James J. Robinson 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 401-402

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

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JAMES H. ROBINSON, a most skillful and successful agriculturist 
residing on section 19, Dudley township, Aurora county, South Dakota, 
was born in Illinois, in 1843, and is a son of George and Nancy 
Robinson, the former a native of England, the latter of this country. 
At the age of twenty-one years the father came to America, and after 
living for some time in Illinois, he removed to Wisconsin, in 1848, 
where he took up government land and transformed it into a good farm. 

Our subject is the second in order of birth in a family of ten 
children, and amid rural scenes in Wisconsin he was reared to manhood, 
assisting in the labors of the farm and attending the country schools 
as he was able until seventeen years of age. On February 11, 1865, he 
enlisted in Company K, Forty-fourth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and 
joined his regiment in Nashville, Tennessee, where they remained until 
April, of that year. They were then ordered to Paducah, Kentucky, and 
were there at the close of the war, when Mr. Robinson was honorably 
discharged August 28, 1865. Returning to his home, he engaged in 
carpentering for some time, but in 1869 removed to Nebraska and there 
followed farming upon rented land for five years. 

In 1876, Mr. Robinson married Miss Emma Mills, a daughter of Andrew F. 
and Jerusha A. Mills, natives of Ohio and Connecticut, respectively. 
One child was born of this union, Myrtle, who is now successfully 
engaged in teaching school in Aurora township, Aurora county, South 
Dakota. In 1877, Mr. Robinson returned to Wisconsin, where he rented a 
farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits with fair success for six 
years. Coming to Aurora county, South Dakota, in 1883, he first located 
on the northwest quarter of section 14, Dudley township, but the 
following year moved to the northwest quarter of section 19, which he 
now owns and occupies. His first home in this state was a rude shanty, 
12 x 14 feet, while his stock, which consisted of a team of horses and 
three head of cattle, was sheltered in a straw shed. As the years have 
passed, however, prosperity has come to him in his new home, and the 
buildings upon his place are much better than the average, including a 
barn, 40x42 feet, a granary, corn cribs, etc. He has placed seventy 
acres of his land under a high state of cultivation, has planted ten 
acres in forest trees, a garden with currant and gooseberry bushes, and 
has two pastures. Although he is engaged in general farming, he gives 
special attention to the raising of cattle and hogs, and for his stock 
has a good well one hundred and sixty-eight feet deep with a windmill. 
He also has another well thirty feet deep for house use. 

In political sentiment, Mr. Robinson is an ardent Republican, and as a 
delegate to the different conventions of his party has rendered it 
efficient service. He has also most creditably and acceptably served as 
clerk of the school board for six years. Socially he is a Master Mason, 
belonging to the lodge at Plankinton.