Daniel Eliassen Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1202-1205 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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				DANIEL ELIASSEN.  

	Daniel Eliassen, a well known and representative farmer of 
Minnehaha county, is the owner of one of the best improved farms of his 
section of the state, equipped and supplied with all modern 
conveniences and improvements that indicate the progressive spirit that 
has nowhere been more strongly manifest than in agricultural life. A 
review of his life record indicates what all must acknowledge that the 
northwest owes much of her progress and improvement to the Norwegian 
element in her citizenship. To this class belongs Mr. Eliassen, who was 
born in Norway on the 15th of October, 1858, and is a son of Elias and 
Margaret Eliassen. The father was a driller and became expert in the 
mining of metals and in other drill work. While he always made Norway 
his home, he came to this country on a visit to his son, who was then 
living in Minnesota, and there he passed away in 1898.  

	Daniel Eliassen attended school in Norway and even in his youth 
his time was divided between school work and employment which would 
yield him a living. After his textbooks were put aside he continued to 
work as a farm hand. He was but nine years of age when he crossed the 
Atlantic to become a resident of the new world, making his way to South 
Dakota to live with an uncle and aunt, with whom he continued until he 
attained his majority. After leaving their home he spent one year in 
Minnesota. He was employed at farm labor until he could save from his 
earnings a sum sufficient to enable him to purchase property. It was in 
the fall of 1881 that he invested in one hundred and sixty acres of 
land in Minnehaha county, this state, to which he has since added until 
he now has two hundred acres. His place presents a most neat and 
attractive appearance. The fields are well tilled and give promise of 
abundant harvests, and there are few if any better equipped farms in 
all his part of the state. Upon his place are to be found all the 
modern improvements in the way of machinery and of comforts. He has his 
own lighting plant in the home and other conveniences which one is apt 
to regard as features only of city life. He has built a large barn, 
which has the litter carrying system. He is acquainted with every 
modern method of taking care of stock as well as of cultivating the 
fields and handles and uses only high grade animals, having now thirty 
head of cattle and eight horses upon his place.  

	It was on the 11th of March, 1882, that Mr. Eliassen was united 
in marriage to Miss Marie Tidemann, a daughter of Halvor and Mary 
Tidemann, both of whom are deceased. She represents one of the old time 
families of Minnehaha county, established there in 1875. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Eliassen have been born the following named: Helmer; Malenne, now 
the wife of L. A. Scott; Gertie, the wife of H. M. Hobson; Ole; Oscar; 
Dena, the wife of N. Nelson; Belva; and Joseph, who died at the age of 
thirteen years.  

	The family attend and hold membership in the Lutheran church. Mr. 
Eliassen's study of the questions and issues of the day has led him to 
give earnest support to the republican party. He has held the office of 
school clerk for a number of years, but has never sought political 
honors and emoluments, desiring always to give his attention to his 
business affairs rather than to public activities. His close 
application and his energy have featured strongly in the attainment of 
the success which is his and which places him among the representative 
agriculturists of the state.