Egbert H. Gardner 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 432-433

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

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EGBERT H. GARDNER, one of the most popular and influential citizens of 
Lincoln township, Clark county, his home being on section 26, and a 
leader of the Republican party in his locality, was born in Laurens, 
Otsego county, New York, September 7, 1839, and is a son of Mr. 
Gardner, a farmer and lumberman in that region. In 1850 the family 
removed to Pennsylvania, where the father erected a sawmill and engaged 
in the wholesale lumber business for eight years, and then returned to 
New York. 

Our subject, however, remained in Pennsylvania, where he worked in the 
lumber woods until the opening of the Civil war. Hardly had the echoes 
from Fort Sumters' guns died away when he joined the Union army, 
enlisting May 1, 1861. At Staten Island the regiment joined General 
Sickle's brigade, and after the battle of Williamsburg became known as 
the Seventy-first New York Volunteer Infantry. They remained on Staten 
Island until after the first battle of Bull Run, and then went to 
Washington, D. C., where they joined the Army of the Potomac and 
remained until after the battle of Ball's Bluff. They spent the winter 
at Sandy Point, Maryland, and in April, 1862, joined General McClellan 
at Cheeseman's Landing. They were in the Peninsular campaign and took 
part in the engagements at Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Savage 
Station, White Oak Swamp, Chapin's Farm, Charles City Cross Roads, 
Malvern Hill and Harrison's Landing. In August, 1862, they went to 
Alexandria, and on the 27th of that month participated in the first 
battle of Bristol Station, which was followed by the second battle of 
Bull Run, which lasted three days. On the 1st of September, at 
Centreville, our subject was one of the five men remaining in his 
company out of the one hundred and twenty-three that enlisted. From 
Chantilla the regiment returned to Alexandria, where they remained 
until the army again moved to Virginia, then took part in the first 
battle of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and after 
the last named engagement returned to Virginia in pursuit of Lee. In 
October, 1863, they were in the battles of Rappahannock Station and 
Locust Grove, and in November proceeded to the Rapidan. With his 
command Mr. Gardner participated in the battle of the Wilderness, in 
May, 1864, and later the engagements at Spottsylvania Court House, Cold 
Harbor and the first battle of Petersburg. After three long years of 
arduous and faithful service he was mustered out in New York city, 
August 3, 1864. 

Returning to Pennsylvania, Mr. Gardner continued to make his home there 
until 1880, being engaged in lumbering, the sawmill business and in 
running a large pumping station at Gilmore, Pennsylvania, for the 
United Pipe Line. With the view of becoming an "honest farmer" he 
started west and arrived in Tracy, Minnesota, October 14, 1880, on the 
day the big snow of that year began falling. He was forced to remain 
there during the winter and in the spring of 1881 crossed the state 
line to Brookings county, South Dakota, where he made his headquarters 
until 1886, being engaged in business as an engineer and engine expert. 
He then came to Clark county and is now known as the best engine expert 
in this section of the state. 

On the 2nd of January, 1874, Mr. Gardner was united in marriage with 
Miss Susie Seiberts, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, who died December 21, 
1878, leaving one child, now Mrs. Lucy Watt, of Blair county, 
Pennsylvania. He was again married, December 9, 1896, to Miss Lajune 
Curtice, a native of Monroe county, New York, who came with her father 
to Dakota in 1883, and they now have a little son, Major Carl. 

Mr. Gardner is one of the most prominent representatives of the 
Republican party in Clark county, and in July, 1896, represented the 
county as a delegate in the state convention. That year he was also 
offered the Republican nomination for state senator but declined the 
honor. He has been a stanch supporter of that party since casting his 
first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and is a strong 
advocate of prohibition and equal suffrage. He is a prominent member 
and past commander of the Grand Army Post at Clark, is the present 
colonel of the Union Veteran Union, and also belongs to the Masonic 
fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Brotherhood of 
Purpose. At one time he was a Master Workman, but has since dropped 
from that order. He is a patriotic and public-spirited citizen who 
takes a deep interest in the welfare of his adopted county and state 
and has ever been true and faithful to every trust reposed in him, so 
that the community is fortunate that numbers him among its residents.