William R. Glassie Biography


	This biography appears on pages 475-476 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


				WILLIAM R. GLASSIE. 

	William R. Glassie, of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, is engaged in 
business there as the proprietor of a grocery store and is also 
interested in the raising of horses upon a fine ranch which he owns in 
that locality. He was born in Clarion, Wright county, Iowa, November 
12, 1869, and is the oldest of a family of four children born of the 
marriage of Samuel and Sarah (Schafer) Glassie. The father was a native 
of Kentucky and the mother of Illinois. Samuel Glassie early in life 
learned the painter's trade in Chicago, to which city he had removed, 
and continued to work at that occupation until he enlisted for service 
in the Civil war as a member of an Illinois regiment. He was at the 
front during the entire war and after its close settled in Wright 
county, Iowa, where he followed his trade until 1870, in which year he 
removed to western Nebraska. Six years later he went to the Black Hills 
by ox team and in February, 1877, arrived at Custer City. After 
remaining there for a short time he proceeded to Hayward and engaged in 
prospecting and also did some house painting. He lived at Hayward for 
about a year and then went to Dallas, Texas, where he had charge of the 
car-painting work of the railroad yards. While so engaged he was shot 
and killed, presumably by southern sympathizers, his demise occurring 
about the latter part of 1878. Mrs. Glassie died while the family was 
residing in Nebraska, in the fall of 1877. 

	William R. Glassie attended school successively at Central City, 
this state, Elk Creek, Sturgis and Spearfish, being a student in the 
State Normal at the last named city. When about sixteen years of age he 
made his home with a cousin, Mrs. J. Arnold, of Sturgis, and was 
employed there as driver on a freight road. Subsequently he was for a 
time a cowboy in western South Dakota but in 1890 he entered the State 
Normal School at Spearfish. During his vacations he worked in a grocery 
store in Belle Fourche and in 1892 he purchased an interest in a 
grocery in that city and also in one in Whitewood. The firm of which he 
was a member was known as Arnold Brothers & Glassie and operated stores 
in Sturgis, Whitewood and Belle Fourche. In 1911 Mr. Glassie severed 
his connection with that firm and for a few years concentrated his 
energies upon the development of his stock interests in the vicinity of 
Belle Fourche. He had for some time previous to this been operating a 
general store at Nisland and on March 1, 1914, he transferred his stock 
of groceries from that store to Belle Fourche, having disposed of the 
dry-goods end of his business. He is now operating a grocery store in 
Belle Fourche and carries a fine line of fancy and staple groceries. 
His long connection with the grocery trade enables him to correctly 
judge of the demands of his customers and to buy wisely, and as he is 
satisfied with reasonable prices his trade is constantly growing in 
volume. He is also still engaged in the stock business, raising high 
grade horses upon a large ranch near Belle Fourche which he owns. 

	Mr. Glassie was married July 26, 1893, to Miss Sarah Lutz, who 
was born at Jefferson, Iowa, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lutz, 
both natives of Pennsylvania, of German parentage. The father, a farmer 
by occupation, removed with his family to the Black Hills in 1877, 
locating in Deadwood. There he and a brother engaged in blacksmithing 
for some time but Abraham Lutz later located with his family in what is 
known as Spring Creek valley, where he became a landowner and 
agriculturist. His wife died there in 1880 and he now resides with a 
son near Faith, this state. He was a soldier in the Civil war, serving 
throughout the entire conflict as a member of the Union army. To him 
and his wife were born five children, of whom Mrs. Glassie is the 
third. She has become the mother of two children, Ethel and Mildred, 
both at home. 

	Mr. Glassie is a republican, is serving his seventh year as 
president of the board of county commissioners and for six or seven 
years was a member of the city council. He is an enthusiastic Mason and 
holds membership in the blue lodge, the chapter and council of 
Spearfish and in the consistory and Shrine at Deadwood. He also belongs 
to the Elks lodge at that place and to the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows at Belle Fourche. He is considered one of the successful and 
enterprising business men of his city and in building up his own 
financial interests has also contributed to the general prosperity.