James L. Bentley Biography This biography appears on pages 351-352 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm JAMES L. BENTLEY. James L. Bentley, general agent at Deadwood for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, was born in Wyoming. Ontario. Canada, December 28, 1863, a son of Joseph L and Jane (Williams) Bentley. The mother was born in Wyoming, Ontario, December 25, 1841, and the father was a native of Middlesex county, Ontario, born July 3, 1837. He learned the trade of shoemaking in early life and also engaged in farming. About 1891 he removed across the border into Michigan, settling at Grindstone City, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits. He died in 1905 while visiting a son in Lead, South Dakota, in which place his widow now resides. James L. Bentley was the first born in a family of ten children. He attended school in Newbury, Canada, and when about sixteen years of age began earning his own living, working at various occupations both in Canada and in Michigan. On the 27th of December, 1883, when a young man of twenty years, he went to Hubbell, Nebraska, where he entered the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company as night operator After about six months he was transferred to Wymore, Nebraska, where he had charge of the freight department as clerk for about two years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Hardy, Nebraska, where he spent eighteen months as agent, and then for a year and a half or two years he acted as extra man. He was agent at Pawnee, Nebraska, for two and a half years, after which he was made traveling freight and passenger agent at Beatrice, Nebraska, continuing in that position for about three years. He came to Deadwood on the 26th of October, 1894, as general agent for the company and has since acted in that capacity. For almost a third of a century he has been continuously in the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and is one of their most trusted and efficient representatives. In May, 1889, Mr. Bentley was united in marriage to Miss Sarah L. Hawkins, who was born at White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, a daughter of Thomas J. and Rebecca (Ervine) Hawkins, both of whom were natives of Virginia and at an early period in the development of Nebraska went to that state, settling at Pawnee, where the father engaged in general merchandising. Both he and his wife died in that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Bentley has been born a son, James Marvin, who is still with his parents in Deadwood. Fraternally Mr. Bentley is connected with the Masons, holding membership in the blue lodge, commandery and shrine. He is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In polities he is an independent republican, but has never aspired to office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, his close application, energy and reliability having won for him the advancement which has come to him. He is now well known in Deadwood, where he has so long resided, and he enjoys the high regard, confidence and goodwill of his fellow townsmen.