Biography of John Owens
John Owens, born in North Wales in 1839, immigrated to the United States around 1859. He initially worked in Illinois and Minnesota before settling in Yankton County, South Dakota, in 1884. In the same year, he married Henrietta Kuhler, whose parents were German immigrants. The couple had one son, William. Over time, Owens acquired 340 acres of farmland, focusing on grain and livestock. He was a respected community member, active in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Owens’s life reflects the perseverance typical of 19th-century immigrants seeking better opportunities in America.