James Wheelihan 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 1082-1085

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

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JAMES WHEELIHAN, a prominent farmer of Brown county, and an extensive 
land owner, resides on the northeast quarter of section 24, Warner 
township. His real estate holdings comprise eight hundred acres of fine 
lands, all lying in a body, and he has been a resident of Warner 
township since June, 1881, and is entitled to a place among the 
pioneers of Brown county. 

Mr. Wheelihan was born in Canada on September 8, 1845, and his parents, 
Patrick and Mary (Wall) Wheelihan, were natives of the city of Cork, 
Ireland. They emigrated to Canada about the year 1830 where the father 
died when our subject was but two years old. Of this family there were 
nine children, named as follows: Julia' John, Alexander, David, 
Nicholas, Patrick, James (our subject), Mary Ann, and one who died in 
infancy. All the children have resided in the United States, but only 
four of them are now residents of this country. Mrs. Wheelihan was 
married a second time, and of this union there are the following 
children: Bridget, Francis, Edmond, Peter and Thomas. The mother died 
in Canada. 

James Wheelihan remained at home with his mother until he was sixteen 
years of age, assisting on the farm and attending school. In 1861 he 
came to the United States, locating in Michigan, where he made his home 
almost continuously for the next ten years. However, during a portion 
of that time he was in the state of New York, and in 1871 he went to 
Wisconsin, where he engaged in the lumber business, and also in the 
cranberry business, owning a large cranberry marsh. He sold out his 
interests in Wisconsin in 1881, and came direct to Brown county, and 
located on his present farm. During the first year of his residence in 
his new home the Indian uprisings called for considerable vigilance and 
caused much uneasiness among the settlers. He filed a homestead claim 
to the northeast quarter of section 24, and took a tree claim north of 
Aberdeen. After three unsuccessful attempts to grow trees, he sold the 
latter claim. He now owns eight hundred acres of valuable lands, seven 
hundred acres of which are under cultivation and yielding good returns. 
Four quarter sections of his land he purchased at one thousand five 
hundred dollars per quarter section. He has won success by his 
enterprise and judicious management and honest methods, and his good 
fortune is richly deserved. 

Mr. Wheelihan was married in Wisconsin, June 30, 1873, to Miss Clara V. 
Saunders, daughter of George and Margaret (Huddleston) Saunders. Mrs. 
Wheelihan is a native of Maine, as were also her parents. Mrs. 
Wheelihan was one of a family now living, viz.: Robert, George Edwin, 
Eliza M. and Clara V. Mr. and Mrs. Wheelihan have no children of their 
own, but have an adopted son, Charles Wheelihan. In religious training 
Mr. Wheelihan was raised a Catholic, while his wife was raised in the 
Methodist faith. Until the organization of the Populist, party Mr. 
Wheelihan was a consistent Republican, but since that time has adhered 
to the new party and its principles. He is a man of recognized worth 
and has the respect and esteem of the citizens of Brown county. 
Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Wheelihan are presented on another page. 

Mr. Wheelihan is thoroughly conversant with the history of Brown 
county, and repeats many interesting reminiscences of the hardships of 
the early days in the Dakotas. He and Mrs. Wheelihan, accompanied by 
Mrs. Dawes, a neighbor, were exposed to the terrible blizzard of 1888 
for a period of several hours. They wandered over the prairie in a vain 
attempt to find their home, several times being within a quarter of a 
mile of their residence, but each time losing their bearings again. 
They finally reached the railroad track and followed it until they came 
to the house of Mr. Snyder, several miles from their own home, where 
they were given shelter and cared for from Wednesday night until Friday 
evening, when the storm abated, and they were able to reach their own 
home.