Samuel Crockett Black Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1653-1654 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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	SAMUEL CROCKETT BLACK, secretary of the South Dakota & Iowa Land & 
Loan Company, with headquarters in Mellette, was born on a farm in 
Champaign county, Ohio, on the 23d of September, 1849, and is a scion of 
one of the old and honored families of the Buckeye state, where his 
grandfather, Alexander H. Black, who was a native of Kentucky and of 
Scotch lineage, took up his residence in 1809, taking part in the early 
Indian wars and serving as captain of a company in the command of 
General Wayne, known to history as "Mad Anthony Wayne," by reason of his 
intrepid daring. In this connection Captain Black accompanied his 
doughty general on the march to the lakes and saw not a little of active 
service in conflict with the Indians. He became possessed of a large 
tract of land in Champaign county, and there passed the closing years of 
his life, while his son Samuel C., Sr., the father of the subject, also 
lived on this ancestral homestead and became a prominent and influential 
farmer and stock grower. He likewise was a native of Kentucky and died 
in Ohio, as did also his devoted wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann 
Grant. They became the parents of nine children, while of the number 
five are living at the time of this writing. 

	Mr. Black was reared on the home farm and received his early 
educational training in the common schools, after which he continued his 
studies in Wittemberg College, in Springfield, Ohio. He then resumed his 
association with agricultural pursuits, and also took up the study of 
medicine, to which he devoted his attention for a short time. After the 
death of his father he took charge of the homestead farm and in 
connectiol1 with its operation also continued to deal in live stock 
until 1882, when he came to the present state of South Dakota and 
purchased land in Spink county, where he became the owner of three 
quarter sections of land eleven and a half miles northeast of Mellette. 
He removed his family to South Dakota in 1886, and there continued to be 
engaged in farming and stock growing until 1898, when he took up his 
residence in Mellette and turned his attention to the handling of grain 
and live stock, with which important line of enterprise he has since 
been prominently identified controlling a large business, while in 1902 
he associated himself with the South Dakota & Iowa Land & Loan Company, 
with headquarters in Mellette, and he has since been secretary of said 
company, which controls a large real-estate and loan business throughout 
North and South Dakota. He served for two terms as mayor of Mellette, 
giving a most satisfactory administration of municipal affairs. He has 
passed the commandery, Scottish-rite and Shrine degrees in the Masonic 
fraternity, being secretary of his lodge at the time of this writing, He 
is also a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 

	On the 18th of March, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. 
Black to Miss Frances Miller, who was born and reared in Ohio, and they 
have two daughters, Jessie, who is a graduate of the Holy Angels 
Academy, in Minneapolis, and Lola.