The Girton Family

Daisy Myrtle (Girton) Hurrey

Birth: 17 May 1880, in Harlan, Shelby county, Iowa, United States

Father: William Wallace Girton

Mother: Frances (Richmond) Girton

Education: Daisy received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in June 1905

Occupation: School teacher

Married: Charles Dubois Hurrey in 1907

Children:
Death: 10 April 1963, in Newtonville, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, United States

Buried: 4 May 1963, in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States

Notes: A collection of biographical material consisting primarily of a series of diaries kept by Daisy in 1901-5 while at Northwestern University, is now stored in the Northwestern University archive. The following biography is attached to the papers:
Daisy Myrtle Girton was born on May 17, 1880 in Harlan, Iowa, the daughter of William and Fannie Girton and sister of Lee, Will, John, Edith, and Sue Girton. She attended public schools and Madison State Normal School in Madison, South Dakota. Her father was professor of Civics and Geography and Secretary of Madison State Normal. From 1901 to 1905, Daisy attended Northwestern University from which she obtained an A.B. degree. She was a popular student and was active in many extracurricular groups at Northwestern. As a freshman she pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority but de-pledged prior to initiation. Also in her freshman year she became an elected member of the Syllabus board. In her junior year Daisy served as vice-president of the History Club, president of the Eulexia society, and member of the YWCA cabinet. She was secretary of her senior class and delivered the Ivy Oration at the 1905 Class Day exercises. For two years following her graduation Daisy taught school in Pierre, South Dakota. In 1907 she married Charles Hurrey, a graduate of the University of Michigan. They traveled extensively in Europe, the Orient, and especially in South America. Hurrey was associated closely with the YMCA for 38 years and became the General Director of the Committee on Friendly Relations among Foreign Students. In this work Daisy was of active assistance. The couple had two daughters, Mrs. Dixon Philips and Mrs. George Wolf, Jr. Daisy died on April 10, 1963 in Newtonville, Massachusetts and was interred in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Census & Addresses:
1880: Lincoln, Shelby county, Iowa
1900: 1118 Washington Ave. Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1909: Buenos Aires, Argentina (Memoirs of Lenawee County, Michigan)
1920: Essex county, New Jersey
1922: 100 Midland Avenue, Montclair, Essex county, New Jersey (immigration record S.S. Vauban 19 August 1922)
1947: 510 Henkel Circle, Winter Park, Florida (Winter Park Topics, 7 March 1947)

Sources:

Edith Alice (Girton) Wadden

Edith Alice Girton Wadden and John William Wadden
Edith Alice Girton Wadden and John William Wadden
(photo taken on 28 May 1947)
photo from Barbara Wadden Corker
Birth: 27 January 1885, in Harlan, Shelby county, Iowa, United States

Father: William Wallace Girton

Mother: Frances (Richmond) Girton

Married: John William Wadden in 1910. John was born on 27 August 1884, in South Dakota, the son of John and Bridget F. Wadden. John was a graduate of Notre Dame university. In the 1909 Business Directory for Madison, SD, John W. Wadden is listed as vice-president of Lake County Bank, and he is listed as a banker in the 1915 census. John died on 11 January 1974, in Los Angeles.
1900: 923 Seventh Street, Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1915: Madison, Lake county, South Dakota

Occupation: Teacher

Death: 1 February 1951, in Los Angeles, California, United States

Buried: Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, United States

Census:
1900: 1118 Washington Ave. Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1915: Madison, Lake county, South Dakota

Sources:

John Francis Girton

Birth: 20 September 1891, in Vilas, Miner county, South Dakota, United States

Father: William Wallace Girton

Mother: Frances (Richmond) Girton

Occupation: President of the Savage Girton Company, electrical machinery, of St. Paul, Minn.

Death: 31 October 1975, in Eugene, Lane county, Oregon, United States

Buried: 29 November 1975, in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States

Notes:
From Winter Park Topics, 7 March 1947
Mr. John F. Girton and his wife are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Hurrey at 510 Henkel Circle. Mr. Girton is Mrs. Hurrey's brother and president of the Savage Girton Company, electrical machinery, of St. Paul, Minn.

