MILTON D. WILLIAMS, who is successfully pursuing agriculture in township 140, range 63, is one of the pioneers of that locality, and has aided in the development of Stutsman county. His active public spirit and good citizenship has never been called in question and he is one of the substantial farmers of his county.
Our subject was born on a farm in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, July 29, 1849. His father, George W. Williams, was born and raised on the same farm, on which the grandfather, John Williams, settled in 1804. He was of Welsh descent. and was one of the first settlers of Pennsylvania. The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Deal, and was born and raised in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. and was of German descent.
Our subject was the seventh in order of birth in a family of ten children, and received a common-school education and also attended Tipton Seminary and Millersville State Normal. After completing; his studies he engaged in teaching and followed that profession ten years, after spending one summer in Nebraska. He went to Nemeha county, Kansas, in the spring of 1879, and located on a farm, where he followed that calling three years, and on account of ill health went to North Dakota in March, 1882. He selected land as a homestead and tree claim northeast of Montpelier, in Stutsman county and erected a small house and stable, and in the fall of that year was joined by his family. He engaged in farming there seven years and then removed to section 9, in township 140, range 63, where he resided six years, and then purchased the south half of section 18, in township 140, range 63, on which place he now resides and has added valuable improvements. His farm consists of four hundred and eighty acres, with about three hundred acres under cultivation, and Mr. Williams operates about twenty-one hundred acres, and is one of the most extensive farmers of Stutsman county. He follows general farming, but his interests are in the main the raising of the cereals. He has a complete set of substantial farm buildings and all necessary farm machinery, including a steam threshing rig, and threshes his own grain. When he went to Dakota he had but a few personal effects and no money, but by dint of his own efforts he has become one of the substantial men of that region. He worked in a lumber yard during the first summer in Dakota and also broke land for others with an ox-team, and engaged in that work over a great portion of the county. He worked for others until 1884, when he began farming for himself.
At the age of twenty-four years, our subject was married to Miss Mary E. Hartman, who was born and raised near Hagerstown, Maryland, and is of German descent. Mrs. Williams is a lady of considerable education and was a teacher for one year. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, as follows: Margaret E., married; Hartman and Calvin, twins, and the latter is now in South America, representing a machine company; Lawrence, who has recently returned from the Philippines, and is a member of the First North Dakota Infantry - these four were born on the same farm in Pennsylvania where their father and grandfather were born; George, born in Kansas; and Ruth and Elizabeth, born in North Dakota. Mr. Williams is a Populist in political faith and stands firmly for his convictions. He was presidential elector in 1892, and was the nominee of the Populist party in 1898 for the state legislature, and was chairman of the first Populist state central committee, and was active in the organization of the party. He was secretary of the state Farmers' Alliance from November, 1889, to June, 1891, and was president of the same from June, 1892, to to June,1893. He was land commissioner of North Dakota from April, 1893, to July, 1895, and was the first to be appointed in that capacity. He has attended as delegate every state convention of his party, and takes an active part in state and county affairs. His earnest labors have been given with a oneness of purpose which has commended him to all alike.
Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota 1900 Page 215