William Henry Gammon Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1050, 1053 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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				WILLIAM HENRY GAMMON. 

	William Henry Gammon, a well known merchant of Oacoma, South 
Dakota, was born in Leon, Decatur county, Iowa, on the 20th of January, 
1854, a son of Hugh and Evaline (Jenkins) Gammon, both natives of 
Indiana. The paternal grandfather, Dozier B. Gammon, was a native of 
Tennessee, but removed to Indiana in his early manhood, becoming one of 
the pioneer settlers of that state. The Jenkins family is of Kentucky 
stock. Hugh Gammon removed to Iowa in 1850, when that state was still 
largely a frontier region, and there followed agricultural pursuits 
until his death in 1894, when he had reached the age of sixty-six 
years. His wife had passed away many years previously, her demise 
occurring in 1864. To them were born four children, of whom our subject 
is the eldest, and to the second marriage of Mr. Gammon there were also 
born four children. 

	William H. Gammon received his education in the common schools of 
Iowa and was also early trained in farm work. He remained upon the 
homestead until he was twenty years of age and then began farming on 
his own account, so continuing for three years, after which he engaged 
in the horse and livery business at Farragut, Iowa, for two years. At 
the end of that time he went to Colorado and for four years mined 
there, but in 1884 returned to Iowa and was married. He resumed 
farming, following that pursuit in Iowa until 1901, when he came to 
South Dakota and located on a homestead in Lyman county, where he 
remained for two years. He then removed to Oacoma and engaged in the 
real estate business, but later turned his attention to merchandising, 
with which he is still connected. He has been successful and is 
recognized as one of the up-to-date and efficient business men of his 
town. 

	Mr. Gammon was married on the 29th of October, 1884, to Miss 
Cordelia Lorena Jones, a daughter of Robert and Olive (Dodge) Jones, of 
Mills county, Iowa, although the Jones family came originally from 
Kentucky, whence they removed first to Indiana and later to Iowa, being 
pioneers in both states. Mr. and Mrs. Gammon have five children, 
namely: Carl, who married Lydia Schatz, by whom he has a daughter, 
Ruth; Ethel; Florence, the wife of L. E. Collins and the mother of two 
children, Hazel and Robert; Mabel; and Edith. 

	Mr. Gammon is a democrat and has served ably upon the school 
board. Fraternally he belongs to the Masons and the Modern Woodmen of 
America. He greatly enjoys hunting and fishing and indulges in those 
sports when he has the leisure to do so. He takes a great interest in 
everything affecting the general welfare, but has been especially 
active as an advocate of good roads.