Milton A. Heath 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 847-848

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

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MILTON A. HEATH, an ex-soldier and prominent real estate and insurance 
dealer of Groton, Brown county, has been a resident of that vicinity 
for nearly twenty years, and enjoys a prosperous business and a good 
reputation. He was born in Tyringham, Massachusetts, July 16, 1841, in 
the same house in which his father, Linus Heath, and his grandfather, 
William Heath, who was a general in the Revolutionary war, were born. 
His great-grandparents were natives of England and came to America 
about 1680; the grandfather, William Heath, was a farmer by occupation, 
and died in the place where he was born. The grandmother Heath was a 
native of Scotland. 

Our subject accompanied his parents to Ohio when he was but thirteen 
years of age, and attended school at Hiram College in Ohio, from which 
he graduated. His parents in the meantime had moved to Ionia county, 
Michigan, where the father engaged in farming. After teaching school 
one winter our subject enlisted January 3, 1863, as a fifer, and was 
assigned to Company A, Twenty-seventh Michigan. He was soon promoted to 
principal musician, and served until the close of the war. His first 
battle was at Murfreesboro, and then followed Chattanooga, Lookout 
Mountain, Missionary Ridge, siege of Knoxville, Strawberry Plains, 
Mauser Creek. In 1864 he marched over the Cumberland Mountains and was 
in the Wilderness campaign, Cold Harbor, and was engaged in all the 
battles in this campaign up to the battle in front of Petersburg, in 
the mine explosion, at Yellow House, Rings Station and the siege of 
Petersburg. He was slightly wounded three times during the service and 
was discharged August 7, 1865. 

After his return from the war our subject engaged in teaching in 
Michigan, devoting himself to the work during twenty terms, and working 
at carpenter work during the summer months, and was superintendent of 
schools in Ionia county one term. In the fall of 1881 he went to Brown 
county, South Dakota, and located on a farm ten miles from Groton. He 
erected a good residence and he and family resided there for a year and 
a half, and our subject was engaged in contracting and building, and 
did not cultivate his farm. Fully two-thirds of the buildings in the 
town, aside from the elevators, are his handiwork. He moved to Groton 
in 1883, and in 1891 was elected register of deeds in Brown county on 
the independent ticket and moved his family to Aberdeen, where he 
resided two and a half years, when he returned to Groton in 1893 and 
opened his present real estate and insurance business. He possesses 
city property in Groton, and has farming interests in the vicinity. 

Our subject was marred January 26, 1861, to Rachel E. Minor, a native 
of Clinton county, Michigan, of American parentage. Mrs. Heath's 
father, Warren Minor, was a farmer by occupation. Three children have 
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Heath, the first two being twins who died in 
infancy, and the third child, a son, Roy E., who has reached his 
majority and is printer by trade. 

Mr. Heath was elected police justice in the spring of 1894, which 
office he has since held. He does not identify himself with any 
political party, and does not take an active interest in political 
movements, lending his influence in the direction which he considers 
advisable for the good of his community. He is a prominent member of 
the Masonic fraternity, Ancient Order of United Workmen, the G. A. R. 
and the three lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In the 
last named he is specially prominent, serving as grand patriarch of 
South Dakota, and was elected grand representative to the Sovereign 
Grand Lodge for two years. He is a gentleman who is thoroughly posted 
on the needs of his community, and lends his influence in the right 
direction. He is progressive, intelligent, and one of the prosperous 
and influential men of his county.