Ahira A. Partridge Biography


	This biography appears on pages 654-657 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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				AHIRA A. PARTRIDGE.  

	Ahira A. Partridge was probably the best known pioneer of Clay 
county and was one of the first if not the first man to take up a claim 
in the vicinity of Vermillion. The history of his life is inseparably 
interwoven with the history and development of his locality and his 
demise was a distinct loss to Vermillion and Clay county. His birth 
occurred in Cayuga county, New York, on the 31st of January, 1832, and 
he had reached the advanced age of eighty-one years when he passed away 
on the 1st of February, 1913. 

	His parents, Abram and Olive (Jewell) Partridge, were both 
natives of the state of New York and resided for a number of years in 
Cayuga county. In 1837 they removed to Oakland county, Michigan, making 
the long journey overland. In 1850 they took up their residence in 
Wayne county, that state, where the father followed agricultural 
pursuits. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters.  

	Ahira A. Partridge, who was the second in order of birth and the 
eldest son, received his education in the schools of Michigan and 
remained with his parents until 1856. In that year he went to Waterloo, 
Iowa, where he followed the carpenter's trade for six months. His next 
removal was to Dixon county, Nebraska, and he remained there until 
1859. He had determined to take up land in Dakota territory and was 
merely waiting for the Indian lands in the Missouri valley to be opened 
for white settlement. In the fall of 1859 he crossed the river and 
squatted on one hundred and sixty acres of land in what is now Clay 
county, part of his farm being at present within the limits of the city 
of Vermillion. At that time, however, there was nothing but unbroken 
prairie and it required great foresight and a firm belief in the future 
of the country to conceive of towns and cities arising in that 
wilderness within a comparatively few years. Mr. Partridge was probably 
one of the first white men to take up a claim in that section and for a 
number of years endured not only the physical discomforts and hardships 
of frontier life but also the isolation from his kind. As soon as 
possible he brought the quarter section of land which he homesteaded 
under cultivation and erected a log cabin, which remained his residence 
for a number of years.

	On the 9th of December, 1861, Mr. Partridge was united in 
marriage to Miss Casandra Shriner, who was born in Belmont county, 
Ohio, May 8, 1840. Her parents, Lawrence and Susanna Shriner are 
deceased, the demise of the father occurring in 1871 and that of the 
mother in 1842. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Partridge was one of the 
first solemnized in Clay county and the second in the territory. 
Indians still roamed at large and our subject and his wife saw but few 
white faces. Not only was their log cabin small and inconvenient 
according to modern standards but there were many other hardships to be 
endured and the work of the farm was handicapped by the great distance 
from a town which could serve as a market and as a basis for obtaining 
equipment and necessary supplies. During the early years it was 
necessary to go to Fort Des Moines, several miles away, to purchase 
flour and provisions and the trip consumed many days. However, Mr. 
Partridge was not disheartened nor deterred in his determination to 
develop his farm and his faith in the ultimate settlement and growth of 
Dakota has been more than justified. He made many improvements upon his 
place, including the setting out of an orchard of four hundred trees, 
which greatly enhanced the value of his property. As the village of 
Vermillion grew his land became correspondingly more valuable and 
before his demise the incorporated limits of Vermillion enclosed forty 
acres of his land, which he sold. He watched with the keenest interest 
the development of Clay county and did all in his power to further the 
interests of his section not only along agricultural lines but also 
along the line of civic and moral advancement.  

	To Mr. and Mrs. Partridge were born five children: Colista, the 
wife of Willard Gilchrist, of Weta, South Dakota; Ida, who married 
William R. Russell, of Lake Andes; James, who operates the homestead; 
George B., who died in January, 1903; and William W., at home. The wife 
and mother is still living on the old homestead and is enjoying good 
health.  

	Mr. Partridge gave his political allegiance to the democratic 
party and was a leader in local public affairs. He twice served as 
sheriff of Clay county and was the first man elected to that position. 
He also held various township offices and discharged all of his 
official duties with ability and conscientiousness. In 1862 he was the 
first lieutenant of Company B, Dakota Militia, and proved a gallant 
officer. Although he was a man of more than usual influence in his 
community he was quiet and unassuming, avoiding rather than seeking 
publicity. He was a great lover of children and was devoted to his 
family, finding his greatest pleasure in their society and his greatest 
satisfaction in providing for their welfare. He was interested in all 
athletic and outdoor sports and in the early days did a great deal of 
hunting as there was an abundance of game upon the prairies. His 
reminiscences of pioneer days were of interest and of value and he was 
popular among both the older and younger generations. It is seldom that 
it is given to a man to witness the transformation of a tract of virgin 
prairie land into a thriving city but such was the privilege of Mr. 
Partridge. Moreover, he had the great satisfaction of knowing that his 
labor and influence was a factor in that marvelous growth and 
development.