J. J. Christopher 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 948-949

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

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J. J. CHRISTOPHER. Sanborn county has many well-to-do and successful 
farmers who nave accumulated what they have of this world's goods 
through individual effort. Among this class the name of the subject of 
this notice is entitled to a place. He is residing in Elliott township, 
where he is industriously engaged in the prosecution of his noble 
calling and is meeting with good success. 

Mr. Christopher was born in Ogle county, Illinois, in 1861, a son of 
John and Ida Christopher, who were born in Norway and came to the 
United States in 1855. During his childhood they removed to Lee county, 
Illinois, where he was reared upon a farm and attended the country 
schools until fourteen years of age. He and his brother then helped 
their father run a corn shelling machine, and at the age of sixteen he 
became part owner of a horse-power thresher, since which time he has 
engaged in threshing almost every fall. He has made considerable money 
in that way, but, like most young men, he used to spend most of it in 
having a good time in the city and elsewhere. 

Mr. Christopher came to Sanborn county, South Dakota, in 1883, where 
his parents had located the year previous, and he had friends file a 
tree claim and hold the same for him until he attained his majority. 
This was the southwest quarter of section 23, Elliott township, and he 
also took the northeast quarter of section 26, the same township, as a 
pre-emption, on which he constructed a sod house, 8 x 12 feet. Besides 
assisting his father upon the home farm, he also broke land for other 
parties, and in this way he earned his own livelihood and also saved 
enough on which to get married in 1889. He wedded Miss Catherine 
Hiljeson, a native of Norway, who came to America in 1887, and to them 
have been born five children, three of whom are still living, namely: 
Millard J., Ida Margrethe and Harry I. 

The year of his marriage, Mr. Christopher changed his pre-emption to a 
homestead, put two claim shanties together and built a small barn, but 
was without a granary for three years, used hay for fuel, and hauled 
all water used on the farm one mile. On coming to this state he had 
only two horses and at the time of his marriage his stock consisted of 
three horses, a colt, two cows and a heifer. He now has a herd of 
thirty-five cattle, all the offspring of the two cows and heifer. In 
1890 his crops amounted to only two hundred bushels, which just paid 
his grocery bill and left him one hundred dollars in debt, but by hard 
work and careful management he has prospered and now owes no man a 
cent. Besides he has a good house, granary, cattle shed and corn cribs 
upon his place, a well of soft water with a wind mill, and three 
hundred and twenty acres of good land. 

He has traded back and forth until he is now the owner of a steam 
thresher almost as good as new, which has an eighteen horsepower boiler 
and a sixteen horsepower engine. He has booked for threshing one 
thousand and six hundred dollars. 

In political sentiment Mr. Christopher is a Populist, and was a 
delegate to the first convention of his party held in South Dakota. He 
has held the office of township clerk for six years, and in 1894 was 
elected county commissioner, in which position he so acceptably served 
that he was re-elected in 1898 and is the present incumbent. His public 
service has been most exemplary, and his private life has been marked 
by the utmost fidelity to duty. Those who know him best are numbered 
among his warmest friends, and no citizen of his community is more 
honored or highly respected.