Charles P. Barbier

	This biography appears on pages 1102-1103 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	CHARLES P. BARBIER, who is now living practically retired in the 
village of Geddes, was born in Besancon, France, on the 12th of June, 
1833, being a son of Frederick and Kate (Golf) Barbiere, both of whom 
passed their lives in la belle France, the former having devoted the 
major portion of his life to custom office pursuits, while he served 
with distinction in the French army. This worthy couple became the 
parents of nine children, of whom five are still living, three of the 
number being resident of the United States. The subject was reared to 
the age of sixteen in his native land. where he received good 
educational advantages, and at the age noted, in company with his sister 
Louise, he emigrated to the United States. His father also desired to 
come to America. but found it inexpedient thus to do, since his removal 
from the French domain would forfeit him the pension which he received 
from the government and which was adequate for his maintenance in his 
declining years. From New York city our subject made his way to Ohio. 
where he remained about ten years. being variously employed, and he then 
went to the state of Louisiana, where he was engaged in working along 
the Mississippi river for several years, finally removing to the city of 
St. Louis, Missouri, where he was employed during the years 1859 and 
1860 by the American Fur Company, afterward being located for a time in 
Iowa. In 1861 he came to Dakota and secured employment with Dave Pease, 
a prominent Indian trader, whose headquarters were on Pease creek and 
Pease island, which were named in his honor. Later he engaged in 
chopping wood to supply the steamboats which then plied the Missouri 
river to points in Montana, where the gold excitement was then at its 
height. In 1867 he took up a homestead claim of a quarter section of 
land, near the river, and in what is now Charles Mix county, South 
Dakota. He improved this farm and retained the same in his possession 
until 1893, when he disposed of the property, for a consideration of one 
thousand dollars. 

	In November, 1863, Mr. Barbier was united in marriage to Miss Kate 
Bear, a member of the Yankton Sioux tribe of Indians, and of this union 
have been born six children, concerning whom we enter the following 
brief record: Louise is the wife of Dennis Moran, who resides in Fort 
Randall, being an extensive farmer; Mary is the wife of William Sweeney, 
who is an extensive farmer and stock grower on the Yankton reservation; 
Annie, who is partially crippled, remains at the parental home; Sophia 
resides in Geddes with her parents; Fred, who married Miss Rose Burdean, 
is a successful farmer of Charles Mix county; and Adele, who was the 
fifth in order of birth, died in early childhood. In politics Mr. 
Barbier gives his support to the Republican party, and he and his wife 
are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church. He served for two 
years as county commissioner, has always taken a deep interest in the 
advancement of the county and state and is held in high esteem by all 
who know him. He and his wife are the owners of two hundred and forty 
acres of land on the Yankton Indian reservation, and he gives a general 
supervision to this property as well as to his other capitalistic 
interests. Mr. Barbier has a vivid recollection of the memorable 
snowfall which visited the state in the winter of 1880-81. The 
precipitation began on the 7th of December and remained on the ground 
until April I2th. The result was the loss of much valuable live stock by 
starvation, and the subject himself suffered a loss of more than one 
hundred head of cattle at the time.