William S. D. Adams Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1029-1030 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				WILLIAM S. D. ADAMS. 

	The name of William S. D. Adams is well known in newspaper 
circles throughout the northwest, for he is editor and owner of the 
Reporter and Farmer, published at Webster. He was born in Clinton, 
Illinois, March 26, 1862, and is a son of James C. and Elizabeth 
(Demon) Adams. The father, who was born in Virginia in 1841, died in 
November, 1903, having for a number of years survived his wife, who 
passed away in 1885. She was born in Ireland in 1844 and they were 
married in Clinton, Illinois. James C. Adams had accompanied his 
parents to Clinton when he was a small child. His father was William W. 
Adams, who became a resident of Clinton at a very early day and there 
spent the remainder of his life, practicing medicine at that place for 
many years. The maternal grandfather, William S. Denton, was born in 
England, became a civil engineer and worked for the English government, 
being noted as a bridge builder, operating under the name of Denton & 
Childs. He made the first survey of the Chicago river. 

	James C. Adams was educated in a Kentucky college and left school 
in order to enter the army at the time of the Civil war. He served in 
an Illinois regiment, being on active duty for three and a half years 
and after being wounded at the battle of Shiloh was in the hospital for 
some time. He was on duty with the ram fleet and was on the Queen of 
the West when it sank in front of Vicksburg but was among the number 
who escaped. When the war was over he went to Mississippi and published 
one of the three newspapers then issued in the state. In connection 
with John B. Raymond and General H. R. Rees he stumped the state for 
the republican nominee for governor but the Ku Klux clan became 
antagonistic and took his printing outfit, which they sank in the 
Mississippi river. In 1871 Mr. Adams went to Iowa and established a 
paper at Avoca which he called the Delta, conducting it with success 
until 1883, when he removed with his family to Webster, South Dakota, 
and purchased the Reporter and Farmer. He also established the Day 
County Daylight, which he issued on his claim, which was situated 
eighteen miles from a post office and thirty miles from a railroad, 
while it was a mile and a half to the home of his nearest neighbor. He 
and his son, William S. D. Adams, both took claims of one hundred and 
sixty acres and the son proved up his claim, after which he went to 
Britton and was the first postmaster of that place. James C. Adams sold 
his interest in the Farmer and Reporter in 1891 and purchased the 
Howard County Times at Cresco, Iowa, continuing its publication until 
his death in 1902. By his first marriage he had seven children, of whom 
three are living: Maude, the wife of George H. Baker, a miller of Deer 
Park, Washington; Josiah J., a printer in his brother's office; and 
William S. D. After losing his first wife James C. Adams was married in 
1887 to Mrs. Jessie G. White, who is now living at Lake Helen, Florida. 
For two years after her husband's death she conducted the paper which 
he had been issuing at Cresco, Iowa. She has been very prominent in the 
Woman's Christian Temperance Union and in the equal franchise work and 
directed the last campaign for woman's suffrage in Florida. She is well 
known as a writer upon topics of vital interest and is a lady of broad 
and liberal education and culture. Mr. Adams was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, while the mother of William S. D. Adams 
belonged to the Episcopal church. The father was connected with the 
blue lodge and the chapter in Masonry and with the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows and passed through all the chairs in those organizations 
His political allegiance was ever given to the republican party from 
its formation and at one time he served as state senator. He became a 
charter member and was also the president of the State Press 
Association for a number of years. 

	William S. D. Adams pursued his education in the public schools 
of Avoca, Iowa, and in his youth took up newspaper work, which he has 
followed throughout his entire life. He engaged in business with his 
father in Iowa in 1881 and afterward came with him to South Dakota, 
since which time he has continued in newspaper publication in this 
state. He sold the Daylight in 1885, at which time the name of that 
paper was changed to the Marshall County Journal, under which title it 
has since been published. Mr. Adams still owns and publishes the 
Reporter and Farmer, which has a circulation of twelve hundred, and in 
addition he does a large job printing and book binding business. His 
office is well equipped and the work which he turns out is first class. 
He thoroughly understands the printing trade in every particular and is 
thus able to direct the labors of those whom he employs. 

	Fraternally Mr. Adams is connected with the Masons, has passed 
through all of the chairs of the blue lodge and is connected with the 
Royal Arch Chapter. In politics he is a republican, believing firmly in 
the principles of the party, but he does not seek nor desire office, 
preferring to devote his entire attention to his newspaper interests.