Andrew Brooks 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 365-366

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

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ANDREW BROOKS. One of the most prosperous citizens of Brule county, 
South Dakota, who has earned his prosperity by many years of hard 
work, both as a tradesman and a farmer, is the gentleman whose name 
heads this personal history. His home is on section twenty-two in Lyon 
township. 

Our subject is a native of Austria-Hungary, and was born October 14, 
1838. His father was by trade a mason and plasterer, and our subject 
followed the same calling in his native country. In 1878, leaving his 
family in Austria, he came to America, and after working a short time 
in Chicago, he located in Marshall county, Iowa, working there both at 
his trade and in the stone quarry. Four years after coming to this 
country, he was joined by his family, and they resided in Iowa until 
moving to Dakota in 1883. He arrived in Brule county with about eight 
hundred dollars, and was forced to contract some debts before beginning 
to farm. Up to 1887 he had made no progress in his farm work, and he 
left the land in charge of his son and started in search of work for 
himself and a better location for his family. He traveled through. 
Kansas and Nebraska, and worked for a year and a half in Colorado, and 
in 1889 he went to Rock Springs, Wyoming, working there at mason work 
for two years and a half. Upon his return to Dakota he cleared himself 
of debt and turned his farm into a stock farm, for which purpose it is 
admirably adapted. He and his son John conduct the work together, and 
possess a section of land, one hundred and fifty acres of which are 
under plow. One hundred and twenty-five acres comprise one of the 
finest grass meadows in the county, and as the land is well watered, 
both by ditches from the township artesian well and by surface water, 
it is a valuable property. A comfortable house has recently been 
erected, and a large barn is now in contemplation. These, together with 
other new improvements, indicate the thrift of its owners. 

Our subject was married in 1863 to Miss Katherina Balina, who is a 
native of Austria. To Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have been born seven 
children, as follows: Andrew, deceased; Mary, deceased; Theodore, de 
ceased; Katie, deceased; John, who, as has been stated, owns an 
interest in the farm, and to whom most of the business management is 
now entrusted; Emma, a teacher; and Andrew, who resides with his 
parents. The family are communicants of the Catholic church.  

Both Mr. Brooks and his son John are supporters of the Democratic 
party, and are in favor of high license and oppose equal suffrage. They 
are respected in their community, and are accorded much commendation 
for their industry and prosperity.