A native of Pennsylvania, and has been a resident of Boone county for half a century. His birth occurred in Greene county of the Keystone state on April 3 1825. He was largely reared in Knox county, Ohio. He received fair school advantages and was well trained to farm work, so that the practical experiences of his youth enables him to successfully carry on business along that line in later years. After he had attained his majority he was married on August 26, 1852, in Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Ewart, a native of Knox county. The bridal trip of the young couple consisted of a journey to Iowa, made in a wagon drawn by a team of horses. Boone county was their destination and on reaching this place Mr. Jennings purchased 320 acres of land. Politically Mr. Jennings was an old line Whig in early life and his first ballot was cast for Zachary Taylor. Upon the organization of the Republican party in 1856 he joined its ranks and has since been a follower of its standard. In 1880 he was elected to represent his district in the Eighteenth General Assembly, being the first member of his party ever chosen to that office in Boone county. He served on a number of important committees and made an honorable record. He has also been a member of the township board of trustees and has been township treasurer of the school funds and for thirty-five years has been township treasurer--facts which indicate in an unmistakable manner his fidelity to duty and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen. Frequently he has been sent as a delegate to county, congressional and state conventions and is regarded as one often leading and influential Republicans of his district. He and his wife hold membership in the Baptist church in which he is serving as deacon. Justly numbered among the honored pioneers of the county, he has contributed in a large measure to public progress. Fifty years ago he came to Iowa and aided in organizing the first Union League of Boone county during the war. In all possible ways he has labored for the advancement of this portion of the state, giving his cooperation to all movements for the material, social, intellectual and moral welfare of his community.