Peter Jarding 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 961-962

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

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PETER JARDING. This name will be readily recognized by the citizens of 
Alexandria and vicinity as one of that city's oldest and most popular 
general merchants. He has a well-established business and a fine stock 
of goods located on Main and Second streets of that city. 

Mr. Jarding is a native of Prussia, Germany, his natal day teeing 
December 7, 1834. His father, Theodore Jarding, died in America, but 
the mother, whose maiden name was Catherina Weber, died before the 
family left the Fatherland. Our subject came to this country soon after 
his eldest brother and landed October 3, 1854, in New York harbor. From 
there he went to Ohio, but in order to make this trip he was obliged to 
borrow six dollars, as his cash capital at that time was that much too 
small to purchase his ticket. In Ohio he set to work at the first thing 
that presented itself, and that chanced to be construction work on a 
railroad, and he was thus engaged during the first winter of his stay 
in Ohio. He then went to Galena, Illinois, and finally he reached 
Dubuque, Iowa, and was there employed as a farm laborer until 1859. 
During that year he purchased a quarter share of a sailing transport on 
the Mississippi river, and followed that line of work until 1882. When 
he severed his connection with the transportation company, Mr. Jarding 
came to Dakota in good circumstances, built his present store building 
with a residence on the second floor, and with Nick Greten for his 
partner he opened his present business. In 1887 he purchased his 
partner's share of the concern and has since been the sole proprietor 
of a thriving merchandise business. 

Mr. Jarding is a self made man. He landed in this country with 
practically nothing, as before stated, and has risen to his present 
position by dint of his own efforts. He is a man of excellent business 
capacities and has met with eminent success in every enterprise in 
which he has embarked. He is a man of strict integrity, careful and 
methodical in his business habits, and carries these characteristics 
into all the details of his life. At whatever lines of business he has 
been engaged he has made many friends by his push and energy. In 
politics he is a gold Democrat, and has been chosen by the citizens of 
his adopted city and township to perform the duties of several of the 
local offices, among them being that of alderman and a member of the 
school board, both of which offices he filled for many years. 

December 7, 1860, Mr. Jarding was united in marriage to Miss Megdalena 
Kinsinger, who is also a native of Germany, the date of her birth being 
1838. She came to America in 1853. To this congenial union have been 
born a family of eight children, five of whom are now living, and their 
names in the order of their birth are as follows: Nicholas went to 
California and for fourteen years has been unheard of, and is probably 
dead; Lena, deceased; Kate has taken a course in a Catholic 
denominational school at Dubuque, Iowa; Anna also received her 
education in Dubuque, Iowa; Ludwinne, wife of George Kass, of Iowa; 
Lucy, for several years a student of the Prairie du Chien Catholic 
Seminary; Barbara, deceased, and Mary, graduate of the commercial 
department of Highland Park, Des Moines, Iowa, is now her father's 
assistant in his business at Alexandria.