Mark A. Willis Biography


	This biography appears on pages 324-325 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


				MARK A. WILLIS. 

	Mark A. Willis, one of the leading business men of Custer and the 
owner of the largest dry-goods store in Custer county, was born in 
Springwater, Livingston county, New York, on the 22d of August, 1867, 
the ninth in a family of ten children born to Nelson and Mary (Walker) 
Willis, both likewise natives of Livingston county. The father was a 
farmer by occupation and continued to follow agricultural pursuits 
until called to his reward. 

	Mark A. Willis attended school in Springwater and was also a 
student at a school in Geneseo, New York, when Dr. William J. Milne was 
principal. When about fourteen years of age he began working in a 
printing office and was so employed for about two years, after which he 
was engaged in farm work in connection with his brother. It was 
subsequent to that time that he entered the normal school at Geneseo 
and after leaving that institution he began teaching, following that 
profession for four years in his native state. He then became connected 
with a lumber firm in Rochester, but in 1891 he emigrated westward, 
making his way direct to Custer, South Dakota. He had been elected 
principal of the city schools and assumed his duties on Monday morning, 
although he had only arrived in the city the evening before. He taught 
the remainder of that year and all of the following year, and then 
turned his attention to the business world, establishing a dry-goods 
store. In the fall of 1900 he was burned out, but he reopened his store 
as soon as possible and now carries the largest and most complete stock 
of dry-goods, boots and shoes and men's furnishings in Custer county. 
His patrons come from a wide territory and custom once gained is 
retained, as his policy is not merely to make sales, but rather to sell 
goods that will give permanent satisfaction. He is also a stockholder 
in the Electric Light & Power Company. 

	Mr. Willis was married on the 25th of November, 1892, to Miss 
Adella Dunn, a native of West Henrietta. New York. and a daughter of 
Hiram and Harriet (Reed) Dunn. both also natives of that county. The 
father was a farmer and both he and his wife spent their entire lives 
in the Empire state. Mr. and Mrs. Willis have two children: Merle, 
whose birth occurred on the 15th of March, 1900, and who is a high-
school student; and Harriet Adella, born on the 24th of October, 1909. 

	Mr. Willis is a republican and has been a factor in the direction 
of public affairs. For a number of terms he was president of the town 
board and is now serving his eighth year as a member of the school 
board. Although not a church member, he attends the Methodist Episcopal 
church and his influence is invariably on the side of right and 
justice. He is a loyal member of the Odd Fellows lodge, in which he has 
held all of the chairs, and has many friends in that organization and 
also among his fellow citizens who are not his brethren in that order. 
He has had much to do with the commercial expansion of Custer and his 
business ability has gained him the sincere respect of all who have had 
dealings with him, while at the same time he has gained the esteem of 
the community for his unswerving integrity.