Frank Keller Biography


	This biography appears on pages 613-614 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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				FRANK KELLER. 

	Frank Keller, a resident farmer of Franklin township, Lake 
county, his home being on section 32, belongs to that class of men of 
foreign birth who have found in the business conditions and resources 
of the new world opportunities for the attainment of success. He was 
born in Austria on the 22d of March, 1850, a son of Franz and Mary Ann 
(Deitrich) Keller. The family on coming to the United States settled 
first in Wisconsin, where they remained from May, 1875, until 1877. In 
the latter year the father brought his family to South Dakota and 
homesteaded the southwest quarter of section 33, township 105, range 
53, and also secured a tree claim. He lost his life in a prairie fire 
and his wife has also passed away. There were two sons and two 
daughters in the family, of whom two are still living, a brother of 
Frank Keller being now a resident of Oklahoma. 

	In the schools of his native land Frank Keller pursued his 
education and after coming to the United States took up the study of 
English under private instruction. On removing to South Dakota he 
secured a homestead covering the east half of section 32, township 105, 
range 52, and also obtained a tree claim. He now resides upon the 
latter but still owns both properties and has made all of the 
improvements upon his land, which he has converted into a rich, 
productive and valuable farm. He is also prominently known as a stock-
raiser and has on hand fifty head of Black Aberdeen Angus cattle and 
seventy head of Poland China hogs. He raises only stock of good grades 
and thus always finds a ready market. The latest improvements in farm 
machinery are found upon his land and substantial and commodious 
buildings furnish ample shelter for grain and stock. 

	On the 29th of August, 1888, Mr. Keller was united in marriage to 
Miss Julia Sanders, a daughter of James Sanders, and they have become 
the parents of ten children: Mary, a graduate nurse, now living at 
Sioux Falls; Francis, who is employed in the Sioux Falls Heating & 
Plumbing Company, at Sioux Falls; and Frank, Jr., Julian, Allie, Agnes, 
Edward, Edna, Genevieve and Helen, all at home. 

	The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church 
and in his political belief Mr. Keller is a socialist. He is identified 
with the Farmers Elevator Company at Colton and in all of his business 
connections has met with gratifying success. He has lived to see 
remarkable changes, for at the time of his arrival there was nothing in 
sight save land and sky. The railroads had not been built and he hauled 
his grain to Sioux Falls and to Luverne. His wife came to the state in 
1884, at which time her father homesteaded near Montrose, where he 
engaged in farming until he retired and removed to Sioux Falls. The 
Kellers, however, were the first to settle in Franklin township and 
they experienced all of the hardships and privations of pioneer life. 
The prairie fire in which the father met his death destroyed also the 
buildings, cattle and everything belonging to Frank Keller. As the 
years passed he overcame the hardships and privations incident to life 
on the frontier and during the forty years of his residence in South 
Dakota has come to rank with the substantial men of this part of the 
state. His activity in business has brought substantial results and he 
is now most comfortably situated in life.