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Note: At marriage as a bachelor in 1908 was resident of Old Trail, Stanley County, SD and wife was maiden and resident of Tilford, Meade County. Married by C. S. Hunt (father of Jens' wife Gladys whom he married later) a Justice of Peace. Marriage number State 010648 at Sturgis Meade County on February 8, 1908. James 25 and Mamie 18. County Book C page 48. Funeral Services for James at Lewis Colonial Mortuary, San Diego, CA. Masonic Symbol on funeral folder. SS 504-40-7631 Department of the Interior receipt 240108 in Pierre, SD, June 15, 1910, eighty-two dollars for land described in the next paragraph for 50 cents an acre to equal eighty dollars adding testimony fees of two dollars for 1333 words at 15 cents per 100 words. Land grant by William H. Taft of lots one and two and the south half of the northeast quarter of section five in township three north of range twenty-two east of the Black Hills meridian, South Dakota, containing one hundred sixty and four-hundredths acres on April 27, 1911. Visited in Boelus when Dan Andersen, son of Jim's sister Hulda, was small. Jens, Mae, James and Mike. He remembers that when they were sitting a the table, Mike in the high schair suddenly took his whole plate of food and turned it upside down on his head. There is a picture of Gladys, Hulda and family, and James Danielsen and family taken at this time. The Andersen family, when Dan was about 12, visited from Boelus to Powell, SD, when James and Jens were there farming, about 1918. This was before Gladys Hunt married Jens Martin Danielsen. Census 1900 living in Kelso Howard Nebraska, age 16, born Minnesota, son with mother Maria widow born Denmark had 4 children with 4 living; with Jens and Hulda, farm laborer, unemployed 6 months, birthdates given, his September 1883. 1901 May 24 Farwell News: James Danielsen, who has been clerking for R. S. Price at Hansen, was seen on our streets Monday." Hansen is south of Grand Island, Nebraska. 1902 March 21 "Alex and James Danielsen left for Wyoming last week where they seek employment for the summer." 1905 April testimony from Madsen that this is when Alex left. 1906 July 26 Huldah picked up payment of oats on way home from being married. Where were Jim and Jens? Working out? 1907 March 25 postcard to James W. Danielsen Box 432 Lincoln NE from cousin Ella Danielsen in Waupaca. 1907 June 19 receipt for excess paid on land in SD. 1908 February marriage to Mae. 1910 James age 27 born in Minnesota in 1882 living in Township 3, N range 22 E Stanley, SD, living with May G. age 20 married 2 years, son James A. 4/12, his parents born in Denmark, hers in Wisconsin and Iowa. Also living close was Jens M. age 24 and single born in Nebraska both men farmers working on own account and owned free. 1918 September 12 WWI Registration living at Lucerne Haaken SD age 35 born 1883. farmer with wife May Gretchen Danielsen medium height and build blue eyes and light brown hair. Signed by S. L. Hunt whose daughter married his brother Jens. 1920 living same place age 37 with 4 children, Raymond's first name looks like Leta or Peter. Jens and Gladys living there, both men general farming. 1930 living in Township 3, Haakon, SD with James A. age 20, Jens 18, Raymond 14, Ruby 12, mother born in SD and father in Minnesota. Home is owned, had a radio, boys had not attended school last year. Ruby had. (Ruby later attend college at Black Hills State to become a teacher, but she didn't complete the course.) James engaged in general farming, not a veteran. Living near are Leland 62 and Lily Hunt 58 and son Ennis 31. Had come from Iowa. Jim lived on his own in Philip for many years. Later, he moved from the ranch to a trailer in town. He spent free time at the bar, enjoying the companionsip. Ruby said when she was a kid, he would bring his cronies out to the ranch. In about 1948 Frank Underhill rode the Jackrabbit bus to stay with him for about a week. The intention was that he would stay longer, but he returned early and both of them were probably relieved. Frank said Jim said he should find a kid to do something with and suggested he walk several miles to visit a neighbor's kid, quite a distance for a city boy. Jim would come to Brookings for the winter and live with Mike's family Alice, Jerry, and Dick on 6th Street. When he needed more care and Alice had to work to support her family, he went to California to live with his daughter Ruby and Frank Underhill. Finally, because his knees were so bad, he entered a retirement home there. Jerry went to visit him and Jim gave him money to go down the street to a liquor store. He said they would know what he wanted, and Jerry purchased a case of Coronet brandy. Jim was well liked at the home; Jerry said he would joke with the staff and was a fun guy to be around always. He had a bell by his chair which he would ring when he needed something. The staff could tell time when he would ring the bell four times a day to receive the brandy -- which they brought to him. He was a hard working man, working out as a young man several places to help support the family at home. One of the first times his wife was ill and away from home was 1914 when she doctored in Huron SD. He had sons 5 and 3 to care for. Wonder who besides his brother Jens was there to help him. He liked to play cards and checkers with his grandchildren. He also stayed at the home of Rudy Knutson, Alice's brother, two houses down. Those children also called him Grandpa Jim and have good memories of those times. Once the men went to a fishing contest at Lake Poinsett. Jim caught the record bull head and won $50 -- quite a bit of money in the late 1940s. Jerry said the fish probably hooked itself as the men drank a lot while they fished and not just on that occasion. Jim kept the fish in the bathtub at Rudy's for a while, and the kids enjoyed showing it off. In Brookings he hung out at the Veteran's of Foreign Wars club with Virg Braley and Charlie Murphy who were married to sisters of Rudy's wife. It was one big happy family there, and Jerry says the the Braley and Murphy kids thought they were cousins to the Danielsens. In 1954 Jerry was in the Air Force and stopped to visit Jim in Philip. He took him fishing in the dams he had at his ranch. When Jerry arrived, Jim left the bar where he liked to play "Pitch" and "Gin Rummy". He hung out at Mike and Rudy's Body Shop when he was in Brookings. He raised cattle and horses on his ranch which was in good wheat country. He sold horses to the government during the war. He would go to Washington to stay with Emma Danielsen, and Ruby would come from CA to visit at Emma's home, she was the exwife of his son Jim. He liked her and her kids, and when he died, he made sure Emma got half of his son Jim's inheritance. Judy, Jerry's wife who is writing this, never knew Jim, but her view is he was an intelligent man with a big heart who led a tough life from childhood with an absent father who died young, the struggle to keep that family going through hard times, then a few years of happiness creating a home and building financial security in his ranch, Then tough things began to happen: May got sick, he struggled to raise his own children (however successful on unsuccessful he was -- who can judge?), the loss of 2 sons, and an empty (maybe?) life out on the ranch in western South Dakota. He found pleasure where he could and certainly loved his family by providing for them as well as he could. He expected them to work as hard as he did -- he knew nothing else.
