Philo Hall (1865—1938)
A Representative from South Dakota; born in Wilton, Waseca County, Minn., December 31, 1865; attended the common schools; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1887 and commenced practice in Brookings, Dak. (now South Dakota); prosecuting attorney for Brookings County 1892-1898; member of the State senate 1901-1903; attorney general of South Dakota 1902-1906; elected as a Republican to the Sixtieth Congress (March 4, 1907-March 3, 1909); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1908 to the Sixty-first Congress; resumed the practice of law; delegate to the Republican State convention in 1923; died in Brookings, S.Dak., October 7, 1938; interment in Greenwood Cemetery.
Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present; contributed by A. Newell.

 

John Black—general merchandise: born at Canton, O., in 1848; moved with parents to Freeport, Ills.; thence in 1871 to Tenn.; thence in 1873 to Salt Lake City, where he remained six years, when he removed to Rochester, Minn.; came to Elkton in the winter of 1880-81; married to Jennie Powers, of St. Paul, Minn.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

A. W. Blanchard—general merchandise, firm of Morse & Blanchard; born in Vt. in 1854; moved to Iowa in 1872; thence to Dakota in 1876; came to Elkton in May, 1880. Mr. Blanchard was the first to engage in business in Elkton.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

A. F. Henry—general merchandise; born in Germany in 1845; came to the U. S., in 1852, and located in Wis.; thence to Minn., in 1878; came to Elkton in Dec, 1880; married to Winnie Sheppard, of Wis., and has one son Marrion Fink.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

F. J. Adams—firm of Adams Bros., harness, &c.; born in Cologne, Germany, in 1854; came to the United States in 1864 and located in New York City; thence to Mankato, Minn. Came to Brookings in April, 1880; married to Lena Kohl, of St. Paul, Minn., and has two sons. 

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. Adams—firm of Adams Bros., harness, &c; born in Cologne, Germany, in 1856; came to the United States in the spring of 1864 and located in New York City; thence to Mankato, Minn. Came to Brookings in April, 1880; married to Mary Johnson of Rapidan, Minn., and has one son.  

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

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E. E. Gaylord—Furniture, books and stationery; born in Ogle county, Illinois, in 1853; moved with his parents to the vicinity of Red Wing, Minn.; left Minnesota in the spring of 1880, and came to Brookings; married to E. A. Arden, of Massachusetts, and has one son and one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

James Hauxhurst—County register of deeds; born in Queen's county, L. I., in 1838; moved to Wisconsin in 1855; thence in 1860 to Colorado, where he remained until 1866, returning to Wisconsin.  From Wisconsin he moved to Iowa, and came to Medary, Brookings county, in 1871. From Medary he moved to Brookings. Was first elected register of deeds in 1873, which office he has ever since held; married to Ellen Jones, of Wisconsin, and has three daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. W. Higgins, M. D., drugs, books and stationery—born in Jefferson county, Wis., in 1849; moved in 1858 to Dodge county, Minn. Graduated at Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, in 1876, and located in Adams county, Iowa; came to Brookings county in 1879, and located at Brookings at the starting of the town; married to Retta E. Stockwell, of Ills., and has one son and one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Geo. W. Hopp, editor and propr. Brookings County Press—born in Pennsylvania in 1854; moved with his parents to Iowa. Published the Corning Union, at Corning, Iowa Came to Fountain, Brookings county, in December, 1878, where he started the County Press; moved with the Press to Brookings, Oct. 18, 1879. First issue of the Press at Fountain, Feb. 20, 1879; first issue at Brookings, Oct. 28, 1879; started the Kingsbury County News at DeSmet in March, 1880; the Hamlin County Times at Estelline Nov. of the same year, and the Lake Preston Times in Oct. of present year, of which papers he is still the proprietor; in June of present year, he started the Huron Tribune, in connection with J. W. Shannon.    Mr. Hopp is also P. M. at Brookings, and was married to Edith McBnde, of Brookings Co., in Nov., 1881.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

