Francis W. Harrison Biography


	This biography appears on pages 669-670 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


				FRANCIS W. HARRISON. 

	Francis W. Harrison, deceased, was a farmer of Bon Homme county. 
He was born in the village of Buxton, near Sheffield, England, on the 
13th of April, 1837, and learned the marble cutter's trade in his 
native land, his family still having in their possession several 
brooches which he carved out of jade and marbled onyx, in which 
exquisite skill is displayed. One of the most notable pieces that came 
from his hand while working in the old country was an inlaid table top 
for the Duke of Wellington. 

	In 1858 Mr. Harrison came to America, reaching Dane county, 
Wisconsin on the 18th of November. On the 13th of October, 1861, he was 
married, and in 1864 enlisted in Company G. Thirty-eighth Regiment, 
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry for service in the Civil war. His command 
was assigned to the Ninth Army Corps and during the Richmond campaign 
was in action nearly every day around Petersburg. The regiment 
participated in the last engagements with Lee prior to his surrender, 
and after the conclusion of peace took part in the grand review in 
Washington. Mr. Harrison then returned to Dane county, Wisconsin, where 
he farmed until the spring of 1867. On the 6th of May he and his 
brother Charles and William Slater, all of whom had married daughters 
of Thomas Abbott, started with their families in wagons for Dakota, 
reaching Yankton on the 4th of July. The journey was a very tedious 
one, as the roads were hub deep in mud, especially in Iowa, and as 
there were no bridges over any of the streams. Purgatory Slough was 
perhaps the worst place encountered and it took a whole day to cross 
it, although it was but a half mile wide. All of the goods were carried 
across on the shoulders of the men through water breast deep, and it 
required three teams to draw each wagon through the slough. The women 
and children were seated in the wagons on seats placed as high as 
possible above the muddy water. 

	Upon reaching old Bon Homme Mr. Harrison's sole wealth besides 
his outfit was one paper dollar, which at that time was below par. To 
add to his difficulties one of his horses died the first night after 
reaching his destination. For a few days the settlers occupied an old 
log house in Bon Homme which had been abandoned and converted into a 
stable. As soon as possible the three men in the party filed on claims 
on James river, but later found that they were held by adverse 
claimants. A second filing was made on Choteau creek, but their final 
location was near Bon Homme. In the vicinity of that town Mr. Harrison 
of this review secured an eighty acre tract of land, thinking that 
would be ample for the needs of his family. Practically the whole 
country was open for settlement and he could easily have taken more if 
he had so desired. He did later, securing an additional eighty acres 
under a soldier's warrant, but never filed on a preemption or timber 
claim. Soon after his arrival he found work at the Ponca agency and 
earned enough to tide the family over the winter, and the next spring 
he began farming. He was very successful as an agriculturist and he 
gained a good income from his land, at the same time conserving its 
fertility by wise methods of cultivation. He passed away on the 13th of 
April, 1912, on the homestead near Bon Homme church. 

	Mr. Harrison was married October 13, 1861, in Dane county, 
Wisconsin, to Miss Martha Abbott, a native of Yorkshire, England, born 
March 18, 1839. Her parents were Thomas end Anne (Dunley) Abbott, who 
were born August 7, 1809, and November 8, 1813, respectively. In 
December, 1847, they embarked on a sailing vessel bound for New Orleans 
by way of Jamaica and after landing in the Crescent city they made 
their way up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, to Peoria, Illinois, 
whence they started across country. At Ottawa, Illinois, Mr. Abbott 
left his family and proceeded on foot to Wisconsin, where Samuel Clark, 
a friend, lived. Mr. Clark went to Ottawa with a wagon and took the 
family to their destination in the Badger state, arriving there on the 
1st of June, 1848. Mr. Abbott passed away June 25, 1892, and his wife 
died August 27, 1865. To 311 and Mrs. Harrison were born seven 
children, three of whom were natives of Wisconsin. Four of the seven 
survive: Florence, the wife of Frank Bussey, of Cleveland precinct, Bon 
Homme county; James, of Bon Homme precinct; and William and Walter, 
sketches of whom appear elsewhere in this work. After her husband's 
death Mrs. Harrison had a residence of her own upon the farm operated 
by her eldest son. She performed well her part in the early development 
of Bon Homme county, and was entitled to the honor and respect which 
she received. She passed away November 26, 1914. The demise of Mr. 
Harrison was the occasion of much sincere regret and his memory is 
still cherished by those who were privileged to be his friend.