Biography of H. W. B. Souther

	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. Pages 396-397

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


H. W. B. SOUTHER, county auditor of Moody county, South Dakota, is a 
native of Warren, Vermont, and a son of John P. and Caroline E. 
(Goodspeed) Souther. The father was a native of Massachusetts, and moved 
to Wisconsin about 1857 and stopped a short time at Baraboo, then 
settled on a farm one and one-half miles west of Mauston. They were the 
parents of four children: B. N. and W. H. live on the home farm in 
Wisconsin; a sister, deceased; and our subject, residing at Flandreau.

Our subject was born February 27, 1855, and was reared on the old farm 
in Wisconsin, and educated in the high school at Mauston. At the age of 
twenty-two years he went to Minnesota, and for a time engaged in 
farming. In. the spring of 1878 he, together with five others, drove 
across the country to Moody county, South Dakota, where he located on 
section 10, Coleman township. Here our subject added one to the scanty 
list of sod houses in the township and began to improve and cultivate 
his homestead. The same year he took a timber claim in Brookings county. 
After improving his homestead and getting it in a fair state of 
cultivation, he sold it and bought one hundred and sixty acres on 
section 9, Lynn township. This farm was partly improved and had a few 
small buildings on it. The barn was stolen and then Mr. Souther traded 
the others for a cow and calf. In 1886 he moved to Colman and for two 
years operated a general store, then sold out and put up a building in 
which he kept the post office until 1893, then resigned. In local 
matters he is always actively interested and has been clerk of the 
school board most of the time since coming to the district. He has also 
filled the office of justice of the peace and was notary public for 
eight years. He has for many years been township committeeman and is 
often a delegate to the county convention. Politically he is a 
Republican and on that ticket was elected to the office of county 
auditor in 1894 and re-elected in 1896. His efficiency as an official 
and popularity as a citizen was emphasized at the last election, when it 
is stated that although the county gave a Populist majority of two 
hundred and thirty-four he was elected by over one hundred majority. 
Socially he affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, of which he is a 
blue lodge member at Flandreau and junior deacon of same; is also a 
member of the chapter - R. A. M., and of the commandery - K. T. He is a 
member also of the A. O. U. W. fraternity. and of the Imperial Mystic 
Legion, of which he is secretary.

	Mr. Souther was married in 1887 to Miss Mary E. Souther, also a 
native of Wisconsin. To this union have been born two children: Edwin M. 
and Benjamin L. Mrs. Souther is a member of the Methodist church.