Thomas W. Delicate Biography


	This biography appears on pages 148-149 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				THOMAS W. DELICATE. 

	Thomas W. Delicate, who is president of the Custer County Bank of 
Custer and is also identified with other interests in that county, was 
born in Johnson county, Illinois, on the 2d of July, 1867, the second 
of six children whose parents were Henry and Harriet (Bunney) Delicate, 
both natives of England, where they were reared and married. They 
settled in Illinois upon emigrating to the United States and the 
father, who was a Methodist minister, held a number of offices in that 
state, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 
March, 1881, when he had reached the age of fifty-two years. His widow 
survived for over two decades, dying on the 22d of November, 1902. 

	Thomas W. Delicate attended school in his native county and later 
became a student in the high school at Nebraska City, Nebraska. When 
about sixteen years of age he found employment as clerk in a grocery 
store but continued to attend school, working outside of school hours. 
After spending about two years in this way he removed with his mother 
to Nebraska City and attended high school there for one winter, after 
which he entered the employ of the Otoe County National Bank at that 
place and remained in that connection for three years. On the 30th of 
March, 1890, he removed to the Black Hills and in April of that year 
was instrumental in organizing the Custer County Bank and became its 
assistant cashier, the original charter being dated about April 1, 
1890. After serving faithfully as assistant cashier for a number of 
years and demonstrating his ability to direct the policy of the 
institution he was made cashier and in January, 1910, he was elected 
president of the institution. He has since continued in that capacity 
and is ranked among the judicious and able financiers of his county. He 
is also secretary and treasurer of the Custer Electric Light, Heating & 
Power Company, treasurer of the Eldorado Mutual Telephone Company and 
of the Custer Mutual Telephone Company. Since taking up his residence 
in Custer he has also found time to engage in the insurance business, 
handling both fire and life insurance and representing some of the best 
old line companies. 

	Mr. Delicate was married May 15, 1894, to Miss Pearl Maple, a 
native of Illinois and a daughter of Dr. J. B. Maple, whose birth 
occurred in Jefferson county, Ohio, on the 7th of February, 1836. His 
parents, William R. and Nancy (Maple) Maple, were both born in Ohio, 
the father in 1800 and the mother in 1801. William R. Maple was a 
farmer by occupation and passed away in November, 1856, having survived 
his wife since September, 1854. They were the parents of nine children, 
of whom Dr. Maple was the fifth. After attending the district schools 
he became a student in the Mount Vernon Boarding School and 
subsequently attended the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, 
for three years. He began his preparation for the medical profession 
there and subsequently entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, 
where he attended the first course of medical lectures given in that 
institution. In 1877 he went to St. Louis and entered the Missouri 
Medical College, which conferred upon him the degree of M. D. in 1878. 
After practicing in Martinsburg, Illinois, for three years he went to 
Stonington, that state, where he remained for about ten years. He next 
removed to Sidney, Nebraska, and three years later went to Benkelman, 
Nebraska, where he remained for nine years. In July, 1891, he became a 
resident of Custer, South Dakota, where he died March 25, 1915. He was 
twice married, his first union being with Miss Libbie McWhinney, a 
native of Illinois, who died in 1878. She had three children: Fannie, 
who died when four months old; Pearl, now Mrs. Delicate; and Dollie, 
now Mrs. Ward B. Clarke, of Chicago. For his second wire l)r. Maple 
wedded Mrs. Rebecca A. Zook, a native of Indiana, by whom he has a son, 
J. Boyce, born in 1896 and now engaged in fruit growing in California. 
By her first marriage Mrs. Maple was the mother of three children. Dr. 
Maple was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and fraternally 
was connected with the Owls and the Grand Army of the Republic. In 
June, 1862, he enlisted in Company C, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, and was made corporal. Most of the time of his enlistment he 
was acting hospital steward. His political allegiance was given to the 
democratic party and while living at Sidney, Nebraska, he was medical 
examiner for the pension office. He was also superintendent of the 
board of health of Custer county for many years. 

	Mr. and Mrs. Delicate have two sons: Gerald B., whose birth 
occurred on the 17th of July, 1895, and who is attending Evanston 
Academy at Evanston, Illinois; and Denis A., born October 21, 1901, 
attending the public schools of Chicago. Mrs. Delicate resides in that 
city during the school year in order that the children may have the 
excellent advantages there offered. 

	Mr. Delicate is a republican, has served as treasurer of Custer 
and is now treasurer of the board of education. Fraternally he is quite 
well known as he is at present worthy master of Custer City Lodge, No. 
66, A. F. & A. M., and is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to 
Black Hills Consistory, No. 3. In his life he exemplifies the high 
moral principles that are the foundation of the order. Moreover, he 
holds membership in Custer Lodge, No. 121, I. O. O. F., in which he has 
filled all of the offices, and the local camp of the Modern Woodmen of 
America. The Congregational church finds in him a loyal and consistent 
member and there is no organization nor movement that has as its object 
the welfare off the community that does not profit by his cooperation 
and support.