Albert Eugene Throop Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1441-1443 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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	ALBERT EUGENE THROOP, of Brookings, was born in Hillsdale county, 
Michigan, on the 20th of July, 1857, being a son of Erastus D. and 
Angeline (Salisbury) Throop. His father was born in Canada, and when he 
was twelve years of age he accompanied his parents on their removal to 
the state of New York, where he was reared to maturity. He finally 
removed to Michigan, settling in Hillsdale county, where he was married. 
The family there continued to reside until the subject of this sketch 
was six years of age, when they removed to Montcalm county, that state, 
where the father turned his attention to the lumbering business, in 
which he continued to be engaged until his death, which occurred in 
about 1900. When he took up his abode in Montcalm county the nearest 
railroad point was forty miles distant and he settled in the midst of 
the primitive wilds, opening a lumber camp and giving employment to a 
large number of men. The mother died in Chicago, in 1898, while there 
for a visit. Erastus Throop was in fair circumstances at the time of his 
death, but the subject never took any part of the estate, having been 
dependent upon his own efforts from his childhood and having contributed 
to the support of the other members of the family until after he had 
attained his legal majority. In the family were seven children: Ella is 
the wife of Orlando Scott, of Montcalm county, Michigan; Albert E. is 
the subject of this sketch; D. L. was killed in Colorado; Volma D. 
resides on the old homestead farm in Michigan; Alta became the wife of 
Dr. Sweet, of Crystal Lake, Michigan, and is now deceased; Page still 
resides in Montcalm county, that state; Maude is the wife of a Mr. 
Proctor, of Chicago. Owing to the exigencies and conditions of time and 
place the subject received very limited educational advantages in his 
childhood, having had no schooling after attaining the age of nine 
years. His alert and receptive mind has, however, enabled him to make 
good this handicap, and through the varied experiences of a busy and 
useful life and through personal application he has rounded out his fund 
of knowledge and is a man of broad information. At the age of nine years 
he began to assist his mother in cooking for the workmen, and he 
continued to be thus employed for three years. At the age of thirteen he 
was found driving team and buying supplies for the lumber camp, and he 
continued to give the major part of his time and labor to his father 
until he was twenty-two years of age. At the age of seventeen he had 
charge of one of his father's camps, and for fifteen years he ran logs 
on the pine river and engaged in fishing, while he was employed in the 
lumber woods for a full score of years. From the age of twenty-two he 
began to personally receive the rewards of his labors, and he was united 
in marriage, at the age of twenty-three, to Miss Charlotte Miller, who 
was born in the state of New York and a daughter of Samuel Miller, who 
removed thence to Illinois and finally to Michigan, his wife having died 
when her daughter (Mrs. Throop) was but seven years of age. The subject 
considers his marriage as having been an auspicious event in his career, 
and his wife has proved a devoted and able helpmeet. Her fortitude can 
scarcely be measured by her avoirdupois, since she weighs but one 
hundred and ten pounds, while her husband tips the scales at two hundred 
and eighty-five pounds. At the time of their marriage they had not 
sufficient resources to provide even the most meager equipment for a 
home, and the struggle was one which tested the loyalty and affection of 
the young folk, who grew the stronger through the vicissitudes through 
which they passed, laboring and hoping side by side. After his marriage 
Mr. Throop first took a job of cleaning out a ditch, from which labor he 
received eleven dollars, working eight hours a day. Within a short time 
he had cleared about three hundred and sixty dollars, and he then 
purchased a tract of wild land, soon selling therefrom enough timber to 
pay the purchase price, while at the end of the first year he found 
himself quite well provided with this world's goods, since he was the 
owner of a team of horses, a cow, a wagon, forty acres of land and five 
hundred dollars in money. He forthwith gave evidence of his liberality 
by loaning three hundred dollars to a friend—the outcome being to him a 
total loss of the amount. With the remaining two hundred dollars Mr. 
Throop invested in "plug" horses, which he traded for shingles and 
fencing, his transactions yielding him a good profit. In 1885 he came to 
Brookings, South Dakota, for a visit, having at the time about one 
thousand dollars. He was greatly impressed with the country at that 
season and decided to cast in his lot with the pioneers of this section. 
By the time he had purchased a quarter section of land and paid for the 
same a blizzard swept through the state and caused him to wish that he 
had remained in Michigan, but time proved that he had made no mistake in 
his original estimate. For his farm here he paid five hundred dollars in 
cash and gave in addition his personal note for one hundred dollars. He 
had as yet erected no dwelling on his place and when he arrived here for 
permanent settlement he had a little span of disconsolate mules, 
weighing but nine hundred pounds with the harness on, and, as he 
facetiously expresses it, "They were so heavily mortgaged that they 
could not switch their tails." In the following spring he erected on his 
farm a shack thirty-two feet in length, sixteen feet wide, and eight 
feet in height, one end being partitioned off for the use of his team 
and the other portion being the family home. In the autumn he built a 
house sixteen by twenty-four feet in dimensions and twelve feet in 
height, and thus segregated himself from the live stock. He built this 
house without having a dollar in his possession and without giving 
security for the material, and when it was finished he was able to pay 
only twenty-five cents on the dollar in extinguishment of the claims 
against him, his yield of grain having fallen far short of expectations. 