P. C. Johnson, hardware—born in Norway, in 1856; came to the U. S. in 1867, and settled in Fillmore Co., Minn.; came to Brookings county in the spring of 1878, and to Brookings Feb. 20,1880, where he engaged in the hardware business.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

L. L. Jones—probate judge, contractor and builder; born in Ontario county, N. Y., in 1824; moved to Pennsylvania in 1839; thence to Chicago, Ills., in 1871; moved to Minnehaha county, Dakota, in 1878, and came to Brookings in the fall of 1879. Married to Elizabeth J. Hartwell, of New York, and has two sons and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. A. Kelsey, M. D.—firm of Kelsey Bros., farming machinery; born in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in 1847; left N. Y. in fall of 1854, and went to Minnesota in the spring of 1856. Graduated from the Chicago Medical College in the spring of 1875, and located at Concord, Minnesota; came to Brookings county in 1878; located at Fountain and moved to Brookings at the beginning of the town. Married to Isabel P. Allen, of Maine, and has one son and two daughters.

 HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

G. A. Mathews—firm of Mathews & Scobey, attorneys; born at Potsdam, N. Y., in 1852, and moved to Fayette, Iowa, in 1865; came to Brookings in 1879; married to Cora M. Thomas, of West Union, Iowa.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

J. M. Miles—editor and proprietor Sioux Valley Journal; born in New York in 1848; moved to Wisconsin; thence to Minnesota; came to Brookings in the spring of 1880; married Ella Greenwood, of Mankato, Minnesota, and has one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. E. Mudget—firm of Mudget & Roddle, meat market; born in Vermont in 1852; thence to Chicago in 1859; thence to Wisconsin. Came to Canton, Dakota, and thence to Medary in July, 1879; came to Brookings in the fall of the latter year.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

H. H. Natwick—firm of Natwick & Diamond, attorneys; born September 13, 1853, in Dane county, Wis.; left Wisconsin in July, 1879, and came to Brookings county; married to L. M. Haskell, of Wisconsin.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

F. H. Newton—county surveyor; born in Sherburne, N. Y., in 1843; moved to Hennepin county, Minn., in 1855; thence in 1875 to Zumbrota, Minn. Came to Brookings county in 1878; elected county surveyor in 1880; married to Mary A. Woodward, of Maple Grove, Minn., and has two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

H. T. Odegard—county treasurer and firm of Thompson & Odegard, farming machinery; born in Norway in 1847; came to the United States in 1866 and located in Wisconsin; moved to Wattenwan county, Minn., in 1877; thence to Brookings county, January 7, 1879; held offices of public trust in Minnesota.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. P. Oefstos, firm of Magnusseu & Oefstos, general merchandise—born in Norway in 1843; came to the U. S. in the spring of 1872, and located in LaCrosse, Wis.; came to Brookings in July, 1881. Married to Mary Wolla, of Norway, and has one son and three daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Geo. W. Pierce, groceries, provisions, and crockery—-born in 1838 in Ohio; moved with his parents to Illinois; thence to Iowa, and came to Fountain, Brookings county, in the fall of 1878; came to Brookings and opened the first stock of goods in the Slace in November, 1879. Married to Delia L. Bartholomew, of hio, and has one son and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

B. F. Roddle, firm of Mudget & Roddle, meat market—born in 1855 in Wisconsin; thence to Minnesota; was city marshal of Wauseca, Minn., and held other offices in that county; came to Brookings in the spring of 1880. Married to Olive A. Stevens, of Wisconsin, and has one son and one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

W. H. Roddle, hardware—born in 1850 in Wisconsin; thence in 1860 to Minnesota; came to Dakota in March, 1879, and to Brookings Oct. 13th, of the same year. Married to Fannie R. Stevens, of Wisconsin, and has one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Geo. G. Rude, propr. Christiana House—born in Norway in 1856; came to the U. S. in 1870, and settled in Winneshiek Co., Iowa; thence in 1878 to Lyle, Minn.; came to Brookings Co. in September, 1878, and to Brookings in May, 1880. Married to Jenny O. Rebne.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

