Bruce McVay Biography This biography appears on pages 990, 993-994 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 BRUCE McVAY. Bruce McVay, superintendent of schools at Scotland, South Dakota, when this sketch, was prepared, was born January 23, 1865, in Decatur county, Iowa, whither his parents had removed from Ohio prior to the Civil war. His grandfather, William B. McVay, was born January 10, 1810, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where the family had resided since the time of the Revolution. A number of the ancestors of Mr. McVay shared in the colonial conflict for independence from England. When William B. McVay was a lad of eight or ten years the family home was established in Ohio. John C. McVay, the father of the subject of this review, was born in Wayne township Knox county, Ohio, October 18, 1834. In 1856 the family removed to southern Illinois and soon after to Decatur county Iowa, locating near Garden Grove. Here he married Harriet Coffing, who was born in western Pennsylvania but grew to maturity in Knox County, Ohio, the new home of her parents. The couple made their home on a little farm near the husband's people until the Civil war summoned him to the assistance of the Union. John C. McVay enlisted in Company A, Thirty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry and served under Sherman in the first campaign around Vicksburg in 1862. After the repulse of Sherman,s assault on the bluffs, Mr. McVay's regiment was sent with McClernand's Division to capture Arkansas Post on the White river. Mr. McVay was severely wounded in the attack on this position and in consequence was discharged from the army in the spring of 1863. As soon as he recovered sufficiently from his wound, he left his farm and took up the insurance business at Quincy, Illinois, and, in 1868, at Marshalltown, Iowa. In August, 1882 he came to Dakota territory and entered land near St. Lawrence, Hand county, and later the family home was established on the claim. The wife and mother passed away July 15, 1899, and was laid to rest in the cemetery at Des Moines, Iowa, where a daughter, Mrs. G. B. Lincoln, resided. The father's home has been for recent years with another daughter at Butlerville, Indiana, and, though in his eighty-first year he still comes to Dakota each summer to look after his farms and business interests. Bruce McVay was reared from early boyhood at Marshalltown, Iowa, and graduated from the high school of that city. On March 10, 1885, he arrived on his father's land in Hand county, Dakota territory, and began the job of breaking sod and making improvements necessary for a successful farm. He and his young brother, Ward, took entire charge of the ranch until 1900, as the father was away- on his insurance business in northern Illinois. More land was purchased and stocked until the farm finally consisted of three quarters, and about one thousand acres more held in lease. When a new station was established on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, in the eastern side of Hand county, the name, Vayland, was selected for it on account of the prominence of the neighboring McVay ranch. Bruce McVay always had a strong interest in education and led the way to college from the farm, first attending the State University at Vermillion parts of two years and then, from time to time, Dakota Wesleyan at Mitchell, where he graduated in the class of 1899, with the A. B. degree. His sister Winifred also graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University and the others attended for different periods. After graduating he put in one year on the ranch and then went to Mitchell to work on the Mitchell Republican for the proprietor, Mr. Dean. Two weeks after taking up this work a vacancy arose in the principalship of the Mitchell high school and he applied for and secured this position. After a year in the Mitchell schools, he was one year principal of schools at Blunt, South Dakota, 1901-2; and three years in a similar position at Highmore, 1902-5; then seven years at Woonsocket, 1905-12; and since 1912 superintendent at Scotland. He has also spent two summer vacations in university studies at Chicago University, 1905 and 1906; and has been a faculty member of the Huron College Summer School in the summer terms of 1907, 8, 9, 10, where he assisted in the instruction of young teachers under the management of President C. H. French. Those who are close to Mr. McVay in his teaching work know that he has his heart completely in the welfare of his scholars, and that he spares no energy to prepare them for successful futures. He has been a regular attendant at the state teachers' meetings and seeks the good results of the experience of his co-laborers, rather than posing as a prophet of any theory. His gleanings are sifted over carefully and, when suited to his locality, are used with success in his own school. His ideal of growth in educational affairs is to use a prudent conservatism with an open-minded, progressive spirit. The record of his career is the best evidence of his sound judgment in school matters. Mr. McVay was married in Aberdeen, South Dakota, October 12, 1902, to Lillian Hamilton McDonough, who graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1900, the year following Mr. McVay's graduation. She is a native of Minneapolis but the family home was soon established at Osceola, Iowa, whence in 1887 she came to Aberdeen with her parents, James C. and Electa Hamilton McDonough. She became the mother of two children, Margaret Electa, 1903, and Ruth Lillian, 1905. Mrs. McVay contracted tuberculosis while caring for a relative and departed this life June 16, 1907, while on the way home from California, where she had spent the winter to obtain the benefit of the climate. She was laid to rest in the Woonsocket Cemetery, South Dakota. Her name is commemorated by the dedication of room 10 in Graham Hall of Dakota Wesleyan's buildings to her as an alumna of the college. On July 28, 1909, Mr. McVay married at Aberdeen, Ruth Jessie Barnes, who has borne two children, John Barnes, 1910, Katharine Harriet, 1912. Her father, Ira Barnes was born in an unorganized county of Illinois, moved to Wisconsin while it was yet a territory and then journeyed to the Dakota country by wagon, reaching his claim in Turner county, sex miles from Parker, September 28, 1872. The family came in the following November, traveling from Sioux City to Elk Point in the first passenger coach over the Sioux City-Yankton Railroad, which at that time extended only a few miles beyond Elk Point. This coach was attached to the work and freight train to accommodate the settlers who had gathered in Sioux City on their way to the Dakota country. Mr. Barnes, house was the second built in his township and the lumber was hauled from Elk Point, a distance of seventy five miles. Turner county suffered the grasshopper plague of 1874, and the next year Mr. Barnes moved to Yankton and engaged in the carpenter trade till 1883 when he removed to Aberdeen and, with his brothers, established a lumber business, from which he retired in 1898. While residing at Yankton his daughter Ruth Jessie was born May 16, 1875. Mr. McVay and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics the father puts confidence in reputable men and sound measures rather than in party organizations, and he believes that the needs of the people should have first consideration. He supports good government from whatever source it comes and is an earnest student of public affairs. He has faith in the common sense of the people, that they will not make serious mistakes when they have a fair chance to judge great questions.