Samuel J. Wood Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1005-1006 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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				SAMUEL J. WOOD. 

	Samuel J. Wood, who entered upon a two years, term as register of 
deeds in Hughes county in January, 1913, has throughout his life 
displayed a spirit of devotion to the public good that is both 
commendable and exemplary. A native son of Illinois, he was born in 
Macoupin county, February 7, 1875, a son of Alfred C. and Fanny 
(Little) Wood, the former now a resident of Stanley county, South 
Dakota. The paternal grandfather, David Wood, was a native of Kentucky 
and became an early settler in southern Illinois, where he married Miss 
Mary Clanton, a representative of an old Virginian family. HP made 
farming his life work and died in the year 1894 at the very venerable 
age of ninety four years. One of his sons, Samuel Wood, was with 
General Pike on a pioneer exploring expedition into Colorado. 

	In the country schools of his native county Samuel J. Wood of 
this review pursued his early education and afterwards attended the 
South Dakota College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. In 1894 he went 
to St. Louis, Missouri, where he established a wholesale tea and coffee 
house on a small scale. After two years he sold out. The venture was 
proving successful, but illness forced his retirement and he returned 
to Brookings county, South Dakota, where he attended college. In 1897 
he became engineer at the college, there remaining until 1905. In that 
year he removed to Pierre, where he embarked in the real-estate 
business in which he still continues and through the intervening period 
he has negotiated many important property transfers. In January, 1913, 
he entered upon the duties of register of deeds of Hughes county, to 
which position he had been elected in the previous November. 

	On the 4th of June, 1905, at Yankton, South Dakota, Mr. Wood was 
united in marriage to Miss Belle Kjos, a daughter of Andrew Kjos and to 
them have been born four children: Eva, Lymon Oscar, Ethel Belle and 
Wilford S. 

	The parents are members of the Christian church and are 
interested in all that pertains to the moral progress and improvement 
Of the community as well as to its material upbuilding. Mr. Wood 
likewise holds membership in the Pierre Commercial Club and in politics 
he has always been a stalwart republican, doing everything in his power 
to promote the growth and insure the success of the party along 
legitimate lines. His has been an active and well spent life and the 
qualities of upright manhood and progressive citizenship are among his 
chief characteristics.