C. G. 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 340-341

	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


C. G. CHRISTOPHER, an energetic and progressive agriculturist residing 
on the northwest quarter of section 26, Elliot township, Sanborn 
county, South Dakota, was born in Lee county, Illinois, in 1858, and 
attended the country schools near his boyhood home until sixteen years 
of age. He worked in common with his father and brother until thirty-
two years of age, when the property was divided. He also owned an 
interest in a threshing machine which he operated in Illinois for nine 
years. 

At the age of twenty-four, Mr. Christopher was united in marriage with 
Miss Ella Thorsen, a native of Norway, who came to America when ten 
years old, and they have become the parents of five children, namely: 
Annie, now sixteen years of age; Gayhart, thirteen; Sarah, eleven; 
Elmer, six; and Hattie, three. 

In the spring of 1883 Mr. Christopher came to Sanborn county, South 
Dakota, and took up the southeast quarter of section 22, Elliot 
township, upon which he built a claim shanty of boards and sod, 12 x 16 
feet, and also a rude barn to shelter his one team, a colt and a cow, 
which comprised his stock. Here he began life in true pioneer style, 
and in those early days, in order to help support his family, he broke 
land for other parties, and helped his brother operate a threshing 
machine for six or seven years. In 1889 he removed to the farm on 
section 26, Elliot township, where he now lives, it having come into 
possession of his wife from her father, but not until they had 
experienced some pretty hard times, when hay was the only fuel they had 
and they seemed to live principally upon South Dakota wind and snow. In 
1889 Mr. Christopher was severely injured while hauling a load of 
lumber with a lively team, being thrown off the load and one of the 
hind wheels running over his ankle. This disabled him for a long time, 
and he still carries the marks of the accident. Just as he was 
recovering his wife was taken ill and was scarcely able to do any 
housework for three years. These misfortunes, together with a few crop 
failures, made it very difficult for them to get along. For the past 
two years, however; his affairs have been in such a shape that a 
failure of crops would not effect him materially, and the prosperity 
that has come to him is due to his enterprise, industry and good 
management. He now has three hundred and twenty acres of land, some of 
which is under cultivation, and he operates this, together with rented 
land amounting to three hundred acres. His farm is well stocked with 
thirty head of good cattle, a few sheep, and horses which he has for 
sale. In his political views he is a Populist.