Andrew G. Williams 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 729-730

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

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ANDREW G. WILLIAMS, United States commissioner for the district of 
South Dakota, with residence at Gettysburg, Potter county, is one of 
the earliest settlers of that region. He has assisted in surveying much 
of the land opened to the early settlers, and is thoroughly acquainted 
with pioneer life, having braved the dangers incident to those early 
days. He is now one of the recognized representative citizens of Potter 
county, and has spent many years in that community, where his friends 
are legion. 

Mr. Williams was born in Portage, Columbia county, Wisconsin, February 
12, 1860. His father, O. P. Williams, was a native of New York, and was 
in the real estate and insurance business in Portage, Wisconsin, where 
the mother of our subject, Mary A. (McFarland) Williams, was born and 
reared. Her parents were born in North Ireland, and her father, Hugh 
McFarland, was a trader with Indians during the early days of 
Wisconsin, and died while farming. 

Our subject was the third in a family of eight children, and was raised 
in Portage, and graduated from the high school of that city in 1878. 
The following April he went to Grant county, Dakota, and spent three 
years working on the survey, traveling over Spink, Faulk and Brown 
counties, in South Dakota, and Dickey and La Moure counties in North 
Dakota. In the fall of 1883 he went to the Pacific coast and was about 
six months in Washington, Oregon and California. He located at 
Gettysburg, Potter county, in June, 1884, and established a real estate 
and loan business. In company with I. J. Eales, he formed the Potter 
County Land and Abstract Company in 1892, with the following officers: 
I. J. Eales, president; A. G. Williams, secretary; and H. T. Meacham, 
treasurer. He was appointed United States commissioner December 8, 
1888, by Hon. John E. Carland, judge of the United States district 
court. He was among the earliest settlers in Potter county, and was at 
Waubay, Day county, at the time of the blizzard of 1888, and spent 
three days and three nights rolled in blankets on the prairie, the 
tents having blown away. He was with a surveying party at the time of 
the occurrence, and that is but one of the experiences through which he 
passed while pioneering. 

Mr. Williams was married in 1887 to Miss Carrie B. Ayres. Mrs. Williams 
was born and raised in Indiana and was a teacher in Dakota previous to 
her marriage. Her father, H. H. Ayres, has been in the mercantile 
business most of his life and was one of the first settlers in Potter 
county. To Mr. and Mrs. Williams have been born three children- Anna 
Grace, Jay H. and Dorothy. 

Our subject is a thirty-second-degree Mason and a member of the Knights 
of Pythias, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen 
of America. He has served as township supervisor and is a member of the 
state Democratic central committee. He takes an active interest in the 
affairs of local and state importance and is well known as gentleman of 
true worth.