Benjamin F. Willson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 300-301 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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				BENJAMIN F. WILLSON. 

	Benjamin F. Willson, a real estate dealer operating in Summit, 
was born in Noble county, Indiana, February 15, 1860, a son of Cassius 
Wilder and Rosanna (Marsh) Willson. The grandfather, Cassius Willson, 
Sr., was a native of New York and died in Ohio, while the maternal 
grandfather, Nathaniel Marsh, was a native of Vermont and spent his 
last days in the Soldiers, Home at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He had served 
throughout the Civil war as a soldier in the Union army and he bad 
three sons in the service with him. The father of our subject was born 
in the state of New York in 1830 and after living for a time in Ohio 
removed to Indiana, where he purchased land and carried on farming. In 
1866 he took his family to Minnesota and became the owner of a farm in 
Olmsted county, upon which he resided for more than a quarter of a 
century. In the fall of 1892 he arrived in South Dakota and engaged in 
the butchering business at South Shore, while later he turned his 
attention to the grocery trade in the same town. In 1899 he located in 
Summit, where his remaining days were passed. His wife was born in the 
Green Mountain state in January, 1835, and their marriage was 
celebrated in Ohio. The father passed away in Summit, May 24, 1901, 
while his widow survived until December, 1913. In the various 
communities in which they lived they enjoyed the warm regard of those 
with whom they came in contact. In politics Mr. Willson was active as a 
stalwart republican and he held a number of township offices. To him 
and his wife were born nine children, of whom seven are living: John 
Riley, who is engaged in the transfer business at Osage, Iowa; G. E., 
the Watertown, South Dakota, representative of the International 
Harvester Company and also an auctioneer; Benjamin F.; Mrs. G. W. Cram, 
of Salt Lake City, Utah, whose husband is a railroad man; H. A., who is 
engaged ill the real-estate business in Kansas City, Missouri; C. M., 
proprietor of a billiard hall at Aberdeen; and G. B., a barber of 
Watertown. 

	Benjamin F. Willson, accompanying his parents to Minnesota when a 
lad of six years, pursued his education in the district schools of 
Olmsted county and afterward took up the occupation of farming, which 
he followed until 1894. In the meantime he had secured a homestead 
claim in Grant county, South Dakota, in 1881, retaining the ownership 
of that property until 1913. When he put aside the active work of the 
farm in 1894 he removed to South Shore, where he lived a short time, 
and in 1895 he engaged in the transfer business in Osage, Iowa, there 
remaining until 1898. In that year he went to Austin, Minnesota, where 
for six months ho conducted a hotel, and on the 1st of September. 1898, 
he removed to Summit, South Dakota, where he engaged in the hotel 
business for sixteen years and one month. He was quite successful in 
that connection and although he reached Summit with a capital of but 
five hundred dollars is now one of the prosperous citizens of his part 
of the state. He has largely retired from active business although he 
deals to some extent in real estate and is the owner of a half section 
of laud in Canada. 

	On the 3d of February, 1892, Mr. Willson wedded Miss Ethel 
Tenney, a native of Wisconsin He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and 
both he and his wife are connected with the Order of the Eastern Star. 
He is also identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and his 
political allegiance is given to the republican party. He has held all 
of the town offices, the duties of which he has discharged with 
promptness and fidelity, but whether in office or out of it he is ever 
a loyal, public-spirited citizen and he has cooperated in many 
movements which have been directly beneficial to his community.