August Erdmann 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 942-943

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

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AUGUST ERDMANN, who has devoted his life to the pursuit of agriculture, 
is the proprietor of one of the finest farms of Brown county. He makes 
his home on section 35, in Garden Prairie township, and is engaged in 
general farming. 

Our subject was born in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, November 5, 
1836, on a farm, and was the son of Michael and Louisa (Swartz) 
Erdmann, both natives of Germany. His father was a farmer in his native 
land and came to America with his family in 1854, and settled in Dodge 
county, Wisconsin, on a farm, where he resided until his death, 
September 14, 1890. The family were farmers back as far as 1750, and 
are descended from one Erdmann who was the sole survivor of a large 
family of that name, from the epidemic which visited Germany in 1750. 
The mother of our subject died in Dodge county, Wisconsin, January 17, 
1883. 

Of a family of five children our subject was the oldest, and was reared 
on a farm in his native land. He came to America in 1854, with his 
parents, and two years later left home and worked for himself at farm 
work. He rented land in Wisconsin, and was engaged in farming in that 
state thirty two years, during which he spent some little time at 
business other than the work on his farm. Before leaving that location 
he was the possessor of eighty acres of land, which he secured while it 
was wild timber land, and he cleared the entire tract for cultivation. 
He made of it a model farm, and had a residence erected at a cost of 
fifteen hundred dollars, and a barn 64 x 32 feet, with a stone 
foundation, and his farm was one of the best in the locality. He 
disposed of his interests in Wisconsin and arrived in Dakota April 1, 
1886, and located on the southwest quarter of section 35, township 121, 
range 61, and erected a good blockhouse, 16 x 25 feet, with a wing 14 x 
22 feet, and a kitchen 10 x 25 feet. His granary, built in 1898, is 16 
x 30 feet, fourteen feet high, with two sheds, 14 x 30 feet each, and 
he has a commodious barn, 28 x 72 feet. He has added to his possessions 
and is now the owner of eight hundred acres of land, all under 
cultivation, with the exception of seventy acres reserved for pasture. 
He has the latest machinery in use, and he and his sons, under the firm 
name of Erdmann & Sons, have been engaged in the threshing business 
each season since 1886. They purchased a new threshing rig, twenty-two-
horse-power engine, with a double cylinder, in 1898, and a Niagara 
separator, forty-inch cylinder, sixty four inches in the rear, and are 
extensively engaged in that line of work. Mr. Erdmann has on his farm a 
feed mill 16x70 feet in size, including mill and engine house. 

Our subject was married in 1856 to Miss Wilhelmina Zahn, a native of 
Prussia, Germany, who was born May 4, 1836. Mr. and Mrs. Erdmann are 
the parents of thirteen children, as follows: Augusta, now married to a 
prominent farmer of South Dakota; William, farming in South Dakota; 
Albert and Ferdinand, twins, the former a blacksmith and the latter 
engaged in farming in South Dakota; August R., Amelia, Henry, farming 
in Dakota; Charlie, also a farmer of Dakota; Frederick, a blacksmith by 
trade; Paul died in 1873; Amel, Magdalene and Martha. The family are 
members of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and Mr. Erdmann is 
prominent in public affairs. He has served as chairman of the township 
board and the school board, and while residing in Wisconsin held 
numerous township offices, serving as chairman of the town board. He is 
politically a Democrat.