The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 1014 A portrait of William Todd appears in this publication. WILLIAM TODD. William Todd, successfully engaged in the dairy business near Yakima, belongs to that class of men whose individual efforts, resulting in the attainment of success, have won for them the proud American title of a self-made man. He was born in Scotland, February 7, 1843, a son of Alexander and Hannah Todd, both of whom spent their entire lives in Scotland. The son acquired a public school education in his native country and then took up the occupation of farming, which he followed there for a considerable period. At length, however, he decided to leave the land of crag and glen, of mountain peak and mountain lake, of lowland, heath and plain, the land of liberty, poetry and song, of religious and educational zeal, the home of Wallace and Bruce, of Scott and Burns, whose heroes have honored Britain's flag on every field, from Waterloo to the Marne, the ancestral home of many of America's brightest, best and most distinguished men. When home ties were severed he crossed the Atlantic in the year 1892 and made his way to Minnesota. There he resided for about two years and on the 1st of February, 1894, arrived in Yakima, where for a time he worked for wages. He then began farming on his own account on rented land, and prospering in the undertaking, on the 1st of March, 1902, he purchased one hundred and sixty acres, one-half of which is plow land. He then entered the dairy business and is now the owner of registered Holstein cattle. He is engaged in milking twenty cows and is thus conducting a large dairy business, finding a ready sale for his product. He has forty acres planted to alfalfa and also engages in raising corn and other grains. Upon his place he has built a fine home, large barns and sheds and has all of the modern equipment of a twentieth century model dairy farm. He has purchased five registered hulls for his herd since taking up his abode upon this place and has one of the finest herds of Holstein cattle to be found in the northwest. His business interests are conducted under the name of William Todd & Sons, for he has associated his sons with him in the undertaking. In 1874 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Miss Grace Milroy, a native of Scotland, and to them have been born five children: Hannah, now the wife of George Jackson and the mother of one daughter; Alexander, at home; Maggie, the wife of William Allan, by whom she has five sons and a daughter; Grace, who is the wife of Merman Helmich and the mother of three daughters and one son; and William, who is also at home, associated with his father in the dairy business. Mr. Todd and his family are members of the Presbyterian church and the sons as well as the father, are republicans in their political views. Mr. Todd has now reached the age of seventy-six years, but is still an active and alert man, carefully directing his business affairs and taking active part in the work of the farm. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. When he arrived in the new world his financial resources were limited but with determined purpose he set out to wrest fortune from the hands of fate in this country. With love for his native land, he is nevertheless deeply attached to his adopted country and is an enthusiastic supporter of the northwest and its opportunities. Here he has gradually worked his way upward until he now occupies a place among the then of affluence who are interested in farming and dairying in the vicinity of Yakima. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.