Taken from photocopies from pages of a book on Carroll County, Indiana.

I believe this book is in the Carroll County library.

JAMES N. A. ROSS.

One of the pioneer farmers and landowners of Monroe township, Carroll county, Indiana, who lives one-half mile from Bringhurst and a mile from Flora, where he owns two hundred and sixteen acres of land, is James N. A. Ross, a native of Gwitnnett county, Georgia, born about sixteen miles northwest of Atlanta, January 16,1835.

Mr. Ross is the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Williams) Ross, the former of whom was born near Knoxville, Tennessee, and who, before his marriage, immigrated to Georgia, where he taught singing school. He was married in Georgia and, for a number of years thereafter, lived on a plantation, where he was an overseer. In 1828 he came to Indiana where he remained two years and he then returned to Tennessee and from there he went to Georgia and purchased sixty acres of land and farmed there until 1839, when he immigrated from Georgia to Indiana, and settled where he had entered eighty acres of land in Carroll county in 1828. At the time he selected the land he was compelled to make his entry at Crawfordsville. Mr. Ross lived on this farm for one year. He then rented the old Susan Wise farm for two years and then farmed one year for Charles Bowman.

Subsequently, Mr. Ross farmed his father's farm for two years and then purchased eighty acres, where his son, James N. A. Ross, now lives. With the exception of eighteen months thereafter, he spent his life on the farm, but died in Bringhurst at the age of eighty-two. By the marriage of Thomas Ross to Elizabeth Williams there were born four children, of whom James N. A. was the eldest. The others were Samuel, who died in infancy: and Catherine, who is the widow of John Haines, to whom she was married in 1865.

On February 16, 1870, James N. A. Ross was married to Mahelia Elizabeth Hill, the daughter of Wilson and Barbara (Lowman) Hill, both of whom came to Indiana from Maryland and settled on the prairie near Lafayette. They were the parents of seven children, of whom Mahelia was the eldest. The others were Sarah Jan, who married David Shirk, and is now deceased; William J., who lives near Ockley, in Carroll county; Wilson, who died in Illinois; Frank, who is a farmer in North Dakota; George, who lives on Wild Cat creek, this country; and Charles who lives at Moran, Indiana.

After their marriage, Mr. And Mrs. Ross settled in Carroll County and here they have lived for more than fifty-five years. For about a year they lived on the Duff farm near Delphi, Indiana.

Mr. And Mrs. Ross have been the parents of twelve children, of whom four; Phoebe Jane, Emma Louisa, Frank and Charles are deceased. The living children are, Mort B., who lives in Illinois, Amanda Elizabeth, who is the widow of David Dern; Ora Catherine, who is the wife of J. Wilson Eikenberry, of Monroe township; Jessie, the wife of Robert Johnson, of Wild Cat creek, Carroll county; Carrie, the wife of Otto Papke, of Chicago; Thomas, who resides in Logansport; Blanche, the wife of Garfield Evans; and Luther, who lives on the home place.

Mr. And Mrs. James N. A. Ross are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Bringhurst, in which Mr. Ross has served as a trustee for more than thirty years. He has always been identified with the Republican Party, and served three or four terms as supervisor in Monroe township. At the present time, Mr. And Mrs. Ross have just finished building a modern country home, which is equipped with all modern conveniences. They are highly respected citizens of Monroe township and enjoy the good will and admiration of all their neighbors. Mr. And Mrs. Ross celebrated their golden wedding on February 16, 1910, and all, the family and friends gathered at their home, over one hundred in number, and enjoyed a pretty golden wedding.

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