Edwin E. Warfield Biography


	This biography appears on pages 545-546 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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				EDWIN E. WARFIELD.

	Edwin E. Warfield is a representative farmer of Yankton county 
living on section 26, Gayville precinct. The Warfield family first 
became identified with Dakota in the winter of 1863-4, when William 
Warfield, father of Edwin, reached Yankton. The ancestry of the family 
is traced back to Richard Walfield, a native of Ireland, who, coming to 
the new world, settled in Maryland. He removed to Ohio and afterward to 
Indiana, where his last days were spent. His son Joshua was born in 
Maryland in 1793 and married Sarah Catterlin, a native of Ohio. They 
were the parents of William Warfield, who was born in Auglaize county, 
Ohio, June 5, 1830. He learned shipbuilding and worked for a number of 
years at his trade in Toledo and at other ports around the Lakes. In 
1852 he married Maria L. Smith, daughter of Austin and Emily Smith, and 
in 1859 they removed to Des Moines, Iowa, where for a number of years 
be drove a stage and operated a sawmill. In the winter of 1863-4 he 
came to Dakota territory, making his way to Yankton, and for a time 
operated a sawmill in partnership with a Mr. Braugh, during which time 
he boarded at the Ash House, a little pioneer hotel built of logs. 
Later he returned to Des Moines, Iowa, where he lived until 1867, when 
he went to Webster county, settling near Fort Dodge. There he lived 
until June, 1870, when he went again to Yankton county and filed on a 
homestead on section 26, Gayville precinct, whereon he spent his 
remaining days. He was married at Delhi, Iowa, June 16, 1866, to Miss 
Sarah Hardin, who was born in Ohio. Their two sons, Edwin E. and Frank, 
were born in Webster county, Iowa, but were reared in Yankton county, 
being but small boys at the time of their arrival there. Edwin E. 
Warfield remained with his parents until they were called to their 
final rest, the mother passing away April 11, 1909, while the father's 
death occurred on the 20th of October of the same year.

	The two sons own jointly the two hundred and forty acre farm left 
by their father and in the summer of 1914 erected thereon a fine modern 
residence of ten rooms supplied with a hot water heating system. Their 
home is lighted by electricity and is thoroughly modern in all its 
equipment.

	Edwin E. Warfield, whose name introduces this review, was married 
in Sioux City, Iowa, October 24, 1898, to Miss Lillie M. Cowling, a 
native of Nevada, Illinois, and a daughter of George and Phoebe 
(Babbidge) Cowling, who were born in New York and Maine respectively. 
They came to the west at the time of their marriage, settling in 
Illinois. On coming to Dakota they took up their abode near Olivet, and 
afterward removed to Yankton but are now residents of Vermillion, this 
state. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Warfield have become the parents of four 
children: Chester, now a student in the Gayville high school; Elmer; 
Clifford, and George.

	Mr. Warfield has always followed the occupation of farming and is 
today one of the progressive agriculturists of the community, having 
one of the fine farms of Yankton county. His memory goes back to the 
time of the grasshopper devastation, when the family suffered severely 
for two or three years through the loss of crops occasioned by that 
pest. He also remembers fighting prairie fires, and in the flood in the 
spring of 1881 water stood five feet deep in their cabin. Their 
neighbors, who were forced to flee from their homes, came to the 
Warfield cabin, where thirteen lived for two weeks in the small attic. 
Captain Lavender, who did such splendid rescue work, took Edwin E. 
Warfield and his mother to high ground, where they found refuge until 
the water subsided, Mr. Warfield and his son Frank, however, remaining 
to look after the stock. They kept cattle on the hay barn, from which 
the roof was removed and the walls filled level full of hay, on which 
the cattle kept above water.

	Ice had to be cut off the tails of some of the cattle, the water 
having frozen thereon. At the time of the blizzard of January, 1888, 
Edwin E. Warfield and his father were northwest of the house with a 
load of hay, but they came back driven before the storm and reached 
home in safety. Mr. Warfield is a democrat in his political views where 
national issues are involved but casts an independent vote at local 
elections. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp and his wife is a 
member of the Methodist church They are highly esteemed wherever known 
and most of all where best known, being worthy representatives of 
honored pioneer families of Yankton county.