Andrew Thorson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1476-1477 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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	ANDREW THORSON, one of Brown county's well-known farmers, residing 
on hits large farm four miles northeast from the city of Aberdeen, is a 
native of Norway, where he was born on August 24, 1848, being the son of 
Thore Thorson. At the age of nineteen years the subject became a sailor 
before the mast, and sailed all over western European waters. After 
following the sea until 1871, he returned to his old home in Norway, and 
in 1872 he came to America, landing at New York. From New York he came 
direct to St. Peter, Minnesota, from where he went to New Ulm, 
Minnesota, and took employment on the construction of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroad. He worked on the grading and in other capacities 
until the road was constructed to Watertown, South Dakota, putting in 
the summer months on the work and returning to St. Peter, Minnesota, for 
the winters. In the spring of 1880 Mr. Thorson located land in Brown 
county, South Dakota, taking up one hundred and sixty acres, which is 
his present home, but continued to work on the railroad until 1893, when 
he diverted all his attention to farming. He now owns over fourteen 
thousand acres, in two pieces, and carries on operations on a large 
scale, growing grain and raising horses, cattle, etc. Of late years, 
however, his health has been poor, and he has traveled considerably, 
spending much of his time in California. 

	At St. Peter, Minnesota, in 1881, Mr. Thorson was married to 
Carrie Peterson, who was born in Norway, and came to America in 1870. To 
this union the following six children have been born: Theodore, Mina, 
Annie, Christian, Arthur and Josephina. Mr. Thorson is a Republican.