Patrick J. Dinneen Biography

	This biography appears on pages 618 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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        PATRICK J. DINNEEN.-The subject of this review is one of the 
many self-made men who have sought homes on this side of the Atlantic 
and who, by their industry, economy and thrift. have become well-to-do 
citizens of their adopted country. Mr. Dinneen was born in County Cork, 
Ireland, March 17, 1834, his parents being Timothy and Hannah (Conklin) 
Dinneen, who were also natives of the Emerald isle, where they made 
their home throughout life. 
        
        In the land of his birth the subject grew to manhood and for 
fifteen years prior to coming to America he made his home in England. 
In 1854 he wedded Miss Mary Walsh, a daughter of Kane and Margaret 
(Donovan) Walsh, the former of whom died in England and the latter in 
Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Dinneen have become the parents of nine children, 
all still living: Daniel, who married Fannie Gill and is engaged in 
farming; Margaret, wife of Bert Aman, an agriculturist of Yankton 
county; Timothy, also a farmer, who married Johanna Finn; John who 
married Fannie Roberts; Hannah, wife of Otis Kessey, a wealthy fruitman 
of California; Patrick, who is running a barber shop in Irene, South 
Dakota; James, who assists his father in the operation of the home 
farm; Mary, wife of Thomas Garvey, whose sketch appears on another page 
of this volume; and George, who married Millie Walsh and lives on his 
father's farm. 
        
        In 1866 Mr. Dinneen bade good-by to home and family and sailed 
for the new world. Here he began work as a laborer in New Jersey, and 
from there went to Illinois, where he was employed for nine months. 
Going south he spent some time in Mississippi and Louisiana and in 1867 
went to Houston, Texas, where he worked two months. During the 
following five months he herded cattle in the Panhandle mountains of 
Texas, and then came up the Mississippi river and entered the employ of 
the Union Pacific Railroad Company. 
        
        On the 7th of May, 1869, Mr. Dinneen took up his residence in 
Yankton county, South Dakota, and the same year sent for his family, 
whom he had supported in England up to this time. He homesteaded one 
hundred and sixty acres of government land, on which there was not a 
stick of timber, and he set out twelve acres in trees, from which he 
recently cut ten thousand feet of lumber to build a barn. It is now a 
beautiful grove and the trees which he has cut down can hardly be 
missed. Mr. Dinneen has made all of the improvements upon his place and 
to-day has a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres under 
excellent cultivation. His first home here .was a little log cabin, 
twelve by sixteen feet which sheltered a family of eight for some time 
The grasshoppers at times have destroyed his crops and when the Jim 
river has overflowed its banks during the spring and summer rains he 
has met with losses to the amount of five thousand dollars, but 
notwithstanding these misfortunes he has prospered in his new home and 
is today accounted one of the substantial men of his community, as well 
as one of its most highly esteemed citizens. He is a Catholic in 
religious faith and a Democrat in politics. For fifteen years he has 
filled some school office, and his support is never withheld from any 
enterprise calculated to promote the social and moral welfare of his 
county.