George Ross

ROSS, JOHNSON, BALLANTYNE

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 2/19/2007 at 00:14:24

George Ross, who is engaged in farming on section 20, in the town of Spring Valley, was born in Jackson Township, Harris County, Iowa, March 13, 1856, and is the son of William and Salina (Johnson) Ross. Both of his parents were natives of England, his father born in Yorkshire, September 6, 1834, and his mother in Cheshire, April 4, 1836. Jonathan Ross, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came to the United States from England, and settled in New Jersey, when his son, William, was about eleven years of age. From that State, in 1851, he removed to Council Bluffs, and a short time after to Cresent City, Pottawattamie County, where he is still living, having reached the age of seventy-eight years.
William Ross, the father of our subject, is a resident of Jackson Township, Harrison County, where he is engaged in carrying on a large farm. He is the parent of nine children, of whom our subject is the second. George was reared upon his father’s farm, and received the elements of a good education in the common schools of his native county, but on his marriage left the parental roof and established a home of his own on a farm in Harrison County. There he remained until March 8, 1886, when he came to Monona County and settled on the place where he now lives. In his political views Mr. Ross is a Democrat, but sometimes votes the Union Labor ticket. Having the interest of the agricultural classes at heart, he was for some time connected with the Farmer’s Alliance.
Mr. Ross was united in marriage in Harrison County, March 13, 1878, with Miss Sarah Ballantyne, a native of Monona County, Iowa, and the daughter of Andrew Ballantyne, who is mentioned at length elsewhere in the pages of this Album. Unto them has been born a family of five children, as follows: Leslie, born March 2, 1879, who died September 7, 1884, Floyd, born February 20, 1881: Robert, born May 7, 1883, and died September 8, 1884: Fred, born October 2, 1885: and Ruby. January 28, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are consistent members of the re-organized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter- Day Saints.

Source: History of Monona County Iowa
Chicago National Pub Co. 1890