T. G. Risum, sheriff of Brookings county—born in Rock county, Wis., in 1848; came to Brookings county in 1878; was appointed sheriff in the summer of 1880, and elected to that office in the fall of the same year. Married to Carrie Halverson, of Fillmore county, Minn., and has one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Hon. J. O’B. Scobey, firm of Matthews & Scobey, attorneys—born in Scohirie county, N. Y., in 1854; thence to New Jersey; thence to Iowa; came to Brookings county, March 30, 1879, and to Brookings in the fall of that year. Married to Myrtie Walker, of Minnesota. Mr. Scobey is the present member of the Territorial Council from this district.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

W. H. Skinner—clerk of courts, real estate and loan agency; born in Nova Scotia in 1851; moved to Nashua, Iowa, in 1869; came to Brookings county in 1873, and to Brookings in November, 1879; married to E. A. Laird, of Iowa, and has three sons and one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

G. L. Smith—druggist; born in 1856, in Dodge county. Wis.; moved with his parents to Wauseca county, Minn. Came to Medary, Brookings county, in May, 1877; thence to Brookings in November, 18 79, where he immediately engaged in business as above; married to Gertrude Cook, and has one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

J. O. Walker—proprietor Brookings house; born in Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1835; moved to Wisconsin, and thence in 1863 to Minnesota. Came to Brookings county in 1877, and to the town of Brookings in July, 1880; married to Elizabeth Taylor, of Massachusetts, and has one son and four daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

 

Ed. Achenbach—meat market; born in Buffalo county, Wis., in the town of Belvidere, in 1859; went to the Black Hills in 1877; thence he returned to Lake Benton, Minn.   Came to Volga in the fall of 1879; entered into his present business in the summer of 1880.   Married to Mary Volmer, of Wis.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

John Albertson—farm machinery and grain; born in Pa. In 1849; left Pa. in, 1855 and settled in Wabasha Co., Minn.; thence in 1868 to Alma, Wis. Came to Volga in April, 1880. Married to Christina G. Keith, and has two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

James W. Ask—general merchandise; born in Norway in 1845; came to the United States in 1869; settled at Rushford, Minn. Came to Volga in March, 1880. Married to Dine Sherlie, also of Norway. Their son, Henry Marvin Ask, died in the summer of 1880, aged 8 months.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

O. L. Anderson— harness and saddles; born in Wis., in 1851; moved with his parents to Goodhue Co., Minn., where, and at Mankato, Minn., he lived until the spring of 1879, when he moved to Oakwood, D. T. In September 1879 he moved to Volga and entered into business as above. Married to Anna Sophia Johnson, of Minn., in Sept., 1879, and has one son and one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

P. Balgord—wagon and carriage factory; born in Norway in 1851; came to the United States in 1869, and located at New Lisbon, Wis. Came to Volga in Feb., 1880, and entered into business as above. Married to Sarah Nelson, of Wis., and has one son and one daughter.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Thomas Bandy—farmer; born in Indiana in 1827, moved with his parents to Iowa; left Iowa in 1853 and settled in Minn. Came to Brookings Co., in the fall of 1878, and settled one mile north of Volga, where he built a house in that year, and where he has since resided. Married to Elizabeth D. Ware, a native of Ohio, and has had ten children, one son deceased, and six sons and three daughters living.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Jacob Brown—civil engineer and postmaster of Volga; born in Columbiana Co., 0., in 1821; moved to Fulton, Ill., in 1862; thence to Volga in 1879.   Appointed postmaster in Oct., 1880. Married to Sarah Baggs, of Wheeling, W. Va., and has one son and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