He reserved sufficient wheat for bread and for feed for his stock, 
selling the remainder and from the amount received he invested in three 
tons of coal and then found that he had only eight dollars left with 
which to satisfy the claims of his creditors. He then went to them and 
stated the circumstances, agreeing to divide his remaining cash equally 
among them and asking for two years in which to make recompense. The 
amount which was left to be paid the second year was five hundred 
dollars, and that year his crop of wheat aggregated only eight hundred 
bushels, which was sold at fifty cents a bushel. The returns represented 
all he had available to pay his debts, maintain his family and carry on 
the farm for the ensuing year, so that it may be seen that the outlook 
was not altogether propitious or gratifying. In the meanwhile, however, 
Mr. Throop had purchased an old well-drilling apparatus, which in 
October he took into Lake county and entered vigorously to work 
constructing wells for the settlers, his services being in such demand 
that at the end of two months and three days he hal saved three hundred 
and nine dollars. The second time he came home from his work in this 
line he dropped into his wife's apron five hundred dollars in cash, and 
her query was to ask him whether or not he had been robbing a bank. From 
that time forward fortune proved more propitious and success attended 
his efforts. When he first came to the state he was compelled to sow his 
grain by hand, having no money with which to purchase farming implements 
which were practically essential. In the early days it was impossible to 
secure credit, and in July of the first year of his residence here he 
found himself with no money, no credit and nothing with which to provide 
for the daily needs of his family. The last loaf of bread had been used 
for breakfast, this being on Sunday, and it seemed that no avenue was 
open to provide more. It chanced that the young men of the neighborhood 
assembled together for a little sport, and finally a foot race was 
proposed, our subject and his brother, V. D., having in the meanwhile 
joined the little assembly. The reward to the victor was to be the sum 
realized by the contribution of the twenty-five cents each to the purse. 
The brother of the subject was actually weak for lack of proper food, 
both having gone hungry for several days, and though the former was 
naturally fleet of foot he was too weak to enter into the contest, but 
the subject, who was naturally somewhat corpulent, had been better able 
to withstand the temporary privation and was in good trim for the race, 
his only difficulty being that he was unable to produce the twenty-five 
cents as entry fee. This was kindly supplied by a friend in the company, 
and realizing what the little fund meant to him and his family, it is 
needless to say that Mr. Throop girded himself for victory, and he was 
successful, winning the race by one and one-half laps. The wager was 
then doubled, as was also the distance to be traversed by the 
contestants, and again victory crowned the efforts of Mr. Throop, who 
realized two and one-half dollars from his efforts. He immediately sent 
his brother to Arlington, where was secured a sack of flour, some 
codfish and a pound of tea. Mrs. Throop made biscuit and cooked a 
portion of the fish, and the family enjoyed their meal to a greater 
extent than could the pampered epicure the most extravagant spread. 
Profiting by his experiences, Mr. Throop has husbanded his resources and 
is today the owner of eleven hundred and twenty acres of land, all in 
one body, and also a quarter section. 

	The entire tract is well fenced, has two good dwelling houses, 
good barns and other outbuildings, a fine grove of one hundred soft 
maple trees and five hundred of ash, and a large number of wells, for 
which ample provision is made for the live stock and for domestic uses. 
Mr. Throop continued to reside on the farm until the autumn of 1901, 
when he removed with his family to the city of Brookings, in order to 
afford his children the superior educational advantages there offered. 
From the sale of the stock and grain on his farm prior to removal 
therefrom he received eleven thousand dollars. Mr. Throop is the owner 
of two valuable pieces of property in Brookings, and is now living 
practically retired. In politics he was reared in the Democratic faith, 
but in bringing to bear his personal judgment he determined that the 
Republican party was eminently entitled to his support, and he has given 
to the same an unqualified allegiance, having been an active worker in 
its cause and wielding an unmistakable influence in the public affairs 
of his county. Of the three children of Mr. and Mrs. Throop we record 
that Lottie, who is now nineteen years of age, has completed the 
business course in the State Agricultural College, and it is her 
intention to now complete the full literary course in the same college; 
Ross, aged sixteen; and V. D., aged fifteen, are both attending the high 
school at Brookings. 

	Later.—Since the foregoing sketch was put in type, Mr. Throop's 
death has occurred, on February 5, 1904, after an illness of but five 
days, his remains being laid to rest in Arlington (South Dakota) 
cemetery.