WILLIAM I. GRAY

GRAY

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/21/2020 at 12:47:08

WILLIAM I. GRAY of section 17, Grant township, came to this county in 1880, where he is one of the enterprising and successful citizens. He was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburg, a son of James and Mary Ann (Thornsburg) Gray, the former native of Tyrone, Ireland, and the latter a daughter of John Thornsburg, of Pennsylvania. The parents had fourteen children, seven sons and seven daughters, of whom our subject is the tenth child. They resided in Allegheny county until death, the father dying at the age of sixty years, and the mother at the age of seventy. The father, a farmer by occupation, was a member of the Presbyterian Church, as was also the mother.

William, our subject, was reared on a farm in his native State, and received a common-school education. In 1879 he came to Iowa, spent one season in Marion county, and then came to Adams county, where he bought a farm in Mercer township. He sold this place in 1890, after which he bought his present farm of George Bratton and Robert Martin, and also eighty acres of Edward Matthews. He now owns 240 acres of well improved land, where he has a good house, groves, orchards, barns, sheds, yards and feed lots.

Mr. Gray was married in Allegheny county, March 6, 1878, to Miss Mary Snodgrass, a native of Butler county, Pennsylvania, and daughter of James and Jane (Hamilton) Snodgrass, natives of Ireland. They had eight children, four sons and four daughters. The father died at the age of eighty-four, and the mother at the age of sixty years, both in Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Gray have five children: Elmer Ellsworth, Jesse Elliott, Alvin Irvin, Myrtle Ursula and Mary Musetta. Politically Mr. Gray affiliates with the Democratic party, and both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.