakota, where he opened an office and soon won a lucrative practice in the courts of McCook and neighboring counties. Mr. Butter- field's professional experience includes a wide range, and for a number of years his name has appeared in connection with the majority of im- portant cases in the city and county in which he resides, besides commanding a lucrative office business, to say nothing of extensive litigation in other parts of the state and before higher courts. He is well-grounded in the principles of the law, being not only recognized as one of the most suc- cessful attorneys of the McCook county bar, but also as one of the most honorable and trustworthy practitioners in his part of the state.

Mr. Butterfield was formerly a Republican, but of recent years he has acted with the Peoples' party and is now one of its leaders in Montrose and McCook county. He served two terms as state's attorney, was at one time superintendent of the public schools of the above county, and his interest in matters educational led him some years ago to accept the secretaryship of the Montrose school board. which position he still holds. He is an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has held several important offices in the organizations. He served two years as aid with the rank of captain on the staff of

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General Free, took an active interest in organ- izing the Union Veterans' Union of Sioux Falls, and was honored by being made major of John A. Logan Regiment, No. 2, in Sioux Falls. He also served six years as adjutant of the McCook County Veterans' Association, was commander of the same in 1903. and in 1904 was appointed on the Union Veterans' Union department : executive committee, with rank as colonel. Mr. Butterfield stands high in military circles, is a loyal friend of the old soldiers and spares no pains in looking after their interests and if necessary spends his means freely for their com- fort and support, realizing that the country is under a debt of gratitude to the veterans which it can never sufficiently repay.

Mr. Butterfield, on October 14, 1882, entered the marriage relation with Miss Edith A. Fowler, of Olmsted county, Minnesota, the union being blessed with four children, whose names are as follows : Jennie E., Ethel M., Irl M. and Claude E.

GEORGE W. BLISS, M. D., of Valley Springs, was born in Cambria, Columbia county, Wisconsin, March 27, 1868. He is the son of John and Emma (Hodkinson ) Bliss and at the age of twelve years accompanied these parents to South Dakota, where he grew to manhood and received his educational training. After at- tending the public schools of Minnehaha county until completing the elementary branches, he en- tered Sioux Falls College, where he pursued his studies until finishing the prescribed course, be- ing graduated with a creditable record in the year 1900. During the ensuing two years he devoted his attention to teaching, spending one year as principal of the East Sioux Falls schools, and at the expiration of that time took up the study of medicine, which he had formerly decided upon as his life work. After his usual course of pre- liminary reading, he entered the medical depart- ment of the Minneapolis University, where he was graduated in 1895. immediately following which he served six months in the hospitals at that place, and then located at Valley Springs,

South Dakota, where he in due time built up the large and lucrative practice which he still com- mands. Dr. Bliss easily ranks with the leading men of his profession in South Dakota and his professional services both as a physician and sur- geon have gained him a reputation far beyond . the limits of the field to which his practice is prin- cipally confined. He is a member of the Sioux Valley Medical Association, the American Med- ical Association and other societies for the ad- vancement of professional knowledge and ef- ficiency, and takes an active interest in the de- liberations of these bodies.

While making every other consideration sub- ordinate to his professional duties, the Doctor is a public-spirited citizen, and as such has been in- terested in various enterprises, notable among which is the local telephone system, organized in the year 1902. He was one of the chief promoters of the company, invested con- siderable of his means and devoted much of his time to make it a success, and as president he has managed its affairs in a safe and business-like manner, making it one of the best local systems in the state. Being an educated man and appreciating the value of knowledge, he has been untiring in his efforts to promote the cause of education in Valley Springs, and as president of the board of education he has been instrumental in advancing the interests of the schools of the city until they now compare fav- orably with those in any other part of the state. In addition to the official relations already re- ferred to, he is treasurer of the Inter-state Gin- seng Association, which is now attracting at- tention throughout the country. They are the largest growers in the northwest and are meet- ing with the greatest encouragement.

Doctor Bliss has been a consistent member of the Democratic party ever since old enough to exercise the rights and privileges of citizenship. and since locating at Valley Springs his influence has been felt in political circles as an organizer and successful campaigner.

The Doctor. on March 24. 1897. was happily married to Miss Lucy Udell and at this time his home circle includes, besides himself and amia-

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ble wife, one child, a daughter by the name of Rowena. Doctor Bliss is a man of strict busi- ness principles and his regard for professional courtesy has given him high standing among the leading physicians of the state in which he re- sides, also with the general public.

