Franklin L. 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 535-536

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

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FRANKLIN L. SEXTON. The history of this gentleman, who is one of the 
leading agriculturists of Sand Creek township, Beadle county, Sooth 
Dakota, is a forcible illustration of what can be accomplished by the 
exercise of perseverance and resolution under the pressure of financial 
troubles as well as amid the sunshine of prosperity. He was born in 
Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, March 27, 1853, a son of John and Mary A. 
(Brown) Sexton. The father was a pioneer teacher and farmer of the 
Badger state, and our subject was reared amid scenes common to frontier 
life, encountering many hardships and difficulties in those early days. 
He had very poor opportunities for obtaining an education, as he began 
to assist his father in the support of the family when quite young. 

On starting out in life for himself, at the age of twenty years, Mr. 
Sexton worked as a farm hand. He was married, December 28, 1875, the 
lady of his choice being Miss Emma C. Moon, who was born May 25, 1848, 
in Wisconsin, a daughter of Ansel and Jennetta (McCotter) Moon. They 
have become the parents of five children, whose names and dates of 
birth are as follows: Orville F, November 20, 1876; Gaylord B., July 
17, 1879; Arthur G., January 2, 1881; John L., November 26, 1882, and 
Kate J., August 30, 1885. 

For a year after his marriage, Mr. Sexton continued to work as a farm 
hand for Alexander Allen, of Walworth county, Wisconsin, and then 
operated a rented farm for two years. The following two years were 
spent upon another farm which he leased, and for one year he made his 
home in the city of Delavan, Wisconsin. In the spring of 1883, he came 
to Beadle county, South Dakota and as a pre-emption took up the 
northeast quarter of section 3, Sand Creek township, which he converted 
into a homestead at the end of thirty-three months, and as such 
obtained his title to the land. Since then he has also acquired the 
southeast quarter of section 34, Wessington township, Beadle county. He 
passed through the trying ordeals of pioneer life, and his industry, 
perseverance and good management have at length been crowned with 
success. As the heirs of an uncle, David F. Sexton, a jeweler and 
watchmaker in Vermont, he and his brothers, Barton C., of Wessington 
township, Beadle county, and Charles S., of Miner county, South Dakota, 
and a sister, Lemyra, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, have inherited forty 
thousand dollars, a part of which our subject is now spending in the 
erection of a good residence and substantial stock barns. In connection 
with general farming, he gives considerable attention to stock raising, 
and in all his undertakings is meeting with well deserved success. His 
political support is always given the men and measures of the 
Republican party, and he has been called upon to fill some township 
offices, but his ambition is not along political lines. Socially he is 
a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In business and social 
life, he commands the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes 
in contact, and he is justly deserving the high regard in which he is 
held.