Eminent Farmer
County: Codington
John Rudolph Michaels, South Shore, was born in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Nov. 27, 1873. When he was 9-years-old he moved with his family to Codington County.
Michaels’ formal education was limited to that which he obtained in a rural school, but he was a great leader in community and agricultural work.
He was a member of the Germantown township board, the board of county commissioners and the local school board.
Interested in the breeding of Guernsey cattle, Michaels was an active member of the South Dakota Guernsey Cattle Breeders association at the time of its organization and at one time was its vice-president.
He was president of the board of directors of the Codington County Farm Bureau and in 1932 he received the South Dakota Farm Bureau gold medal awarded for distinguished service.
Michaels was a member of the Farmers Elevator Company of South Shore when it was organized, and for several years was a member of the board of directors. He has been a member of the Codington County Old Settlers association, serving as president from 1925 to 1929. He was also a member of the board of directors and senior deacon of St. John’s Lutheran Church for many years.
The Michaels practiced diversified farming on their 320-acre farm, raising Guernsey cattle and Percheron horses. Michaels was among the first to raise corn, one of his early recollections being the planting of 50 acres of corn by hand.
Michaels married a neighbor girl, Marie Redemske, in 1895, and they were the parents of three children.