I. Allen Cornwall 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 490

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

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I. ALLEN CORNWALL. The subject of this biography, one of the honored 
sons of New York and a prominent citizen of Faulkton, is preeminently a 
self-made man. Through his own unaided efforts he has worked his way 
steadily upward until he has become one of the most substantial and 
prosperous men of his adopted county. In business affairs he is 
energetic, progressive and reliable, and carries forward to successful 
completion whatever he undertakes.  

Mr. Cornwall was born in Arcade, New York, March 18, 1853, and is a son 
of John Cornwall, who was born and reared in England, and served for 
some time as a marine in the British navy. About 1830 he came to this 
country and here devoted his time and attention to farming. In 1834 he 
married Miss Viletta Seaman, a native of eastern New York and a 
daughter of Peter Seaman, a full-blooded Yankee and a farmer by 
occupation, who spent his last days in Canada. Our subject is the 
youngest in a family of six children. He had two brothers who died in 
the service of their country during the Civil war.  

In his native place I. Allen Cornwall grew to manhood and completed his 
literary education in the Arcade Academy. From 1876 until 1879 he 
devoted his attention to the study of law, and then conducted the 
"Arcade Leader " of Arcade until the spring of 1883, when he came to 
Faulk county, South Dakota, with three companions. He located on land 
three miles from the town LaFoon, and in a shanty 10 x 12 feet, which 
he erected upon his place, he lived alone for two years, hauling his 
supplies from Redfield, a distance of thirty-two miles.  

On the 27th of September, 1885, Mr. Cornwall was united in marriage 
with Miss Katie M. Derr, a native of Olin, Jones county, Iowa, and a 
daughter of C. H. Derr, an old settler of this state, and who served 
for twelve years as county judge of Faulk county. Six children grace 
this union: Gertie, Francis, Mary, John, Essie and Inez.  

Mr. Cornwall continued to reside upon his farm until the fall of 1886, 
when he was elected register of deeds for Faulk county on the People's 
ticket and removed to Faulkton to assume the duties of the office. 
While filling that position he became interested in the real estate 
business in Faulkton in partnership with P. H. Wilson and in 1888 also 
started the Faulk County Abstract Company. He and his wife now 
practically do all the business in that line and they own fifteen or 
twenty farms in the county, which they manage with good success. On the 
night before the general election in 1 886 they lost their barn and 
farm machinery by fire, and two years later, Joust before the election, 
had a house, barn and two hundred bushels of grain destroyed in the 
same way, but fortunately insurance covered both fires and their loss 
was small.  

As a Democrat, Mr. Cornwall takes an active interest in political 
affairs, and as a public-spirited and enterprising citizen he is always 
willing to aid every movement for the public good. He is a Royal Arch 
Mason, and has served as master of the blue lodge four terms and as 
high priest of the chapter.