Elias T. Christianson 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 988-991

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

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ELIAS T. CHRISTIANSON, whose success as an agriculturist gives him 
ample reason to have unlimited faith in the state of South Dakota, is 
one of the wide awake citizens of Northville township in Spink county. 
He is one of the early settlers of that region, and the struggles 
through which he passed in gaining a home in a new country made many 
another early settler give up in despair, but his determination and the 
intelligent use of forces at his command surmounted the difficulties 
and he is now one of the substantial members of the community. His fine 
estate has al] the adjuncts of a model rural home and he is enjoying 
life amid more than usual comforts. 

Mr. Christianson. was born in the township of Deerfield, Dane county, 
Wisconsin, May 23, 1857, and was the sixth in a family of seven 
children. His father was a pioneer of Wisconsin, having come direct to 
that section from Norway in the early '30s. Here the father remained 
until 1888, when he moved to Bode, Humboldt county, Iowa, where he now 
resides retired from farm life. He and two of his older sons served 
throughout the Civil war in the Wisconsin volunteer infantry, and were 
in all the battles around Chattanooga, the Vicksburg campaign, Fort 
Donelson, Memphis and the Mississippi River campaign. 

Our subject farmed with his father-in Wisconsin till he reached his 
majority, attending the public school until sixteen years of age and at 
the age of eighteen taking one term in the high school. He started for 
himself in renting land and raising tobacco, which he continued for 
about three years. He went to Dakota in the fall of 1881 and filed on 
his homestead claim on the northeast quarter of section 29, in 
Northville township. He returned on foot to Watertown, via Milbank, and 
then went to his home in Wisconsin to care for his crop of tobacco. He 
went- to his Dakota farm in the spring of 1 8S2 and broke twenty-one 
acres of prairie, which he seeded to sod corn. He now farms six hundred 
and forty acres of land, about four hundred and fifty acres to wheat 
and one hundred to other grains and has about ninety acres of pasture. 
He winters about twenty head of cattle and twelve head of horses. His 
residence is a commodious structure of modern erection and is 28 x 28 
feet, with eighteen-foot posts, and a kitchen, 14x 16 feet, with ten-
foot posts. His barn is 48 x 48 feet, with twentyfoot posts, and is 
thirty-five feet from ground to top of gable. The other outbuildings 
are in keeping with the place and altogether present a fine appearance. 

Our subject was married in 1882 to Miss Annie J. Fadness, of Cam 
bridge, Dane county, Wisconsin. Three children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Christainson, as follows: Bessie Alma, Tillie Josephine and 
Ora Christine. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Christianson appear on another 
page. Our subject is a man of strong convictions and is well versed on 
the topics under daily discussion. As a member of the Republican party 
he has voted that ticket, with the exception of one election, when he 
cast his vote for a neighbor, Judge Howe, Populist candidate for 
governor. Mr. Christianson believes in the government control of the 
liquor question. He is a man of earnest, practical nature and 
contentment reigns in his life. As a public-spirited citizen the people 
of Spink county may well accord him a high place.