John Williamson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 176-177 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 WILLIAMSON.  

	John Williamson, a retired gold mill manager living in Tyndall, 
has had a great deal of experience in different parts of the world, his 
business interests taking him to three continents. He was born ill 
Medford, New Jersey, July 23, 1845, a son of Benjamin and Susanna 
(Hoover) Williamson, natives of England and New Jersey respectively. 
When he was about seven years of age the family removed to Pike county, 
Missouri, where they resided until 1870. The father, being a spinner 
and weaver by trade, ran a custom woolen mill there. In 1870 they came 
to South Dakota, where John Williamson had preceded the other members 
of the family arriving in December, 1869. He came by rail to Sioux 
City, which was the end of the railroad, and from that point traveled 
by stage to old Bon Homme, changing horses about every ten miles. He 
located a claim about three and a half miles from Bon Homme and held it 
until 1913. In 1876 he went to the Black Hills, where he worked for 
about thirteen years. He did little prospecting but during his first 
year "grubstaked" a friend who prospected for the two but did not 
succeed in uncovering any profitable lead. Mr. Williamson secured a 
place in the mills for a time and in 1884 entered the employ of the 
Homestake Company, working in their mills, where his efficiency and 
faithfulness won him rapid promotion. He eventually became manager of 
milling and proved himself not only thoroughly acquainted with all 
processes employed but also a man of executive ability and a good judge 
of men. He was subsequently employed by Hyderabad Decan Company, a 
British mining company, as manager and for nine years was in charge of 
their mills at Hyderabad in the Decan district of British India. He 
went to his new place of duty by way of London in order to receive 
instructions and returned the same way that he might report and make 
final settlement with the company. He returned to Bon Homme county, 
South Dakota, but was not allowed to remain long in retirement, as the 
Ashantee Gold Mining Company, another British organization, secured his 
services as manager on the 5th of October, 1900, for a period of 
eighteen months. He took charge of their mills at Obossa, some one 
hundred and twenty miles inland from the west coast of Africa. On his 
journey into the interior he was carried in a hammock by six natives. 
He adapted himself to the conditions of work and the class of labor 
employed and proved an able manager, but the enervating climate of the 
tropics sapped his strength and a severe attack of jungle fever so 
weakened him that he refused to remain after the termination of his 
contract. He then came to South Dakota and purchased three hundred and 
twenty acres near Tyndall, where he settled down and is now passing his 
days in retirement, enjoying the ease won by former toil.  

	Mr. Williamson is a republican in his political allegiance and 
staunchly supports the policies of that party. He has attained the 
thirty-second degree in the Masonic order and is a member of the 
Shrine. He won many friends in that organization, as he has many 
attractive social qualities. Although he has had extensive experience 
in widely separated parts of the globe, he believes that South Dakota 
offers opportunities the equal of those afforded by any other part of 
the world and he does all in his power to promote the development of 
the state.