George A. Silsby Biography


	This biography appears on pages 878-879 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (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.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here 
	Inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door 
	is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


	GEORGE A. SILSBY is a native of the city of Rockford, Illinois, 
where he was born on the 28th of March, 1847, being a son of Harvey 
Hammond and Melinda (Stearns) Silsby, both of whom were born in New 
Hampshire, coming of English lineage, while both family names have been 
identified with the annals of New England from the early colonial era 
in our national history, the first of the Silsbys in the new world 
having come here in 1634. The father of the subject was numbered among 
the pioneers of Illinois, where he followed the vocation of a merchant 
and where both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives, 
honored by all who knew them.  

	The subject of this review was reared in his native city, in 
whose public schools he secured his early educational training, 
initiating his independent career while still a mere lad, since at the 
age of fourteen years he entered upon an apprenticeship at the 
machinist's trade, becoming a skilled mechanic and being engaged in the 
work of his trade at the time of the outbreak of the war of the 
Rebellion. In 1862 he manifested his loyalty to the Union by enlisting 
as a private in Company F, Seventy-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
with which he went to the front and served until the expiration of his 
term, when he re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company K, One Hundred 
and Thirty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he was made 
corporal of his company, and he thereafter continued in active service 
as such until the close of the war, when he received his honorable 
discharge, having taken part in many of the important engagements of 
the great fratricidal conflict and having proved himself a faithful and 
valiant soldier of the republic. After the close of his military 
service he returned to Illinois, where he was engaged in the work of 
his trade for a few years and then established himself in the shoe 
business at Rockford, while later he became a traveling salesman for 
one of the leading wholesale shoe houses in the city of Utica, New 
York, being thus engaged until 1880, when he came to what is now the 
state of South Dakota and cast in his lot with the people of Mitchell, 
which was then a small and straggling village. Here he was for a number 
of years engaged in the United States land office, while he became one 
of the representative citizens and business men of the place. In 1883 
he was appointed postmaster of the city, in which capacity he served 
two and a half years, having been removed by President Cleveland to 
make place for a Democrat. He is at the time of this writing holding 
the office of mayor of the city, giving a most capable and satisfactory 
administration of the municipal government and doing all in his power 
to forward the best interests of the city by a straightforward and 
progressive business and executive policy. In 1899 he was appointed 
national bank examiner for the state, in which capacity he has since 
continued to render most efficient service. In politics he has ever 
been an uncompromising advocate of the principles and policies of the 
Republican party and has been one of its wheel-horses in the state. He 
is one of the leading members of the Grand Army of the Republic in 
South Dakota, being identified with Ransom Post, No. 6, at Mitchell, 
while in 1889-90 he had the distinction of being commander of the Grand 
Army for the department of Dakota territory, having been incumbent of 
the office at the time the territory was divided and the two states 
admitted to the Union. He early became identified with the National 
Guard of the state, and from 1891 to 1895 served as adjutant general of 
the same. He is also affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, the 
Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.  

	On the 25th of February, 1868, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
Silsby to Miss Emily Derwent, who was born in Rockford, Illinois, on 
the 1st of October, 1847, being a daughter of Edmond Derwent, a 
prominent citizen of that place, where she was reared and educated. Mr. 
and Mrs. Silsby have two children, Mabel Claire, who is now the wife of 
Herbert E. Hitchcock, and Maude Muller, who is the wife of Harry G. 
Nichols.