Norman D. White Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1042-1043 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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	NORMAN D. WHITE was born at Scales Mound, Illinois, August 2, 
1863, and is a son of John and Henrietta C. (Phelps) White.  The father 
was born December 25, 1826, at Jamestown, New York, and was the youngest 
son of Moses and Sallie (Cheney) White.  The family is of English 
descent and was founded in America by Elder John White, who emigrated 
from England to Massachusetts in 1632.  The grandfather of the subject 
was a goldsmith by trade and removed from Southington, Connecticut, to 
New York in 1791. He finally married and settled at Jamestown, New York. 
His wife was born and reared at Essex, Vermont.  John White spent his 
childhood in Jamestown and attended the public schools.  He early showed 
marked musical talent and became a skillful violinist.  In 1846, at the 
age of twenty, he went to Chicago, Illinois, and thence by stage to Galena, 
where he worked for two years as a farm hand and about the lead mines 
and also found many profitable opportunities for the employment of his 
musical skill.  He was married in 1848 to Henrietta Phelps, of Jo 
Daviess county, Illinois, a daughter of Milo and Charlotte (Beldian) 
Phelps, formerly of Jasper, New York.  Locating upon a farm north of 
Scales Mound, he there engaged in farming and stock raising for many 
years, accumulating considerable property.  In the fall of 1880 he 
visited his brother at Yankton, South Dakota, and was so well pleased 
with this locality that he invested in real estate in the fertile James 
river valley.  In 1885 he disposed of his property in Illinois and 
located on his South Dakota farm.  He added to his possessions from time 
to time until he owned over thirteen hundred acres of as fine land as 
can be found in the state.  In all his work and dealings he left the 
impress of a considerate, careful-minded man and one of strong, forceful 
character.  In his long lingering illness he manifested great patience 
and forbearance which characterized his entire life.  He voted with the 
Democracy and was a loyal member of the Methodist church, to which his 
wife also belongs.  She survives him and is yet living on the old 
homestead.  In the family of this worthy couple were nine children: 
Thomas, in 1849, married Melvina Wells and with his family of four 
children lives upon a farm in Yankton county; Cecil T., born in T854 and 
now conducting a country store in Yankton county, married Miss Viola 
Hill and they have an adopted child; Delia, born in 1859 is the wife of 
William C. Coulson, a resident farmer of Yankton county, bv whom she has 
three children; Norman D. is the next of the family; Lee is a carpenter 
of St. Louis.  Missouri; Addie, is the wife of William Van Epps, a 
liveryman of Yankton, and they have three sons.  The three other 
children of the White family died in Illinois.  All were provided with 
good educational privileges and Delia engaged in teaching school, while 
Addie taught music.  Thomas displayed much of his father's musical 
talent as a violinist.  The different members of the family are now 
comfortably situated in life and are valued residents of the various 
communities in which they reside.

	Norman D. White spent his early life in Illinois and with his father 
came to South Dakota in the spring of 1885.  He has since resided upon 
the home farm here and has taken an active part in its management and 
operation.  At the time of his father's death he was appointed executor 
of the estate, comprising eleven hundred acres of land in Yankton 
county.  He now carries on general farming and stock raising, making a 
specialty of Guernsey cattle, splendid bred horses and Poland-China 
hogs.  He has handled stock extensively, becoming one of the leading 
representatives of this line of business in the county and his large 
sales have brought to him a splendid financial return.  His home is 
pleasantly located on the banks of the James river, four miles from 
Yankton, and in 1891 he erected an elegant farm residence which is one 
of the most attractive features of the landscape.  There is found an 
artesian well upon his place and also a fish pond.  He has a blacksmith 
and carpenter shop upon his farm and he possesses excellent mechanical 
ability, so that he is enabled to keep, everything about his place in 
first-class condition.  Mr. White is a most energetic and enterprising 
man and his resolution and strong purpose have been important factors in 
a successful business career.  He lives with his mother and both are 
highly esteemed in the community.  Fraternally, Mr. White is connected 
with the Pyramids and the Maccabees.  He is an honored son of an honored 
pioneer and today occupies a very prominent and enviable position as a 
representative of agricultural interests in South Dakota.