John A. Behrens Biography


	This biography appears on pages 494-495 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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				JOHN A. BEHRENS. 

	John A. Behrens, a well known merchant of Rapid City, is a 
representative of the splendid citizens that Germany has given to 
America, his birth occurring in Oldenburg, Germany, October 8, 1852. 
His parents, Heinrich and Anna (Lange) Behrens, are both deceased, the 
former dying at the ripe old age of seventy-seven years. He was a 
cabinetmaker by trade and v-as known as a conscientious and skilled 
workman. Mr. Behrens of this review is the fourth in order of birth of 
their six children, of whom two sons and one daughter eame to the 
United States. Henry is a resident of Pennington county, where he owns 
a fine ranch; and Johanna is the widow of William Gramberg, who settled 
in Pennington county in 1876. 

	John A. Behrens began learning the cabinetmaker's trade after 
completing the work of the grammar schools and remained in his father's 
shop for four years, becoming thoroughly familiar with that occupation 
and also acquiring habits of industry, thoroughness and reliability. 
After completing his term of apprenticeship he worked as a journeyman 
in different cities of Germany for two years but in 1875 he came to the 
United States and made his way across the country to Oshkosh, 
Wisconsin, where he followed his trade for four years. In September, 
1879, he removed to Rapid City and worked at his trade there for a 
year, after which he engaged in the retail furniture business and also 
gave some attention to the making of fine furniture. He has continued 
to follow these two lines of occupation ever since and in 1886 he also 
established an undertaking business. His volume of trade has grown 
steadily as he carries a high grade of furniture, is content with 
reasonable prices and is uniformly courteous to customers. He finds a 
great deal of pleasure in his work and the articles of furniture which 
he makes are splendid examples of his art. Most of his time is given to 
his business, which is yielding him good profits annually. His 
resources have increased as the years have passed and he has carefully 
invested his capital, being now a heavy stockholder in the First 
National Life Insurance Company. 

	Mr. Behrens was married on the 23d of May, 1889, at Watertown, 
Wisconsin, to Miss Lena Volckmann, a native of that state although her 
parents were born in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Behrens had one daughter, 
Louisa. The wife and mother was called to her reward on the 16th of 
July, 1890, and on the 18th of February, 1892, Mr. Behrens married Miss 
Matilda Volckmann, a sister of his first wife. To this union three 
children have been born: William A., whose natal year was 1893; Alfred 
C., born in 1894; and Herbert H., born in 1898. 

	Politically Mr. Behrens is a stanch adherent of the republican 
party at elections where national issues are involved but casts an 
independent local ballot. He has served twice as a member of the city 
council, having the distinction of being on the first council after the 
incorporation of the city. He was reared in the German Lutheran church 
and has never departed from that faith. Fraternally he belongs to the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which he has held all of the 
chairs, and to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. A hobby of his 
is the manufacture of sky rockets, in which he is particularly 
proficient. 

	He attributes his success in business to his knowledge of 
furniture, his hard work and his policy of honesty in all transactions. 
He has throughout his entire life been an inveterate reader and is well 
informed upon all questions of general interest. His life has been a 
factor in the development of Rapid City along business lines and he has 
also been instrumental in promoting a number of measures looking toward 
the betterment of civic conditions.