Irvin Simmons 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 879-880

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

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IRVIN SIMMONS. Among the prosperous agriculturists of Spink county, 
whose well directed labor has resulted in the acquisition of a valuable 
property, the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this article 
should be given a foremost rank. His abilities and earnest efforts are 
the better appreciated when the fact is known that he went to his 
present home during the early days when the struggles to be met were 
the means of making many an early settler of that region leave the 
country, in quest of a livelihood not so beset with trials. His present 
home is located in Beotia township and he is the possessor of a fine 
farm of three hundred and twenty acres. 

Mr. Simmons was born in Wisconsin May 28, 1853. His parents were 
natives of New York state, and the father was of Dutch descent and the 
mother of Scotch-English. The great-grandfather came from Scotland and 
settled in New York. Our subject's parents located in Dane county, 
Wisconsin, in an early day, residing in Springfield township. Our 
subject was the second in a family of eight children, and was reared on 
a farm, receiving a common school education and afterward completing 
his education at the State University in Madison, Wisconsin. He 
remained at-home until 1577 and then settled in Dane township and 
engaged in farming on land which he had purchased. The farm consisted 
of one hundred acres, half of which was under cultivation, and a small 
orchard was one of the improvements. Our subject moved the family to 
Dakota in March. 1882, and located on his pre-emption which he had 
taken the previous December. He had a shanty fourteen by sixteen feet, 
a small board stable and granary with straw roofs. He made his start 
with two horses, two cows, a few farming implements, and some household 
goods. The first crop on his own land was sod corn, beans, and 
rutabagas. He moved onto his homestead in Beotia township in 1883 and 
erected a small house and a fourteen by sixteen barn with straw roof. 
The shanty was shaken by a wind storm in 1886, and was struck by 
lightning in 1884. Our subject has improved the property, sold the pre-
emption, and erected large buildings, which have enhanced the value of 
the property. About two hundred of his three hundred and twenty acres 
is under cultivation, and the rest is pasture land. His windmill power 
is of home make and he has given careful attention to the construction 
of every improvement on the property. 

Our subject was married in 1877 to Miss Emily Jane Slark, a native of 
Dane, Dane county, Wisconsin. Mrs. Simmons and oldest son are members 
of the Baptist church, and our subject worships with the Wesleyan 
Methodist Episcopal communicants. Mr. Simmons is at present justice of 
the peace and has been a member and chairman of the township board, and 
as a friend of educational measures in school treasurer. He has 
discharged the duties of his positions with fidelity and holds the 
confidence of the entire community. In political sentiment he is a 
Populist, and advocates reform. Mr. and Mrs. Simmons are the parents of 
nine children: Willie I., deceased, Gordon, Harvey, Boyd, Frank, 
Charles, Raymond, Gladys and Elmer.