Reuben J. Eastman 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 374-375

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

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REUBEN J. EASTMAN, an honored pioneer settler of Alpena township, 
Jerauld county, South Dakota, and one of the brave boys in blue during 
the Civil war, was born in Madock, Canada, in 1845. His mother was born 
in the same country. but her father was a native of New York and her 
mother of Ireland, while the father of our subject, was born in New 
York, and his parents were natives of Vermont. The father was engaged 
in merchandising in Canada during the early life of our subject, but 
when the latter was a lad of eight years the family removed to a farm 
in New York state. After spending three years there, they went to 
Illinois, which was their home for seven years. 

While in Illinois, our subject enlisted in the fall of 1861, at the age 
of eighteen years, in Company K, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry, and joined his regiment in Kentucky. His first real battle 
was the second day of the engagement at Pittsburg Landing, which was 
followed by the battles of Corinth, Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. Late 
in the fall of 1863, he re-enlisted, and subsequently was with Sherman 
on his march to the sea and up through the Carolinas to Washington, D. 
C., where he took part in the grand review. He was appointed color 
bearer at Jonesboro, N. C., in which engagement the flag staff was shot 
off and thirteen bullet holes made in the flag, while our subject's 
clothes were pierced in many places. At one time his pocket-book was 
hit by a ball, which fortunately glanced, so that he was not injured. 

During his absence the family had removed to Iowa, and Mr. Eastman 
joined them there at the close of the war, arid engaged in farming in 
that state upon rented land for some time. In 1866 he married Miss 
Elizabeth Foss, who was born in Wisconsin and reared on her father's 
farm. They now have eight children and about the same number of 
grandchildren. 

Mr. Eastman engaged in farming in Tama county, Iowa, for fifteen years. 
His first purchase consisted of a forty-acre tract of prairie land, to 
which he added until he had two hundred acres with a small creek 
running through it. He raised plenty of small fruit, besides other farm 
products. On selling his place in 1882, he came to Jerauld county, 
South Dakota, and located on the southwest quarter of section 35, 
Alpena township, there being at that time no buildings of any kind 
within ten miles of the place; there were also no roads and lumber had 
to be hauled from Letcher. Our subject and Mr. McRoberts made the first 
road from this section of the country to that place, marking it off 
with laths, and it was used for many years. 

The fall of his arrival Mr. Eastman erected his present residence and 
also built a shed. One of the largest prairie fires in the history of 
the country occurred in the spring of 1 888, destroying for our subject 
sheds, barns, machinery, four sets of harness, one horse, hogs and 
sixty tons of hay; and in a blizzard that occurred the same year he 
lost a few head of cattle. The first year spent in this state he burned 
hay for fuel. At one time he sent his son to Mitchell to buy coal, but 
he could only secure five hundred pounds, and for this he paid thirteen 
dollars. While away a storm came up and the boy was obliged to stay in 
Mitchell three days. Mr. Eastman is now the owner of five hundred and 
sixty acres, a part of which is fenced, and two hundred acres are under 
a high state of cultivation, while one hundred and twenty acres are 
used as pasture. There is a good well of water on the place, with a 
windmill attached, and a fine set of farm buildings. Our subject 
follows general farming and stock raising, and has a pure-blooded 
Hereford bull, forty head of cattle, and a drove of thoroughbred Jersey 
red hogs. He is also interested in the Alpena creamery and is a 
stockholder in the Farmers' elevator at Alpena. 

Mr. Eastman has borne an active and prominent part in the upbuilding 
and development of the county, and assisted in its organization. He was 
elected county co~nmissioner in 1887 and served in that office for 
three years, and was the first school clerk in Alpena township, which 
position he filled for seven years. Politically he is a Republican, and 
socially is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.