Turner County, SD Biographies.....Thielman, Vale P. 1843 - 
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm
************************************************
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 28, 2007, 1:08 am

Author: Geo. A. Ogle & Co. (1897)

HON. VALE P. THIELMAN. The gentleman who has the honor of bearing this name,
although now a resident of Iowa Falls, Iowa, will always be remembered as one of
Turner county's most prominent men, both publicly and privately, and a pioneer
of the region. No citizen has taken a more active interest in the development of
the community, or worked harder to secure it, than Mr. Thielman, and to him many
of the now prosperous agriculturists of the county owe their start on the road
to wealth.

    Our subject, a portrait of whom appears on another page, is a native of the
kingdom of Prussia, born October 10, 1843, and is a son of Peter and Margaret
Thielman, both of whom were natives of the German empire. They emigrated in 1846
to the land of the free, and; located in Erie county, N. Y., where Mr. Thielman
followed his trade of wagon-making, and where they both passed from time to
eternity, aged sixty-five and seventy-three years, respectively. Of the family
of two sons and two daughters born to this worthy couple, all grew to man and
womanhood, but our subject is the only member now living.

   Vale P. Thielman was the youngest of the family and a little over two years
old when his parents emigrated to America from the fatherland. He passed his
boyhood and youth in the Empire state and six months will cover all the
schooling he ever received, he attending the common schools of Erie county that
length of time. When the great Civil war broke out our subject was seventeen
years of age and was one of the first to offer his services in upholding the
national honor. He was accordingly enrolled as a private in Third United States
regiment, infantry, in 1861, and during his service as a member of this regiment
he participated in many hotly contested battles. In the engagement at Gettysburg
he was wounded by a piece of shell, and during the progress of the second battle
of Bull's Run he was again wounded, this time by a minie ball. Upon the
expiration of his term of enlistment in 1864 he was discharged, but immediately
re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Illinois regiment, infantry,
was promoted from private to first lieutenant, and in the latter capacity served
until the close of hostilities in 1865 and was honorably discharged. June 1,
1867, Mr. Thielman started west and in 1869 located in what is now Turner
county, S. Dak. His nearest neighbor at that time was twenty miles distant, and
the land as far as his eye could reach was little better than a barren
wilderness. Settlers, however, began to arrive and on the organization of the
county our subject laid out and platted the site of the present town of Swan
Lake, where the seat of justice, records, etc., were first established. When the
court house was removed to Parker in 1881, Mr. Thielman also removed thither and
there made his residence until February, 1895, since which time he has lived in
Sioux City and Iowa Falls. In this connection it may be stated that although Mr.
Thielman has his home in Iowa Falls, he spends much of his time and makes his
headquarters in Parker where his interests are largely located. From the time of
his arrival in the territory until 1895, our subject was engaged in the
real-estate, loan and abstract business, and during his early career, assisted
many worthy men financially and otherwise, in getting started as farmers, many
of whom are now independent and in good circumstances. In 1895 he sold out his
business to Messrs. W. R. Wood & Co., who now conduct it, and since that time
Mr. Thielman has devoted his attention to settling up his affairs and
incidentally enjoying the fruits of well-directed energy and labor.

   Our subject was fortunate in the choice of a life companion, winning in the
person of Miss Sarah J. Black a devoted wife of culture and refinement, and
their domestic life has been one of happiness and contentment. Mrs. Thielman is
a native of Jo Daviess county, Ill., where she passed her girlhood and grew to
maturity, and a daughter of Daniel and Maria Black. Their marriage occurred
October 11, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Thielman have no children of their own, but they
adopted, raised and educated a young lady on whom they bestowed the name of Nora
M. She is now established in a home of her own, being the wife of Mr. Morris H.
Leitner, of Sioux City.

    Mr. Thielman is a Republican "from the ground up," and has always used his
elective franchise in supporting the candidates of that party. As a citizen he
was popular, well-liked and universally esteemed for his many excellent traits
of character, and was often called upon to serve his fellow townspeople in
various official capacities. At the organization of the county in 1871 he was
elected register of deeds and county clerk, serving eight years in that
capacity, and as clerk of the district court spent fifteen and a half years.
From 1876 to 1878 he was a member of the board of emigration, and in 1880 was
elected to the lower house of the territorial legislature, serving two years.
Mr. Thielman was also the first state senator from Turner county in 1890, and
besides the foregoing has held various minor city and county offices, such as
Chairman of the board of supervisors, deputy county treasurer, mayor of Parker
and postmaster of Swan Lake, etc. Socially he belongs to the I. O. O. F. and K.
of P. lodges at Parker, and the A. O. U. W. fraternity of the same place.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
OF 
Turner, Lincoln, Union and Clay Counties,
SOUTH DAKOTA.

Containing Biographical Sketches of Hundreds of Prominent Old Settlers and
Representative Citizens, with a Review of their Life Work; their Identity with
the Growth and Development of these Counties; Reminiscences of Personal History
and Pioneer Life; and other Interesting and Valuable Matter which should be
Preserved in History.

ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO.
GEO. A. OGLE & CO.
Publishers, Engravers and Book Manufacturers.
1897.


Biography is the only true history.—EMERSON.

A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
generations.—MACAULAY.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/turner/bios/thielman242gbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/sdfiles/

File size: 6.7 Kb