H. H. Oien Biography


	This biography appears on page 1231 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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				H. H. OIEN. 

	H. H. Oien, one of the venerable and highly esteemed citizens of 
Minnehaha county, South Dakota, has continuously resided on his present 
home farm on section 25, Dell Rapids township, during the past four 
decades. He owns six hundred acres of valuable land and is widely 
recognized as one of the prosperous agriculturists of the community. 
His birth occurred in Norway on the 30th of May, 1843, his parents 
being Halver and Gerta Oien, who passed away in that country. 

	E. H. Oien spent the first twenty-nine years of his life in the 
land of his nativity and obtained a common-school education in his 
youth. In 1872 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, locating 
in Goodhue county, Minnesota, and two years later he came to South 
Dakota, homesteading the farm on which he has resided continuously 
since. As the years have passed and his financial resources have 
increased, owing to his untiring industry and able management, he has 
augmented his holding by purchase until they now embrace six hundred 
acres of rich and productive land. His undertakings as an agriculturist 
have been attended with a most gratifying measure of success and he has 
long been numbered among the substantial and representative citizens of 
Minnehaha county. 

	In 1869, in Norway, Mr. Oien was joined in wedlock to Miss Anna 
Kilness, by whole he has had seven children, six of whom survive, as 
follows: Halver, an agriculturist of Roberts county, this state; Herman 
and Martin, who follow farming in Minnehaha county; Gustaf, an 
agriculturist residing in Montana; George, at home; alla Joseph, who 
operates the home farm. 

	In his political views Mr. Oien is a stanch republican, loyally 
supporting the men and measures of that party. During the past fifteen 
or sixteen years he has served as a member of the school board, 
exerting his best efforts to advance the cause of education. Both he 
and his wife are devoted and consistent members of the Norwegian 
Lutheran church and exemplify its teachings in their daily lives. He 
has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in 
the new world, for through the wise utilization of the opportunities 
here afforded he has reached the desired goal. He has now passed the 
seventy second milestone on life's journey and can look back upon an 
active, useful and honorable career.