E. F. Watznauer 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 925-926

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

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E. F. WATZNAUER, a prominent representative of the agricultural 
interests of Sanborn county, is one of the well-to-do and energetic 
citizens of Afton township, who from a humble beginning in life has 
accumulated a handsome property. He not only commenced without means, 
but was obliged to battle with the elements of a foreign soil and the 
customs of a strange country, as he is of Austrian birth and parentage. 

Mr. Watznauer was born in 1854, in Reichenberg, Austria, in which 
country his ancestors had made their home for two hundred and fifty 
years, but were originally from Bavaria, Germany. He is the oldest in a 
family of six children, and was reared in his native town. He attended 
the German schools until ten years of age and then went to Bohemia, 
where he devoted a year to learning the language of that country. When 
the war between Austria and Prussia broke out he was too young to enter 
the service, and, being required to take up a trade, he learned the 
butcher's business, at which he worked until nearly eighteen years of 
age. He then spent some time in traveling over Austria and Germany. 

In 1872, Mr. Watznauer sailed for the United States, and landed in New 
York with only three dollars in his pocket and the ragged suit of 
clothes which he wore. Taking the first position that presented itself, 
he tended bar in Brooklyn for about three months and then found 
employment at his trade, which he followed for two years and a half. By 
this time, his brother had arrived in America, and together they went 
to Iowa, where they worked as farm hands for a year and a half. In Lee 
county, that state, our subject then bought eighty acres of land on 
time and began life there greatly in debt. His parents joined him there 
and made their home with him. His first two crops being drowned out his 
indebtedness increased to three thousand five hundred dollars and 
everything looked particularly gloomy, but the next few years crops 
were much better and he succeeded in paying off all of the debt on his 
land but eight hundred dollars. His farm was well improved and besides 
the cereals he raised a large quantity of small fruits and apples. 

In 1882, Mr. Watznauer came to Mitchell, South Dakota, and from there 
drove across the country with a team to Afton township, Sanborn county, 
where he chose the northwest quarter of section 30 for a pre-emption 
and also took up a tree claim on the same section. That year he was 
united in marriage with Miss Justina Leyes, a native of Alsace, 
Germany, who came to America when fourteen years old and was reared in 
a village. Her father was a baker by trade, but after coming to this 
country followed tailoring. Our subject and his wife have a family of 
four children, namely: Edward J., Annie M., Albert M. and Mary A. 

In August, 1882, Mr. Watznauer's wife came to Dakota, and he erected 
upon his farm a sod barn, 10 x 12 feet, and a shanty where they lived 
for a time until a better house could be built. He brought with him 
from Iowa four horses and twenty head of cattle, including four 
cows,which really supported the family the first winter, as the only 
crop that had been raised was a few acres of sod corn. On the 1st of 
December, 1883, a prairie fire destroyed almost everything upon the 
farm- machinery, harness, hay, grain, the roof of the sod stable, etc., 
and all they had to keep them that winter were the cows, which were 
able to produce enough butter to pay for the food of the family. Hay or 
anything available was burned for fuel. With the assistance of his 
wife, Mr. Watznauer built a sod house, fourteen feet square, in the 
summer of 1884, on section 19, Afton township, where he had taken up a 
homestead on the southeast quarter, and into that the family moved to 
prove up the land. About this time the wife was taken seriously ill and 
was in poor health most of the summer, and, as he had to hire all of 
the farm work done, this with doctors' bills soon made him in debt. The 
same year hail destroyed his crops, and again had it not been for the 
cows the family would undoubtedly have starved. He has always kept from 
ten to twenty milch cows since coming to this state, and for about 
fifteen years shipped his butter to Burlington, Iowa, his shipments in 
the winter often amounting to fifty dollars per month. In 1888 he 
erected upon his place a large barn, 32 x 44 feet, to which he added in 
1892 a large cow shed. The spring of 1891 found him in debt to the 
amount of one thousand one hundred dollars, but by the fall of 1892 
this was all paid off. He has made a specialty of stock raising and 
dairying, raising enough small grain to feed his stock, and selling 
only what he has remaining. He now has one of the largest farms in the 
county, it comprising nine hundred and sixty acres, of which two 
hundred and fifty acres are under cultivation, and three acres are 
devoted to currants, gooseberries, mulberries and other fruits. It is 
in reality one of the model farms of the state, and reflects great 
credit upon the industry, enterprise and perseverance of the owner. Mr. 
Watznauer is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and though he 
has never sought political preferment he has been called upon to fill a 
number of township offices of trust.