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Biographical History of Cherokee County, Iowa
W. S. Dunbar & Co., Chigago - 1889

[page 445-446]

   ALEXANDER B. ROSS, one of the prominent grocers of Cherokee, Iowa, is
   numbered among the oldest business men of the place. He settled there
   in 1870, while it was a mere hamlet, and is now one of the most
   thorough-going and prosperous merchants of the county, and has the
   respect and merchants of the county, and has the respect and confidence
   of the entire population, with whom he has dealt in various capacities
   for nearly twenty years.  He is a native of Nova Scotia, born October
   12, 1842, and is the oldest son of a family of seven children.  His
   father, ALEXANDER ROSS, was a Scotchman by birth, and a farmer by
   occupation.  He married Miss ELIZABETH BAILLIE, also a native of
   Scotland, and a daughter of ALEXANDER BAILLIE.  ALEXANDER ROSS was
   married to his wife in Nova Scotia, and settled on a farm, where they
   lived a contented life.  The husband died in 1873, and the wife still
   remains upon the homestead.  The early boyhood of ALEXANDER B. was not
   unlike that of the average boy.  He attended the common schools and
   assisted his father on the farm, remaining at home until he was twenty-
   two years old.  The next five years of his life were spent about the
   gold mines of his native province.  In 1869 he was seized with the
   "Western fever," and nothing seemed equal to a cure but a trial trip to
   investigate for himself; so he left for the West and drifted to Council
   Bluffs, Iowa, and thence to Sioux City.  A part of the season was spent
   in Tama County, Iowa, and the following spring, which was in 1870, he
   came to Cherokee, where he was variously employed until 1873.  He then
   embarked in the grocery business on a very limited scale, but as his
   business increased he added to his stock until it has assumed its
   present proportions.  His place of business is on the same lot which he
   occupied sixteen years ago.  At first he had a small frame building, but
   in 1880 he erected a fine brick block, two stories high, and 24x100 feet
   on the ground.  He carries a very large and complete stock of staple and
   fancy groceries, and is finely established in business,having a most
   excellent trade from all parts of the county.  Mr. ROSS was married
   February 10, 1873, to Miss ISABELLA MATHISON, a native of Nova Scotia,
   and a daughter of THOMAS and JENNETTE MATHISON.  Mr. and Mrs. ROSS are
   the parents of three children: JENNIE L., CLARA G. and KATIE.  Mr. ROSS
   is one of the deacons of the First Presbyterian Church of Cherokee, and
   is an honored member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge of this city.
   Politically he is of the Republican party, believing that its principles
   come nearer to serving the best interests of the great mass of American
   people than those of any other party.  In his business career Mr. ROSS
   has been quite successful; he has been diligent, and has exercised
   prudence and good judgment in his various investments.  He owns, besides
   his mercantile property, a valuable farm in Plymouth County, Iowa, and
   the present year (1889) he is erecting a fine residence in the addition,
   which will be among the best-built dwellings in Cherokee.  It is indeed
   gratifying to see men prosper who merit success, and who have earned it
   through hard and honest toil.

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