James E. Bird Biography


	This biography appears on pages 496-497 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 E. BIRD. 

	James E. Bird, conducting a real-estate, loan and insurance 
agency in Watertown, where he has made his home since the spring of 
1901, was born in Iowa on the 18th of December, 1869, his parents being 
William and Mary Bird, the former a farmer by occupation. Having 
mastered the branches of learning taught in the public schools, he 
assisted his father for a time, then took up the profession of 
teaching, which he followed for three years, afterwards holding a 
position with a general mercantile establishment at Marcus, Iowa, and 
at the outbreak of the war with Spain he joined the army as a member of 
Company M, Fifty-second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served for eight 
months. Upon his return to his native state he engaged in the implement 
business at Sibley, Iowa. In the spring of 1901 he arrived in 
Watertown, where he engaged in the real-estate business, first in 
partnership with Keogan & Bird, but for the past eight years he has 
been alone, conducting an important real-estate, loan and insurance 
agency. He is well known in this connection and has handled many 
important realty transfers. His business interests are carefully 
managed and his indefatigable energy and ability have gained for him a 
creditable measure of success 

	In September, 1906, Mr. Bird was united in marriage to Addie I. 
Brooks, a daughter of Jacob Brooks, a representative of an old-time 
family of Sibley, Iowa. Mr. Bird has membership relations with Masonic 
and Elk lodges in Watertown, and he gives his political allegiance to 
the democratic party. That he is one of its leaders in South Dakota is 
indicated in the fact that in the 1914 election he was its candidate 
for the office of secretary of state. He is fond of athletics, 
including baseball and tennis and along those lines seeks his 
recreation. His wife is active in work connected with charity 
organizations and is chairman of the relief committee of the Sunshine 
Society of Watertown. After being a student at Cornell College of Iowa, 
she engaged in teaching, and all through her life has been a student 
not only of books but of people and events, learning many valuable 
lessons from life. Her interests are broad and her helpful spirit is 
manifest in most practical aid.