Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 695
JEROME TOOMBS

Since 1878 Jerome TOOMBS has been a resident of Harrison county, Iowa, and for the past twenty years he has been engaged in the buying, feeding and selling of hogs and cattle, and has made a pronounced success of this line of activity. He is a man of excellent business ability and is now one of the largest stock shippers in the county.

Jerome TOOMBS, the son of Samuel and Artemisia (ROSE) TOOMBS, was born March 6, 1852, in Racine county, Wisconsin. His parents were natives of England and New York, respectively. Samuel TOOMBS came to the United States with his parents when seven years of age, the family first locating in New York, later, in 1839, moving to Wisconsin, being among the first settlers in that state. In 1852 Samuel TOOMBS went to California, leaving his family in Wisconsin. He was not successful in finding gold and returned to Wisconsin, where he spent the rest of his life.

Jerome TOOMBS received a limited education in Racine county, Wisconsin, and early in life began to work on the farm, spending as much time as he could in the school room during the winter seasons. When he was twenty-four years of age he started out working for himself in the pineries in the northern part of Wisconsin. He worked in the woods one winter and in 1878 came to Harrison county, Iowa, where he worked by the month for the first year or two. He then rented land for about five years, but in the meantime became interested in the buying and shipping of stock. In 1894 he began to buy stock which he would feed for the market and has followed this business ever since.

Mr. TOOMBS was married June 29, 1905, to Mrs. Mary (BURNS) EDMONDS, a daughter of Samuel BURNS, a pioneer settler of Harrison county, and the widow of Orson EDMONDS, for whom the town of Orson was named.

Mr. TOOMBS is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Little Sioux. He is a Democrat, but is not a partisan in any sense of the word. He always votes for the best men regardless of their politics. He has been trustee of Jackson township for one term and rendered his fellow citizens efficient service during his incumbency. Mrs. TOOMBS is a member of the Catholic church.

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