Michael Meier 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 596-599

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

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MICHAEL MEIER, a well-to-do and successful agriculturist residing on 
section 7, Butler township, Sanborn county, South Dakota, is a native 
of Germany, his birth occurring in the Rhine Province, in 1861. His 
father, who was a farmer by occupation, spent his entire life in that 
country, but since his death the mother has come to America and now 
makes her home with our subject. The great-grandfather was a well known 
architect of Germany. 

Reared upon the home farm, our subject was educated in the elementary 
schools of that locality, which he attended until fourteen years of age 
and then assisted his father in the operation of his land until he 
attained man's estate. At the age of twenty he came to America to avoid 
entering the German army, and on landing at Philadelphia proceeded at 
once to Harper, Iowa, where he worked at farming for a year during 
which time he attended the public schools. During the following three 
years he was similarly employed in Illinois, and in 1885 came to 
Sanborn county, South Dakota, where he purchased a tree claim on the 
southwest quarter of section 5, Butler township. 

On the last day of the year 1885, Mr. Meier was united in marriage with 
Miss Magdalena Lemminger, also a native of Germany, who came to this 
country with her parents when a child of six years. She was reared on a 
farm in Iowa and in 1880 accompanied her parents on their removal to 
Sanborn county, South Dakota, where she took up a quarter-section of 
land that now forms a part of the farm which her husband operates. 
Their first home here was a little frame house, and with the little 
money he had managed to save from his wages as a farm hand, he 
commenced life here in earnest as an agriculturist. His stock consisted 
of a cow and one hog, which he obtained from his father-in-law, and his 
first team was a yoke of oxen, which he used in cultivating his land 
for seven years. The first year spent here he broke one hundred and ten 
acres and raised a crop of wheat and oats which averaged twenty-four 
bushels per acre. From 1885 until 1888 he erected a good residence, 
barn, hog pens, chicken house, etc., but in the fall of that latter 
year while threshing, the steam thresher set fire to his premises and 
all the buildings with the exception of the house were burned, also 
three hundred chickens, seventy-five tons of hay, eighteen hundred 
bushels of grain, machinery, etc. \11 of the buildings he has since 
replaced by better structures, has enlarged his residence and made many 
other improvements upon the place. The farm, which consists of three 
hundred and twenty acres, is all fenced; two hundred and seventy-five 
acres are under cultivation; and besides one hundred apple trees, a 
part of which are now bearing, he has all kinds of small fruit upon the 
place, and sixteen acres in forest trees. There is. a soft water well 
with a windmill attached. Mr. Meier engages principally in the raising 
of grain, but for the past four years the hail has injured his crops 
very materially. The stock raising industry also claims a part of his 
time, and he now keeps fifty-seven head of cattle. He is also 
interested in the Letcher Creamery, of which he is one of the 
directors. 

In his political affiliations, Mr. Meier is a Republican and on his 
party ticket was elected county commissioner in the fifth district of 
Sanborn county in 1898, and is an incumbent of that office at the 
present time. He has always taken an active part in the educational 
affairs of his township, and is a warm friend of our public school 
system, and has served two terms as clerk of the school board. Mr. and 
Mrs. Meier have a family of six children, named as follows: Leona, 
Emma, Henry, Emil, Walter and Gertrude. On another page of this volume 
will be found portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Meier.