Bio from "History of South Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904), pp 1380-1381.
JAMES H. DWYER, one of the leading business men of Clay county, is a native of the state of Illinois, having been born on a farm near Woodstock, on the 10th of April, 1850. His boyhood days were filled with arduous work on the farm, and he secured such educational advantages as were afforded in the district schools, which he attended in an irregular way until he had attained the age of fourteen years. By this time he had grown dissatisfied with home and farm life and determined to set forth to seek his fortunes and prove his independence, though but a mere boy. He made his way to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he secured employment in a sawmill, receiving two dollars a week and board in compensation for his services. He was thus employed for one summer and then went to Chicago, Illinois, where he secured work in the Tremont House, which was then the leading hotel of the city. He was an attache of this hostelry for two years, after which he was employed one year in the Briggs House, from which he went to the Hyde Park hotel, which was then a summer resort, located seven miles distant from the center of the city. It is interesting to note in the connection that the fine hotel of the same name and in nearly the same location is now in the very heart of the finest residence district of the south side division of the great western metropolis. Mr. Dwyer was employed there until 1869, when he came to what is now South Dakota, making his way to Clay county and here taking up a homestead claim of government land, in April, 1871. He forthwith began to improve his land and place it under cultivation, and he continued to there devote his attention to farming and stock growing until 1887, when he removed to the village of Wakonda, where he engaged in the hardware business, beginning operations with a capital of nine hundred dollars. With the growth and development of this section his business has steadily expanded in scope and importance and is now one of tile leading enterprises of the sort in this section, his trade being derived from a wide area of territory naturally tributary to the thriving town. An evidence of the success which he has attained is that afforded by the fact that he is now worth about thirty thousand dollars. He was mayor of the town for two years, but has never been ambitious for public office. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, in which he was reared. In 1895 Mr. Dwyer became a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, while at the present time he holds the office of worthy advisor.
On the 22d of December, 1874, Mr. Dwyer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Colagan and they are the parents of six children, whose names, in order of birth, are as follows: Mary (now Mrs. E. W. Babb), Lizzie, Thomas,. Ella, Harry and Leowa.
JAMES H. DWYER, one of the leading business men of Clay county, is a native of the state of Illinois, having been born on a farm near Woodstock, on the 10th of April, 1850. His boyhood days were filled with arduous work on the farm, and he secured such educational advantages as were afforded in the district schools, which he attended in an irregular way until he had attained the age of fourteen years. By this time he had grown dissatisfied with home and farm life and determined to set forth to seek his fortunes and prove his independence, though but a mere boy. He made his way to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he secured employment in a sawmill, receiving two dollars a week and board in compensation for his services. He was thus employed for one summer and then went to Chicago, Illinois, where he secured work in the Tremont House, which was then the leading hotel of the city. He was an attache of this hostelry for two years, after which he was employed one year in the Briggs House, from which he went to the Hyde Park hotel, which was then a summer resort, located seven miles distant from the center of the city. It is interesting to note in the connection that the fine hotel of the same name and in nearly the same location is now in the very heart of the finest residence district of the south side division of the great western metropolis. Mr. Dwyer was employed there until 1869, when he came to what is now South Dakota, making his way to Clay county and here taking up a homestead claim of government land, in April, 1871. He forthwith began to improve his land and place it under cultivation, and he continued to there devote his attention to farming and stock growing until 1887, when he removed to the village of Wakonda, where he engaged in the hardware business, beginning operations with a capital of nine hundred dollars. With the growth and development of this section his business has steadily expanded in scope and importance and is now one of tile leading enterprises of the sort in this section, his trade being derived from a wide area of territory naturally tributary to the thriving town. An evidence of the success which he has attained is that afforded by the fact that he is now worth about thirty thousand dollars. He was mayor of the town for two years, but has never been ambitious for public office. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, in which he was reared. In 1895 Mr. Dwyer became a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, while at the present time he holds the office of worthy advisor.
On the 22d of December, 1874, Mr. Dwyer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Colagan and they are the parents of six children, whose names, in order of birth, are as follows: Mary (now Mrs. E. W. Babb), Lizzie, Thomas,. Ella, Harry and Leowa.