P. Philip Cady—attorney; born in 1854 at Lamont, Mich. Left Mich., April 9,1880, and came to Volga, where he entered into the practice of the law and the business of real estate, loan and collections.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Joseph Daum—boots and shoes; born in Germany in 1846; came to the United States in 1857, and located in Wis. Came to Volga Aug 10,1S80, and entered into business as above. Married to Catherina Schilling, and has two sons and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. H. Drinkers-druggist; born in 1851 at Clifton, Luzerne Co., Pa.; left Pa. in 1870 and settled at Kilbourn City, Wis. Came to Volga, April 3, 1880, and entered into the drug business.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

W. H. DeGraff—photographer; born July 4, 1852, at  Canadaguia, N. Y.; thence to Minneapolis. Minn., in 1871; thence to Mankato, Minn. Came to Volga in !|April, 1880. Married to Mary Miller, of LaSueur, Minn., Jan. 6, 1881.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

E. Engleson—firm of Mitchell & Engleson, real estate, loan and collections; born in Norway in 1857; came to the United States when but four years of age, and settled with his parents at LaCrosse, Wis. Came to Dakota in 1872, and located in Brookings Co.  Has lived in Volga from the beginning of its settlement.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

I. P. Farrington—propr. Farrington House; born in Cumberland county, Me., in 1850; moved in July, 1869, to Chatfield, Minn.; thence in the spring of 1873 to Marshall, Minn.; thence to Tracy, Minn., in Sept. 1878. Came to Volga in Sept. 1879, and moved his family here in February. 1880; engaged in the hotel business in Volga, in March. 1880. Married to Carrie M. Zumwinkle, of Ill., Oct. 9,1873, and has one son and three daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

P. C. Ford—propr. Farmers' Home; born in Ill., in 1845; moved to Allamakee county, Iowa. Entered U. S. Army in 1862, and served on Western frontiers. Was discharged from service in 1865, and in November of that year entered government employ as assistant farmer at Fort Thompson, where he remained ten and one-half years. Moved to Brookings county in spring of 1878 and took a homestead six miles north of Volga. Came to Volga April 29, 1881, and entered into the hotel business. Married Nancy Faribault, deceased, by whom he has two children. His present wife was Elizabeth Larson; they have five children.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

G. T. Goodridge—with T. H. Maguire & Co., hardware and implement dealers; born in Ill., and has two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

W. G. Harkins—firm of Harkins & Rowley, general merchandise; born in Racine, Wis., in 1857; moved with parents to Winona, Minn.; thence to Rochester, Minn. Came to Volga in March, 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

E. M. Hunt—firm of Stewart & Hunt, livery and dray; born in New York in 1851; moved to Sheboygan county, Wis. Came to Dakota in 1873, and to Volga in the spring of 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

E. S. Johnson—bakery and confectionery; born in Norway, in 1854; came to the United States, in 1866, and settled in Wisconsin, thence to Iowa; thence to Canton, D. T; settled two miles east of Volga, in 1877, and came to Volga, in April, 1880. Married to Julia Aslaeson, of Minn., and has one daughter.

 

Lewis Johnson—with E. Snider; born in Norway, in 1852; came to the United States, in 1871, and settled in Minnesota. In 1878 he came the present townsite of Volga, where he took up a homestead, being one of the original four who relinquished each forty acres, to the railroad company, on which the town was platted.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

L. Johnson—representing Youman Bros. & Hodgins, lumber; born in Dodge county.,  Minn., in 1861; moved with his parents to Rochester, Minn.; came to Volga in February, 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

T. R. Jevne—proprietor Skandinavisk House; born in Norway, in 1852; came to the United States, in 1872, and settled at Albert berfc Lea, Minn.; thence to Rock county, Minn., in 1877; thence to Brookings county, in 1878; came to Volga in August, 1881. Married to Mary Evenson, of N orway, and has two sons and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Charles Keith—dealer in grain, flour and feed, wood and coal;  born in Scotland, in 1841; came tothe United States, in 1854, and located in Walworth county, Wis.; moved thence to Milwaukee, and afterwards for a period of three years was a steamboat officer on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Subsequently engaged in farming in Trempeleau county, Wis., and in the grain business at Dodge in that county; came to Volga, in September, 1879. Married to Jane Muir, of Buffalo county. Wis., and has two sons and two daughters; is business manager at Volga for G. W. Van Dusen & Co., of Rochester, Minn.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