Philip Haakon County South Dakota This land was part of the Louisiana Territory in 1803. In 1861 President James Buchanan formed Dakota Territory. On November 2, 1889, DT became North and South Dakota. Between 1861 and 1889 only a few people lived here, ranchers enjoying the miles of open Dakota prairie. Under the Homestead Act of 1862 a person could acquire up to 160 acres if he established a residence and lived on the claim for 5 years. $14 was paid on filing and $4 five years later when they "proved up". They lived in one room shacks made of sod, logs, or boards and tar paper so small that beds were raised during the day and chairs placed outside at night. The railroad came in 1907 just when James and Jens Danielsen arrived. The railroad had come from Farwell Nebraska where they lived to Fort Robinson NE earlier. Because of the railroad, the towns of Nowliin, Powell, Midland, and Philip began. Other towns not on the railroad were Milesvillle, Elbon, Dowling, Grindstone, Hartley (probably where May's brother got his name, a popular choice in those days), Hiland, Kirley, Moenville, and Ottumwa providing supplies for homesteaders. In 1890 Stanley County was formed and in 1914 Haakon and Jackson were formed from the western portion. The towns of Lucerne, Midland, and Philip fought to be the county seat. (Lucerne is where Jim and Jens were living.) Philip was chosen for its railroad access and excellent location. The schoolhouse was used for the courthouse with two courthouses built eventually as the town grew. From Haakon Horizons Eight miles west of Philip is the Silent Guide Monument built in the late 1800s or early 1900s by an early sheepherder to mark a waterhole that never went dry. Made of flat stones, it stood 14 feet high and could be seen for 35 miles. During the range feuds between cowboys and sheepherders, cowboys would sometimes rope the guide and pull it down. A sheepherder grew tired of this irritation and climbed the pile of stones with a rifle and dared the cowboys to knock it down while he was there. The Danielsens lived 20 miles west of Philip.
Info from James Albert Danielsen born 1935: Jim's family was in Idaho, Snookey was still there in Brookings (?), but Grandpa was out on the prairie as far as I know. I know the Underhills tried to help. I'm not sure how much help either was, all the stories I heard from Frankie about him centered around a bar. Grandpa was developing a tremendous capacity for alcohol. Living alone out on the prairie would not help. Still Seemed to have good mental clarity into his late 60's . I remember hearing Ruby talking to mom; she said that she was looking for graves as they had buried someone in the same spot as some one else. (Probably Hollis with May.) The wooden markers and coffin had not stood the test of time . Not sure who she was talking about but seemed like a Danielsen family member of some sort. I had the impression it was a small family site out on the prairie. Times were tough then, Dad was the oldest and only 11 when May died, 4 boys and a girl. Hollis died soon afterwards. I notice on the obits that Grandpa was listed as James M. My understanding was James Washington Danielsen. Mom said once James Washington Lucky Danielsen. Recognized it when I saw Lucky on the obit. for Hollis, I believe. Dad was James Albert after Albert Huff. I remember a story about Albert and Old Jim digging a really deep well in about a day. Albert was in the bottom at the end and hollered up, "Hang onto the rope so I can climb up." Grandpa said, "You hold on and I'll pull you up." Both were very stout I'm told. Old Jim was disappointed that the boys didn't stay on the ranch, but like Dad said, "And live on what?" Pickled bass and booze, I suppose. I know both the Stalley's and Danielsen's owned considerable land. But after the dust bowl in the late 20's the drought was so bad that there was little to no snow in S.D. in 1934,35 and the grass didn't come up in the spring. Land was 0.25 per acre in some parts. Few had enough to buy a quarter section. Things did not improve too much until the war broke and there was work for everyone. Hope this helps fill in a few gaps, it's like a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing and some from another puzzle that lead you astray. Jim Danielsen 2010
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