Moody County South Dakota Genealogy

About the South Dakota GenWeb Project

In June, 1996, a group of genealogists organized the South Dakota Comprehensive Genealogy Database. The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in South Dakota, where collected databases would be stored. In addition, the databases would be indexed and cross-linked, so that even if an individual were found in more than one county, they could be located in the index.

At the same time, volunteers were found who were willing to coordinate the collection of databases and generally oversee the contents of the web page. The person responsible for this county is Ray W. Justus. Contact him if you have a desire to add your data to the database.

MOODY COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA HISTORY
(Population: 6,552 friendly people; Area: 520 square miles, Organized in 1873; County Seat: Flandreau)

The county was named for Col. Gideon C. Moody, who was speaker of the house in the Territorial legislature of 1874-75, associate justice of the Territorial Supreme Court from 1878 to 1883, and one of South Dakota's first two United States Senators from 1889 to 1891. He was born in Cortland, New York, in 1832, studied law at Syracuse, moved to Indiana where he was admitted to the bar at the age of 20, volunteered in the Civil War and rose to the rank of Colonel. He resigned his commission in 1864 and joined the New York Colony at Yankton and began to practice law.

In 1865 Congress appropriated $25,000 for the improvement of the road from Sioux City, Iowa to Fort Randall, Dakota Territory, via Elk Point, Vermillion, and Yankton. Colonel Moody, as superintendent in charge of construction, secured a portable sawmill, brought logs from the settlers, and made them into lumber with which he began building the first bridge over the Sioux River. However, most of the appropriation was used up before the bridge was completed and Moody was relieved of his job within a year. He died in 1906.

This page was last updated Saturday, February 12, 2005 2:00 PM MST. You are the visitor since November 30, 2002.

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For more information email: Ray W. Justus