George A. Poe 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 500-501

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

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GEORGE A. POE, one of the most extensive real- estate dealers of the 
northwest, and who also has an interest in the Bank of Hitchcock, 
Beadle county, is a native of Woodford county, Kentucky, and was born 
November 21. 1858. His earliest paternal ancestor in America was Edgar 
Poe, who settled in New Jersey, in an early day, and the great-
grandfather of our subject was in the Revolutionary war. His maternal 
ancestors coming to America on the Mayflower, ante-date the paternal 
side of the family. Our subject was the eldest of a family of seven 
children born to James W. and Maria (Betts) Poe. His father was a 
Northern Democrat, and during the Civil war was overseer on a large 
Kentucky plantation, and his sympathies were with the slaves, and he 
was in a position to help them in many ways.  

After completing a course in Aspen Acaderny, at the age of sixteen 
years, our subject was made second foreman on the same plantation with 
his father. At the end of two years he displayed much skill in the 
handling of horses, and was given charge of the horse department of the 
plantation, and for six years handled trotting horses, training for 
speed, for driving and for saddling. Our subject went to Dakota in 1884 
and purchased land near Hitchcock, and opened up a four-hundred-acre 
wheat farm, which he operated for four years, and was then employed as 
collector for the Hitchcock Banking Company. In 1890 he was employed as 
examiner for the Western Loan and Trust Company, and afterward bought 
wheat for about three years. In 1893, in partnership with E. Wilson, he 
purchased the business of the South Dakota Land Company, and three 
years later, in 1896, they together purchased the Bank of Hitchcock. 
Both of their extensive businesses are conducted in one building, Mr. 
Wilson attending to the banking, and Mr. Poe to the real-estate 
interests. They have about one hundred and ninety-two thousand acres of 
land under their supervision, and are one of the foremost real estate 
companies of the state. They handle lands in the counties of Beadle, 
Spink, Hand, Hyde, Potter, Faulk, Brown, Clark, Codington, Sanborn and 
Jerauld. The sales of 1898 were encouraging, and the prospects are 
bright for the present year.  

Our subject was married in 1884, to Miss Ella Bootze, who is of German 
descent, and was born in Kentucky, March 17, 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Poe 
have been born four sons and one daughter, who bear the following 
names: George Everard, Lillian A., Frank, Howard A. and Clare A. Mr. 
Poe is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is prominent in the 
fraternal world, holding membership in the Modern Woodmen of America, 
the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. He is especially active in the work of the latter society. His 
interests are with the community and he is the present mayor of the 
city of Hitchcock, and is ably conducting the affairs entrusted to him. 
In political views he is a Democrat, prohibitionist, and favors equal 
suffrage. Mr. Poe takes great interest in the raising of fine horses, 
and is considered one of the best judges of horse flesh in the state. 
He is the owner of four fine stallions, two Hambletonians, known as 
Intramp and Colby T., and his English shire, Gentleman Thatcher, is one 
of the finest animals in the state.