JOSHUA ALSTON came to this county in 1855 where he has since resided. He was born in Lancashire, England, February 20, 1837, son of Joshua and Margaret (Wilson) Alston, also natives of Lancashire, England. They had five children; four daughters and one son. Joshua was a lad of six years when his father died, and his mother lived until 1878, when she died, at the age of 66 years.

Joshua was reared in his native land, and was married Sept 29, 1856, at Bolton, Lancashire, England, to Miss MARTHA BICHNO, who was born in Cambridge, England, daughter of JOSEPH BICHNO. In October following the marriage, Mr. Alston sailed from Liverpool to New York in a sailing vessel, being 28 days on the ocean, and arriving in New York on the day of Buchanan's election as President of the United States.

From New York he went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he obtained a situation on a dairy farm and afterward worked in the rolling mills. From there he moved to Lee Co., Iowa, near Fort Madison, where he bought land very cheap and sold it at higher rates, thus doing quite a real estate business. He sold his interest in Lee County and bought land in Davis County, Iowa, near Bloomfield, where he remained until 1885 when he came to this county. He has bought and sold many farms here besides his own, which is well stocked, and located two and a half miles from Carson.

Mr. and Mrs. Alston have three children: Margaret, wife of David Snapp, of this township; Joseph W., who is married and lives in Carson Township; and Nancy A., wife of Charles Fredericks of Lee Co., Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Alston are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically he is a Republican.

Contributed by: Mona Sarratt Knight