Frank G. Brooberg 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 893-894

	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


HON. FRANK G. BROOBERG, a prominent merchant of Groton, and one of the 
well-to-do men of Brown county, was born at Wexio, Sweden, in October, 
1858. He has made his home in Dakota since the early settlement of 
Brown county, and has been closely identified with its financial and 
social interests, and is held in the highest esteem by all who know 
him. 

Mr. Brooberg was the son of Samuel M. and Hanna (Olson) Brooberg, and 
his father was raised in Sweden and was a farmer by occupation. The 
family for many generations back were soldiers in their native land. Of 
a family of eight children our subject was the second in order of birth 
and was reared on a farm. In 1869, when about ten years of age, he 
accompanied his parents to America and settled in Chicago county, 
Minnesota, where the father engaged in farming. Mr. Brooberg graduated 
from the Curtis Business College of St. Paul at the age of twenty 
years, and in 1879 accepted a position in Stillwater, Minnesota, with 
the firm of Harpes & Company, as clerk and assistant bookkeeper, and 
worked thus one year and then went to Atwater, Minnesota, as manager 
and bookkeeper for Gronerud Brothers, general merchants, where he 
worked nine months, and then went to Fisher and kept books for Johnson 
& Stevens. Prior to entering their employ he went to Brown county, 
South Dakota, and took a tree claim in Garden Prairie township. He 
settled on the farm in January, 1882, going there principally on 
account of failing health. He erected a shanty, 12 x 22. and had no 
tools with which to begin work, but had some money, and hired his 
breaking done. He went to Groton in 1883 and established a machine and 
implement business and followed that two years. He moved to the farm in 
1884 and resided there until 1887 when he took up his residence in 
Groton, and two years later purchased the business of J. W. Kraft & 
Company, clothiers. Fire destroyed all but a small portion of the stock 
in 1890, and the same year he purchased a part of his present store and 
moved his goods into it. He purchased the corner lot in 1895, where he 
has erected a double-front store, and has increased his stock from 
clothing and gents' furnishings to general merchandise and now has the 
largest store and stock in Groton. He started in a building 20 x 56 
feet, and now has a building 46 x 70 feet, with a tailor shop back of 
the store. 

In 1897, in company with D. C. Wagner, he established an implement 
business, under the firm name of the Groton Implement Company, and they 
have a main building 40 x 84 feet, and two warehouses. The firm handles 
more money than any firm in the town, and our subject, aside from his 
mercantile interests, has thirteen quarter-sections of land, most of 
which is devoted to grain raising. He has about sixty head of cattle 
and horses, and hires a farm foreman to do the work, and he personally 
supervises the estate. The cellars of some of the first buildings of 
Groton were being dug when he located in that region, and he has made a 
wonderful success of his business. 

Our subject was married in 1883 to Miss Carrie Anderson, who was born 
and raised at Atwater, Minnesota. Mrs. Brooberg's father, Olaf 
Anderson, was born in Sweden and came to America in 1868. Two children 
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brooberg, as follows: Ethel S. and 
Francis Clement. Our subject was elected a senator in the state 
legislature on the Republican ticket and served one term, giving his 
constituents very efficient service. He has been a township officer 
during most of his residence in Dakota, and has attended numerous 
county and state conventions, and has taken an active part generally in 
public affairs. He is an independent voter, casting his ballot for the 
man or party which in his opinion will best serve the community's 
interests. His prosperity, financially and as a public-spirited 
citizen, has been due to his own efforts, and he has taken a prominent 
place in the annals of Dakota's history.