John A. Stenning 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 565-566

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

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JOHN A. STENNING. Many of the best class of South Dakota's citizens 
have come from over the sea, particularly from the Scandinavian 
peninsula. They have transported to this state the industry, thrift and 
economy of their native land, and have been important factors in the 
rapid development and almost miraculous growth of this region. Of this 
class of honest, hard-working, alien-born citizens there is none who 
occupies a more prominent place in the esteem of his fellow citizens 
than John A. Stenning, who resides on section 23, Logan township, Clark 
county. 

He was born near Folkoping, Sweden, January 12, 1857. In that country 
his father was a farmer and had control of about one half-section of 
land, thirty or forty head of cattle and a dozen horses. Our subject 
attended the public schools until fourteen years of age and then 
assisted his father in the labors of the farm. At the age of twenty-one 
his military career began, being drafted for two years for a regular 
two-months' service each year. After another year spent upon the farm, 
he accompanied his parents and: the other members of the family on 
their emigration to the United States, crossing the Atlantic in April, 
1880, and landing at New York, whence they immediately proceeded to 
Chicago. There the father remained until his death, which occurred in 
1883. 

Not liking the city, our subject came farther west, and in the summer. 
of 1881 worked on a farm in Cedar county, Iowa. During the following 
winter he returned to Chicago for a two-months visit, and in February, 
1882, again started west, buying a ticket as far as the railroad 
extended, the terminus at that time being Watertown, South Dakota. 
After spending about two weeks in looking over the country for a 
suitable location, he returned to Watertown and filed a homestead on 
the northwest quarter of section 23- 116-59, Logan township. The same 
day a terrible blizzard arose and he was forced to remain at Watertown 
for about a month. He was then employed by the railroad company in 
laying track west from that place until Clark was reached, when he went 
out to look over his claim and erect a shanty thereon. He then resumed 
work on the railroad and was thus employed during the remainder of the 
summer. The following winter was spent in Chicago, and in the spring 
was appointed section foreman on the railroad at Clark, having rented 
the land which he had broken the year before. In 1885 he located upon 
his place and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, planting 
sixty acres to wheat and oats that year. Besides his own land he now 
rents and operates three other quarter-sections, and has three hundred 
acres under a high state of cultivation, one hundred acres being 
devoted to wheat, the remainder to rye, oats, corn, barley and flax. He 
has about two hundred acres fenced for pasture, and winters thirty head 
of cattle, ten horses and from eight to ten hogs. He is a progressive 
agriculturist and is meeting with well deserved success in his labors. 

Mr. Stenning was married, January 9, 1884, to Miss Amanda Swanson, also 
a native of Sweden, who came to the west with remainder of our 
subject's family in the fall of 1880. This marriage was blessed with 
the following children: Jennie Susana, J. Oscar, Joseph Arthur, who 
died in infancy; Effie C. and Edith M. On the 22d of June, 1894, Mrs. 
Stenning was stricken by paralysis, from which she has never recovered. 

Mr. Stenning is independent in matters which concern the county and 
local politics, but favors the People's party in national and state 
affairs. He is a strict prohibitionist and a believer in woman's 
suffrage. He is now chairman of the township board of supervisors, and 
also of the school district, but does not take a very active part in 
politics. He is a consistent member of the Congregational church, and 
is highly respected by all who know him.