NORTHWESTERN IOWA ITS HISTORY AND TRADITION VOLUME  III 1804-1926 T. A. ANDERSON The life history of Thomas A. Anderson was closely identified with the  history of Ida county, Iowa, which was long his home.  He began his career  here in the pioneer epoch and through the years which followed was closely  allied with its interests and upbuilding.  He was of the finest type of  progressive citizen and was held in the highest measure of appreciation by his  fellowmen. Mr. Anderson was born in Belfast, Ireland, on the 4th of January, 1873,  and was a son of James and Mary (Fair) Anderson, both of whom were natives of  the north of Ireland.  The family came to the United States in 1873,  locating first in Delaware county, Iowa, where they remained about five years,  and then came to Ida county, where the father engaged in farming.  To him  and his wife were born the following children:  Margaret Jane, who is the  widow of the late Robert Hall, of this county; Mary Eliza, who is the wife of  Robert Lipton, of Ida Grove; William J., of Ida Grove, and Thomas A., the  immediate subject of this memoir. Thomas A. Anderson was reared to the life of a farmer and secured his  education in the public schools of his home neighborhood.  He followed  farming throughout his active life, being enterprising and progressive in his  methods, and achieved notable success, being numbered among the wideawake and  up-to-date agriculturists of his locality.  He made many good improvements  on his farm and developed it into a valuable and productive property.  His  death occurred May 26, 1911. On March 4, 1896, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude  Anspach, daughter of Milton and Ella (Dickson) Anspach, the former of whom was a  native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Illinois.  They came to Ida county  in 1874 and the father here engaged in farming for many years.  During the  period of his residence in this locality he passed through varied experiences,  one of which was the terrible scourge of grasshoppers which in early days  completely devastated the crops.  Mr. and Mrs. Anspach are now retired and  live at Long Beach, California.  To them were born seven children, namely:  Gertrude, Mrs. Anderson; Royal Glenwood, of Colfax, Iowa; Edith, the wife  of Albert Kuhlman, of Lake Benton, Minnesota; William E., of Colfax, Iowa;  Raymond, of Long Beach, California; Cuma, the wife of Ross Heck, of Brookings,  South Dakota; and Vivian, of Long Beach, California.  To Mr. and Mrs.  Anderson were born five children, as follows:  Burdette, of Sioux City,  Iowa, Vera, the wife of Veirl McClow, of Ida Grove; and Hobert G., Theda and  James, who are at home with their mother. Politically Mr. Anderson was a lifelong supporter of the republican  party and took an active interest in local public affairs, having served as a  member of the city council.  He belonged to the Knights of Pythias.  He was eminently public-spirited, contributing of his efforts to the  prosperity and upbuilding of the community and held an enviable place in  public confidence and esteem. IAGENWEB:  Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm