John Crawford Eccles Biography


	This biography appears on pages 27-28 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 CRAWFORD ECCLES.  

	John Crawford Eccles is well known to the hardware trade 
throughout the state of South Dakota as he has one of the leading 
stores of the kind in the state and is the largest shipper along that 
line in the Black Hills district. He was born in Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, August 27, 1859, a son of James and Margaret (Claffy) 
Eccles, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The father, who was 
a merchant tailor, emigrated with his family from the Keystone state to 
Michigan, where he continued in business, and both he and his wife 
passed away in the Wolverine state.  

	Mr. Eccles of this review is the sixth in a family of eight 
children and was reared under the parental roof. He attended school 
first at Battle Greek, Michigan, and later at Tecumseh and Charlotte, 
that state. In 1881 he came to South Dakota and located in Deadwood, 
where he was employed by the Starr & Bullock Company in their hardware 
department. After one year in their employ he was taken into the firm, 
which became Starr, Bullock & Eccles. They opened the first hardware 
store in Sturgis and Mr. Eccles continued in charge of that 
establishment until 1896 or 1897, when he sold his interest in the firm 
and went to Juneau, Alaska, where he bought a stock of men's 
furnishings at a bankrupt sale and conducted business for about six 
months. On disposing of his interests there, he returned to Deadwood, 
South Dakota, and entered the employ of Ayers & Company, dealers in 
hardware, with whom he remained for seven years. At the expiration of 
that period he removed to Belle Fourche and purchased the Mortimer & 
Cock Hardware Company's stock. This was in 1904 and in the intervening 
years he has been most successful in the conduct of his business and 
now carries the largest stock of hardware in western South Dakota and 
the largest stock of wire in any state. His business occupies two 
floors in the main store and he also uses three large warehouses. He is 
recognized as the largest hardware shipper in the hills. His success is 
founded upon those unchanging principles of business which must be the 
basis of enduring prosperity, namely, knowledge of the stock carried, 
honesty in all transactions and never-failing courtesy. He carries a 
full line of paints, oils, shelf and heavy hardware, farm implements, 
wagons, buggies and wire fencing of all kinds. In addition to his large 
retail trade he does an extensive jobbing business.  

	Mr. Eccles was married January 5, 1887, to Miss Elizabeth Maria 
Ash, a native of Yankton, South Dakota, and a daughter of Henry Clay 
and Mary Culver (Reynolds) Ash, the former born in Allegany county, 
Maryland, on Christmas Day, 1827, and the latter in Ohio in 1830. The 
mother died January 28, 1905, in Yankton, and the father passed away in 
Sturgis, February 12, 1909. He was a charter member of the first 
Masonic lodge established in Dakota territory, which was located at 
Yankton, and was well known in the Masonic fraternity. He and his wife 
were the parents of five children: Benjamin Cowdin, who resides near 
Faith, South Dakota, and operates an extensive stock ranch, while his 
family live in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Julia, the wife of Charles 
Bates, of Yankton; Harry Clay, who was born in 1858 and died July 25, 
1904, in Colorado, where he had gone for his health which had become 
impaired while he was prospecting in Alaska; William Bartlett, a 
resident of San Diego, California, where he is engaged in the real-
estate and loan business; and Mrs. Eccles  

	Mr. and Mrs. Eccles have four children. John Crawford, Jr., born 
May 25, 1889, is associated with his father in the hardware business. 
He married Miss Katherine Pearson, a native of Missouri, who was 
brought to Belle Fourche by her parents when but an infant. A daughter, 
Anna Elizabeth, has been born to this marriage, her natal day being 
June 25, 1914. The second son, Marston Ash, was born November 8, 1891, 
and married Miss Ethel Hall, a native of Belle Fourche. He is also 
associated with his father in the hardware business. Charles Bates, 
whose birth occurred June 7, 1893, is operating a two thousand acre 
stock ranch in Montana which is owned by Eccles & Sons. Although the 
ranch is in Montana the post office is Boise, Idaho. Mary Margaret, the 
only daughter, was born June 4, 1895, and is the wife of Lynn Chunning, 
cashier of the State Bank of Baker, Montana.  

	Mr. Eccles is a democrat but has been too busy with his business 
affairs to hold office. He is identified with the Knights of Pythias 
and the Modern Woodmen of America and in those organizations has made 
many friends, while he holds the respect and esteem of his fellow 
citizens, who recognize the fact that his financial success has been 
won by superior business ability and tireless energy and that it has 
not been gained by taking advantage of others.