John A. Abraham Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 921-922

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN A. ABRAHAM, whose landed estates and mercantile business entitle 
him to prominent mention as a prosperous citizen of Brown county, was 
one of the early settlers of that region and has been closely 
identified with its growth and development. He is engaged in farming on 
an extensive scale in Riverside township, and is one of the foremost 
men of that community. He has surrounded himself with all that goes to 
make farm life pleasant, and his residence is one of the most 
substantial and commodious in the vicinity, and is of modern 
architecture and finish, and forms a fit habitation for one of his 
refined tastes. 

Our subject was born in Chisago county, Minnesota, in 1854, and was the 
son of Charles and Beata Abraham. His father was born and raised near 
Vexion, Sweden, and was a farmer by occupation. He came to America in 
1853, and settled in Chisago county, where he still resides. The mother 
of our subject was born in Sweden, and his parents married in their 
native land, and lost two children on the way to America. They reared a 
family of nine children, of whom our subject was the third in order of 
birth. He was given a limited education in a log school house, and at 
the age of eighteen left home and went to log driving on the 
Mississippi river and St. Croix and Chippewa rivers, following that and 
working in the woods thirteen years. He went to Brown county in the 
spring of 1882, and took up government land and erected a small shanty. 
He and his brother, Alfred Abraham, were engaged in the mercantile 
business in Groton during the first four years in Dakota. They had 
together about six hundred dollars when they went there, and in 1886 
they engaged in farming with a limited start. They lived as bachelors 
in their small shanty from 1884 to 1888. They now have one thousand, 
one hundred and twenty acres of land, and eight hundred acres more in 
partnership with outside parties. Howard Cole is manager and foreman of 
the eight-hundred-acre tract. The home farm is mostly under cultivation 
and is supplied with a complete set of excellent farm buildings, 
including residence, barn, granary, in which is elevator, windmill, 
feed mill and all modern improvements. Also on his home farm our 
subject has one of the largest residences in the neighborhood, 
completed in 1893 and 1894, and is finished in the most modern style. 
He and his brother own the largest general store in the village of 
Claremont, and also conduct the lumber business, his brother having the 
management of the mercantile interests in Claremont. They also are the 
managers of two quarter sections of land in Marshall county, South 
Dakota. 

John A. Abraham was married in 1888 to Mary C. Lingren, who was born 
and raised in Chisago county, Minnesota, on a farm which was near the 
farm on which our subject was born. They were playmates and grew up 
together. Mrs. Abraham's father, Otto Lingren, came to America from 
Sweden about 1858, and settled on a farm in Chisago county. 

Mr. Abraham is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Masonic 
fraternity, and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He takes an active 
interest in educational affairs and has served as school treasurer for 
the past six years. Politically he is a Republican. He and his brother 
entered Dakota with limited means and are to-day well-to-do, and are 
highly esteemed citizens of their community.