Independent Order of Odd Fellows - South Dakota Genealogy

Biography of Wellington J. Andrews

History of South Dakota vol 1 title page

Wellington J. Andrews, born April 14, 1865, near Ottawa, Canada, moved with his family to Bon Homme County, South Dakota, in 1874. After completing his education at Scotland Academy in 1886, Andrews pursued business ventures in Parkston and Scotland before establishing a successful grocery store in Sioux Falls in 1898. A dedicated Democrat, he actively participated in state and county politics but avoided seeking major office. Andrews was a member of several fraternal organizations, including the Masons and Elks. He married Persis U. Tyler in 1899, and they had one daughter, Edith Alice.

Biography of Henry O. Anderson

Henry O. Anderson, born November 15, 1842, in Sweden, emigrated to the United States in 1866 after completing a cabinetmaking apprenticeship in Norway. He initially settled in Wisconsin, later moving to Yankton, South Dakota, in 1870, where he became involved in public affairs and served in the state legislature. After various ventures, including a successful planing mill, Anderson moved to Sturgis in 1884. There, he established a flourishing hardware and furniture business, H. O. Anderson & Son, with his son Albert. Anderson was active in local politics and community organizations. He married Inga M. Nordgran in 1867.

Biography of Charles H. Allen

Charles H. Allen was born on March 17, 1857, in Osage, Iowa, to Joseph and Abigail Allen. He was the fifteenth of sixteen children, and his father served as a Civil War surgeon. Charles left home at age 13, traveling and learning stone cutting before returning to Iowa in 1881. He moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1882, establishing a successful draying business and later transitioning to wood and coal distribution. In 1882, he married Ida M. Owen, with whom he had two children: C. Lewis and M. Estelle. Allen was also active in local politics and several fraternal organizations.

Biography of Charle F. Allen

Charles F. Allen was born on March 4, 1869, in Chatfield, Minnesota. After beginning his career as an apprentice at the Chatfield Democrat, he moved to Rochester in 1886 to work at the Record and Union. In 1890, Allen purchased the Brookings County Press in Brookings, South Dakota, where he continued to publish. He married Julia Garvey in 1888, and they had three daughters: Norma, Doris, and Mildred. Allen served as postmaster of Brookings and held various civic roles, contributing significantly to the community’s growth.

Biography of F. J. Adams

F. J. Adams was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1852 and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1864. After settling in Minnesota, where his father became a farmer, Adams apprenticed as a harness maker. In 1880, he moved to Brookings, South Dakota, where he opened a harness shop with his brother. He later established a successful business in White, South Dakota. A dedicated Republican, Adams served in various public offices and was active in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Lena Kohl in 1876, and they had seven children, six of whom survived to adulthood.

Biography of Col. Lee Stover

Col. Lee Stover (b. 1867, Iowa County, Iowa) was a prominent land and corporation attorney in Watertown, South Dakota, and served as the register of the U.S. Land Office there. After earning degrees in science and law from Iowa State University, Stover began his legal practice in Watertown in 1889. In 1898, he was appointed register of the land office but resigned to serve as lieutenant colonel of the First South Dakota Volunteer Infantry during the Philippine-American War. Returning in 1899, he resumed his legal career and was reappointed as land office register. Stover was also active in various fraternal organizations and served as a state attorney for Codington County. He married Maude Newell Gipson in 1890, and they had two children.

Biography of Charles H. Lugg

Charles H. Lugg (b. 1862, Geneva, Minnesota) served as the superintendent of schools in Hutchinson County, South Dakota. Raised in Freeborn County, Minnesota, he began teaching at 19 after attending high school in Albert Lea and further studies at Valparaiso’s Northern Indiana Normal School. Lugg held various educational roles, including superintendent in Olivet and Parkston, before being elected county superintendent in 1902. A committed Republican and Presbyterian elder, he was active in community and fraternal organizations. In 1894, he married Mary A. Parrott, with whom he had two daughters, Laura and Esther.