H. Kirby—general merchandise; born in St. Joseph county, Mich, in 1849; moved to Wisconsin, in 1866, where he engaged in steamboating; came to Dakota, in March, 1879, and settled three miles north of Volga; entered the general merchandise business in Volga in September, 1879, moving the building which he now occupies from Kershaw to Volga. Married to Mrs. Serena Bohlke, of New Denmark; they have four sons and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Nils Kjos—Ill.., whence after a year, he returned to Boston; moved from Boston to Winona, Minn.; thence to Lanesboro, Minn.; thence to West Salem, Wis.; thence to New Denmark P. O., Brookings county, D. T.; came to Volga, September 5,1879, before the  existence of the town, and entered the hardware business immediately.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Otto O. Krogstad—with A. C. Porter, druggist and jeweler; born in Norway, in 1859; came to the United States, in 1870, and settled in Fillmore county, Minn.; came to Volga in April, 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

T. H. Maguire—hardware and agricultural implements; born in Waukegan, Ills., in 1849; moved to Milwaukee, Wis., in 1869, and traveled through the latter state until February, 1880, when, he came to Volga and entered business as above. Is in business also at Lake Preston, which latter town he located. Married to Ella M. Clayson, of New York, and has two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

A. S. Mitchell—Firm of Mitchell & Engleson, real estate, loan and collection; born in Oxford county, Maine, in 1840; moved to Rockford, Ills., in 1866; thence to Mineral Point, Wis., where he lived nearly five years; from Mineral Point he moved to La Crosse; thence to Leon, Wis.; came to Oakwood, D. T., where he at present resides, in May, 1877; he entered into business as above in Volga, in January, 1880. Married to Emma C. Dalton, of Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

W. M. Nichols—flour and feed, wood and coal; born in Toronto, Canada, in 1851; moved with his parents to Fon du Lac, Wis, when five years of age; settled at Eldora, Iowa, in 1871; came to Volga in September, 1879. Married to Clara Gibbs, of Eldora, Iowa, and has one son and two daughters.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Byron E. Pay—deputy U.S. marshal; born in Watertown, N. Y., in 1841; moved to Minnesota, in 1854; visited Dakota in 1864, and settled permanently in Brookings county, in 1872. Married Hattie M. Youngman, of Minn., and has two sons; resides at Oakwood.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

A. C. Porter—druggist and jeweler; born in North Troy, Vt., in 1852; moved to La Crosse, Wis., in 1869; thence to Jefferson, Texas; returned to Hudson, Wis.; thence back to Vermont; came to Volga, December 28, 1879, where he entered into business, starting the second drug store in Brookings county, and the first in Volga.   Married to Julia C. Page, of Troy, Vt., and has one son.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

L. V. Rich—proprietor Rich House; born in Vermont, in 1819; moved to Portage City, Wis., in 1841, thence to Minnesota, in 1859; lived at Plainview, Minn., till 1879, when he moved to Volga, in October of that year. Married twice; first to Celestia Farr, of Vermont, who died in that state, and by whom he has one daughter. His present wife was Louisa Felton, also of Vermont, by which latter marriage he has three daughters living.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. M. Rowley—firm of Harkins & Rowley, general merchandise; born in 1857, in Knox county, Ohio; moved with his parents to Wis., where he lived six years, thence to Rochester, Minn.; came to Volga in March, 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Miss K. C. Ryan—milliner and dressmaker; came to Volga, March 1, 1880, from Adams county, Wis., and entered into business as above.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

Edward Seielstad—firm of Seielstad & Hansen, general merchandise; born in Norway, in 1855; came to the United States, in 1870, and located in Wisconsin; came to Volga in September, 1801.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

