John R. Michaels Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1120-1121 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 R. MICHAELS. 

	John R. Michaels holds title to three hundred and twenty acres of 
land located on section 21, Germantown township, Codington county, and 
is one of the leading agriculturists of his locality. He is also county 
commissioner and influential in the affairs of local government. He was 
born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, on the 27th of November, 1873, a son 
of John H. and Lena (Dahl) Michaels, both natives of Mecklenburg, 
Germany, where they were reared and married. In the early '60s they 
left the fatherland and came to the United States and made their way 
inland, settling in Dodge county, Wisconsin, where the father was 
employed as a farm hand for some time. In 1880 he came to what is now 
South Dakota with a threshing outfit, which he owned and which he 
operated that season. The following year he brought his family to 
Dakota territory and subsequently purchased a farm in Germantown 
township, Codington county. He added to his first quarter section from 
time to time and eventually owned eight hundred and eighty acres of 
land. He had one of the first threshers in his part of the state and 
for several seasons operated an outfit, replacing his horse power 
machine with one whose motive power was steam, as soon as able to do 
so. He was on the board of county commissioners for nine years and was 
a member of the state legislature for three terms. He pas,sed away on 
the 12th of March, 1909, when sixty six years of age. His widow 
survives and resides in Watertown, this state. 

	John R. Michaels was reared under the parental roof and was given 
that excellent home training which means so much in the building of 
character and the development of efficiency, and his education was 
acquired in the public schools of the neighborhood. After his marriage, 
which occurred in 1895, he began farming for himself and for some years 
rented his father's home farm, although he purchased one hundred and 
sixty acres of the land where he now resides in the fall of 1895 and 
two years later bought a quarter section adjoining. Since 1899 he has 
made his home upon his place, which comprises three hundred and twenty 
acres in a body and is one of the most valuable farms in the county. 
During the intervening sixteen years he has brought his land to a high 
state of cultivation and has made many improvements upon the place. He 
carries on general farming, although his greatest attention is given to 
the raising of grain, to the production of which this section is 
especially well adapted. His labors return him a good income and he is 
one of the well-to-do men of his locality. 

	Mr. Michaels was married on the 2d of July, 1895, to Miss Louise 
Redemske, of this county, a native of Dodge county, Wisconsin. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Michaels have been born two children, Hilda Ida and Etta Anna. 
Mr. Michaels is a republican and has served as a member of the township 
board and of the school board almost continuously since removing to his 
present farm. In the fall of 1912 he was appointed to the board of 
county commissioners to fill out the unexpired term of Peter Phillip, 
deceased, and was elected to the same position at the election of the 
same year. He is at present serving in that capacity and is proving a 
judicious and able official He is held in the highest esteem wherever 
known and is a man of influence in his county.