Fred William Barth Biography


	This biography appears on pages 970-971 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				FRED WILLIAM BARTH. 

	Fred William Barth is a retired farmer living on section 2, 
township 98, range 52, near Olivet, in Hutchinson county. The success 
which is his and which now enables him to rest from further labor has 
come to him as the reward of earnest, persistent and intelligently 
directed effort. He was born in Prussian Saxony, Germany, on the 5th of 
January, 1842, a son of Ernest and Mary Barth. His education was 
acquired in the fatherland and in the United States. He left the former 
country in 1859 and sailed for America, making his way first to New 
York and afterward to Illinois. He was in the latter state at the time 
of the outbreak of the Civil war and with patriotic spirit he responded 
to the call of his adopted country for aid and served for two years in 
the Eighteenth Illinois Infantry. On one occasion he was wounded and he 
participated in a number of the hotly contested engagements of the war, 
remaining at the front until honorably discharged in 1865. 

	Mr. Barth then returned to his home in Illinois and the following 
year went to Iowa, where he carried on general farming until 1875. That 
year witnessed his arrival in South Dakota and he located on section 2, 
township 98, range 58, securing a tree claim. With characteristic 
energy he began to break the sod and till the fields and continued to 
engage in general farming there until he turned the place over to the 
management and operation of his sons. In the meantime he had added to 
his property on different occasions so that his landed possessions now 
aggregate two thousand acres and he is accounted one of the prosperous 
and successful agriculturists of Hutchinson county. He was one of the 
pioneers of his section of the state, casting in his lot among the 
earliest settlers. For miles around him stretched the unbroken prairie, 
and his neighbors were largely the Indians. The work of progress and 
civilization seemed scarcely begun, but with resolute spirit he 
undertook the task of aiding in the reclamation of the district, and as 
the years have passed, success has been his in considerable measure. 

	In 1869 Mr. Barth was married to Miss Lyda Baumgart, a daughter 
of Carl Baumgart. To them were born the following children: Henry, who 
passed away in 1912; John; Martha; Lena; Albert; Elmer; Frank; Charles, 
who pursued a law course in the University of South Dakota at 
Vermillion and is now a practicing attorney of Friend, Nebraska; 
Edward; and Katie. 

	In politics Mr. Barth has been a stalwart republican since 
casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He always 
supports the men and measures of the party, believing firmly in its 
principles, and he has filled the offices of justice of the peace and 
deputy assessor. His religious faith is that of the Evangelical church. 
In the early days he was "boss farmer" among the Indians. He has lived 
to see remarkable changes as the work of development and improvement 
has been carried forward and the tents of the red men have been 
replaced by the homes of civilization. He can relate many interesting 
incidents of the early days and there is no phase of pioneer life with 
which he is not familiar. However, he had the prescience to discern 
what the future had in store for this great and growing western country 
and in the fullness of time he has gathered the fruits of his labor and 
is today one of the prosperous residents of Hutchinson county.