Willard P. Carr Biography


	This biography appears on pages 487-488 in "History of Minnehaha 
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed 
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

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CARR, WILLARD P., is a native of Ashfield, Franklin county, Massachusetts, and 
was born August 4, 1834. Until seventeen years of age he attended school and 
worked on a farm, and then commenced clerking in a store at Conneaut, Ashtabula 
county, Ohio, where he remained one year, and then went to Cleveland, Ohio, 
following the same occupation until the spring of 1855.  He then went to New 
Lisbon, Wisconsin, and entered into a copartnership in the mercantile business 
with a brother-in-law under the firm name of Surdam & Carr.  This firm was 
dissolved at the end of four years, and Mr. Carr continued in trade twelve years 
longer at the same place.  He was city treasurer of Lisbon for four years.  In 
1871 he removed to Vermillion, Dakota, and engaged in business as a merchant for 
nine years and came to Sioux Falls, August 13, 1882.  He had been successful in 
business, and after having taken up his residence in Sioux Falls he engaged in 
loaning money.  He was appointed postmaster of Sioux Falls by President 
Cleveland in 1885, and. held this office the full term of four years.  In 1892 
he removed to River Falls, Wisconsin, and in connection with Nelson B. Bailey 
started the Farmers and Merchants bank at that place, of which he was president.  
Mr. Carr about the same time started another bank in Wisconsin, which is managed 
by his son-in-law.

Mr. Carr has always been known as a good business man and reliable citizen. 
Notwithstanding his residence in Wisconsin he has retained a large and valuable 
property in Sioux Falls, and upon the assessment roll in the amount of taxes set 
against his name he is nearer the head of the list than he is alphabetically.