Henry A. Obermeier 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 531-532

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

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HENRY A. OBERMEIER. Among the foreign born residents of Clark county 
who are thoroughly identified with American civilization and progress 
may be noted this gentleman. He is one of the sons of the German 
empire, whose love of liberty prompted him to seek a home in the New 
World, and since becoming a resident of our country has gained for 
himself a worldly competence and an excellent reputation. He is 
proprietor of a farm consisting of six hundred and forty acres, and is 
one of the substantial men of Spring Valley township, where his home is 
located on section 20. 

Mr. Obermeier was born in Lippe Detwold, Germany, October 25, 1857, and 
was the oldest of a family of three living children born to Bernhardt 
and Karolina (Reuter) Obermeier, both of whom are deceased. Leaving 
school when fourteen years of age, he learned the trade of brick 
making, which he followed during the summer months and in the winter 
season was engaged at weaving linen. For political reasons, to avoid 
the oppression of the rulers of his native land, he came to America 
when twenty three years of age, and went to Galveston, Texas, where he 
worked with the construction men on the Sunset route and the 
International & Great Northern. In quest of a more settled region, he 
went north and located in Winona county, Minnesota, working in the 
stone quarries and later in the woods. The Dakota lands were fast 
settling up, and having the country represented to him as a good chance 
to get a comfortable home, he went to the land of promise in 1883, 
stopping first in McCook county. He had a good team and about six 
hundred dollars in cash, and he began work for the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroad Company. The following summer he went to Clark 
county and took land, erected a twelve by fourteen sod shanty, and for 
eight years he and his brother lived a bachelor's life. During that 
time he had made but little, but in 1892 his crops were fine and his 
success was assured. He began sheep raising in 1889, and now has a 
flock of about two hundred. 

Mr. Obermeier was married in 1891 to Miss Annie Sauer, a native of 
Germany. Four children have been born to them, named as follows: Henry, 
Pauline, Louise and Rose. Mr. Obermeier takes an active interest in 
matters of local import, and is chairman of the township board and 
treasurer of the school board. He is non-partisan in politics, but 
favors the Populist principles, is an advocate of high license, and 
opposes equal suffrage. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America 
and a communicant of the German Lutheran church. He is a man hardy and 
courageous, and no danger ever appalled or labor tired him. He is true 
to his convictions, and his career has been that of an honorable, 
upright man, and he is widely and favorably known and respected by all 
who have the pleasure of his acquaintance. He has been ably assisted in 
his work by his estimable wife, and much credit is due Mrs. Obermeier 
for the share she has taken in the accumulation of their possessions.