taught the first academy at that place, remaining there for two years. From there he moved to Wheaton, Ill., taught the graded school for three years, and then bought a farm in Benton County, Iowa, near Shellsburg, where he established the Benton County Nurseries, the largest in Northern Iowa. Here he remained about fourteen years, and was quite successful as a nurseryman, shipping trees all over the continent. In the spring of 1877 he came to Ames, and was appointed to his present position, in which he is well known. While living at Shellsburg, Iowa, he was secretary of the Horticultural Society, and held that position for five years after coming to Ames. He is eminently qualified for the position he now holds as a teacher of horticulture, and as a propagator and distributor of hardy fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs. He owns 240 acres of land in Benton County, Iowa, and his son is running the large nursery at that place. He was married to Miss Sarah M. Breed (Breed's Hill was named for her ancestors, a family of Revolutionary fame), and two children were the result of this union: Allen J. and Etta M. The Professor is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He spent the summer of 1882 in Russia, studying the nature of fruits, and to find the kinds best adapted to this climate. He also spent some time in Asia, and is well versed in all subjects relating to horticulture. His horticultural library is one of the largest and most valuable on the continent, as, in addition to his valuable collection, it contains the valuable collections of the late A. J. and Charles Downing.
A. H. Buck. Within the limits of Story County there is no man of greater personal ability than Mr. Buck, a man of recognized worth and substantial progressive spirit. He owes his nativity to Illinois, where he was born on the 31st of April, 1841, being a son of Jacob and Susan (Fouts) Buck, both of whom were born in Maryland. The paternal grandfather, Henry Buck, was a native of Maryland also, and served in the Revolutionery War. Jacob Buck was a pioneer settler of Ogle County, Ill., having come there in 1835, and there he made his home for twenty years. In 1864 he moved to Story County, Iowa, and there farmed for six years, but later removed to Northeastern Kansas, and there resumed his farming operations until 1873, when he went to California, where he is at present residing. Of the nine children reared by Mr. and Mrs. Buck, only five are now living. A. H. Buck grew to manhood on his father's farm, and on the 16th of September, 1861, he enlisted in a company in the Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteers, and was assigned to the Mississippi Department, in the Army of the Tennessee, first under Gen. Grant, and then under Gen. Sherman. He participated in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion's Hill, siege of Vicksburg, siege of Atlanta and Savannah, and was with Sherman on his famous march to the sea. He was at Bentonville, N. C., then up to Raleigh and to Durham Station, where Johnston surrendered, and thence to Washington City, and took part in the grand review. His company disbanded at Louisville, Ky., on July 20, 1865, and immediately after he returned to Iowa, where his father was then living. Here he purchased land, and farmed for ten years, and then went to Kansas, but after staying there eighteen months, he returned to his farm in Story County, where he has remained ever since. He owns a fine farm of 140 acres, sixty of which are under cultivation, and he is considered one of the substantial and well-to-do farmers in the county. His marriage to Miss Sarah A. Craig, daughter of Presley R. and Elizabeth Craig, residents of this county, was consummated in 1866, and