VALE P. THIELMAN, who, though now a resident of Iowa, still retains large capitalistic and real-estate interests in South Dakota, is a na- tive of Prussia, where he was born on the ioth of October, 1843, being a son of Peter and Mar- garet Thielman, who emigrated thence to Amer- ica in 1846, so that he has passed essentially his entire life in the United States. His parents lo- cated in Erie county, New York, where the father turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and there both passed the remainder of their lives. Peter Thielman passed away at the age of sixty- five years, while his devoted wife lived to attain the age of seventy-three years. The early educa- tional advantages of the subject were limited in scope to six months and he early learned to know what is implied in the term hard work. He at- tended the common schools of his home county as opportunity offered and has effectually supple- mented this meager discipline by that gained in in the practical school of a busy and useful life. In 1861, at the age of seventeen years, Mr. - Thielman tendered his services in defense of the Union, enlisting as a private in Company H. Third New York Volunteer Infantry, and with this command he participated in many hotly con- tested hattles. He received a wound in the sec- ond battle of Bull Run and also in the memorable battle of Gettysburg. At the expiration of his three years term of enlistment he received an hon- orable discharge, and in November, 1864, re-en- listed, becoming a member of Company D, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war. being first lieutenant of his company at the time of receiving his discharge, while his record was that of a valiant and loyal son of the republic.

After the close of the war Mr. Thielman lo- cated in Crawford county, Wisconsin, in which

state he continued to be identified with agricul- tural pursuits until the first of June, 1867, when he took up his residence in what is now the state of South Dakota, residing in Todd county tintil 1869, when he came to what is now Turner county, being one of its earliest settlers and hav- ing been intimately concerned in its development and upbuilding, and also with the founding of the town of Parker, the thriving county seat. In 1870 he started the first set of abstracts of titles in this county and in connection with his absract business also began dealing in real estate and ex- tended financial loans. In these lines of enter- prise he successfully continued until 1895. when he disposed of his interests to the firm of W. R. Wood & Company, who still continue the busi- ness, having at the present time the only com- plete set of abstracts in the county. Mr. Thiel- man has ever been arrayed as an uncompromising advocate of the principles and policies of the Re- publican party and has been active in the promo- tion of its cause, both under the territorial and state regimes. The confidence and esteem re- posed in him by the people of Turner county has been manifested in no uncertain way, as is evi- dent when we advert to the various official posi- tions in which he has been called upon to serve. He was the second register of deeds of the county, served as county clerk for a period of eight years ; was clerk of the district court for fifteen and one- half years ; and has also held the offices of sec- retary of the board of immigration, chairman of the first board of .county commissioners, deputy county treasurer, member of the legislature, post- master at Swan Lake, mayor of Parker, etc., while further distinction came to him in being chosen as the first state senator from Turner county. He has maintained his home in LeMars, Iowa, since 1899, but passes a considerable por- tion of his time in travel. He has not lost inter- est in Turner county and its people and still re- tains large real-estate interests here. Fraternally Mr. Thielman is identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has a host of friends in Turner county and all will read with

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satisfaction this brief review of his career. On the IIth of October, 1873, Mr. Thielman was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Black, who was born and reared in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, being a daughter of Daniel and Maria Black. Of this union no children have been born, but Mr. and Mrs. Thielman adopted a a daughter, Nora M., whom they reared from in- fancy, and who is now the wife of Professor Morris H. Leitner, principal of the Morningside schools of Sioux City, Iowa.

THOMAS W. LANE, one of the popular citizens and prominent and successful farmers and stock growers of Jerauld county, is a native of the state of Illinois, having been born in the city of Freeport, Stephenson county, on the 16th of May, 1857, and being a son of Thomas and Bridget Lane, the former of whom was born in England and the latter in Ireland. His father was for many years engaged in the grocery busi- ness in Freeport, he being now deceased. The wife is now living in Chicago, being about eighty-five years old. The subject of this sketch attended the public schools of his native city un- til he was thirteen years of age. He began to shift for himself when nine years old. working on a farm until thirteen years old, when he se- cured a position as brakeman on the Western Union Railroad, out of Freeport. He came to the territory of Dakota as conductor on a construc- tion train on the Iowa & Dakota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. in 1879, and was conductor on the first regular train with the coaches out of Mitchell, in May, 1880. He was identified with the line until the road reached Woonsocket, in May, 1883, and then conducted trains from Sanborn, Iowa, to Cham- berlain, South Dakota, until 1886, when he went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and followed the same occupation until 1892. Then, on account of his wife's ill health, he went to his present ranch which land he secured from the government. Here he has ever since maintained his home, while he has purchased additional land and now has a finely improved ranch of twenty-six hun-

dred acres, where he devotes his attention prin- cipally to the raising of high-grade live stock, conducting operations on an extensive scale and being one of the leading citizens of the county.

Mr. Lane is a stanch Republican in his po- litical proclivities and has been an active worker in its cause, while in 1902 he served with marked acceptability as a member of the state senate from the nineteenth senatorial and sixteenth rep- resentative district ; he has been incumbent of various township offices, in some one of which he has served ever since coming to the state. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he passed the commandery degrees in 1881, being now identified with Crusade Commandery, No. 39. at Cherokee, Iowa, and to the Shrine at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, while he is also affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Order of Railway Conductors. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church.

On the 14th of October, 1880. Mr. Lane was united in marriage, at La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Miss Lina A. Harrington, who was born in Cambria, Columbia county, that state, being a daughter of James A. and Charlotte J. Harring- ton. Mr. and Mrs. Lane have no children.

The town of Lane, in this county, was named in honor of the subject, who lived here sixteen years. He owns a half interest in a section of land adjoining Grove Valley and a fourth inter- est in the quarter section on which the town is located.

