Edson 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 442-443

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

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EDSON WILLIAMS, a leading and influential citizen of Ipswich, South 
Dakota, has for several years been an extensive grain dealer and the 
business policy which he has maintained has brought him prosperity. He 
is methodical and systematic, and the plans which he has pursued 
commend themselves to the judgment and respect of all. Since his 
arrival in Ipswich its welfare has been largely promoted by him and he 
has been an important factor in its prosperity and advancement. 

A native of New York, Mr. Williams was born in Alexander, Genesee 
county, March 4, 1834, and is a son of John and Ann (Carter) Williams, 
natives of Connecticut, who removed with their respective parents to 
Genesee county, New York, where their marriage was celebrated. The 
paternal grandfather of our subject, John Williams, an early settler of 
Connecticut, was of Welsh descent, his father, being a native of Wales, 
and our subject's maternal grandfather, Orange Carter, was born in 
America of Scotch ancestry. John Williams, our subject's father, was 
quite young when he became a resident of Genesee county, New York, 
where he grew to manhood upon a farm, and in 1845, accompanied by his 
family, he removed to Walworth county, Wisconsin, where he made his 
home until death. Throughout his business career he engaged either in 
merchandising or farming. 

Edson Williams, who is the seventh in order of birth in a family of ten 
children, was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys of his day 
and received a country school education. On attaining his majority he 
commenced farming for himself upon land in Wisconsin which he obtained 
from his father and carried on operations there quite successfully for 
seven years. He was first married at the age of twenty one, and after 
the death of his wife he was again married, in 1863, his second union 
being with Miss Maria Waterhouse, a native of Walworth county, 
Wisconsin, and a daughter of Arnold Waterhouse, a farmer by occupation. 
Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Williams successfully engaged in school 
teaching. Our subject and his wife have two children: Gertie, who is 
now employed in a newspaper office in Ipswich, and Bessie, who is 
teaching school. 

In the fall of 1862, Mr. Williams located in Darien, Walworth county, 
Wisconsin, where he embarked in the grain buying business, to which he 
has since devoted the greater part of his time and attention. His 
Wisconsin farm was quite a valuable little place of eighty acres with a 
small stream running through it, and there was plenty of small fruit 
and a large orchard upon it. On disposing of this property he received 
one hundred dollars per acre for it. Leaving Darien, Wisconsin, in 
1868, he removed to Algona, Iowa, where he engaged in business as a 
wheat dealer, and in that state he purchased farms which he rented. In 
1886 he went to Minneapolis, where he conducted a large elevator for 
Dwight Putnam for a year, and then came to Ipswich, South Dakota, where 
he has since engaged in the wheat business. For some time he owned four 
or five farms in this state and raised several hundred acres of wheat 
each year, but lately has disposed of these and now gives his entire 
attention to dealing in grain. From 1891 until 1877 he was also 
interested in the coal business. He has a fine residence in Ipswich, 
where he and his family make their home and where they delight to 
entertain their many friends. 

As a Democrat Mr. Williams takes an active and prominent part in 
politics and has often served as a delegate to county and state 
conventions. In 1890 he was elected county commissioner in the second 
district of Edmunds county and acceptably filled that-office for one 
term. He has also been city treasurer of Ipswich for the past nine 
years, and was appointed a delegate by Governor Lee to the Louisiana 
Purchase World's Fair convention, which decided on St. Louis as a place 
to hold the fair in 1903, elected officers, etc. He is a member of the 
Masonic order and is interested in the building of home lodge and the 
opera house in Ipswich, having been appointed superintendent of 
construction. In the progress of the city he has ever manifested a deep 
and commendable interest and taken his part in the support of those 
measures calculated to prove of public good.