James Ascer Gold ^{1 2 3}

  Research Notes:

From History of South Dakota, Vol. 1, 1904, p. 801:
James A. Gold was born in Davis, Illinois, on the 14th of May, 1860. At the age of fifteen years he joined his older brothers in Iowa, and acted as station agent and telegraph operator in the various towns in which they were located, having served in such capacity for eight years after coming to Big Stone City. He has served as treasurer of the school district for the past decade. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a member of the board of trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Big Stone City. He has executive charge of the affairs of the Gold & Company Bank, of which he has been cashier from the time of its establishment, in 1894. His resident [sic] is the finest in the city and one of the best to be found between Minneapolis and Aberdeen. At Waubay, Day county, on the 22d of December, 1884, Mr. Gold wedded Miss Ida B. Stone, who was born in the state of Maine, being a daughter of C. C. Stone, now a resident of Big Stone City [in 1904]. Of this union have been born nine children, namely: Ray E., Lee A., Earl S., Grace M., Irene M., Verna B., Mildred C., James C. and Kenneth.

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From History of Dakota Territory, Vol IV, 1915:
James A. Gold, of Big Stone City, is one of the capitalists of that region and is connected with many important and varied business interests. He is quick to recognize opportunities which others fail to see, manifests sound judgment in the formulation of his plans and is enterprising and resolute in carrying his undertakings to successful completion.

See http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/biography/kingsbury/v4/gold.txt for the remainder of the source material.
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Notes from a Pedigree Chart prepared by Donald W. Gold dated 25 Jul 1996:
"At the age of fourteen, Jim left home to learn the trade of telegraph operator at Delmar, Iowa where his two brothers, Sid and John were in a store. His first job in this trade was as relief man at Wilton, Iowa. Then for three years he was at the depot in Keystone, Iowa. One of the former workers from there wrote from Canada offering to pay double the pressent salaries to men who would come up there to work on the railroad so Jim packed up and left for Canada. When he got to St. Paul in the fall of 1883 he found himself in the midst of a heavy snow storm so he decided that he wouldn't want to get up in Canada, imagining what it must be like if there were such storms here in Minnesota. He got a job from the main Milwaukee R.R. office in Minneapolis as station agent at Waubay, South Dakota. He went to the Big Stone City station on February 18, 1884, and stayed there until 1892, when he resigned to carry on the businesses that he had been carrying on the side before. His brothers Sid and John moved to Big Stone City with him and they engaged in the grain, coal, carriage, bicycle, insurance and real estate business. They loaned much money for the Rutland, Vermont; Massachusetts, and the New York Life Insurance Co. Both his brothers died early in the twentieth century and he then took over the business entirely. In 1917 he and his brother, William H. Gold, organized the Southern Minnesota Joint Stock Land Bank. He, in two and one half years alone, loaned out $38,000,000 from the Big Stone Bank. He had banks at Albee and Wilmot, S. D. and Marietta, Minnesota. William H. Gold had banks at Redwood Falls and adjoining towns as well. As the sons of the Gold brothers grew up and had attended college they entered the business too and took over quite a bit of it until 1925 and 1926 when the banks failed. James Gold, Sr. moved across the lake to his cottage at Lakeside and has spent his later years there. In the winter he and Mrs. Gold have lived around in different cities where their children live." ⁶

  Noted events in his life were:

• Moved, 1875, Iowa, United States.

• Occupation: Cashier at Gold & Company Bank, 1894, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States.

• Census: U.S, 5 Jun 1900, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States. Household:
James A. Gold, head, W, M, May 1860, 40, M, 14, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, banker
Ida Belle Gold, wife, W, F, Nov 1865, 34, M, 14, Maine, Maine, Maine
Ray Eugene Gold, son, W, M, Dec 1886, 13, S, So Dak,. Iowa, Maine
Lee A. Gold, son, W, M, Dec 1887, 12, S, So Dak, Iowa, Maine, at school
Earl S. Gold, son, W, M, Aug 1888, 11, S, So Dak, Iowa, Maine, at school
Grace M. Gold, daughter, W, F, Mch 1991, 9, S, So Dak, Iowa, Maine, at school
Irene M. Gold, daughter, W, F, Aug 1892, 7, S, So ak, Iowa, Maine, at school
Verna B. Gold, daughter, W, F, Dec 19894, 5, S, S09o Dak, Iowa, Maine
Mildred C. Gold, daughter, W, F, Aug 1897, 2, S, So Dak, Iowa, Maine
James Gold, son, W, M, May 1900, 2mo, S, So Dak, Iowa, Maine
Minnie Bruner, servant, W, F, July 1876, 23, S, Germany, Germany, Germany, 1896, housework This event was shared with Earl Sidney Gold, Grace Marie Gold, Ida Belle Stone, Irene May Gold, James Charles Gold, Lee Aaron Gold, Mildred Claire Gold, Ray Eugene Gold, and Verna Belle Gold.

• Residence, 1904, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States. ¹ "His residence is one of the finest in the city and one of the best to be found between Minneapolis and Aberdeen."

• Occupation: Vice-President of Gold & Co. State Bank, 1909, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States. ⁷

• Occupation: President of Gold Bros. Security Co, 1909, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States.

• Residence, 1915, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States.

• Census: U.S, 19 Apr 1930, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota, United States. ⁸ Household:
James A. Gold, Head, M, W, 70, M, 25, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Painter, building painter
Ida B. Gold, Wife, F, W, 64, M, 19, Maine, Maine, Maine
Guy Yust, Lodger, M, W, 65, M, 25, Iowa, Switzerland, Iowa

James married Ida Belle Stone, daughter of Charles Cummings Stone and Lydia Amanda Crowell, on 2 Dec 1884 in Waubay, Day, South Dakota, United States. (Ida Belle Stone was born on 25 Nov 1865 in Augusta, Kennebec, Maine, United States, died on 21 Jul 1959 in Fargo, Cass, North Dakota, United States and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota.)