Charles J. Ohlson 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 754-757 Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm CHARLES J. OHLSON. Among the sturdy and stalwart citizens of Sanborn county, whose place of birth was in far-away Sweden, and who, with industry and thrift so natural to the people of their native land, are rapidly progressing toward that financial condition so much coveted by all, is the subject of this personal history, who is now successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising on the southeast quarter of section 18, Union township. Mr. Ohlson was born in 1845, in Sweden, where his parents spent their entire lives as farming people, and is the second in order of birth in a family of six children. His mother died when he was only eleven years old and he then left the home farm, starting out to make his own way in the world. Previous to this time he had received only a limited education. He worked in a blacksmith shop for a time, did chores or anything he could find to do. At the age of twenty-two, Mr. Ohlson came to America, and on landing at New York proceeded at once to Wisconsin, where he worked in the lumber woods and and in sawmills for two years. In the spring of 1870 he came to Yankton, South Dakota, which place at that time was a mere hamlet, and Third street, which is now the main business street in the city, contained but a few log houses. He took up government land near Yankton, but did not farm it to any extent, spending most of his time in freighting, railroading, surveying, etc. Shortly after his arrival there he made a trip to the Black Hills, where he worked in a planing mill for a time. In 1880 he was with a surveying party that went from Hand county up almost to the Canadian line and as far west as Standing Rock Agency. Between 1870 and 1880 he traveled all over the state. At that time deer elk, antelope, a few buffaloes, and all kinds of wild fowls were to be found. In 1883 he went to the Red river valley in North Dakota, and as fore~nan on the Grandin, operated three thousand acres of cultivated land for seven years. During this time Mr. Ohlson was married, in 1884, to Miss Martina Melting, a native of Norway, whose parents are still engaged in farming in that country. To them have been born six children, who are still living, namely: John Edward, Mary F., Clara M., Carl F., Minnie A. and William Jennings Bryan. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Ohlson will be found on another page. In 1887, Mr. Ohlson bought the southeast quarter of section 18, Union township, Sanborn county, where he has a fine farm pleasantly situated on the west bank of the James river, and to its cultivation and improvement he has since devoted his energies. He now owns four hundred acres of land, of which two hundred acres are in pasturage and one hundred and twenty acres under cultivation. There is a well upon the place, one hundred feet deep, with a two-inch pipe, and it has been flowing for six years; a good barn, 54 x 26 feet; a complete set of farm buildings; and all of the machinery and accessories found upon a model farm of the present time. Although four times his crops here have been destroyed by drought, twice by floods and two or three times by hail, he has steadily prospered, and in 1891 raised about forty bushels of wheat per acre. During his early residence here he gave most of his attention to the raising of grain, but at present also devotes considerable attention to stock raising, making a specialty of hogs and Durham cattle. In religious faith Mr. Ohlson is a Free Thinker, and in political sentiment is a Populist, taking quite an active and influential part in local affairs. He is very progressive, enterprising and public spirited and gives his support to all objects which he believes calculated to advance the general welfare.