Thomas G. Ward 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 650-651

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

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


THOMAS G. WARD, a prominent representative of the commercial interests 
of Edmunds county, South Dakota, is now successfully conducting a 
general store at Bowdle, of which he has been proprietor since 1886. He 
is a wide-awake, energetic and progressive business man, upright and 
honorable in all his dealings, and commands the respect and confidence 
of those with whom he comes in contact. 

Mr. Ward was born in Oneida county, New York, May 2, 1857, a son of 
John and Mary (Bacon) Ward. On the paternal side he is descended from a 
family that was established in the Empire state at an early day in the 
history of this country, and most of his ancestors followed the 
occupation of farming. The maternal grandfather of our subject, who was 
descended from an English lord, made his home in Virginia, where he 
owned a plantation. He died when Mrs. Ward was about thirteen years of 
age, and she also lost her mother in infancy. John Ward, the father of 
our subject, was reared upon the home farm, but soon after attaining 
his majority he commenced railroading, and for twenty years or more was 
in the employ of the New York & Erie railroad as conductor most of the 
time. His later years were devoted, however, to agricultural pursuits. 
On coming west in 1870 he located in Marshall, Minnesota, where he 
served as depot agent for the Chicago & Northwestern railroad for a 
time. 

Thomas G. Ward spent his early boyhood in his native state, and then 
came with the family to Minnesota. For a while he served as a baggage 
man, and subsequently clerked in a general store. On coming to Ipswich, 
Edmunds county, South Dakota, in the spring of 1884, he embarked in the 
feed business at that place, and also took up a tree-claim in Walworth 
county. For two years he was engaged in that line of trade, and in 
1886, in partnership with H. S. Mont, established a general store at 
Ipswich, but soon afterward our subject sold his interest to Mr. Mont 
and opened another store, at Bowdle, in one of the first buildings 
erected at that place. He was also one of the first business men of the 
town, and has taken a very active and prominent part in its development 
and prosperity. He carries a large and well-selected stock of general 
merchandise, and receives a liberal share of the public patronage, 
which has been gained by fair and honorable dealing and a good class of 
goods. In 1895 he removed to another building, at the lower end of the 
street, and now rents the lower floor of the old building, and uses the 
upper floor as a residence. 

At Marshall, Minnesota, in 1881, Mr. Ward wedded Miss Madia Gamble, who 
was born in Ridgeville, Wisconsin, March 19, 1860, was reared on a 
farm, and died at Bowdle, South Dakota, January 23, 1893. On the 15th 
of October, 1895, Mr. Ward was again married, in St. Paul, Minnesota, 
his second union being with Miss Mary Doyle, a native of that city, her 
father having charge of the waterworks there. In his political 
affiliations Mr. Ward is a Republican, and in his social relations is a 
member of the Masonic order and the Modern Woodmen of America, while in 
religious faith he is a Catholic. He is a pleasant, genial gentleman, 
who stands high in the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and has made many 
warm friends since coming to Edmunds county.