Marcus J. De Wolf Biography


	This biography appears on pages 275-276 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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				MARCUS J. DE WOLF. 

	Marcus J. De Wolf is a farmer and stockman residing at Letcher. A 
native of the Empire state, he was born in Genesee county, October 4, 
1843, and is a son of Peter and Lavina (Bates) De Wolf. The father was 
also a native of New York and a farmer by occupation. The paternal 
grandfather was Captain John De Wolf, who served as a United States 
army officer in the War of 1812. 

	Marcus J. De Wolf went with his father's family to Michigan when 
in his nineteenth year, their home being established at Prairieville. 
He supplemented his public-school education, acquired in the state of 
New York, by a commercial course at the Eastman Business College in 
Poughkeepsie, New York, and he also attended the Baptist College at 
Kalamazoo, Michigan Thus be became well qualified for the onerous and 
responsible duties that have since devolved upon him. In March, 1865, 
he enlisted for service in an independent company known as Company I, 
of the New York troops, and remained in the service until the close of 
the war, being mustered out the following May. 

	After finishing his education at Eastman's Business College Mr. 
De Wolf was for six months employed as clerk in the old City Hotel of 
Chicago and the following five or six years were devoted to teaching in 
the Iowa public schools, and later in the Michigan schools. He then 
went to Madison, Wisconsin, where he opened an art store, which he 
conducted until 1887. He then, removed to Dakota territory and took up 
his homestead at Letcher, Sanborn county. He still resides ml the old 
homestead farm and has made additions to the original tract until he 
now has a farm of four hundred and eighty acres, splendidly improved 
according to the modern ideas of farm development. For three years 
during his residence at Letcher he conducted a large general mercantile 
store. He has been for many years one of the state's heading breeders 
of registered Hereford cattle and Duroc-Jersen hogs, and is well known 
as a horticulturist as well, having through a long series of 
experiments demonstrated the state's possibilities for fruit growing. 
He has studied the questions of soil and climate in connection with 
fruit production and has achieved excellent results, constituting an 
example that others have profitably followed. For many years he has 
been one of the most active members of the South Dakota Horticultural 
Society and was formerly president of that organization. He is equally 
well known because of his live-stock interests and his herds of cattle 
and hogs are noted for their excellence in South Dakota and adjoining 
states. He is a member of a number of breeders, associations, including 
the National Hereford and Duroc Jersey Associations. In addition to his 
South Dakota holdings he has lands in North Dakota and in Florida has 
orange grove interests. He has been active in both the study of and the 
demonstration of modern scientific farming methods, keeps abreast with 
the times in connection with all branches of agriculture, horticulture 
and stock-raising, and, indeed, has set a pace which many others have 
followed to their credit and benefit. 

	Mr. De Wolf is an enthusiastic advocate of the good roads 
movement, realizing how important an asset are good roads in the 
shipment of produce and how great a time-saving force in allowing 
travelers to reach quickly a given destination. He is a republican and, 
while taking no very active part in politics, has served in various 
local official capacities. 

	On the 4th of July, 1876, Mr. De Wolf was married to Mrs. Annette 
(Killian) Stevenson of eastern New York, their wedding day being the 
one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. They have 
two children: Frederick A., now living in Los Angeles, California; and 
Beatrice, the wife of L. B. Jacobus, of Letcher, by whom she has three 
children, Kenneth, Marcus Ryland and Charmion. 

	Mr. De Wolf was reared in the Baptist faith but now affiliates 
with the Congregational church and has for years been a trustee and 
treasurer of the local organization. His influence has given impetus to 
all progressive movements having to do with the civic betterment of the 
community. His business activity balances up with the principles of 
truth and honor and his success is due to his business intelligence, 
his steady and persistent application to the business in hand and to 
his well earned reputation for straightforward dealing. All these have 
been contributing elements to his prosperity. Business, however, has 
constituted but one phase of his existence and he has always found time 
for that public service which is prompted by devotion to the general 
good. He has long been a strong temperance advocate and he has 
contributed as well to the social and moral progress of the community 
in which he has resided for more than a quarter of a century. He is now 
devoting his attention to his private interests and investments and he 
possesses a comfortable fortune that is the merited reward of earnest, 
persistent labor.