Barton C. Sexton 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 638-641

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

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BARTON C. SEXTON. Among the most progressive, energetic and successful 
farmers and stock raisers of Wessington township, Beadle county, is the 
gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. He is not only a skillful 
agriculturist, but is a business man of more than ordinary ability, and 
in his undertakings has met with marked success. His many friends will 
be pleased to find a portrait of Mr. Sexton in connection with this 
biography. 

A native of Wisconsin, Mr. Sexton was born in Sheboygan county, May 9, 
1856, and is a son of John L. and Mary A. (Brown) Sexton, both natives 
of Vermont, whose ancestors were among the famous Green Mountain boys, 
who fought so bravely for American independence as soldiers of the 
Revolutionary war. The father of our subject was a pioneer school 
teacher of Wisconsin, but the greater part of his time was devoted to 
clearing away the timber from his farm and transforming the wild laud 
into productive fields. 

During his boyhood and youth Barton C. Sexton received but a limited 
education, his time being principally devoted to grubbing stumps from 
his father's farm. With the exception of three years spent as a farm 
hand in Walworth county, Wisconsin, he remained under the parental roof 
until coming to Beadle county, South Dakota, in the spring of 1883, at 
which time he secured the southeast quarter of section 23, Wessington 
township, as a pre-emption, but after living on it for thirty-three 
months changed his filing to that of a homestead, and as such proved up 
his claim at the end of five years. At the same time he also located a 
tree claim on the northeast quarter of the same section. Mr. Sexton has 
recently built him a neat and convenient residence, and is just 
completing a good substantial barn, 30 x 40 feet. He has other barns 
and convenient buildings on his place. 

Mr. Sexton is still unmarried. It appears that in coming to Dakota he 
lost his Wisconsin fiancee, who tried to dissuade him from 'making the 
move, but seeing no opportunity of gaining a home in his native state, 
he preferred a life of single blessedness to remaining there with no 
prospects of anything better. He is recognized as one of the best and 
most thorough farmers of his community, and besides the success that 
has rewarded his own labors he has the good fortune to be the 
prospective heir to ten thousand dollars from an uncle in Vermont. The 
matter is now pending. Religiously, he is a consistent member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and politically is identified with the 
Republican party. He is usually holding some township office, and his 
public duties have always been most faithfully and conscientiously 
discharged.