James Thoreson 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 493-494

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

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JAMES THORESON, of section 34, Day township, is one of the leading and 
representative citizens of Clark county, who. has taken an active part 
in its substantial improvement and material development. An adopted son 
of America, his loyalty is above question, and his labors in the 
interests of this locality have been most effective and beneficial.  

Mr. Thoreson was born May 1, 1830, near Christiana, Norway, in which 
country his father worked as a farm laborer throughout life. The first 
twenty-two years of his life our subject passed in his native land, and 
then, being seized with the western fever, he emigrated to America in 
1852. He landed at Quebec, Canada, and proceeded at once to Decorah, 
Iowa, where he first worked as a laborer and later assisted in the 
operation of a mill for five years. In 1859 he moved to Freeborn 
county, Minnesota, where he took up government land and commenced 
farming on his own account. During the Civil war he enlisted, in March, 
1865, in the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and was sent to 
Petersburg, joining the army just after Lee's surrender. On account of 
illness he was unable to participate in the grand review at Washington, 
D. C. From that place the regiment was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, 
then crossed the Ohio river to Indiana, where they were mustered out, 
and proceeded to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where they were discharged 
and paid off.  

Mr. Thoreson resumed farming in Minnesota, and in that state met with 
fair success. It was in 1881 that he came to Clark county, South 
Dakota, and took up a homestead on the southeast quarter of section 34, 
and a tree claim on the southwest quarter of the same section. The 
first year he plowed about twelve acres of this land, which he planted 
in wheat in 1883, and the same year placed seventy acres more under the 
plow. He now has about two hundred acres under a high state of 
cultivation, one half of which is devoted to wheat, and the rest to 
barley, flax and oats. As a farmer and stock raiser he is meeting with 
well deserved success, and keeps through the winter from six to eight 
head of cattle and about twelve horses.  

In August, 1852, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Thoreson and Miss 
Carin Simonson, also a native of Norway, and to them have been born 
seven children, namely: Jane, wife of Wm. Olverson, sheriff of Clark 
county; Theodore, who is living near the homestead; Maria, at home; 
Oscar, who is farming near his father's place; Syber, deputy sheriff of 
Clark county; Ida, who is married and lives near home, and Frederick, 
at home.  

Since the formation of the Republican party, Thoreson has been one of 
its stanch supporters. He was reared in the Lutheran faith but is not 
identified with any church, and the Grand Army of the Republic is the 
only society to which he belongs. He is widely known and highly 
respected and has a great many friends throughout Clark county.