J. O. 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 329-330

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

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J. O. WILLIAMS, a well-to-do and substantial farmer of Dudley township, 
Aurora county, was born in 1851, in Wales, where his parents spent 
their entire lives as farming people. He is the sixth in order of birth 
in their family of nine children, and was reared and educated in his 
native land. With the hope of bettering his financial condition he 
crossed the broad Atlantic at the age of twenty-two years, and on 
landing at New York proceeded at once to Wisconsin, where he worked by 
the month for a time. He then obtained a position as fireman on the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, and was thus employed for six 
years. 

In 1880 Mr. Williams came to Aurora county, South Dakota, and took up 
the northeast quarter of section 8, Dudley township, to the improvement 
and cultivation of which he has since devoted his energies with most 
gratifying results. At present he has one hundred acres under 
cultivation, has five acres planted in trees, five miles of fence and 
plenty of small fruit upon his place. He has made many other 
improvements upon the farm, including the erection of a good house, 30 
x 24 feet, with 12-foot posts, a barn, 26 x 50 feet and 16 feet high, a 
granary, shed for his machinery, sheep sheds and corn cribs, and has a 
soft water well two hundred and sixty feet deep, pumped by a windmill. 
With rented land, he now operates about two hundred acres, raising 
corn, wheat and oats, and he is also interested in stock raising. He 
began life here in 1880 upon a capital of between six and seven hundred 
dollars, and the prosperity that has come to him is due entirely to his 
own industry, enterprise and good management. 

On the 21st of February, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
Williams and Miss Antonia Miller, a native of Germany, who was brought 
to this country by her parents when only two years old. Her father had 
previously served as an officer in the German army. To our subject and 
his wife have-been born four children, namely: Florence, Albert, Frank 
and Ruth, and by a previous marriage Mrs. Williams also had four 
children: Jessie and Ella, both teachers; Mabel, at home; and Clarence, 
deceased. 

Mr. Williams takes an active interest in political affairs, always 
supports the Republican party by his ballot, and has several times 
served as a delegate to the county conventions. Socially he is a member 
of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and he is highly respected and 
esteemed by all with whom he comes in contact on account of his 
sterling worth and many excellencies of character.