Ernest P. De Moulin Biography


	This biography appears on pages 265-266 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


				ERNEST P. DE MOULIN. 

	Ernest P. De Moulin, who is actively engaged in business in Hot 
Springs as the president of a company dealing in farm lands and in farm 
loans, is a native of Illinois, born at Jamestown, Clinton county, June 
13, 1881. His parents, Nathan and Fannie (Combe) De Moulin, were born 
respectively in France, March 16, 1835, and in Switzerland, June 23, 
1843. They emigrated to America when quite young and their marriage was 
celebrated in this country. Mr. De Moulin was but sixteen years of age 
when he accompanied his parents on their journey across the Atlantic to 
New Orleans, whence they went by boat to St. Louis. Not long afterward 
the family located on a farm in Clinton county, Illinois, of which the 
father became the owner and on which he resided for more than fifty 
years. About 1906 he retired and removed to Highland, Illinois, where 
his death occurred February 15, 1913. He is survived by his widow, who 
is still living at that place. He was quite prominent in his community 
and held a number of local offices. He was twice married, the mother of 
Ernest P. being his second wife. To their union were born seven 
children. 

	Ernest P. De Moulin, the fourth in order of birth, attended the 
district schools of Clinton county, Illinois, but when in the eighth 
grade became a pupil in the schools of Sebastapol, Madison county. His 
higher education was acquired at Effingham College. When twenty years 
of age he wells to Chicago and entered the employ of the Chicago Street 
Railway Company, but remained with that corporation only a short time. 
He next accepted a position as stenographer and bookkeeper and was 
employed in office work in that city for ten years. He rose to the 
position of office manager and manager of the loan department in a 
large real estate office and gained much valuable experience during the 
decade that he resided in Chicago. Upon leaving there he went to 
Oelrichs and opened a farm-loan office, which, however, he conducted 
but a short time. His next removal was to Hot Springs and he entered 
business in that city as a dealer in farm lands and farm loans. After a 
short time he established a partnership with L. H. Hedrick, which was 
maintained for a few months, when the business was incorporated and Mr. 
De Moulin purchased his partner's interest in the company, of which he 
is now president and general manager. Owing to his natural business 
ability and his long experience in such matters he is very successful 
in his operations and annually negotiates many important transfers of 
realty, while he has so placed his farm loans that he has suffered 
practically no losses during the years that he has made loans. He is 
also president of the State Bank of Oelrichs and owns his residence in 
Hot Springs, which is one of the comfortable homes of that city. 

	Mr. De Moulin was united in marriage, September 7, 1905, to Miss 
Virginia E. Southard, who was born at Mohawk, New York, a daughter of 
Samuel L. and Susan H. (Woodruff) Southard. Her parents afterward 
became residents of Chicago, where her father passed away in June, 
1906. The mother is now living in Hot Springs. To Mr. and Mrs. Dc 
Moulin four children have been born as follows: Robert Southard, whose 
natal day was January 29, 1909; Ernest Paul, born June 29, 1910; Mary 
Elizabeth, May 8, 1912; and Virginia Helen, October 4, 1914 

	Mr. De Moulin is a supporter of the republican party, but has 
never cared to take an active part in political affairs, feeling that 
his own interests demand his entire attention. His religious faith is 
indicated by his membership in the First Church of Christ, Scientist, 
of Boston, Massachusetts. His life of integrity and useful activity 
entitles him to the respect and esteem of his fellow townsmen and he is 
justly regarded as one of the valued citizens of Hot Springs. 

	In recognition of the executive ability displayed by Mr. De 
Moulin in his business sphere and of his adaptability to the 
managemennt of important affairs he was persuaded, in January, 1915, to 
accept the presidency of the Hot Springs Commercial Club, an 
incorporated organization of leading business men of Hot Springs in the 
interest of business and social advancement and immediately following 
in the same month he was called to the presidency of the "Black Hills 
Angostura Association," an organization covering several towns in two 
counties in the interest of reclamation work and which is destined to 
bring about tile investment of millions of dollars for the development 
of territory tributary to Hot Springs and other towns and for the 
development of Hot Springs itself.