Joseph M. Hostetter Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1104-1107 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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				JOSEPH M. HOSTETTER. 

	Joseph M. Hostetter has been identified with a number of business 
enterprises and for several years was superintendent of the county 
farm. He is now farming on section 6, Split Rock township, Minnehaha 
county, and is one of the popular residents of his locality. He was 
born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, May 27, 1863, a son of Abraham 
and Louisa (Mark) Hostetter, both natives of the same county, where 
they passed their entire lives. The paternal grandfather, Jacob 
Hostetter, ran a distillery and for many years made the whiskey which 
was used in the manufacture of Hostetter's Bitters, as the originator 
of that proprietary article was his cousin. The latter was a herb 
doctor who came to this country from Switzerland. 

	Joseph M Hostetter was reared upon his father,s farm and acquired 
his education in the common schools of the neighborhood. In 1877, when 
in his teens, he came west to Illinois and for three years was employed 
in farm work. In 1880 he made the long journey to the Pacific slope and 
spent a number of months in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. 
From Idaho he went to Colorado and worked in Leadville at mining and 
also in Denver. He next located in Kansas City, where he worked for 
Goodsell Brothers, who were owners of a stock farm. Subsequently he 
returned to Illinois, where he spent a year, and later worked in 
Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota for some time. 

	In June, 1888, Mr. Hostetter came to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 
He had been interested in the state for almost a decade, as in 1879 he 
had made a trip here, although he did not remain long at that time. On 
his arriving at Sioux Falls in 1888 he was in the employ of E. B. Smith 
& Company, furniture dealers, until June 30, 1895, when he was 
appointed superintendent of the county poor farm. He served in that 
capacity for four years and six months and then resigned to engage in 
the implement business at Madison, South Dakota. He was associated in 
this venture with Sherman Bradiker and the partnership was maintained 
for one year, at the end of which time the business was sold. 
Subsequently Mr. Hostetter worked for the Deering Harvester Company for 
a similar length of time and in August, 1901, purchased the hotel at 
Hartford, conducting the same for five years. At the expiration of that 
period he was again appointed superintendent of the county farm and 
discharged the duties of that office for three years, when he resigned 
and began farming independently. He has since given his attention 
mainly to the operation of the farm in Split Rock township where he now 
resides. This is rented land, but he owns three hundred and twenty 
acres in Norman county, Minnesota, which he rents to others. In 
addition to his farming property, he has stock in the Farmers Elevator 
Company of Ellis and in the Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company of 
Hartford. 

	Mr. Hostetter was married in 1890 to Miss Emma Olson, of Sioux 
Falls, and to this union have been born four children: Roy, Guy, Joseph 
J. and Irene, all at home. The family belong to the Lutheran church and 
manifest a lively interest in its work. Mr. Hostetter's political 
allegiance is given to the republican party and he has served for a 
number of years as a member of the school board. Fraternally he belongs 
to Sioux Falls Lodge, No. 9, I. O. O. F., and to Sioux Falls Lodge, No. 
262, B. P. O. E. Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter are both very hospitably 
inclined and their home is the frequent meeting place of their many 
friends, and the latch string is always out, even for the stranger. 
There is not a more popular family in the county and their open-hearted 
generosity and sterling traits of character are the qualities that bind 
their friends to them.