Herman C. Bengs 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 1053-1054

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

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HERMAN C. BENGS, one of the leading farmers of Gem township, is a 
rising young man of Brown county. His farm is among the best in that 
region, and he is constantly improving his surroundings. 

Our subject was born in Germany, October 13, 1870, and was one of a 
family of ten children, four sons and six daughters, born to William 
and Erstina Bengs, both natives of Germany. They emigrated to America 
when our subject was less than three years of age, in 1873, and after 
landing at New York, went direct to Minnesota. For two years the father 
worked out on a farm and then rented one hundred acres of land which he 
farmed with success for five or six years. 

Herman C. Bengs stayed on the home farm assisting his father during the 
summer months, and attending the public schools in the winter. The 
family moved to Brown county, South Dakota, in 1881, and the father 
homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, the southwest quarter 
of section 22, in Gem township, and also preempted the southeast 
quarter of the same section, and subsequently purchased the: northeast 
quarter of section 27. The first work of the family on their arrival 
was to erect a sod shanty, in which they all lived for about one year. 
This structure gave place to a more roomy dwelling, made of boards 
sodded on the exterior for warmth, and in this they dwelt for five or 
six years. A commodious barn for the shelter of stock and grain was 
built in 1882, and in 1885 a two-story, large and substantial residence 
was erected, one of the best houses in Gem township. The father, 
William Bengs, died in 1891, and the following year the mother married 
Carl Werth, an extensive farmer of Rondell township, Brown county. 

Three years after his father's death, in 1894, our subject bought up 
the rights of the other heirs to the father's estate and added to the 
improvements of the place by putting up a Halliday windmill, with 
grinder attachments, costing five hundred dollars. This was erected in 
1898 and pumps a plentiful supply of water for domestic use and stock. 
The Moccasin creek runs through the farm, which also supplies ample 
amount of water for the stock in pasture, of which there are twenty-two 
head, and fifteen horses, and about the same number of hogs of the 
Poland China breed. His crops are generally good, wheat the present 
year averaging fourteen bushels per acre. There is a small orchard of 
plum and apple trees located near the house, and the farm is well 
located, and the surroundings on the place are pleasant and partake of 
the quiet of country life, with all its comforts and many of its 
luxuries. 

Herman C. Bengs was married January 21, 1894, to Miss Lydia Pabst, 
daughter of Christian and Minnie (Lindsey) Pabst, natives of Germany. 
Mrs. Bengs was born in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, and it was there our 
subject and she were married. One child has been born to bless the home 
of Mr. and Mrs. Bengs, upon whom they have bestowed the name of Olive. 
Both our subject and wife are members of the German Evangelical church, 
and Mr. Bengs teaches in the Sunday school and has filled the office of 
secretary. Politically he is a Republican, but has never aspired to 
office of any kind, preferring to serve his community by other means. 
He is a progressive young man and his success is well merited