Henry J. Hammer Biography


	This biography appears on pages 614-617 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


				HENRY J. HAMMER. 

	More than a century ago George Washington said that agriculture 
is the most useful as well as the most honorable occupation of man and 
the truth stands today, for farming is the basis of all business 
activity along other lines. Among the leading farmers of Lake county is 
Henry J. Hammer, who has extensive property interests in Herman 
township, owning five hundred and sixty acres of rich and valuable 
land. He was born in Fillmore county, Minnesota, on the 24th of April, 
1863, and is a son of T. J. and Mary E. Hammer. The year 1880 witnessed 
the arrival of the father in Lake county, South Dakota, at which time 
he took up his abode on the southwest quarter of section 7, Herman 
township, securing that land as a homestead. His sister, Miss Tina 
Hammer, also homesteaded near by. The father died at the age of sixty-
four years, after having carried on general agricultural pursuits in 
that section of the state for an extended period. He was one of the 
pioneers of his section and aided in the initial work which has led to 
the present development and improvement of the county. In 1881 he was 
joined by his family, who arrived on the 11th of May. 

	Henry J. Hammer was at that time a youth of eighteen years. He 
had up to that time always resided in his native county, where he 
attended the public schools. He also spent a short time as a student in 
the Normal School at Madison, South Dakota, but because of the 
financial condition of the family he had to return home to assist his 
father, to whom he gave the benefit of his services until he reached 
the age of twenty-one years. For three years he assisted his father in 
breaking the sod and tilling the soil upon the homestead claim in Lake 
county and then started out in life on his own account. He purchased 
the southeast quarter of section 7, Herman township, and with 
characteristic energy began to prepare the fields for cultivation. In 
due time the plowing and planting was done and later abundant harvests 
were gathered. As the years went on he prospered and from time to time 
purchased other tracts of land until he is now the owner of five 
hundred and sixty acres, all in Her mall township. He has since been 
very successful in his farm work and his income increases year by year. 

	On December 19, 1889, Mr. Hammer was united in marriage to Miss 
Belle Fairfield, a daughter of Thomas Fairfield, a cattle man and a 
well known pioneer of Sanborn county, South Dakota. To them have been 
born the following children: Stella, who died at the age of seventeen 
years; Alta, who was fourteen years old when she passed away; Elmer, a 
youth of fourteen; and Blanche, a little maiden of eight summers. 

	Mr. and Mrs. Hammer are members of the Methodist church at Junius 
and in politics he has been a stalwart republican since age conferred 
upon him the right of franchise. He was at one time a candidate of his 
party for the office of representative to the state legislature. He has 
held a number of township offices, has served as supervisor and has 
been a member of the school board in his district for eighteen years. 
He is also connected with the Farmers Elevator at Junius. His active 
life has been fraught with good results, his able business management 
resulting in the attainment of notable success.