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From: Archives <>
Subject: Sd-Faulk-Beadle Co. Bios (Latham)
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 23:46:23 -0500


Faulk-Beadle County, SD Biographies.....Latham, D. H. 1859 - living in 1909
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Joy Fisher January 8, 2005, 11:46 pm

Author: C. H. Ellis
HON. D. H. LATHAM is one of the prominent lawyers and public spirited
citizens now practicing at the bar of Faulk county. He is a man who has brought
his keen discrimination and thorough wisdom to bear, not alone in professional
paths but also for the benefit of the county and state, which has been his home
since pioneer days and with whose interest he has been thoroughly identified.

The story of his life is one that offers a typical example of that alert
American spirit which has enabled many a person without means, to rise from
obscurity to affluence and worth solely through native talent, indomitable
perseverance and good judgment.

Mr. Latham was born in Wayne county, Michigan, December 23rd, 1859. The
father and mother of our subject were Scotch Irish. His father was a pioneer of
Michigan where he settled upon a new farm in the year of 1839.

Our subject worked on a farm and taught school, thus raising the funds to
complete a course in the State Normal school and afterwards pursued his legal
studies in Detroit.

The call of the west had always been strong with him and in April, 1884,
seized with a desire to try his fortune in the west, he came to South Dakota,
landing at Huron with a total capital of fifty dollars. He secured a first grade
teacher's certificate and taught in the schools of Beadle county for one year.
In 1885 he came to Faulk county and filed upon land in DeVoe township where he
secured title to three hundred and twenty acres of land under the preemption and
homestead laws. In April, 1888, he was admitted to the bar at the first term of
court held in Faulk county. He practiced at DeVoe until 1890, when he opened an
office in Faulkton.

In 1894, he was united in marriage to Nellie A. Alt, a native of Iowa, where
her parents were pioneer settlers, her father having settled in Johnson county,
Iowa, in 1839. In March, 1882, Mrs. Latham came to Faulk county with the family
of her sister, Mrs. J. A. Pickler, and filed upon government land near Faulkton
and still owns the three hundred and twenty acres upon which she made final
proof in the early years.

In political sentiment Mr. Latham is an ardent republican and he has ever
taken an active interest in county and state politics.

In 1894, he was elected state's attorney and re-elected in 1896, 1902 and
1904, serving in all eight years in a most creditable and satisfactory manner.

As one of the early settlers he takes great interest in the Faulk County Old
Settlers' Picnic, held at Miller's grove each year, and has been chairman of the
committee on arrangements for many years. Mr. Latham has always had great faith
in the value of our black prairie soil and had the good judgment to invest
largely in our cheap lands years ago and is now the possessor of over two
thousand acres of the best farm land in the county.



Additional Comments:
From:

HISTORY OF
FAULK COUNTY
SOUTH DAKOTA
CAPTAIN C. H. ELLIS

TOGETHER WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PIONEERS AND PROMINENT CITIZENS

ILLUSTRATED
19O9

File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/sd/faulk/bios/gbs13latham.txt

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

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