Convention Member John Ronalds

Convention Member
No Party Specified
Born at Ryegate, Caledonia County, Vermont, July 12, 1799, a son of George and Elizabeth (Smith) Ronalds. Descendants of Scotch or Scotch-Irish ancestry in America are to be met with in every state of the Union and it is to their credit that they rank among the most intelligent and progressive people on the continent. Of this number was John Ronald (the name in the early days was spelled Ronalds and in various other ways). Mr. Ronalds received his early education in the public schools of Vermont and removed with his parents to Indiana when he was twenty one years of age. He learned the wagon maker’s trade after arriving in Indiana and also devoted his attention to farming, applying himself with an energy that produced highly satisfactory results. He was a man of excellent ability and was thoroughly capable in everything he undertook. He was greatly respected by his friends and neighbors and became recognized as one of the progressive and useful men of the community. On October 10, 1822, Mr. Ronalds was married to Miss Martha Killough, a native of South Carolina and a daughter of James and Jane (Hayes) Killough. Mr. Ronalds came to Louisa County, Iowa in 1836. He was a delegate to the 1846 Iowa Constitutional Convention held in Iowa City representing Louisa County. Mr. Ronalds died February 22, 1872, his wife being called away seven years later, in December, 1879. He was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church and in all the relations of life attempted to perform his whole duty to his family, his associates and his fellowmen. Source: History of Louisa County, Iowa, From Its Earliest Settlement to 1912, Vol II