Bartholomew Pearson 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, 1898. Page 484

	Scan, OCR and editing by Joy Fisher, jfisher@sdgenweb.com, 1999.

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BARTHOLOMEW PEARSON, an influential farmer of Alton township, was born in 
Sterling, Worcester county, Massachusetts, September 20, 1845, a son of Joseph 
and Rebecca (Loring) Pearson, both natives of Worcester county.  Joseph Pearson 
was a scion from one of the oldest colonial families of Massachusetts, and a 
millwright by trade.  In 1846 he moved to Walworth county, Wisconsin, and built 
a mill in Sharon township, which he operated several years.  His first mill was 
washed away by high water, but he rebuilt.  He served three years in the Fourth 
Wisconsin Battery, United States Army, during the Civil war, and had charge of a 
gun at Fortress Monroe, Virginia.  In 1867 he removed to Iowa and settled on a 
farm near Grinnell, where he died in the year 1869, at the age of sixty-seven 
years.  He was an active Republican and filled several local offices while 
living in Wisconsin.  Mrs. Rebecca Pearson was also born in Worcester county, 
Massachusetts.  She died in Chicago, Illinois, July i8, 1889, at the age of 
eighty-three years.  Mr. and Mrs. Pearson were the parents of twelve children, 
eight of whom grew to maturity, as follows: Lorenzo, who died of yellow fever in 
New Orleans in 1878, at the age of fifty-three years; Silas Edwin, San 
Bernardino, California, a building contractor, served in the Twenty-third 
Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil war; Ira, Sioux City, Iowa; Theresa (Mrs. C. 
H. Austin), deceased, Sharon, Wisconsin; Clara, wife of James W. Cox, Chicago, 
Illinois; Martha Ann, wife of Robert Young, Kansas; Mary, wife of Dr. W. S. 
Simpson, Grinnell, Iowa; and Bartholomew.

Bartholomew Pearson, our subject, attended Prof. M. Montague's academy at 
Allen's Grove, Wisconsin, and later took a course at the Spencerian Business 
college at Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  In 1867 he went to Grinnell, Iowa, where he 
was engaged in farming, and later moved to Sac county, Iowa, and in the spring 
of 1893 moved from thence to Brookings county, South Dakota, and purchased a 
farm in Alton township, in which he now owns four hundred and eighty acres of 
farm land.  He has since been engaged in farming and stock raising and lives in 
a comfortable and commodious home which he has erected since settling here.

In August, 1868, Mr. Pearson was united in marriage to Miss Rosette Bird and his 
wedded life has been blessed by the advent of six children, as follows:  Lizzie 
Maroe, wife of F. W. Stratton, Odebolt, Iowa; Laura; Burtis Loring, a farmer in 
Alton township; Belle; Ira; and Arthur.  Mr. Pearson is a member of the 
Methodist church.  Politically he is a Republican and has held a number of 
public offices.  He is present town clerk of Alton township, and was six years 
clerk of Cook township, Sac county, Iowa.