Reuben C. Styles Biography


	This biography appears on pages 518-521 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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				REUBEN C. STYLES. 

	Reuben C. Styles is the owner of Plainview Farm, an attractive 
property of six hundred and forty acres located on section 6, Tetonke 
township, Spink county, but is now living retired in Brentford, where 
he has erected the largest and one of the finest residences of the 
place. He was born near Salem, Washington county, Indiana, on the 10th 
of December, 1861, a son of Robert and Rachel (Benedict) Styles. The 
father followed school teaching and also engaged in farming in that 
state but in 1866 removed to Iowa, where he made his home until his 
death in April, 1905, when he was ninety years of age. In Iowa he also 
taught school, being at one time the oldest teacher in the state. He 
was buried in New Sharon, Iowa, and his widow makes her home ill that 
state. The family is of English descent but has been represented in 
this country for many years. 

	Reuben C. Styles was educated in New Sharon, Iowa. and attended 
school until he was twenty years of age, after which he rented and 
operated his father's farm for some time. He continued to engage in 
farming on rented land in that state until 1884, when he came to South 
Dakota and acquired title to a quarter section of land west of 
Brentford, which he began to cultivate. In 1890 he sold that place and 
bought a part of his present farm south of Brentford. He added to his 
holdings from time to time and is now the owner of six hundred and 
forty acres of valuable land, on which he carries on diversified 
farming. However, he has made a specialty of sheep raising and keeps 
two hundred and fifty head of the Shropshire breed. He also raises 
about one hundred Yorkshire hogs annually and about twenty head of 
cattle and thirty horses. Besides his farm he also owns town property 
in Brentford and is also a stockholder in the South Dakota Life 
Insurance Company, whose headquarters are at Watertown. 

	On the 25th of February, 1886, at New Sharon, Iowa, Mr. Styles 
was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Arnold, a daughter of Joseph and 
Tacey (Smith) Arnold. Her father was pastor of the Friends church at 
Lynnville, Iowa, and also engaged in the practice of law. He lived to 
the ripe old age of seventy-one years and passed away in 1904, having 
survived his wife for many years, as she died in 1869, at the early age 
of forty-three. Both were buried in Lynnville. To Mr. and Mrs. Styles 
were born seven children, namely: Robert J., who now manages his 
father's farm; Mabel R., who was graduated from Redfield College and is 
now engaged in teaching at Ashton; Ardilla M., a student at Yankton 
College; Arnold A., who is attending high school; two who died infancy; 
and Gertrude, who died at the age of ten years and is buried in 
Plainview cemetery, near Brentford. 

	Mr. Styles is a democrat and has been quite prominent in 
political affairs in his section of the state, being at one time the 
nominee of his party for state senator. Fraternally he belongs to the 
Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Both he and his 
wife were reared in the Friends church but now affiliate with the 
Congregational denomination, being the only remaining charter members 
of Brentford church, which was organized in 1889 as the La Prairie 
church. About five years ago they removed to Brentford, where Mr. 
Styles erected an elegant home-the largest in the town,-which is often 
the scene of large social gatherings, as both he and his wife are 
hospitable by nature. He is a man of excellent business and executive 
ability who has carried forward to successful completion whatever he 
has undertaken. He has not only won individual prosperity but has also 
aided in the development and upbuilding of Spink county.