Bernart Sikmann Biography


	This biography appears on page 1349 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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	BERNART SIKMANN, a well-known resident of Yankton county, was born 
in Munster, Germany, on the 2d of February, 1843, his parents being 
lifelong residents of that country. At the age of twenty-seven years, in 
1870, he left his native land and came to the United States, first 
locating in Dubuque, Iowa, where he spent a year and a half. He next 
went to Arkansas, where he remained nine months, and then returned to 
Iowa, making his home there until 1878, when he came to South Dakota, 
Yankton county being his destination. After working for others for nine 
months he took up one hundred and sixty acres of land eight miles north 
of the city of Yankton, but did not immediately turn his attention to 
agricultural pursuits. For two years he was employed in a brickyard and 
in 1875 embarked in the same line of business on his own account, 
operating that yard for eight years. He met with success in that 
undertaking and erected for himself a fine brick residence and two 
barns. During the flood of 1881 he lost a kiln of brick and his house 
was damaged to some extent, his loss amounting to about one thousand 
dollars. In 1882 Mr. Sikmann bought one hundred and eighty acres of wild 
land in Yankton county and engaged in its operation in connection with 
the manufacture of brick in Yankton. He built a good residence and barns 
upon his place in 1892 and in July of that year took up his residence 
there, it being still his home, though he continues to own property in 
the city to the amount of about eight acres. His farm now comprises two 
hundred and eight acres, which with the assistance of his sons he has 
placed under a high state of cultivation. 

	On the 3d of June, 1880, Mr. Sikmann was united in marriage to 
Miss Lena Mader, a daughter of Henry and Christina Mader, who were both 
natives of Germany, but were living in New York at the time of Mrs. 
Sikmann's birth. In 1873 her father brought his family to South Dakota 
and entered a tract of wild land in Yankton county, soon becoming a 
well-known and successful farmer of this locality. He died April 1894, 
having survived his wife for several years, she having passed away on 
the 15th of May, 1877. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sikmann have been born five 
children: Fred, now twenty-one years of age; Joseph, Frank, Rosa and 
Lillie (died July 21, 1891). All are at home and have been given good 
common-school educations, the daughter being still a student in the 
local schools. Socially the family is one of prominence in the community 
where they reside, and the wife and mother is a member of the Lutheran 
church. Mr. Sikmann is a Democrat in politics and does all in his power 
to insure the success of his party.