Rev. David M. Powell 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 308-309

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

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REV. DAVID M. POWELL. Among the prominent men now making their home in 
Davison county who have won an honorable name, none is better deserving 
of representation in a volume of this nature than Rev. David M. Powell, 
whose portrait is presented on another page of this volume. He is one 
of the leading agriculturists of Blendon township, but yet has found 
time to devote to the interests of the community in which he lives, and 
also of the state. There are few more energetic or wide-awake men in 
this section of the state than this gentleman, and he is deservedly 
held in high esteem and respect by his fellow men. 

Our subject is of Welsh-English descent and his ancestors were early 
settlers in Connecticut. Early in the history of this country the 
family moved to New York state, and in Roxbury, of that state, our 
subject was born. His father, R. Powell, a farmer by occupation, 
married Miss Katherine Gould, who was an aunt of the renowned Jay 
Gould. She died when our subject was an infant of nine months, and the 
father subsequently remarried. David then made his home with his father 
and stepmother and received an academic education, preparing him for a 
school teacher. This occupation he followed for five years with the 
ministry in view, and after devoting himself with great diligence to 
his studies until 1859, when he was twenty-three years of age, he was 
licensed to preach in the Methodist Episcopal church, and two years 
later he was ordained. His ministerial work until 1883, when he 
migrated to Dakota, was confined to Ellensville District, New York 
Conference. His eldest son having chosen the vocation of a farmer, our 
subject discontinued his work in New York and moved with him to Dakota. 
purchased the quarter-section of land on which his home is now 
situated, and subsequently added to this two additional quarters; but 
in 1886 this son, Arthur S., died. He now possesses eight hundred acres 
of Dakota farm land, three quarter-sections of which are adjoining and 
make a fine, large farm. The other two are situated in adjoining 
counties, the one in Sanborn and the other in Aurora county. The farm 
on which Rev. Powell makes his home compares favorably with the best in 
the community, being supplied with all the necessary improvements, two 
artesian wells which furnish abundance of water, and his home is a 
model of comfort and refinement. 

Rev. Powell has been four times married. His first wife, Miss Ada E. 
Sherwood, met him at the nuptial altar in 1864. She died in 1870, 
leaving one son, Arthur S., now deceased. Our subject's second wife 
bore the maiden name of Miss Adeline Sherwood, and to this union was 
also born one son, Jason G., who is now helping his father on the farm. 
She died in 1877, and Rev. Powell subsequently married Miss Adelia 
Rowe. To this union was born one daughter, upon whom they bestowed the 
name of Alvira. Rev. Powell's present companion bore the maiden name of 
Miss Virginia E. Crary. In politics our subject is identified with the 
Republican party and is a firm advocate of the policy of prohibition. 
On that ticket he has been elected to many township offices. He was 
also elected a member of the last territorial legislature, and upon the 
admission of the territory to the Union, he was elected to the first 
legislature of the state of South Dakota. He is a man of excellent 
executive ability, possessed of a strong will, and in every instance in 
which he has been entrusted with a public charge he has served his 
constituents with rare fidelity and success.