ADAM RAMSAY

Bonnie Brae Farm is an excellent property of one hundred and sixty acres, situated on section 14, Deer Creek township, and is owned by Adam Ramsay, who has brought his land under a high state of cultivation, while to the place he has added many modern improvements, making it one of the valuable farms of Worth county. The name which he has given to his place is indicative of the love which he feels for his native land. He was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, July 12, 1842, a son of Adam and Mary (Munroe) Ramsay, who were natives of the land of hills and heather, spending their childhood in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, where they were married. They came to the United States with their family in 1857, taking passage on a sailing vessel which was eight weeks in making the voyage to New York. From the eastern metropolis they proceeded up the Hudson river to Albany and thence by train to Buffalo and on by the way of the Great Lakes to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From that point they proceeded to Portage City, Wisconsin, and the father purchased a farm in Caledonia township, Columbia county. At that time there was a log cabin upon the place, which they occupied for a while, and until 1870 they lived upon that farm, after which they removed to Marble Rock, Iowa, where they visited relatives and friends. A little later they went to Otranto township, in Mitchell county, where Adam Ramsay, in connection with his son and namesake, operated the Henry Davis farm for a year. On the expiration of that period he took up his abode in Deer Creek township, Worth county, Iowa, settling in the fall of 1871 upon the farm which is now the home of his son Adam. He devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits for about fourteen years and in 1885 returned to Scotland on a visit. In 1887, when preparing to again come to the United States, he was taken ill and passed away at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife had died in Scotland in 1848 and both were laid to rest in their native soil. After coming to the new world Adam Ramsay, Sr., had given his support to the republican party and he ever remained a loyal and consistent member of the Presbyterian church, to which his wife also belonged, both being earnest Christian people.

Adam Ramsay spent his youthful days in his native country until he reached the age of fifteen years, when he accompanied his father to the United States and with him settled in Columbia county, Wisconsin. He there engaged in splitting rails and aided in the arduous task of clearing the farm from timber and preparing the soil for cultivation. He also worked as a farm hand in that state and afterward, desirous of engaging in business on his own account, he rented land in Dane county for two years. He subsequently spent a year at Marble Rock, Wisconsin, and for a year thereafter was a resident of Otranto township, Mitchell county, Iowa. He then came to Deer Creek township, Worth county, and took up his abode upon the farm which he yet owns and occupies and which he calls by the euphonious name of Bonnie Brae Farm. He has led a busy and useful life and his unfaltering labors have brought his place under a high state of cultivation. Annually he gathers golden harvests as the return for the care and labor which he bestows upon the fields and he keeps his land productive through the rotation of crops and through most progressive farm methods. His place comprises one hundred and sixty acres of land which is naturally productive and responds readily to the care and labor which he bestows upon it. Its improvements are thoroughly modern and the place is one of the attractive farms of the county.

On the 9th of February, 1894, Mr. Ramsay was united in marriage to Mrs. Rosetta J. House, a daughter of William and Mary Jane Shoop. Her father was a native of Vermilion, Ohio, while her mother was born at Melmore, that state. They were married in Ohio and afterward removed to Michigan, while later they became residents of Louisa county, Iowa, there residing until they went to Nebraska. Mr. Shoop purchased a farm in Nebraska and continued its cultivation and development for eight years. He next went to Lebanon, Kansas, where he resided for a quarter of a century. Mr. Shoop died while in the Sunflower state in 1905 and his widow now makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Ramsay, at the age of seventy-nine years. By her first marriage Mrs. Ramsay had two children, Mrs. May Kay and William.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Adam Ramsay has been a stalwart advocate of republican principles and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have several times called him to local office. He has served as township trustee and for a number of years was justice of the peace, in which position he rendered decisions that were strictly fair and impartial. He served both as school clerk and treasurer but at the present time is not in office, preferring to concentrate his attention and his energies upon his farm work, which is carefully directed and is bringing to him a substantial measure of prosperity.

SOURCE: HISTORY OF MITCHELL AND WORTH COUNTIES, IOWA, 1918, VOL. II; PAGES 582-585

Transcribed by Gordon Felland, October 28, 2006

MR. AND MRS. ADAM RAMSAY