Calvin M. Clark 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 296-297

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

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CALVIN M. CLARK, one of the most energetic and progressive farmers of 
Franklin township, Jerauld county, South Dakota, was born in 1853, in 
Pennsylvania, of which state his father was a native. His grandfathers, 
both paternal and maternal, were born in London, England. The great 
grandparents came to the new world prior to the Revolutionary war and 
settled in southeastern Pennsylvania, and all his ancestors engaged in 
farming down to the father of our subject, who was a miller, while the 
two grandfathers were distillers and farmers. At fifty years of age our 
subject's father, James, turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. 
When he was a boy he drove a team to Baltimore, Maryland, from 
Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. 

In early life, C. M. Clark attended the country schools, and' worked on 
the farm, and also in a spoke and later in a sash and door factory, 
where he worked nearly all the machinery. Subsequently he was employed 
in iron works and then learned house carpentering, which he followed in 
Indiana. Ohio, Illinois, and Virginia, going to the last named state in 
1872. In 1880, he married Miss Mary Houmes, a native of Wisconsin, 
whose parents were both born in Holland and were of Holland and French 
descent. They were married in New York and were farming people. Our 
subject and his wife now have three children: Edna D., Myrtle C. and 
Nelson M. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Clark appear in connection with 
this article. 

After his marriage, Mr. Clark engaged in farming and working at his 
trade in Illinois until the spring of 1884, when he came to Jerauld 
county, South Dakota, and bought the relinquishment of a tree claim of 
one hundred and sixty acres on section 3, Franklin township, on which 
he erected a shanty. He finally moved to section 32, where he proved up 
a pre-emption, which he sold later. Later he took up the southwest 
quarter of section 3 as a homestead, and has since bought another 
quarter section and now owns four hundred and eighty acres, of which 
one hundred and fifty acres are under a high state of cultivation and a 
half section fenced and improved with a good set of farm buildings, and 
a well of soft water with a windmill attached. A cyclone destroyed one 
of his outbuildings, injured others and served the windmill the same 
way. On locating here the country was pretty well settled, but the only 
homes were rude shanties and there were no roads. Mr. Clark brought 
with him a span of mules, a plow, one cow, two colts and one hog, and 
for two years he burned hay for fuel. He has seen some terrible 
blizzards, and has had his crops destroyed by hail and drought, one 
year raising little more than he sowed. At first he was engaged 
principally in the raising of grain, but now gives considerable 
attention to stock, making a specialty of short horn and Durham cattle. 
He has one of the best farms for stock-raising purposes in the eastern 
part of the county, and two hundred acres of it he leaves as pasture 
land. He has planted a few apple trees upon his place, and has thirteen 
acres in forest trees. In his political affiliations, Mr. Clark is an 
ardent Republican, and he has been honored with various offices during 
his entire residence in this state, having filled all of the township 
offices with the exception of clerk. He is now chairman of the town 
hoard.