Summary

John Edmund "J.E." Colton

born 28 Mar 1857 in Sylvester, WI

died 16 Dec 1910 in Mitchell, SD

on 28 Nov 1878 married

Paulina Jane Miller

born 11 Feb 1857 in Brooklyn, WI

died 28 Feb 1937 in Colton, SD

John and Paulina

John Edmund “J.E.” Colton was born in Sylvester, WI on March 28, 1857 to Melzar Colton (b. 07 Dec 1830) and Melvina Amanda Wheeler (b. 01 Jan 1827).

Paulina Jane Miller was born in her family farm four miles north of Evansville, WI¹ on February 11, 1857 to Charles Miller II (b. 04 Oct 1823) and Catherine Jane Butts (b. 05 Jun 1833).

The two were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1878 in Cooksville, WI. By spring of 1879 they had permanently moved to their pioneer homestead in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, 20 miles northwest of Sioux Falls.²

John’s granddaughter Marjorie Becket writes that he “came west with a vision of the unlimited opportunities and richness of the new empire. He had a reputation for integrity, education, high ideals and fair dealing. He was one of the first superintendents of schools in the country, being elected to that position in 1882 and was reelected two years later. They also raised sheep, shipping in fine Merino sheep (a breed especially good for its wool) and devoting their full quarter section to what became the county’s finest sheep pasture.”³

John worked hard for his community. In addition to his role as superintendent, he helped found the Taopi Creamery on his land, was president of his town’s first phone company and started a local newspaper. When a new post office was established on John’s land in 1897, it was given the name Colton. John and Paulina platted their land a couple years later in 1899 creating the original village of Colton, SD. For the next decade, John worked tirelessly to bring a farm-to-market railroad, The South Dakota Central Railroad, to Colton. The first train ran from Sioux Falls to Colton in 1905.

Marjorie concludes John and Paulina’s story writing, “In order that the children might have the opportunity of securing a thorough education, the family moved temporarily to Mitchell in the fall of 1909 and John died there on December 16, 1910. Paulina Colton outlived her husband by twenty-seven years and continued to be an influential member of the community. Her youngest daughter writes in her obituary that her mother was “not only a splendid mother… but she was much more than that. Her interests were far reaching and she always managed to take time from a very busy life to keep informed about what was going on in the world and at the age of 80 was still one of the best read women in the community. In pioneer days she could always find time to organize a temperance society, write a paper for a literary society or train contestants for a speaking contest.””⁴ Paulina Colton died on February 28, 1937.

Children

John and Pauline had nine children: 3 boys and 6 girls. Their youngest son, Fred, died when he was 11 and their oldest daughter, Ethel, died when she was 24.

• Charles Miller Colton (b. 14 Oct 1879) (d. 03 Dec 1951)
• Melzar Glen Colton (b. 05 Jan 1883) (d. 15 Feb 1956)
• Frederick Arthur Colton (b. 28 Nov 1884) (d. 20 Mar 1896)
• Ethel Aurora Colton (b. 08 Sep 1887) (d. 19 Jun 1911)
• Ruth Ellen (Colton) Peterson (b. 19 Sep 1889) (d. 08 May 1982)
• Hattie Jane (Colton) Coxe (b. 01 Nov 1891) (d. 29 Jan 1974)
• Aura Vivian (Colton) Coutts (b. 23 Jan 1894) (d. 28 Jul 1957)
• Helen Pauline (Colton) Todnem (b. 29 Mar 1897) (d. 09 Feb 1962)
• Esther Melvina (Colton) Todnem (b. 25 Feb 1900) (d. 21 Feb 1985)

This is a photo of the Colton-Miller family which seems to date from around 1905. In the background appears to be Charles’s wife - Harriet Esther (Herr) Colton (b. 07 Jun 1877), Charles, Ethel, Melzar, Ruth and Hattie. In the foreground appears to be John, Aura, Helen, Esther and Paulina.