Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Baird, James 1843 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 3, 2006, 4:08 pm

Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  JAMES BAIRD, who resides on a farm in Summit Lake township, near the village

of Reading, has been a resident of Nobles county nearly a quarter of a century,

during ail of which time he has been engaged in farming, with the exception of

one year spent in Rushmore.



  Mr. Baird is a native of Dumfries shire, Scotland, and was born Jan. 31, 1843.

His parents were James and Jessie (McCro?e) Baird, both of whom died in their

native land, the former in 1866, the latter in 1856. Our subject lived in

Scotland until forty years of age. At the age of thirteen he became a shepherd

and followed that occupation during all the time of his residence in his home land.



  It was in the spring of 1883 that Mr. Baird came to America. He went first to

Montana, where he spent the first summer working through the west. The winter of

1883-84 he on the Northern Pacific railroad, then building spent in St. Paul and

the following spring he came to Nobles county. In partnership with John McKenzie

he bought a quarter section of land in Dewald township, upon which he lived five

years. He then sold out and rented a half section of land in Dewald, which he

farmed six years. Moving to Ransom township, he made his home there until the

spring of 1908, and then moved to his present place near Reading. While engaging

to some extent in general farming, Mr. Baird makes a specialty of sheep raising,

to which he has devoted his entire life. He raises thoroughbred Shropshires and

has some fine ones.



  Mr. Baird was married in Scotland in 1868 to Jessie McKenzie, who died eight

years later. To them were born the following named children.: Jessie (Mrs. Peter

Mactier), of Summit Lake; James, of Summit Lake; Ive, of Ransom; John, of

Reading. Mr. Baird was married the second time in 1900 to Loretta J. Pettit, who

died the following year.



  Mr. Baird is a member of the Rushmore Presbyterian church, of which he has

held the office of elder. He was assesor of Ransom township for several years

and also held school offices there a number of times.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 



WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908

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