Samuel M. Gilbert 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 880-883

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

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SAMUEL M. GILBERT, hardware merchant of Salem, McCook county, is a man 
whose life history is of interest, not so much from the fact that he 
has outdone his fellow business men in the upbuilding of the little 
city, although he is never backward in doing his part. Not from the 
fact that he has attained a high place in the political or social 
world; in fact he is one of those straightforward, pushing business men 
that can be found all over the state. It is his early life we wish 
particularly to mention, for he has risen to his present comfortable 
and useful position in life from the most adverse and discouraging 
circumstances. 

Mr. Gilbert was born of English parents in the city of Boston, November 
26, 1862, the second child in the order of birth of a family of six 
children born to John and Rebecca (Stephens) Gilbert. The mother died 
when our subject was a small boy, and as the father showed little 
inclination to care for the family, the boy became an inmate of the 
"Wanderers' Home," in Boston, where he remained for three years, and 
was one of a chorus of six children, four girls and two boys, engaged 
in giving public entertainments. In 1873 a place was procured for him 
with a farmer, near Mount Pleasant, Iowa; but this farmer proved to be 
one of that class of men, altogether too numerous, who have charity 
only for themselves, their translation of the adage being "Charity 
begins at home," and our subject was kept here simply for the work he 
could do, and was given no educational advantages, even in the winter. 
Consequently he did not stay long at this place, and, after working for 
several farmers, he started for Chicago, at the age of eighteen years, 
in search of his father. Failing to find him, he went to Michigan, but 
soon after he returned to Chicago and secured a position as bell boy in 
the "Sands House." Next he left that position and again went to 
Michigan and worked on a farm for two years. 

Next he returned to Iowa and found one of his brothers working for a 
farmer near Osceola, and secured a situation with the same man. After 
another trip to Michigan he apprenticed himself to a tinsmith and 
learned the trade by four years of work. Mr. Gilbert then went west, 
arriving in Salem, South Dakota, possessed of only one dollar, and at 
once hired to Mr. L. S. Tyler and worked for him seven years. He then 
invested in a stock of hardware and rented the building on the corner 
of Main street and Norton avenue, his present location. Mr. Gilbert has 
recently invented a gas generator and will manufacture same for sale. 
The patent on this invention is already applied for and many are 
already placed. Politically our subject is a Republican, a temperance 
advocate and a supporter of the policy of equal suffrage. He is 
chairman of the Republican central committee, city auditor, city 
assessor, and is the clerk of the school board. Socially he is 
identified with the K. O. T. M., the Masonic fraternity, the A. O. U. 
W., D. of H., W. A. and the K. of P. 

In 1886, Mr. Gilbert was united in marriage to Miss Nana E. Wilson, 
daughter of Hon. W. M. Wilson, of Iowa. She was born in Clark county, 
Iowa, July 15, 1867. To this union have been born three children, all 
of whom are living, and upon whom they have seen fit to bestow the 
names of Martha Burnice, Allison W. and Wendell McKinley. A portrait of 
Mr. Gilbert will be found on another page.