William Toomey Biography


	This biography appears on pages 391-392 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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				WILLIAM TOOMEY. 

	William Toomey, the period of whose residence in South Dakota 
covers about a third of a century, is the present deputy county auditor 
of Potter county and ax-postmaster of Gettysburg. His birth occurred in 
Franklin county, New York, on the 2d of April, 1840, his parents being 
Cornelius and Ellen (Sheehan) Toomey, who were born in County Cork, 
Ireland, and also married in that country. They emigrated to the United 
States in an early day, settling in New York, where the father followed 
farming until his demise, being accidentally killed by being thrown 
from a horse in the year 1846 The mother passed away in the Empire 
state many years afterward. 

	William Toomey, the sixth in order of birth in a family of seven 
children, acquired his education in his native county and also pursued 
a commercial course at Albany, New York, in the fall of 1860. When 
about fourteen years of age he began working to provide for his own 
livelihood and he also assisted his widowed mother until he was about 
twenty-two years old. He took up the profession of teaching in New York 
and subsequently taught in Illinois until the time of his enlistment in 
the Union army, leaving a remunerative position as an instructor to 
become a private of Company C, Third Illinois Cavalry. With that 
command he served for ten months or until the cessation of hostilities 
between the north and -the south, fortunately escaping injury and thus 
never being confined in a hospital. After returning from the war he 
taught school in Illinois for a short time and in 1868 was made deputy 
county clerk, while subsequently he was elected clerk of Logan county, 
Illinois, ably serving in that capacity for nine years. In 1883 he came 
to South Dakota and located on a quarter section of land in Sully 
county. In the fall of the following year he was elected county 
treasurer and held the position for six years, discharging the duties 
devolving upon him in that connection in a most prompt and capable 
manner. Subsequently he was engaged successfully in the hotel business 
at Blunt, Onida and Gettysburg, removing to the last named place in 
1895 and having there made his home to the present time. In Gettysburg 
he conducted a hotel for about eighteen months and later served as 
justice of the peace, deputy treasurer, etc., until 1905, when he was 
appointed postmaster of the town, acting in that capacity until 1914. 
Since that time he has served as deputy to his son, Edwin B., who is 
auditor of Potter county. He has led an active, busy and useful life 
and over the record of his public career there has fallen no shadow of 
wrong nor suspicion of evil. 

	In December, 1866, Mr. Toomey was united in marriage to Miss 
Aroline Larrison, a native of McLean county, Illinois, and a daughter 
of James M. and Margaret (Hammitt) Larrison, both of whom were born in 
Ohio and passed away at Lincoln, Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Toomey have 
been born five children, as follows: Ella, who is discharging the 
duties of deputy postmistress at Gettysburg; Albert, a barber of 
Gettysburg; John W., a resident of Redfield, South Dakota, and a 
printer by trade, who now holds the office of deputy auditor; Edwin B., 
the present county auditor of Potter county; and Cornelius J., who died 
in infancy. 

	In politics Mr. Toomey has always been a stanch republican, 
loyally supporting the men and measures of the party which was the 
defense of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war. He belongs 
to the Grand Army of the Republic and thus still maintains pleasant 
relations with his old comrades among the "boys in blue." He has now 
passed the seventy fifth milestone on life's journey and enjoys the 
respect and veneration which should ever be accorded one who has 
traveled thus far on this earthly pilgrimage and whose career has been 
at all times upright and honorable.