Biography of Edwin S. Johnson

Edwin S. Johnson (b. 1857, Owen County, Indiana) was a prominent banker and real estate operator in Armour, South Dakota. He co-founded the Johnson Brothers Company with his brother Homer, managing extensive land and loan interests across the region. Johnson began his career in Iowa, later pioneering in Nebraska before relocating to South Dakota in 1884. In addition to his business pursuits, he served as state’s attorney and state senator, shifting from the Republican to Democratic Party in 1896. He married Anna Thoreau in 1884 and remained an influential figure in both local politics and the Methodist Protestant church.

Biography of Thomas H. Pritchard

Thomas H. Pritchard, born July 31, 1857, in Wales, was the founder of Watertown Marble and Granite Works in South Dakota. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1872, Pritchard apprenticed as a marble cutter in Wisconsin before starting his own marble business in 1877. In 1882, he moved to Watertown, establishing the town’s first marble and granite shop, which grew into one of the state’s leading businesses. A pioneer of South Dakota, Pritchard was also active in local fraternal organizations. He married Blanche Lovejoy in 1878, and they had four children: Ethel, Lyle, Winifred, and Sybil.

Biography of Arne Zetlitz, M. D.

Dr. Arne Zetlitz, born June 16, 1864, in Stavanger, Norway, was a prominent physician in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After studying pharmacy and attending medical school at Toledo Medical College, where he graduated in 1891, Zetlitz moved to Sioux Falls in 1894. Known for his dedication to medical practice, he played a key role in establishing the Sioux Falls Hospital and its nurse training school. He also pursued livestock breeding on his farm near Sioux Falls. In 1895, Zetlitz married Pauline Dahl, with whom he had two children, Hazel R. and T. Caroline D.

Biography of M. E. Johnson

M. E. Johnson, born in Norway in 1842, immigrated to the United States after a career as a sailor. Following his arrival in 1871, he briefly lived on the East Coast before settling in Michigan, where he married Malvina Antone Johnson, a Danish immigrant, in 1873. The couple moved to Yankton, South Dakota, in 1874, where Johnson established a successful express business. He later invested in a 160-acre farm. Johnson passed away in 1885, leaving behind his wife and three surviving children. He was a respected member of the Odd Fellows society and the Congregational church.

Biography of Frederick C. Whitehouse

Frederick C. Whitehouse, born on March 18, 1870, in Boone, Iowa, was a prominent real estate and loan businessman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Raised in Cherokee, Iowa, Whitehouse began his career in the loan and abstract business and served as deputy auditor of O’Brien County before becoming the cashier of the Primghar State Bank. After relocating to Sioux Falls in 1896, he co-founded the firm F. C. Whitehouse & Company, which played a significant role in developing eastern South Dakota. A dedicated community leader, Whitehouse was active in various fraternal organizations and politically aligned with the Republican Party. He married Abigail C. Blake in 1889, and they had three children: R. Harold, Leland B., and Marie A.

Biography of John Pusey

John Pusey, a prominent lawyer and public servant in Hand County, South Dakota, was born on May 8, 1860, in Champaign County, Illinois. He is the son of William R. and Margaret (White) Pusey. After studying law in Illinois and teaching intermittently, he moved to Miller, South Dakota, in 1882. Pusey was admitted to the Dakota Territory bar and established a law practice. He founded the Miller Gazette in 1883, a Democratic newspaper, and served in various public roles, including county judge, state legislator, and postmaster of Miller. A leader in the Democratic Party, he actively opposed a state dispensary system for liquor sales and held numerous fraternal affiliations.

Biography of Philip A. Zollman

Philip A. Zollman, a distinguished lawyer in Alexandria, Hanson County, was born on October 14, 1866, in Charlestown, Indiana, to Philip and Catherine (Schaid) Zollman. After studying at Drake University and Iowa State University, he was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1893. Zollman moved to Alexandria later that year, establishing a successful law practice. He served as state’s attorney from 1894 to 1898 and was active in both Democratic and Republican politics. A dedicated Mason, Zollman attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and was involved in several fraternal organizations.

