Biography of Lewis Conklin

	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, 1898. Page 419

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


LEWIS CONKLIN, who resides on section 14, Denver township, Kingsbury 
county, is a well-known, enterprising and progressive agriculturist. Mr. 
Conklin was born in Kendall county, Illinois, on the 22nd of November, 
1862. His father, Lars R. Larson, was born near Bergen, Norway, May 24, 
1826. . He came to America in 1855 and settled in Kendall county, 
Illinois, where, on the 10th of February, 1859, he married our subject's 
mother, whose maiden name was Eli Alvsdatter. They had five children. 
Mrs. Larson died May 3, 1868, and on February 18, 1869, Mr. Larson 
married again, his bride being Elizabeth Larsdatter. Eight children were 
the issue of this marriage. Mr. Larson died on the 18th of September, 
1893. His wife still resides upon the homestead in Illinois. Our subject 
spent his early life in Illinois, working about the farm and attending 
school. At the age of fifteen he hired out as a farmhand, and for the 
next three years worked alternately in Kendall and Lee counties, 
Illinois. While in the latter county he changed his name to that of 
Conklin, which was the cognomen of one of his employers. In 1884 he went 
to Story county, Iowa, near Story City. He remained there until the 
summer of 1885, when he removed to Kingsbury county, South Dakota. He 
worked for his brother-in-law for some time, shocking and stacking 
wheat, and also labored upon a railroad near by. The winters of the two 
following years he spent with his brother-in-law, and in the spring of 
the latter year he obtained a position as flagman and brakeman upon the 
Northwestern railway. The next winter he remained with his brother-in-
law again, and in the summer of 1887 he worked for Frank Jordon and Lars 
Austin. The winter of 1887-88 found him once more with his brother-in-
law, with whom he also remained the following summer. During the fall of 
1888 he found employment in Hamlin county, South Dakota, and remained 
there until about Christmas time when he again sought out his relative 
in Kingsbury county. During the summer of 1891 Mr. Conklin removed to a 
farm on section 28, Denver township, which he cultivated until the fall 
of 1892. He then settled on section 19, where he remained for three 
years, after which he went to a place near the village of Estelline to 
reside. In January, 1897, he rented his present farm, comprising three 
hundred and twenty acres, and in the fall of 1897 closed a contract to 
farm the same for five years. Mr. Conklin is a Populist political, and 
is a member of the Christian church. On the 1 8th of December, 1890, he 
married Miss Ingeborg C. Larson. Mrs. Conklin was born October 21, 1872, 
and is a daughter of Chris. and Guro (Larsdatter) Larson, both 
Norwegians. Mr. Larson was born January 6, 1846. They were married in 
1866, in Kendall county, Illinois, to which they had emigrated in early 
life. From there they went to near Champaign, in the same state. Mr. 
Larson purchased a farm in the latter county, and made it their home 
until 1878, when they removed to Kingsbury county, South Dakota. Mr. and 
Mrs. Conklin are the parents of four children - Elmer, Arthur, Ada and 
Guy Leonard.