MARION LEONIDAS FOX, who was the organizer of the Security Trust Company, of Sioux Falls, and who has been its secretary and manager from the time of inception, is one of the able newspaper men of the state, having been prominently identified with several enterprises of this line in South Dakota. He is a native of Bun- combe county, North Carolina, where he was born on the 25th of October, 1865, being a son of John Jacob and Elizabeth ( Roberts) Fox, native of North Carolina and both of whom are dead. the former having been for many years engaged in agriculture and having served in the senate of

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North Carolina from 1884 to 1888. After com- pleting the curriculum of the public schools the subject entered Greenville and Tusculum College, at Tusculum, Tennessee, where he completed the scientific course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1889. Thereafter he was identified with the newspaper husiness in Asheville, North Carolina, until he was appointed to a clerk- ship in the department of the interior in the national capital. He retained this incumbency until 1893, when he resigned to accept a posi- tion on the staff of the Washington News, then recently established, and he afterward held a re- portorial position in Washington with the United Press Association, and later was employed on the Washington Post. In 1895 Mr. Fox came to South Dakota and became editor of the Sioux Falls Daily Press in the fall of the following year. He retained this position until August, 1898, when he accepted the editorial charge of the Deadwood Independent. In 1900 he again became editor of the Sioux Falls Press and continued in tenure of the position until the paper was sold to its pres- ent proprietors, the firm of Dotson & Bowen. In January, 1901, he organized the Security Trust Company, of Sioux Falls, for the purchase and sale of cheap lands, and since that time has been actively and successfully identified with the real- estate business, the company mentioned controlling extensive and valuable landed interests in various sections of the state. He is a Democrat in poli- tics, a member of the Masonic order and is iden- tified with the Presbyterian church.

On the 7th of June, 1900, Mr. Fox was united in marriage to Miss Jessamine Lee, the only child of Governor Andrew E. Lee, of South Da- kota.

HON. EBEN WEVER MARTIN, one of the representative lawyers of South Dakota, maintaining his residence in the city of Dead- wood, is a native of Maquoketa, Jackson county, Iowa, where he was born on the 12th of April, 1855, being a son of James W. and Lois Hyde (Wever) Martin, the former of whom was born in Vermont and the latter in the state of New

York. The father of the subject was numbered among the pioneers of the Hawkeye state and was prominently identified with its industrial and commercial development, while during the war of the Rebellion he rendered valiant service in defense of the Union, being captain of Company I, Twenty-fourth lowa Volunteer Infantry. His grandfather, John Martin, was a soldier under General Washington in the war of the Revolu- tion. The agnatic ancestry traces back to stanch Senteb-Irish stock, while the maternal genealogy is of English derivation.

Eben W. Martin received his early educa- tional discipline in the public schools of his na- tive town, and after completing a course in the high school in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, he went to the city of St. Louis, where he was employed as bookkeeper for four years. He then entered Cornell College, at Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he completed the classical course and was gradi- ated as a member of the class of 1879, while in 1882 his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts. He had in the mean- while determined to adopt the profession of law as his vocation in life and with this end in view was matriculated in the law department of the Michigan State University, at Ann Arbor, where he continued his technical studies during the years 1879-80. In March of the latter year he was admitted to the bar of the state of Iowa and in August established himself in Deadwood, Dakota territory, and entered upon the active practice of his profession. His ability and his devotion to his work soon gained to him marked prestige and he stands today in the front rank of the active law practitioners of the state, while he has taken an active part in public and civic affairs and is one of the honored citizens of Deadwood. He has ever given a stanch al- legiance to the Republican party, and in 1884-5 served as a member of the territorial legislature. He was for several years a member of the board of trustees of South Dakota State Normal School at Spearfish, and for three terms rendered ef- fective service as president of the board of edu- cation of his home city. In 1900 Mr. Martin was elected to represent his district in the halls

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of congress, where his record has been a most creditable one, as may be inferred from the fact that he was chosen as his own successor in the election of November, 1902, and nominated again by acclamation in 1904. Mr. Martin has been sig- nally loyal to the state of his adoption and has manifested an abiding faith in its future, while he lias accumulated financial and real-estate in- terests of importance in Lawrence, Pennington, Custer and Fall River counties. Fraternally he is identified with the Sons of the American Revo- lution and the Iowa Conunandery of the Loyal Legion. Cornell College conferred upon Mr. Martin the degree of Doctor of Laws in June, 1904. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

At Cedar Falls, Iowa, on the 13th of June, 1883, was soleninized the marriage of Mr. Mar- tin to Miss Jessie Arvilla Miner, who was born in the same city, being a daughter of George N. and Artemisia G. Miner, who were residents of Cedar Falls at the time of he- marriage but who later took up their abode in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Following are the names of the children of the subject, together with respective dates of birth: George M., January 14. 1885 : Lois W., January 31, 1887 : Paul E., December 28. 1889 : Charles E., October 21, 1892, and Jessie A., May 26, 1896.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. II, Part 105

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