E. Snider—saloon; born in Columbia county. Wis., in 1851; came to Volga in May, 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. J. Spencer—firm of Wm. Fisher & Co., general merchandise; born in Bradford county, Penn., in 1850; moved to Burlington, Iowa, in 1871; thence to Chippewa county, Wis.; thence to Mitchell county, Iowa; from Mitchell he moved to St. Paul, Minn.; thence to Buffalo county, Wis.; came to Volga, and entered into business as above, in September 10,1880. Married to Ida Grout, of Mitchell county, Iowa, and has one son.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

W. E. Tubbs—contractor, builder and wagon maker; born in Pennsylvania, in 1850; moved to Iowa, in 1854; thence to western Minnesota; came to Volga, in January, 1880. Married to Christina Martin, of Austin, Minn.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

F. S. Idell—mason; born in 1842 at Port Washington, Wis.; moved to Sioux Falls, D. T., in 1876; thence to Watertown, D. T. in 1878; thence to Lake Benton. Came to Volga in February, 1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

John H. Ike—con tractor and builder; born in Norway  in 1854; came to United States in 1865, and settled in Minn.   Came to Brookings county in May, 1879, and to Volga Nov. 15, 1879; Married Sept. 24, 1881, to Caroline Sophia Anderson.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

H. L. Wadsworth—depot agent; born in Berlin Wisconsin, in 1849; came to Volga May 4,1880.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

C. L. Warner—representing Laird, Norton & Co., lumber; born at Portville, New York, in 1859; came to Volga in May, 1881.

HISTORY OF Southeastern Dakota, Its Settlement and Growth, Sioux City Iowa: Western Publishing Company, 1881

 

 Byron J. Kelsey.

 

 

Duluth and St. Louis County, Minnesota : their story and people : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development
Chicago: American Historical Society, 1921

transcribed by Karen Seeman

 

Opportunities for the development of business enterprise or for laying the foundations of a new undertaking in Virginia are amply demonstrated in the case of  Byron J. Kelsey, who moved from Pine county, Minnesota, to Virginia in 1916. Contrary to the advice of the "knowing" ones, he embarked in the implement business, founding in 1917 the Kelsey Mercantile Company, of which he became president. In the intervening period he has built up a large retail implement business, and of this undertaking H. C.  Kelsey is the present manager. Byron J. Kelsey was one of the chief organizers of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank, of which he is vice president, and to the interests of this institution he now devotes the greater part of his attention.

 Mr. Kelsey was born on a farm in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, March 10, 1855, a son of Wilson and Jane Ann (Chittendon) Kelsey, natives of New York state. In 1856 the parents moved to Minnesota, and Wilson Kelsey pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land in Cherry Grove township, Goodhue county. They were pioneers in that part of the state, and in that early day experienced all the vicissitudes and hardships of the pioneer stage. With but a sparse population in the district, few neighbors, distant markets, and slow means of transportation the Kelsey family found life an uphill task for several years. Not discouraged, however, the elder Kelsey stuck to his task, and by way of supplementing his earnings he worked on the building of the railroad into St. Paul, this being the first railroad constructed in Minnesota. If was amid those surroundings and in checkered circumstances that Byron J. Kelsey grew up. He attended the district schools, and as he advanced in years he worked out at such labor as his hands could find to do. Thrifty by habit, he managed to save enough money from his scant earnings to enable him to enter Wasiaja Seminary, and it is worthy of note that he managed to make ends meet for an average expense of eighty seven cents a week. He had a free-rent room and did chores about the neighborhood.

 When he had reached the age of twenty-one years Mr. Kelsey engaged in mercantile pursuits at Fairpoint, having a brother for a partner. The success which attended their initial efforts induced them some time later to open a branch store at Aurora, Brookins [sic]county. South Dakota, and of the new enterprise Byron J. became manager. In 1876 he returned to Minnesota and founded a bank at New Brighton, acting in the capacity of president of the institution. For a period of twenty-three years, or from 1893 to 1916, he was identified with mercantile pursuits at Brook Park, Pine county, and in the latter year moved to Virginia, where he has since been living, a prominent factor in the commercial life of the city.

