Biography of Malon W. Harrington

	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 271.

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


HON. MALON W. HARRINGTON, a farmer living on the northeast quarter of section 
23, township 114, range 55, Hamlin county, South Dakota, was born in Grand Isle 
county, Vermont, May 21,  1835. His father, Mark T. Harrington, was born in 
Clarenceville, Vermont, in September, 1799. He was a farmer by occupation, and 
in 1837 moved to Joliet, Illinois, and was engaged in farming near there until 
1858. From there he moved to Geneseo, Illinois, where he died in February, 1888. 
He was married, June 14, 1824, to Miss Lucy Mott, a native of Vermont, born 
August 17, 1804, and died March 22, 1873. Her parents died when she was quite 
young. To this union were born eight children, four sons and four daughters, of 
whom our subject is the fourth.

	Our subject started farming in Illinois in 1858, and was thus engaged 
until August 13, 1862, when he enlisted in Company E, One Hundredth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, under Captain W. W. Bartlett. He was mustered in at Joliet 
on the 16th of August and went from there to Louisville, Kentucky, early in 
September. From there he went to Braggville, Nashville, LaVerne, Stewarts Creek, 
Stone river and at the battle of Chickamauga, September 19, 1863, he was 
severely wounded and taken to the field hospital at Chattanooga. From there he 
was moved to Nashville, and later to Evansville, Indiana, and then to Quincy, 
Illinois, where he was discharged February 1 8, 1864, on account of the gunshot 
wound in the left arm. He then returned to his home in Joliet and herded sheep 
for two years and then worked as a farm laborer for two years. In 1867 he went 
to Viola, Lee county, Illinois, and made that his home until 1884. He then went 
to Hamlin county, South Dakota, and filed a homestead claim to the quarter 
section on which he still lives. He now has seventy acres under cultivation and 
has the farm well improved with a large and comfortable home and commodious and 
convenient outbuildings.

	July 2, 1858, Mr. Harrington was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Cole, 
of Geneseo, Illinois. The marriage ceremony was performed at the Methodist 
Episcopal parsonage at Victoria, Knox county, Illinois, by the Rev. W. J. Smith, 
in the presence of his family and J. G. McMakin and wife, the latter being a 
twin sister of the groom. Mrs. Harrington was born in Barre, Massachusetts, 
October 12, 1836, and to her union to Mr. Harrington have been born three 
children of whom we have the following record: Charles E. was born May 1, 1859, 
and was married to Miss Lillian Howe, of Illinois, in October, 1879.  He is now 
living in Snoma, Black Hills, South Dakota, where he is engaged in the 
mercantile business. His first wife died April 2, 1883, and one child died on 
the 13th of the same month. In June, 1886, he was married to Miss Hattie 
Leisure, of Hamlin county. He has three children now living. His younger 
brother, William M., was born August 2, 1862, is a farmer by occupation, and 
December 5, 1887, was married to Miss Myrtle C. Packer, of Hamlin county. She is 
the daughter of I. E. and Malissa Packer, the former born in Centre county, 
Pennsylvania, in 1838, and the latter born in Fulton county, Ohio, in 1844, and 
they were married in Ohio, August 1, 1859. Mrs. Myrtle C. Harrington was born in 
Minnesota, April 21, 1869. They are the parents of a family of three children, 
two sons and one daughter. Orric C. was born July 27, 1866. He is a farmer by 
occupation and owns eighty-five head of stock. He was married January 26, 1898, 
to Miss Julia Atwater, daughter of Addison and Francis S. (Taylor) Atwater. Mr. 
and Mrs. Harrington also adopted a daughter, Carrie A., when sixteen months of 
age. She was married November 4, 1896, to E. E. Lee, of Hamlin county, and died 
January 1, 1898. Mrs. Harrington is a daughter of Seth Price Cole, a native of 
Randolph, Vermont, born November 31, 1809, and a farmer by occupation. His first 
wife, the mother of Mrs. Harrington, Miss Sarah Thresher, was a native of New 
Braintree, Massachusetts, born December 14, 1815. She died in 1855, leaving a 
family of seven children, of whom Mrs. Harrington is the oldest, and Mr. Cole 
subsequently married Mehetabel Warner, of Athol, Mass. Mrs. Harrington was one 
of the heroic women who was left by her soldier husband to maintain herself and 
two small children, with the cost of the necessaries of life at four-fold and 
only receiving two months' pay during his entire eighteen months of service from 
her husband. She did not falter or complain at her lot, however, and was only 
too thankful for the return of her husband, although a cripple for life.

	Politically, our subject is a Republican, and in the fall of 1892 was 
elected on that ticket to the lower house. In that capacity he served on the 
printing committee and the committee on capitol grounds. He has been justice of 
the peace and has held a number of the township and also the school offices. 
Socially he affiliates with the Masonic order, and he and his wife are both 
members of the Eastern Star.