John F. THOMPSON is a retired farmer living in Casey, but is still financially interested in various enterprises, which are of marked value in the community, and throughout his business life his course has been characterized by a strict conformity to a high standard of business ethics. His present place of residence is far separated from the place of his nativity, for he was born in North Carolina on the 30th of October, 1848. His parents were Samuel and Polly (DAVIS) THOMPSON, and he is the survivor of the family of two children. His father was born in North Carolina in 1825 and in the paternal line is of Irish ancestry, while in the maternal line he is of Welsh descent. In 1855 he emigrated westward to Iowa, accompanied by his parents, and in this state he entered land from the government adjoining the present town of Casey on the east. This section of the state was then largely unsettled and unimproved. He was among the early families to establish a home in this portion of Guthrie county, there being not more than three or four homes here at the tine of his arrival. When the township was organized it was named in his honor, a fact which shows his popularity and prominence among his fellow citizens. His parents also established a home in this part of the state, entering a tract of land lying just across the boundary line in Adair county. Samuel THOMPSON continued to reside upon the farm, which he developed and improved until he was called to his final rest in 1896. He was twice married, his second union being with Miss Lydia ARLEDGE, of North Carolina, who still survives him and by whom he had eight children, namely: Jessie C., George W., James B., Henry M., Samuel P., Isaac S., Albert A., and Laura, the latter now deceased. All reside in Guthrie county with the exception of Samuel P. THOMPSON, who is living in Oklahoma, and Henry, who makes his home in Ringgold county, Iowa.

John F. THOMPSON was a youth of seven years upon the removal of the family to this state, and on the old homestead near Casey he spent his boyhood and youth. He early became familiar with the arduous task of developing and cultivating new land and he also shared in many of the hardships and privations incident to settlement on the frontier. In 1875 he purchased a farm of eighty acres, three miles north of Casey in Thompson township, and locating thereon he added to this property until within its boundaries are now comprised two hundred and forty acres of land. This is one of the valuable farms of the county, owing to the cultivation and improvement he has bestowed upon it. In all his business life he has been very successful, and though making his own way in the world unassisted he has become one of the substantial agriculturists of the county. He continued active in the cultivation and management of his place until 1903, when he took up his abode in Casey, where he has since lived. He is yet financially interested in several business concerns. He became a stockholder in the Abram Rutt National Bank upon its organization in 1906 and was made one of its directors. He is also a stockholder and director in the Casey Creamery Company and a stockholder in the Casey Lumber Company.

On the 13th of January, 1870, Mr. THOMPSON was united in marriage to Miss Jennie CLAYTON, a daughter of James A. CLAYTON, of Adair county, Iowa, but a native of Kentucky. Her great-grandfather, James Austin CLAYTON, served for seven years in the Revolution and was one of the men who helped to throw the tea overboard in Boston harbor. Mr. and Mrs. THOMPSON has been born a son, Andrew W., now in St. Joseph, Missouri. The parents are members of the Baptist church, in which Mr. THOMPSON has served as a deacon for the past ten years. In politics he is a democrat and has been prominent in the local ranks of the party. He served for years as a member of the school board, was township assessor six years, township treasurer six years and since his removal to Casey has been a member of the town council. His interest in community affairs is deep and sincere and his labors are always actuated by a devotion to the public good that is above question. He has accomplished much in the business world. A man of strong force of character, determined purpose and sound judgment, he has had not only the ability to plan but to execute important interests, and through all the long years of a successful career has maintained an unassailable reputation for reliability.

SOURCE:  Past and Present of Guthrie County, Iowa  S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. Chicago. 1907.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, December of 2008