Census:
1900: 1118 Washington Ave. Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota

Sources:

Lee Richmond Girton

Birth: 13 August 1878, in Harlan, Shelby county, Iowa, United States

Father: William Wallace Girton

Mother: Frances (Richmond) Girton

Education: Lee graduated as a Pharmaceutical Chemist from Northwestern University in June 1903

Married: Alice Boyce in 1913/4. Alice was born in 1884/5, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
1915: Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota
1925: 1016 South Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota

Occupation: Salesman (1900); Ice Dealer (1915, 1925). Lee was chairman of the board of directors of the Girton-Adams Ice Company which he helped to form in 1909.

Death: 20 December 1952, in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States
From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota  (Monday, December 22, 1952)
LEE R. GIRTON
Body of Lee R. Girton, 74, of 1016 S. Phillips Ave., who died at a local hospital Saturday will be in state at the Miller Funeral Home until Tuesday noon when the casket will be closed. Services will be held at the funeral home at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday with Bishop W. Blair Roberts officiating. Mr. Girton, active leader of Sioux Falls civic and business affairs had lived here since 1906. Pallbearers will be Glen Clark, Frank Boyce, Tom Barron, Dr. Robert Donahoe, Dr. John W. Donahoe and A.J. Jordan Jr. Burial will be in Woodlawn cemetery.

Buried: 23 December 1952, in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States
From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Tuesday December 23, 1952)
LEE R. GIRTON
Last rites for Lee R. Girton, 74, were held today at the Miller Funeral Home with Bishop W. Blair Roberts officiating. Mr. Girton, of 1016 S. Phillips Ave. died at a local hospital Saturday. He had been chairman of the board of directors of the Girton-Adams Ice Company which he helped to form in 1910. Organist was Canon David Horning. Interment was made in Woodlawn cemetery.

Census:
1880: Lincoln, Shelby county, Iowa
1900: 613 Harth Avenue, Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1915: Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota
1925: 1016 South Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota

Sources:

Susan Margaret (Girton) Howlett

Birth: 18 April 1882, in Harlan, Shelby county, Iowa, United States

Father: William Wallace Girton

Mother: Frances (Richmond) Girton

Married: Irvin G. Howlett. Irvin was born on 2 June 1884, in South Dakota, the son of William F. and Lindie Howlett. In 1920, he was a dairy store merchant. Irvin died on 5 April 1965, in Yolo county, California.
1900: 603 Sixth Street, Madison, Lake county, South Dakota

Occupation: Teacher

Death: September 1959, in Belle Fourche, Butte county, South Dakota, United States

Buried: in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States

Census:
1900: 1118 Washington Ave. Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1920: 25xx Colby Avenue, Everitt, Snohamish county, Washington

Sources:

William Wallace Girton

William Wallace Girton
William Wallace Girton
photo from DSU Historical Archives
Title: Professor

Birth: 10 April 1850, in Lincolnshire, England

Father: John Girton

Mother: Mary (Hubbard) Girton

Married: Frances Richmond on 1 August 1877

Children:
Occupation: Educator and Newspaperman. William started as a teacher at a district school near Reedsburg, Sauk county, Wisconsin. He then entered teacher training at the State Normal School in Platteville (now the University of Wisconsin - Platteville), graduating in 1874. Following this he took successive positions as principal of graded schools in Muscoda, Wisconsin, assistant superintendent at the State School for the Blind in Vinton, Iowa and principal of public schools in Harlan, Iowa. In November 1880, William was elected as a Republican to superintendent of schools in Shelby county, Iowa. In 1883, William founded the Shelby County Republican which he edited until 1886, when he sold the paper and moved to Vilas, South Dakota. Here he organized the Vilas Banking Company and established the Miner County Farmer. In 1892, he was elected as superintendent of schools for Miner county. In 1896, William joined the faculty at the State Normal School (now Dakota State University) in Madison, South Dakota as chair or geography and civics. At the university, William also held positions as first secretary, Registrar and, in 1901-2, as Acting President of the university. William retired on 1 January 1914, due to failing eyesight.

Notes: Biographies of William Girton can be found in Who's Who in South Dakota p27 by Oscar William Coursey (1916), the History of South Dakota Vol II by Doane Robinson (1904) and at the Dakota State University Historical Archives

Girton House
Girton House
photo from DSU Historical Archives
In 1896, William and Fannie build a magnificent house fronting the university campus in Madison, South Dakota. The house has a storied history, being used as an Emergency Hospital during the flu epidemic of 1919, and in 1921 was bought by the university and used initially as a dormitory until being set aside in 1935 as the home of the University President, as which, still known as Girton House, it is in use today.

William became a naturalized American citizen in September 1878, at the District Court, in Harlan, Iowa.

Death: 3 May 1927, in Los Angeles, California, United States
From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux Falls South Dakota (Thursday May 12, 1927)
GIRTON FUNERAL HELD NEXT WEEK
Rites for pioneer who died in Los Angeles Will Be Conducted Tuesday
Funeral services for W.W. Girton, 77-year-old Sioux Falls resident who died suddenly in Los Angeles Calf., a week ago last Tuesday, will be held next Tuesday afternoon at 2 oclock in the Miller Funeral chapel with Dean E. B. Woodruff of Calvary catherderal officiating. The Masonic order will have charge at the cemetery. Burial will be made at Woodlawn.
The pallbearers will be William Rae, grand commander of the state of South Dakota; F. C. Smith, D. McKinnon, C. A. Bergstresser, A. W. Clark and C.II. Jones, all of the Madison Lodge, of which Mr. Girton was a member. The El Riad Sunshine Club will have charge of the music at the funeral. The Masonic funeral services at the cemetery will under the auspices of the Madison Lodge and that will be assisted by the Sioux Falls Masonic bodies. The body of Mr. Girton will sent from California on Saturday, May 14.

Mr. Girton and his wife went to California last October to spend the winter with their daughter, Mrs. John Wadden. As far as his family here knew, Mr. Girton had been in good health all winter and the cause of his death is still unknown.

Buried: 17 May 1927, in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States
From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux Falls South Dakota (Thursday May 17, 1927)
MANY ATTEND GIRTON FUNERAL
Rites Are Conducted Here for Pioneer Who Died in Los Angeles
About 200 persons this afternoon attended the funeral services for W.W. Girton, 77 year-old Sioux Falls resident who died suddenly in Los Angeles Calf. Two weeks ago, which were held this afternoon at the Miller Funeral home.

Dean E. H. Woodruff of Calvary cathedral officiated at the funeral and the El Riad Sunshine Club sang One Sweetly Thought and Nearer My God To Thee. At the Woodlawn cemetery the Masonic had charge of the funeral rites and the Sunshine club sang Peace Be Unto You.

A large number of flowers were sent by friends of the decedent, including a Masonic Piece. William Rae, grand commander of the State of South Dakota Masons, F. C. Smith, D. McKinnon, C. A. Bergstresser, A. W. Clark and C. H. Jones, all of the Madison Masonic Lodge served as pallbearers. The Masonic rites at the cemetery were under the auspices of the Madison Lodge, assisted by the Sioux Falls Masonic bodies.

Census & Addresses:
1880: Lincoln, Shelby county, Iowa
1900: 1118 Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1915: Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1920: Los Angeles, Los Angeles county, California
1922: 1016 South Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota (immigration record S.S. Vauban 19 August 1922)

Sources:

William Thomas Girton

William Thomas Girton
William Thomas Girton
photo from Daily Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D. 5 July 1950
Birth: 6 July 1886, in Harlan, Shelby county, Iowa, United States

Father: William Wallace Girton

Mother: Frances (Richmond) Girton

Married (1st): Florence Sullivan on 17 April 1912, in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States. The marriage was witnessed by J. S. Zelles and Rose Rogde. William is recorded as aged 26, of Sioux Falls, and Florence is recorded as aged 22, also of Sioux Falls.
Florence was born in May 1890, in Iowa. In the 1900 census, she is listed as the step daughter of Peter Rogde and his wife Rose. The 1905 census shows that she moved to South Dakota in 1893/4.
1900: 111 E. 14th St, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
1905: South Dakota

