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         B. W. THOMPSON, residing on section 29, Grand View Township, is one of the earliest pioneers of Louisa county, Iowa. Almost his entire life has been spent in this county, and he has witnessed the changes that have transformed the once wild and uncultivated land into beautiful farms, and has aided largely in the work of development which places Louisa County on a par with the others which form the great State of Iowa. Mr. Thompson was born in Ross County, Ohio, in 1836. His parents, John and Mary (Nicholas) Thompson, had a family of four children, of whom he was the youngest. They were both natives of Ohio. When our subject was but four weeks old the death of his mother occurred. The father was again married, in Ross County, and in 1839 emigrated to Iowa, landing at Muscatine, from which place he came directly to Louisa County. He entered a claim on section 29, Grand View township, which was entirely unimproved, and bought the land from the Government. From this wild, uncultivated prairie, by his skill and labor he soon developed a fine farm, upon which he made his home for a number of years, and then removed to Henry County, Iowa, where he still resides. His second wife was called to her final rest in 1882.

When but three years of age our subject came to this county with his father, and was here reared on a farm, receiving his education in the district schools of the county. Early in life he commenced farming for himself, but when the war broke out, threatening destruction to the whole country, he responded to his country’s call for troops, and enlisted in Company I, 11th Iowa Infantry, for a term of three years, and was mustered into service at Davenport. The regiment was then ordered to the front, and Mr. Thompson participated in the battles of Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, the battle of Iuka, and then made an attempt to go to Vicksburg. The army went into winter quarters at Memphis, and the following year he took part in the siege of Vicksburg. After its surrender, his time having expired, he re-enlisted, in Company C, 1st Missouri Light Artillery, for the remainder of the war, and was engaged in the battle of Nashville, Tenn. Previous to this time he had followed Sherman to Atlanta, Ga., but was left at Marietta to guard supplies, from whence he returned to Nashville. In July, 1865, at St. Louis, Mo., he was honorably discharged, after four years of hard fighting on the battle-fields of the South.

At the close of the war Mr. Thompson returned to his home in Iowa. He had previously had eighty acres of his present farm willed to him by his grandfather Thompson, in about 1847, his grand- . . .

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. . . father having settled in this county in 1839. He immediately commenced its cultivation, and from time to time has added to his original possessions until he is now the owner of 200 acres of finely improved land, which is highly cultivated and stocked with a good grade of Durham cattle and Norman horses. Mr. Thompson is an ardent supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and does all in his power to advance its interests. He has held the office of School Director in his district for a number of years.

In Muscatine, Iowa, in 1867, Mr. Thompson and Miss Emma Huff were united in marriage. She is a native of the Buckeye State, and her parents Charles and Mary (Coble) Huff, were born in Pennsylvania. They came to Iowa in 1851, settling in Louisa county, where Mr. Huff purchased an improved farm. The death of his wife occurred in 1882, when about seventy years of age, and his death occurred in this county in May, 1888, at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years.

Mr. Thompson and his young bride began their domestic life upon the farm where they yet reside. Five children have been born to this worthy couple—Mary E., Eva N., Lula O., John F. and May, and the family circle yet remains unbroken. The two eldest children are both successful teachers in the county, where they have taught for a number of years, and the other children have also been carefully educated. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are members of the Church of God, and their pleasant home is situated about two and a half miles from the village of Grand View and eight miles from Columbus Junction.