Charles H. Thompson 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 776-779

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

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CHARLES H. THOMPSON, one of the pioneer settlers of Spink county, and a 
prosperous farmer, engaged in grain and stock raising on the southwest 
quarter of section 28 in Union township, is a native of Columbia 
county, Wisconsin, and was born in 1850. 

The family settled in America in an early day, and our subject's father 
was a native of Portland, Maine, and was a sailor until he reached his 
thirty-fifth year, and he then engaged in farming in Columbia county, 
Wisconsin, residing there until his death in 1879. The mother of our 
subject was a German by birth, and emigrated to America at the age of 
eighteen years. The parents became acquainted on board the ship, our 
subject's father being the captain of the vessel, and neither could 
speak the language of the other; but upon landing at Boston, they were 
married, and at once proceeded to the Wisconsin home. They were the 
parents of eight children, of whom our subject was the second in order 
of birth. 

Mr. Thompson was reared in his native county, and received a common-
school education, and at the age of twenty-one years left the home 
farm, working for four or more years as a farm laborer. He went to 
Dakota in the fall of 1882, and located on section 28, in Union 
township. The land was raw prairie at that time, but the following 
spring brought many settlers, and it was soon under cultivation, or a 
large part of it. Our subject erected a 14 x 16-foot house and a board 
barn, and in the spring of 1882 his family joined him in the new home. 
He commenced with four head of horses, cow, calf, heifer, pig and 
chickens, and now has three hundred and twenty acres, well improved 
with a complete set of buildings, good well and windmill, about 
fourteen head of milk cows, and engages in cattle and grain raising. 
The income from the butter alone is large, and he is making a success 
of his general farming. The first crop raised averaged twenty-two 
bushels per acre, and the average annual crop is fifteen bushels per 
acre. 

The present farm shows little evidence of the struggles of those early 
days, when fuel was hay and flax straw. The settlers began leaving the 
farms in 1886 on account of the hardships and by 1888 fully one-half 
were gone, our subject being one whose pluck and industry surmounted 
the struggles. 

Our subject was married in 1878 to Miss Annie Barbara, a native of 
Germany, who emigrated to America with her parents when but twelve 
years of age. Her father engaged in farming in Wisconsin, and later in 
Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are the parents of five children, three 
sons and two daughters, named as follows: Charles, Ada E., Fanny Maud, 
Henry Arthur and Charles B. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are 
presented in connection with this sketch. 

Mr. Thompson is a prominent member of his community, and has served in 
various local offices, being supervisor and treasurer of the township, 
and as a gentleman of honor and integrity well deserves the esteem in 
which he is held. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen. In political faith he is a Republican.