John H. Haigh 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 470

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

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JOHN H. HAIGH, a thorough and systematic farmer residing on section 25, 
Cavour township, Beadle county, South Dakota, was born in Manchester, 
England, April 5, 1846, and is the second child of William C. and Mary 
(Spate) Haigh, who left England when our subject was in his tenth year 
and took up their residence in Aurora, Illinois, where the father 
engaged in business as a merchant tailor. When our subject was in his 
twenty-first year, he accompanied the family on their removal to 
Blackberry, Kane county, Illinois, where the father turned his 
attention to agricultural pursuits. 

The following year John H. Haigh began life for himself, and meeting 
with fair success he was soon able to purchase a farm in Ludlow 
township, Champaign county, Illinois. His health failing, he decided to 
come to Dakota, and on the 1st of February, 1882, filed a claim on the 
northeast quarter of section 25, Cavour township, Beadle county. He 
spent the first year here-in erecting buildings and breaking sod, and 
did not move his family until the next year. While he has not become 
wealthy, he has been fairly successful and feels amply repaid as his 
health has been restored. In connection with his farming interests, he 
is at present serving as president of the creamery company of Cavour 
and keeps quite a number of cows for creamery purposes. 

On the 22nd of May, 1868, Mr. Haigh was united in marriage with Miss 
Jane Mathews, a daughter of Charles and Mary Mathews, but he has been 
called upon to mourn the loss of his estimable wife, who died March 29, 
1893. Four children were born of this union, namely: Eliza A.,.wife of 
Herbert Fisher, a resident of Minnesota; Rachel, wife of E. W. Hubbard, 
of La Grange, Ohio; Mary J., wife of Edward Duesler, a carpenter, who 
now resides with our subject, and whose child is the pet of his 
grandfather; and William J. C., a young man, who assists his father in 
the operation of the home farm. 

A life-long Republican, Mr. Haigh has been more or less connected with 
the affairs of his township and county, holding the office of township 
treasurer continuously for twelve years. He is now the efficient 
chairman of the board of supervisors of his township, and is also a 
member of the central committee of his party. Fraternally he belongs to 
the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Patriotic Order Sons of 
America. Religiously he was formerly a member of the Episcopal church, 
but as there is no organization of that body near his home, he has 
taken fellowship in the Methodist Episcopal church, and is one of its 
active workers. Upright and honorable in all things, his career has 
ever been such as to command the respect and confidence of all with 
whom he comes in contact either in business or social life.