Allen D. Carley 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. Page 724 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 ALLEN D. CARLEY, a substantial agriculturist of Whiteside township, in Beadle county, who amid reverses has gained for himself a comfortable home and an enviable reputation as an honest, upright citizen, is a native of Danby, Rutland county, Vermont, and was born December 13, 1842. His mother was born in 1815, and his father in 1816. Little is recorded of his mother's people. His grandfather was an Indian of the Mohawk tribe. Our subject was the third of a family of nine children born to Nathaniel R. and Lovisa (Graves) Carley. His father was a physician, and resided in New York. His grandfather Graves was a soldier in the war of 1812. When our subject was but four years of age he removed with his parents to the Empire state, where his father engaged in farming in Lewis county. August 19, 1862, he enlisted in Company L, New York Heavy Artillery. He was first sent to Washington, thence to Fort Carroll, from thence to Bolivar Heights, Virginia, and lastly to Harper's Ferry, where he remained until discharged. When Hunter made his raid Company L was under fire four days. Our subject was discharged at Harper's Ferry, June 6, 1865, and was mustered out about a month later. He returned to his home, where he remained until 1875, when he went to Wisconsin. After about two years he returned to his home, and from there went to Rock Falls, Illinois, where he was engaged in a creamery, working for one man three years. He went to Dakota in the spring of 1883, and filed claim on his present farm. He was in debt on his arrival there, but has prospered and now owns a well-improved farm, and is surrounded by more than usual comforts. His stock is of the best and he has a fine herd of Shorthorn and Durham cows, a striking contrast to the one calf which he possessed at the beginning of his farm career. He crops about one hundred to one hundred and fifty acres of land. Our subject was married in 1876 to Miss Altha Minnick. Mrs. Carley died in 1893, leaving a family of three children. Herbert W. is located at Hot Springs, South Dakota. Ethel M. is also located at the Springs. Silas L. assists his father on the home farm, and is his housekeeper. Mr. Carley is a justice of the peace, and wields an influence for reform. In political views he is a Populist prohibitionist, and favors equal suffrage.