Joseph Hoy 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 991-992

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

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JOSEPH HOY, the efficient postmaster of J Winthrop, South Dakota, and 
an ex-soldier, is one of the prominent citizens of Beadle county, and 
is also engaged in farming in Lake Byron township, where he is held in 
the highest esteem by his fellows. He is a native of Fairfield county, 
Ohio, and was born in 1834. 

The grandfather of our subject on the paternal side was born in Union 
county, Pennsylvania, was a farmer by occupation, and one of the early 
settlers of Ohio. He was the father of four sons and four daughters, 
our subject's father, David Hoy, being the second child in the family. 
The grandfather on the maternal side, John Ritter, was the father of 
four sons and four daughters, Hannah, the mother of our subject, being 
the second daughter. Our subject's parents were born in Ohio, the 
father in 1808, and the mother in 1811. They were married in 1829 in 
their native state, and were the parents of ten children, our subject 
being the third in order of birth. 

Mr. Hoy was raised on a farm in his native county, where he received a 
common-school education, and at the age of twenty-one left the home 
farm and engaged as a farm laborer for several years. He enlisted in 
Company I, Sixty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, October 5, 1861, and 
started his service at Fort Donaldson. He was in the battle of 
Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth, Holly Springs, battles in and 
around Vicksburg, in the Atlanta campaign, with Sherman to the sea, and 
back to Washington to the Grand Review. He was mustered out at 
Louisville, Kentucky, in 1865. He entered the service as a private 
soldier, but rose to the rank of sergeant, and later to first 
lieutenant. 

At the close of the war he returned to Henry county, Ohio, and engaged 
in farming on his land, the farm comprising eighty acres of timber 
land. He located in Spink county, in 1882, on section 3, in Antelope 
township, and the following spring erected a 16x14 shanty, and removed 
his family to the new home. He had a team, wagon, two cows and 
household goods. The first year hay served as fuel, and a sod barn was 
built, and other improvements started. He removed to La Bru farm north 
of Doland in 1893, where he resided one year, and then settled on the 
southwest quarter of section 1, in Lake Byron township, Beadle county. 

At the age of twenty-three years our subject was married to Miss Sarah 
Amanda Hartman, a native of Pennsylvania. Her mother was a native of 
New York and her father was born in Pennsylvania in 1807. He was a 
hatter by trade, but followed school teaching the greater part of his 
life, and during his declining years resided on a farm. Mrs. Hoy has 
seven brothers and two sisters. 

Mr. Hoy served as assessor in Antelope township for five years, and in 
1898 was elected assessor of Lake Byron township. He takes an active 
part in educational matters and is chairman of the school board. In 
political faith he is an independent.