Joseph Brchan 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 654, 657

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

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JOSEPH BRCHAN, a rising young farmer of Lyon township, in Brule county, 
South Dakota, who is serving as township clerk and is prominent in 
political circles in his county, was born in Moravia, January 14, 1870. 
He is the eldest son of Thomas and Anna (Voral) Brchan, and has two 
sisters, Katie, a teacher, at present clerking in Kimball, and Anna, 
also a teacher, and has one brother, Adolph, who resides with the 
parents, where also our subject resides and has farming interests in 
common with his father. His father was born in Moravia, in 1837, and 
emigrated to America with his family in 1875, landing at Baltimore and 
soon afterward locating in Grant county, Wisconsin, farming on rented 
land. In 1883 he went to Dakota with a team of horses and a wagon, a 
few household goods, four cows, and about one hundred dollars in cash. 
After filing on the land he built a 12 x 16-foot shanty, and with the 
help of his son has made a comfortable home, whose appearance is one of 
neatness and it shows the effect of the hard labors for its 
improvement. Our subject grew to manhood in Dakota, and here received 
his education and training as a farmer. In 1898 he purchased a farm in 
section 20, Lyon township, and will conduct it as a stock farm. He and 
his father conduct a farm in section 33 in the same township, 
consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, and rent additional land, 
usually controlling between four and five hundred acres. They crop 
about ninety acres and winter one hundred head of stock. They keep 
twenty cows and patronize the Kimball creamery. An artesian well 
furnishes a supply of water to stock, and the farm has many other 
conveniences. 

Our subject early took an active part in local politics, and has served 
in a public capacity with credit. He is a Democrat, favors high 
license, and opposes equal suffrage. He served two years as county 
assessor, and is township clerk, and clerk of the school board. He 
carries his responsibilities with dignity, and is a man whose opinions 
are sought and whose judgment is heeded