Bio from "History of South Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904), pp 1380-1381.
JAMES H. DWYER, one of the leading business men of Clay county, is a native of the state of Illinois, having been born on a farm near Woodstock, on the 10th of April, 1850. His boyhood days were filled with arduous work on the farm, and he secured such educational advantages as were afforded in the district schools, which he attended in an irregular way until he had attained the age of fourteen years. By this time he had grown dissatisfied with home and farm life and determined to set forth to seek his fortunes and prove his independence, though but a mere boy. He made his way to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he secured employment in a sawmill, receiving two dollars a week and board in compensation for his services. He was thus employed for one summer and then went to Chicago, Illinois, where he secured work in the Tremont House, which was then the leading hotel of the city. He was an attache of this hostelry for two years, after which he was employed one year in the Briggs House, from which he went to the Hyde Park hotel, which was then a summer resort, located seven miles distant from the center of the city. It is interesting to note in the connection that the fine hotel of the same name and in nearly the same location is now in the very heart of the finest residence district of the south side division of the great western metropolis. Mr. Dwyer was employed there until 1869, when he came to what is now South Dakota, making his way to Clay county and here taking up a homestead claim of government land, in April, 1871. He forthwith began to improve his land and place it under cultivation, and he continued to there devote his attention to farming and stock growing until 1887, when he removed to the village of Wakonda, where he engaged in the hardware business, beginning operations with a capital of nine hundred dollars. With the growth and development of this section his business has steadily expanded in scope and importance and is now one of tile leading enterprises of the sort in this section, his trade being derived from a wide area of territory naturally tributary to the thriving town. An evidence of the success which he has attained is that afforded by the fact that he is now worth about thirty thousand dollars. He was mayor of the town for two years, but has never been ambitious for public office. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, in which he was reared. In 1895 Mr. Dwyer became a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, while at the present time he holds the office of worthy advisor.
On the 22d of December, 1874, Mr. Dwyer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Colagan and they are the parents of six children, whose names, in order of birth, are as follows: Mary (now Mrs. E. W. Babb), Lizzie, Thomas,. Ella, Harry and Leowa.
JAMES H. DWYER, one of the leading business men of Clay county, is a native of the state of Illinois, having been born on a farm near Woodstock, on the 10th of April, 1850. His boyhood days were filled with arduous work on the farm, and he secured such educational advantages as were afforded in the district schools, which he attended in an irregular way until he had attained the age of fourteen years. By this time he had grown dissatisfied with home and farm life and determined to set forth to seek his fortunes and prove his independence, though but a mere boy. He made his way to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he secured employment in a sawmill, receiving two dollars a week and board in compensation for his services. He was thus employed for one summer and then went to Chicago, Illinois, where he secured work in the Tremont House, which was then the leading hotel of the city. He was an attache of this hostelry for two years, after which he was employed one year in the Briggs House, from which he went to the Hyde Park hotel, which was then a summer resort, located seven miles distant from the center of the city. It is interesting to note in the connection that the fine hotel of the same name and in nearly the same location is now in the very heart of the finest residence district of the south side division of the great western metropolis. Mr. Dwyer was employed there until 1869, when he came to what is now South Dakota, making his way to Clay county and here taking up a homestead claim of government land, in April, 1871. He forthwith began to improve his land and place it under cultivation, and he continued to there devote his attention to farming and stock growing until 1887, when he removed to the village of Wakonda, where he engaged in the hardware business, beginning operations with a capital of nine hundred dollars. With the growth and development of this section his business has steadily expanded in scope and importance and is now one of tile leading enterprises of the sort in this section, his trade being derived from a wide area of territory naturally tributary to the thriving town. An evidence of the success which he has attained is that afforded by the fact that he is now worth about thirty thousand dollars. He was mayor of the town for two years, but has never been ambitious for public office. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, in which he was reared. In 1895 Mr. Dwyer became a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, while at the present time he holds the office of worthy advisor.
On the 22d of December, 1874, Mr. Dwyer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Colagan and they are the parents of six children, whose names, in order of birth, are as follows: Mary (now Mrs. E. W. Babb), Lizzie, Thomas,. Ella, Harry and Leowa.
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Lot # 101 ~ Grave # 3
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