 On March 20, 1876. Mr. Kelsey was united in marriage to Miss Mary D. Taft, a relative of former President Taft, and to this marriage five children were born, namely: Cecil B.; Grace, who died in 1917, being then twenty-seven years old; Harold C.; Retta, who became Mrs. Edward Shaske; and Paul Taft.   Paul T. Kelsey enlisted in the United States

army for service in the World war, but before he was needed abroad the Armistice was  signed.

 

Mr. Kelsey has been a very ardent Republican all of his life, and is especially active in the cause of prohibition. He has never been a seeker after office, preferring to devote his time to the development of his commercial undertakings. He is an earnest member of the Presbyterian Church, and in this connection is chairman of the committee of local mission work. He is a member of the Masonic Order, in the affairs of which he takes a warm interest. Notwithstanding the comparatively brief period of his residence in Virginia, Mr. Kelsey has from the beginning proved himself an excellent citizen who has the friendship and esteem of all who know him.

“History of Dakota Territory “ George W. Kingsbury, 1915
transcribed by Karen Seeman

 

HON. CARL A. JOHNSON.

 

 Hon. Carl A. Johnson was born in Dane county. Wisconsin, on the 14th of May, 1857, and is a son of Arne and Guro (Marcuson) Johnson, both of whom were natives of Norway.  Following their marriage they came to the United States, arriving in 1856, at which time they took up their abode in Dane county, Wisconsin, where the father followed the carpenter's trade, which he had previously learned in his native land. In 1864 he removed to Mower county, Minnesota, and in the fall of 1881 he came to Brookings county, South Dakota, settling on a farm which he cultivated for a number of years. During the last ten or twelve years of his life, however, he made his home with his son Carl, passing away in 1908. His widow survives and now resides with her son Samuel in Brookings. She is a remarkably well preserved woman although now in her ninety-first year.

 Carl A. Johnson was a lad of but five years when in 1862 he was taken to Mower county, Minnesota, by his grandparents and an uncle, with whom he remained for eight years, after which he returned to his parents' home. His educational opportunities were those afforded by the public schools. .When nineteen years of age he began his business career as a clerk in a grocery store at Austin, Minnesota, where he was employed for two years. He then went to work on the farm and in the spring of 1SS0 came to Brookings county. South Dakota, where he took up a homestead covering the northwest quarter of section 2, Oak Lake township. He resided thereon for four and a half years and then removed to White, Brookings county, where he engaged in clerking in a store for four and a half years. In the spring of 1889 he came to the city of Brookings, where he was employed as a clerk for two years. He next engaged in the furniture business in company with O. G. Oyloe for two years and after that time, as a partner of A. M. Wold, was engaged in the contracting business until 1913.

 In the meantime Mr. Johnson was called to public office, having in November, 1898, been elected register of deeds of Brookings county, in which capacity he served for two terms or four years. After his retirement from that office he occupied the position of assistant cashier in the Farmers National Bank for three years and in 1910 he and his son Alvin engaged in the automobile business, securing the agency of the Buick car. In 1914 they built one of the largest garages in the eastern part of the state and are conducting an extensive and successful business as dealers in automobiles and supplies. Once more Mr. Johnson served in an official capacity, being elected mayor of Brookings in the spring of 1913 and giving the city a businesslike administration, guiding municipal affairs and shaping municipal progress by his indorsement of all those measures which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.

 In 1878 Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Anna Olson, of Austin, Minnesota, by whom he had seven children, five of whom are still living, as follows: Gina, who is the wife of Dr. George Keeland, of Madison, Wisconsin; Clara, at home; Alvin, who is associated with his father in the automobile business; Alma, a pupil in St. Olaf College at Northfield, Minnesota; and Mabel, who is attending the same institution.

 Mr. Johnson has membership with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and in the Brookings Commercial Club and he stands for all that preserves the best interests of the city, its growth and improvement, exercising his official prerogatives in that connection and standing equally loyal in support of public interests when occupying no office.

 

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