BIOGRAPHY: 
From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875

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    Honorable ANDREW T. JONES, one of the first merchants and the first 
Mayor of McGregor, was born near Flemingsburgh, Fleming County, Kentucky, 
December 13, 1818.  He emigrated with his parents to near Springfield, 
Illinois, where he was brought up, and attended school, sometimes walking a 
distance of four miles to secure the meagre advantages which country 
schools afforded in those days, till his father removed to the "Lead 
Mines," as Galena and vicinity was then called ?in 1827.  Here he worked 
with his father carting lead ore from Plattsville, Wisconsin, to Galena, 
for about a year, when his father died, and he worked in a store and at 
mining, and attended school as he had opportunity, from ten to sixteen 
years of age.  He then took charge of a stock of goods, at half interest, 
with his brother-in-law, J.N. Vineyard, at British Hollow near Potosi, and 
after selling the same, went into mercantile business on his own account at 
Plattsville, Wisconsin. 
    Near the close of 1839 he was married at Plattsville to Miss Elizabeth 
Cheeseborough, formerly of Stonington, Connecticut. 
In 1845 he settled in Benton, Wisconsin, and soon after formed a 
partnership with George L. Bass and James Day, in general merchandise, the 
firm being A.T. Jones & Co., continuing one year, when Mr. Day sold his 
interest to Jones and Bass, who continued the business till the Fall of 
1849. 
    At the last mentioned date, Mr. Jones came to McGregor and commenced 
the erection of a store building, leaving Mr. Bass still in charge of the 
business at Benton.  On landing at McGregor he found three families in the 
place, those of Alexander McGregor, L. Bigelow and Andrew Teats, the latter 
operating the ferry for Mr. McGregor.  A young man by the name of V.R. 
Miller had a tin shop, and H. D. Evans had opened a store in the basement 
of McGregor's house.  In November, two months after his arrival, Mr. Jones 
had his store completed, and commenced selling goods.  The Firm was Jones & 
Bass.  They continued with various changes, successes and reverses till 
August, 1851, when their building and contents, along with valuable papers, 
were entirely consumed by fire.  Having a kiln of brick, with the consent 
and assistance of friends they soon put up another building, and in 
November purchased another stock of goods, and went on till July, 1856, 
when they sold their business to Merrill & Barron.  From this period till 
1866, they were engaged in produce business and forwarding.  At the latter 
date Mr. Jones engaged in te boot and shoe business with his son, T.O. 
Jones, and continued till September, 1874, when they sold out to Messrs. 
Pearsoll & Baird.  At the present time Mr. Jones is engaged in settling up 
the business of the company, which has been transferred Faribault, 
Minnesota. 
    Mr Jones' career has been an eventful one, he having lived from 
childhood amidst the changes and vicissitudes of frontier life, and been 
one of those strong and earnest characters to whom the West is so much 
indebted for extending the boundaries of civilization into new and 
unsettled territory. 
    In his political proclivities he has been an unchanging and 
uncompromising Which, having been born in a Henry Clay district, and 
strictly educated in the Whig faith.  He commenced voting the Whig ticket 
as soon as he was legally qualified, and hence the transition was easy in 
1856 into that second edition of the Whig party ? the Republican.  Often 
solicited to accept offices of responsibility and trust, he has uniformly 
declined, on the account of the preference given to his own private 
business, never accepting any but a few minor offices, though always 
actively public spirited.