John F. Comstock

	This biography appears on pages p.1009-1010 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.


	JOHN F. COMSTOCK, now holding the responsible position of 
government farmer on the Cheyenne Indian reservation, maintaining his 
headquarters at Whitehorse Station, is a native of the state of 
Wisconsin, having been born in Columbia county, on the 13th of October, 
1861, and being a son of George W. and Teresa Comstock, natives of the 
state of New York. When the subject was about ten years of age, in 1871, 
his parents renmoved to Benton county, Iowa, where they remained unti 
the spring of 1885, when they came to South Dakota and took up their 
abode near Highmore, Hyde county, where the father has since been 
actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. All of the five children in 
the family are living at the present time, the subject of this sketch 
having been the third in order of birth. 

	J. F. Comstock secured his early educational training in the 
public schools of Iowa, and accompanied his parents on their removal to 
South Dakota, being independently engaged in farming in Hyde county for 
a number of years. In ~89z he removed to Pierre and was there engaged in 
teaming until 1894, when he was elected county auditor of Stanley 
county, in which office he served two years. In r8g8 he was appointed to 
his present position as government farmer on the Cheyenne reservation. 
He is impressed with the fact that the Indians will not attain any great 
degree of success as farmers here, partially owing to the condition of 
the reservation land, much of which is not available for cultivation. 
The Indians have shown a greater aptitude and predilection for stock 
raising and many of them have been prospered in connection with this 
industry, some of them having more than one hundred head of cattle. In 
politics the subject is a stanch advocate of the principles of the 
Republican party.  

	On the 6th of October, 1885, Mr. Comstock was united in marriage 
to Miss Laura Moore, daughter of David Moore, a well-known resident of 
Fort Pierre and the subject of an individual sketch on another page of 
this work. Mr. and Mrs. Comstock have one child, George. who was born on 
the 4th of August, 1886.