James Lazarus Moreland

He was born in Galena, IL to Joseph Garfield Moreland and Sara ()Moreland on July 24, 1875. His mother died when he was 10 years old and his Dad brought him to South Dakota when he was a young man. He worked on the Chicago, Milwaukee Railroad all his life in Mitchell, SD. He married Katherine ? who later died from tuberculosis. They had no children. He later married Edith Mildred Cahoon on April 26, 1915 at the home of Snyder's on South Wisconsin Street in their backyard. They had 4 children, Margaret Edith Moreland, in 1916; James Edwin Moreland, June 5, 1918, Lawrence ? Moreland; stillborn birth, and Jessie Mae Sarah Moreland, September 20, 1924. He worked for the WPA during the Depression and then was rehired on the railroad working until his retirement when he was probably 70 or so. In his earlier life he played drums in the Salvation Army Band in Mitchell. The Snyder's introduced him to Edith Cahoon who was living with them and attending DWU to get a teaching degree. Due to an infection in his big toe from railroad ties being dropped on it, he developed gangarine (sp) and had to have his leg amputated. He managed to still drive his Chevy, a 1952 model I think, but in September 1959 he had a heart attack and died. He was a wonderful little guy with a big bass voice, beautiful singer.