Biography of Hon. Edwin Terry White

Hon. Edwin Terry White, a distinguished figure in Yankton, South Dakota, was born on June 6, 1847, in Woodstock, Vermont. He descended from early New England settlers, with his lineage tracing back to the seventeenth century. His father, Samuel White, a noted wood carver from New Hampshire, married Elizabeth Elliott. Edwin White’s career spanned various vocations before he studied law and moved to Yankton in 1870. Serving as a judge and in multiple public offices, White also engaged in business and civic activities, significantly impacting the community. He married Mary L. Bagley in 1874, and they actively contributed to local charitable endeavors.

Biography of George W. Case

George W. Case, born on March 3, 1861, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, was a distinguished lawyer and influential citizen of Watertown, South Dakota. Moving to Mason City, Illinois, in 1868, he later relocated to South Dakota in 1883, where he pursued law and was admitted to the bar in 1891. Case built a successful legal career, initially with Mellette & Mellette, and later succeeded their practice. A prominent Republican, he served in the state senate and held the position of receiver of the U.S. land office. Married to Capitola Pierce in 1882, they had six children. Case was active in various fraternal organizations and community affairs.

Biography of William F. Bancroft

William F. Bancroft, born October 21, 1868, in Monmouth, Illinois, relocated to Yankton, Dakota Territory, with his parents at age two. Educated in Yankton, he pursued a printing career before moving to Wessington Springs in 1893. Two years later, he acquired and became editor of the True Republican, a prominent Republican-aligned newspaper. Appointed postmaster in 1898 under President McKinley, Bancroft also served as city clerk and held various fraternal memberships. He married Maud S. Spears on July 3, 1894, and they had four children: Merrill, Lowell, Darrell, and Melba. William F. Bancroft, postmaster at Wessington Springs and editor and publisher … Read more

Biography of William Henry James

William Henry James, born on December 25, 1858, in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, is a prominent grain and coal dealer in Valley Springs, South Dakota, and secretary of the Valley Springs Telephone Company. After purchasing an interest in his father’s mill at twenty-one, he transitioned to butter-making and operated a creamery in Winthrop, Minnesota. Moving to Valley Springs in 1887, he managed the Hubbard & Palmer Elevator Company. James was instrumental in founding the Valley Springs Telephone Company and remains its secretary. He also runs a successful local insurance agency and has been active in public affairs, serving as town clerk for ten years. He married Carrie Hendrickson in 1900, and they have five children.

Biography of William M. Powers

William M. Powers, born in Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1845, was a pioneer citizen of Yankton and a Civil War veteran. Orphaned early, he grew up in Shellsburg, Wisconsin. In 1861, he joined the 7th Wisconsin Infantry, serving valiantly in numerous battles until his discharge in 1864. Powers then entered the harness-making trade before relocating to Yankton in 1873. There, he successfully ran a livery and transfer business, later investing in real estate. A dedicated public servant, he held several political positions, including mayor of Yankton. Powers married twice, first to Hattie Ury and later to Mrs. L. M. Purdy.

Biography of Hon. Ellison Griffith Smith

Hon. Ellison Griffith Smith, born December 5, 1851, in Noble County, Ohio, was a distinguished lawyer, jurist, and legislator from Yankton, South Dakota. Son of Amos and Mary (Ellison) Smith, he moved to Delaware County, Iowa, in his youth. Smith graduated from the University of Iowa in 1871 and its law department in 1873. He practiced law in Yankton from 1876, served as the first judicial circuit judge from 1885, and held various other roles including reporter of the supreme court and district court judge. He married Anna Kirkwood in 1877, and they had three children: Agnes, Ellison G., and Amos C.