Married (2nd): Florence Peters on 20 March 1934, in Hawarden, Sioux county, Iowa, United States.
Florence was born on 17 August 1902, in Hawarden, Sioux county, Iowa, the daughter of Claus Peters and Suzanne Klumb. She was a teacher, personnel director at Fantles department store and owner of a dress shop, the Florence Girton Shop. After William's death, Florence married George Norton Jameson, the former warden of the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Florence died on 6 December 1971, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and was buried on 8 December 1971, in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota  (Tuesday, 7 December 1971) p2 col 6
Wife Of Former Prison Warden Succumbs At 69
  Mrs. G. Norton Jameson, 69, of 616 E. 21st St., former owner of the Florence Girton Shop on S. Minnesota Avenue died Monday at a local hospital.
  Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Benz Memorial Chapel.
  She was born Florence Peters on Aug. 17, 1902, at Hawarden, Iowa. She grew up and attended school at Hawarden, graduating from high school there in 1921. She taught school in South Dakota at howard, Bruce and in Montana at Havre, before moving to Sioux Falls in 1926. She was employed at Shriver's and later became the personnel manager at Fantles. In 1952 she opened a dress shop on S. Minnesota Avenue which she operated until 1957. She was a past president of Chapter AQ-PEO and the Book Club.
  She was married to William T. Girton in 1922 at Hawarden, Iowa. He died in 1948. She was then married to G. Norton Jameson Jan. 27, 1956, in Dallas, Tex. Mr. Jameson was formerly warden at the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
  Survivors include the widower; a sister, Mrs. Don Oehmen, Sioux Falls, and a brother, John C. Peters, Mesa, Ariz.

1920: Sioux City, Iowa

Occupation: Director of the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Commission. William was also associated with the Girton-Adams Ice Co. founded by his brother, Lee, and later he became a distributor for the Iron Fireman, a stoker concern.

Death: 3 July 1950, in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States
Daily Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota  (Wednesday, 5 July 1950 p2 col 4)
W. T. Girton Dead at 63
Former Director of Game Commission Succumbs to Long Illness
  William Thomas Girton, 63, of 2113 South Fourth Ave., a prominent sportsman and former director of the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks commission, died Monday afternoon following a long illness of more than nine years. He had only been at the hospital only one day.
  Funeral services have been set for 11 a.m. Thursday at the Miller Funeral home with Dean Francis J Pryor III officiating. Cannon David Horning will be organist. Burial will be at Woodlawn cemetery.
  Active pallbearers will be Dr. Robert Donahoe, Dr. John W. Donahoe, Carl F. Hassenstein, Sam Assam, Richard R. Brown and Mead Bailey. Honorary Pallbearers will be Dr. S. A. Donahoe, Hamad Assam, Rush A. Brown, Max A. Kuehn, W. E. Perrenoud and Tony Lee.
  His great interest in hunting, fishing and conservation was rewarded with his appointment as director of the South Dakota commission in 1939. He retired in 1940 and became a distributor for the Iron Fireman, a stoker concern.
  Previously, Mr. Girton had been associated with the Girton-Adams Ice Co. for many years with his brother Lee R. Girton, who still heads the firm.
  William Girton was born July 6, 1886 at Harlan, Ia., and came to South Dakota when he was only a small child. He settled near Vilas, later moving to Madison where he grew to manhood. He came to Sioux Falls in 1908 and had lived here since.
  He married the former Florence Peters, March 20, 1934 at Hawarden Ia.,. For the past few years she has been personnel director at Fantle's department store.
  Mr. Girton was a member of the Episcopal church. He also belonged to the Unity lodge No. 130, A. F. & A. M., the Sioux Falls Consistory and the El Riad Shrine.
  Survivors include the widow; two sons, William Wallace Girton III, Pauwela Haika, Hawaii, and Richard Alexander Girton, Honolulu, Hawaii; five grandchildren; two brothers, Lee R. Girton, Sioux Falls, and John F. Girton, St. Paul, Minn., and three sisters, Mrs. Sue Howlett, Belle Fourche, Mrs. John W. Wadden, Los Angeles, and Mrs. Charles B. Hurrey, Montclair, N. J.

Buried: 6 July 1950, in Woodlawn cemetery, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota, United States

Census & Addresses:
1900: 1118 Washington Ave. Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1905: Washington Ave., Madison, Lake county, South Dakota
1912: Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota (marriage record)
1915: South Dakota
1920: Minnehaha county, South Dakota
1935: Sioux Falls, Minnehaha county, South Dakota

Sources:
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