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William Marshall Edgerton, son of Alonzo Jay and Sarah Hubbard (Curtis) Edgerton.

Alta Blanche Andrews, daughter of Adelbert A. and Emma Jane (Ressequie) Andrews.

Children:

1. Karl Alonzo, b. November 28, 1898; Faulkton, Faulk Co., SD.

The following biography of William Marshall Edgerton is excerpted from Memorial and Biographical Record…of Prominent Old Settlers and Representative Citizens of South Dakota  (Chicago, Illinois: G. A. Ogle & Co.; 1899; pp. 505-6).

“William M. Edgerton M.D. is a leading physician and surgeon of Faulkton, South Dakota, and although a young man he has already met with most wonderful success in the practice of his chosen profession.  He was born in Mantorville, Dodge county, Minnesota, May 27, 1870, and is a worthy representative of a prominent and distinguished family, being a son of Hon. Alonzo J. Edgerton.  The Edgertons were among the early Dutch settlers of the Mohawk Valley, New York, and were pioneers of Oneida county.  The Doctor’s great-grandfather aided the colonies in their struggle for independence as a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and was taken as a prisoner to Montreal, Canada.  The grandfather, Lorenzo Edgerton, was a farmer and contractor in New York state throughout life. 

Alonzo J. Edgerton, the Doctor’s father, was reared in Rome, New York, and there prepared for the legal profession.  In 1856 he removed to Dodge county, Minnesota, where he engaged in practice until the Civil War broke out.  In 1862 he raised a company, and the following two years were spent on the frontier fighting Indians, but the remainder of his service was in the South.  He was finally mustered out in 1867 with the rank of brigadier-general.  He was always a very popular and prominent man, and in 1880 was appointed senator from Minnesota by Governor Pillsbury.  After holding that position for one year he was appointed chief justice of Dakota Territory in 1881, and in the spring of the following year he and his family took up their residence in Yankton. In 1886 they removed to Mitchell, where he engaged in the practice of law until appointed United States district judge by President Harrison in 1889, when he located at Sioux Falls.  He died in that city, in August, 1896, honored and respected by all who knew him. 

Dr. Edgerton is the sixth in order of birth in a family of seven children.  He attended school in Yankton, and later the high school of Mitchell, from which he was graduated in 1889.  For two years he was a student in the State University at Vermillion, South Dakota, and was graduated from the South Dakota Agricultural College in 1893, with the degree of B.S.  In the fall of that year he entered the medical department of the State University of Minnesota, where he was graduated in the spring of 1896, with the degree of M.D.  For one year he was engaged in practice at Claremont, Minnesota, but in March, 1898, opened an office in Faulkton, and has already established himself in a large and paying practice, which is constantly increasing.  He is a very progressive physician, and his skill and ability are widely recognized.  In December, 1896, Dr. Edgerton led to the marriage altar Miss Alta Andrews, who was born in Wisconsin and educated at Vermillion, South Dakota.  Her father, A.A. Andrews, is a prominent farmer in the northeastern part of Faulk county.  The Doctor and his wife have a little son, Carl Alonzo, born November 29, 1898. 

The Doctor is one of the most popular and influential citizens of Faulkton, and is now serving as county coroner and county physician.  Politically, he is identified with the Republican party, and socially, affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America.  His wife is an active and prominent member of the Congregational Church of Faulkton, and both occupy an enviable position in the best social circles of the community.”

The household of William M. Edgerton was recorded in the 1900 Federal Census of Faulkton Township (Ward 1), Faulk County, South Dakota (pg. 178; dwelling #35; family #38; enum. June 2, 1900), as follows:

Original Source Documents:

1900 Federal Census – household of William Marshall Edgerton; Faulkton Twp. (Ward 1), Faulk Co., SD.

Death Certificate – William Marshall Edgerton; Minnesota State Death Certificates, certificate #21401.

Death Certificate – Mrs. Alta Blanche (Andrews) Edgerton; Minnesota State Death Certificates, certificate #25948.

Gravestone photo – William Marshall Edgerton; Acacia Park Cemetery; Mendota Heights, Dakota Co., MN.

Gravestone photo – Mrs. Alta Blanche (Andrews) Edgerton; Acacia Park Cemetery; Mendota Heights, Dakota Co., MN.