Andrew Blum 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 420-421

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

	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


ANDREW BLUM is one of the stalwart and substantial citizens of Crystal 
Lake township, Aurora county, who have, by their own unaided exertions, 
raised themselves from a state of comparative poverty in which they 
came to this country, to their present prosperous condition. He was 
born in Germany, in 1851. His father was born in 1822. Our subject 
remained under the parental roof, assisting his father until reaching 
manhood, and at the age of twenty started out in life for himself. He 
obtained employment in a brewery, where he remained until coming to 
America, in 1876. He landed at New York city and remained there, 
working in the Roberts brewery for one year, after which he was 
employed in breweries in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Omaha and Council 
Bluffs. 

In 1881, at Council Bluffs, Mr. Blum married Miss Louisa Messinger, 
also a native of Germany, who came to the United States the same year 
of her marriage. To them have been born six children, namely: Ida, now 
seventeen years of age; Ernest, fourteen; Albert, ten; Louisa, six; 
Mary, four; and William, six months. Coming to South Dakota, in April, 
1882, Mr. Blum was the first settler to locate in Crystal Lake 
township, Aurora county. He selected the northeast quarter of section 
8, and erected thereon a cabin, 10 x 12 feet. A few days after his 
arrival he was joined by his family. He hired some of his land broken 
while he went to White Lake and opened the White Lake house, the first 
hotel in the place, which he conducted for four months. He then located 
permanently on his farm, but spent the fall and winter of 1883, 1884 
and 1886 in. the east, working in breweries to help support his family. 
In those early days they had to endure many of the hardships incident 
to life on the frontier, and as they had no money to buy fuel, they 
burned hay, straw, etc. The first team owned by Mr. Blum were oxen, 
which he and his wife broke after many trials and difficulties. Any one 
who has broken a couple of young steers can fully appreciate their 
position. On coming to the state Mr. Blum took two claims from the 
government, and now has one hundred acres of land under excellent 
cultivation, forty acres in pasture and plenty of range near the farm. 
Upon the place he has built a granary, corn cribs, chicken house and 
sheep sheds, and as he gives special attention to stock-raising, he 
keeps three hundred and fifty sheep, forty head of cattle and twelve 
horses. His political support is always given the men and measures of 
the Democratic party, and he has served on the township board. 
Religiously he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church, and 
they are highly respected by all who know them.