ANDREW J. LINN

LINN

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/21/2020 at 16:21:28

ANDREW J. LINN, one of the early citizens and business men of Nodaway, has been a resident of the township since 1865. He was born in Washington, Washington county, Pennsylvania, June 8, 1828, the son of Colonel Moses Linn, an officer in the war of 1812-14, and Nancy (Spears) Linn, a relative of President Buchanan. The parents were Pennsylvanians by birth, and lived there until death. Andrew J. was reared in his native State to the occupation of farming. He went to Ohio in 1852, and in 1853 was married to Miss Harriet Merrin, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Merrin. In 1855 he returned to Pennsylvania; in 1866 went to Morris, Illinois, and in 1874 came to Iowa and located in Nodaway, where he engaged in hotel-keeping and farming. He discontinued the former occupation after one year, and devoted himself exclusively to farming. From 1882 to 1886 he was engaged quite extensively in business, including hotel-keeping, grain and stock buying and general merchandising. In 1886 he practically retired from business, and was succeeded by his sons, Alexander S. and Franklin M.

Mr. and Mrs. Linn have six children: A. S., Stephen A. Douglas, Franklin, Andrew J., Richard M. and William T. Mrs. Linn's parents were natives of New Jersey, but removed to Knox county, Ohio, before the birth of Mrs. Linn, who was born in that county. The father died in Cass county, Iowa, near Atlantic, December 13, 1885. The mother is still living with her son near Atlantic. Mr. Linn has been Justice of the Peace for many years, and is also Notary Public, and the duties of these offices, together with hotel-keeping, constitute his principal occupation at present. His son, Andrew J., is engaged in the occupation of teaching. Mr. Linn is one of the representative citizens of Adams county, a gentleman of much more than average ability, and well informed on the general issues of the day; kind and generous to a fault. In his Christian faith a Presbyterian; in politics a Democrat. He enlisted and was Lieutenant in Company H, Eighteenth Pennsylvania State Volunteers, under the call of the Government in 1863, for 300,000 men, and was posted at Hagerstown, Maryland, at the time of the Antietem battle, but was never called into actual service except as an aid in relieving the wounded and suffering after that bloody engagement. As the ninety days' men were released soon after, he returned home and was engaged in recruiting troops, with headquarters at New Brighton, Pennsylvania. Mr. Linn enjoys a proud ancestral war record, dating back to Revolutionary times; came of educated and cultured parentage, and was himself a student at Jefferson College prior to its consolidation with Washington school after the late war; is a deep and logical thinker, a ready and forcible writer, and well entitled to the honor of being called one of dams county's most useful, enterprising and progressive citizens.