a respected and esteemed resident of Story County, was born in Illinois, Ogle County, on the 18th of October, 1850, and is the son of James and Catherine (Mellinger) Thompson, natives, respectively, of New York and Ohio. The father went to Ohio with his parents when a child, married there and shortly afterward moved to Illinois, locating on a farm in Ogle County. He still resides on the same, and his wife is also living. He is hale and hearty and about seventy years of age. Lorenzo D. Thompson grew to manhood on the Ogle County farm, remained with his father until twenty-one years of age, and in 1875 came west to Iowa, locating in Story County on a farm near Nevada. He moved to Iowa Centre in the fall of 1882, and has not been engaged in business since that time, except handling some stock at this place. Mr. Thompson was married in Ogle County, Ill., on the 31st of March, 1875, to Miss Sarah Richardson, daughter of William Richardson, of Ogle County, and a native of Ogle County, where she was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have four children: Katie, Luleen, Flora and Edna. One child-Clair- was killed in the tornado of June, 1882. Mr. Thompson is a Republican in politics, was elected justice of the peace of Indian Creek Township in 1886, re-elected in 1888, and is now serving his second term. He is a delegate to the next Story County Convention. He has been reasonably successful since his residence in this county, and is considered one of its substantial citizens. He owns a good farm in Nevada Township and good residence property in Iowa Centre. He is a Master Mason, socially.
James Thurston, farmer and stock-breeder, Nevada, Iowa. Nearly ever since his identification with Story County as one of her citizens, Mr. Thurston has been interested in the raising and breeding of horses, and by reason of his long and intimate acquaintance with this branch of industry, he has become well known. Born in Delaware County, Ohio, on the 13th of September, 1827, he was the son of Isaac and Phoebe (Inman) Thurston, the father a native of Rhode Island. The mother died in Ohio in 1841, and the father died in Kane County, Ill., at the age of sixty-nine years. James Thurston, the youngest of nine children, three of whom are living, came to Kane County, Ill., in 1844, and made his home in that State until 1880. As he had early been taught the duties of the farm, he followed this occupation in Illinois, until coming to Story County, Iowa, in the last mentioned date. He settled on 140 acres on Section 13, Nevada Township, and has for many years been engaged in stock-breeding. He is now the keeper of two thoroughbred Percheron horses, owned by a Farmers' Stock Improvement Company, of New Albany-Sebastapol, four years old, and weighing 1,850 pounds; and Muscat, also four years old, and weighing 1,700 pounds. These thoroughbred horses, valued at $2,000 each, were purchased in Europe by W. L. Elwood, of De Kalb, Ill., in March, 1889, and were imported thence direct to this country. These are two of the finest horses in the county. Mr. Thurston was married in 1852 to Miss Sarah Perry, a native of De Kalb County, Ill., and three interesting children have been born to this union: Laura J., Esther A., and Anna V. Mr. Thurston is a Republican in his political views, and Mrs. Thurston is a member of the United Brethren Church.
Mrs. Martha Tichenor, consort of Joseph Tichenor (deceased), is a resident of Section 28, Nevada Township, Story County, Iowa. She was born in Indiana, on March 10, 1830, and was the second in a family of eight children, all deceased but four, born to the union