J W Thompson

THOMPSON

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/10/2009 at 12:17:16

J W Thompson, who is the editor and publisher of the Boone County Messenger of Ogden, Iowa, has resided in this county since May 1866. He was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1833, his parents being James and Jane ( Park) Thompson. The father was born in Maryland and by occupation was a farmer. The mother’s birth occurred in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, an in the year 1852 the family came to Iowa, settling in Linn county. The parents have both passed away, the mother having died in that county in 1860, while the father’s death occurred in Jefferson, Greene county, Iowa in 1871. IN his political views he was a Whig in early life and later became a Republican, but he never sough or desired political preferment. In the family were twelve children, five sons and seven daughters, of whom one brother is in Oregon, another in Washington, the third in Bayard, Iowa, while the fourth brother of our subject is deceased. The sisters are living, one in Ogden, one in Lenox, one in Amaqua township, Boone county, one in Marquette, Michigan, and one in Oklahoma, while the other two are deceased. Two of the brothers served throughout the Civil war as members of Company a, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry and were muster out at the close of hostilities.
The subject of this review spent this early youth in the county of his nativity, acquiring his education in the public schools and when about nineteen years of age he came with his parents to Iowa, settling in Linn county. He was married in that county in 1854 to Miss Mary Rogers, whose birth occurred in Muskingum county, Ohio, on August 16, 1832. She was a daughter of Henry and Fannie (Wertz) Rogers, both of whom have now passed away. They, too, were farming people. Unto Mr and Mrs Thompson have been born seven children of whom a son and a daughter died in childhood. Five daughters are now living and three of the number are married. Mrs Martha Elliott make her home in Beaver, Iowa. Mrs Etta Weaver resides in Boone, Iowa, while Mrs Anna Kellogg, a widow, is a resident of Chicago. The daughters at home are both successful educators in the public schools in Ogden, Clara being a principal, while Mae is a teacher in the grammar grade.
Mr Thomson has resided upon a farm for many years yet spent much of his time as a teacher and his educational work ranked him among the successful members of the profession in this part of the state. In January 1890, however, he turned his attention to journalistic work and founded the Boone County Messenger in company with Cyrus R Weaver under the firm name of Thompson & Weaver. In the fall of 1892, however, he purchased Mr Weaver’s interest and since that time has been sole owner and publisher of the paper, which he has made one of the leading country journals in this part of that state. The political complexion of the paper is that of an independent Democratic journal. It is largely devoted to the dissemination of local and general news and to affairs in behalf of the welfare, progress and improvement of the community.

1902 Boone County History Book