Milton Frease Biography This biography appears on pages 744-745 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 MILTON FREASE. Milton Frease, a resident of New Underwood, is engaged in the live-stock business, making a specialty of the breeding of Polled Durham cattle. He owns a valuable ranch property and success is attending his efforts in its management. Mr. Frease is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born at Nescopeck, January 7, 1845, a son of Samuel and Catherine (Slager) Frease, natives of New Jersey and Pennsylvania respectively. The father was a farmer by occupation and never came to the west, both he and his wife passing away in the Keystone state. Milton Frease attended school in Pennsylvania and was a student in a select school at Cutler, Ohio. In 1864, when a youth of nineteen, he enlisted as a private of Company G, One Hundred and Ninety-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Philadelphia. He was wounded by a gunshot in the battle near Petersburg and was in the hospital for two months before he was discharged. After leaving the army he remained at home until the following year, when he removed to Ohio. He spent about four months in that state and then journeyed westward, traveling across the country. He first stopped at Julesburg, Colorado, for a time and then proceeded to Sedgwick in eastern Colorado. He was employed on construction work on the Union Pacific Railroad for about two years, after which he returned to Colorado and engaged in the cattle business for about seven years. At the end of that time he went on the Platte river and thence to the Republican, where he engaged in the cattle business. On the 1st of August, 1880, he came to South Dakota and settled at Rapid City, having his herds located on Elk creek and Belle Fourche river. He remained at Rapid City until 1890, when he removed to his ranch three miles west of New Underwood, there remaining until he took up his abode in the town. He is still engaged in the stock business and is breeding Polled Durham cattle, keeping a number of fine head on hand. He has more than two sections of land, constituting a valuable ranch property of which about one hundred and fifty acres is devoted to the raising of alfalfa. In September, 1887, Mr. Frease was married to Miss Hattie Ryan, a native of Indiana and a daughter of George and Mary Ryan, both natives of Indiana. The father devoted practically his entire life to farming and in the summer of 1880 became a resident of Pennington county, South Dakota, w-here he carried on general agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He also carefully managed his ranch until the fall of 1914, when he removed to the vicinity of Roseburg, Oregon, where he is now living retired. He has held various local offices and has done official service in connection with the schools. To Mr. and Mrs. Frease have been born five children: Paul, who married Miss Rimer and resides on his father's ranch; Hazel, who is attending school at Brookings, South Dakota, where she is preparing for teaching; Katherine, also in the Brookings school; and Helen and Russell, both at home. Mr. Frease and his family attend the Congregational church, although he is not a member. His political allegiance is given the republican party and he served for one term as county treasurer and for one term as county commissioner. He was also a member of the legislature for one term, having been elected to that office in 1907. He has been treasurer of the school board of the twenty-sixth independent district for twenty years and is still acting in that capacity. He is interested in all that pertains to the work of public progress and improvement in his community and his work has been an effective force for advancing the general good. In Masonry he has advanced through various degrees from the blue lodge to the Shrine and he is a member of Naja Temple of Deadwood. He likewise belongs to the Knights of Pythias, was master of the exchequer for nine years at Rapid City and is a member of the Elks lodge at Rapid City.