Orville S. Jones Biography


	This biography appears on pages 864 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


				ORVILLE S. JONES. 

	Orville S. Jones, president of the O. S. Jones Seed Company and 
one of the substantial and representative business men of Sioux Falls, 
was born in Coshocton, Ohio, in 1866, and is a son of Thomas and 
Rebecca (McCurdy) Jones. The family is of Scotch-Irish origin, but has 
been for a number of generations in America, the grandfather of our 
subject having been born in Ohio. The father was also a native of that 
state and was a veteran of the Civil war, serving for ninety days. He 
died in 1878 in Muscatine county, Iowa, at the age of forty-one years. 

	Orville S. Jones acquired his education in the public schools of 
Muscatine county, whither his parents removed in 1868. In 1883 he 
accompanied his mother to Brule county, Dakota, and removed from there 
to Madison in 1888. In the same year he opened a flour and feed store 
in that city and conducted it for five years, after which he disposed 
of his interests and turned his attention to farming in Lake county. In 
1906 he had established a seed store at Madison, which in 1909 he 
transferred to Sioux Falls, where he has since conducted it under the 
name of the O. S. Jones Seed Company. Mr. Jones is president of this 
concern and manages it along progressive and modern lines, meeting with 
that success which always follows earnest and intelligent labor. 

	In 1914 Mr. Jones, with others, became the owner of a monthly 
magazine called the National Alfalfa Journal, devoted to the growing of 
alfalfa and general farming topics. The first issue appeared in 
December, 1914, and before two months had passed ten thousand 
subscribers had been secured. In it articles appear written by leading 
agriculturists and horticulturists throughout the country. The magazine 
is nicely illustrated and neatly printed, the work being done at Sioux 
Falls, and is a credit to the owners and publishers and also a valuable 
contribution to the farmers, literature of the state. 

	Mr. Jones is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and 
belongs to the Dacotah Club. He holds membership also in the Knights of 
Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and gives his 
political allegiance to the republican party. He always keeps well 
informed on questions and issues of the day but is not an office 
seeker, preferring to devote his entire time to his rapidly growing 
business interests.