One of the pioneers of Crawford County, Iowa, resided there since the fall of 1855. First locating in Mason's Grove, he purchased a tract of unimproved land and farmed for a time. In the fall of 1856, he opened a stock of general merchandise in a room, 14 x 18 feet, in the new town of Denison. This was the first store in the county. He continued the mercantile business in Denison until 1876, and in the meantime established branch stores at the following places: Deloit, this county; Smithland, Woodbury County; Carrollton, Carroll County; Gallan's Grove, Shelby County; Westside, Crawford County; Harlan, Shelby County; Butler's Mill, Harrison County; Dunlap, Harrison County; Correctionville, Woodbury County, with Denison being headquarters. This business started in a small way, soon grew to large proportions, his sales one year amounting to $120,000. He hauled his first goods by wagon from Cedar Rapids, when he sold out his stock in Denison and Westside valued at $30,000, and that at Dunlap $16,000, besides the stock at the other points. During his business career up to 1876, he was also engaged in farming and stock raising. He handled much of the land in Crawford County, improving perhaps more land than any other man in the County. He owned more than a thousand acres. He took an active part in introducing higher grades of stock, such as Jersey and Durham cattle, draft horses, etc. He erected 5 churches, 2 schoolhouses, the McKim Hall, upward of forty dwellings and two brick business blocks. He built his own residence in 1887. Besides establishing the first general merchandise store in the county, he also established the first hardware store. He had the roller mills at Westside and Deloit, one steam and the other water-powered. Mr. Laub was born in Little York, Pennsylvania, April 18, 1824, son of William and Catharine (Snyder) Laub, natives of that State, his father of German extraction and his mother of German and Irish. He was reared at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and in his youth learned the trade of shoemaker, at which he worked 3 years. After that, he taught in the district schools 4 years, in Pennsylvania and Iowa. It was in the fall of 1852 that he came West. In Muscatine, Iowa, he lived 2 years, and then to Cedar Rapids, where he was engaged in the mercantile business. In 1855, he came to Crawford County. He served as County Sheriff one term, County Surveyor, County Superintendent 12 years, County Commissioner 3-4 years, and filled all the minor offices. In 1880, he was chosen as a Representative to the State Legislature, and served 2 years. He was married in Frederick County, Maryland, February 7, 1848, to Miss Lydia Baer, daughter of Jacob and Matilda Baer. She was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, February 7, 1824. They had eight children: Alice M., wife of James D. Ainsworth of Onawa, Iowa, editoress of a journal at that place; Mettie M., wife John B. Romans of Denison; William, engaged in the livery business at Denison; Catharine, wife of W. T. Perkins, an attorney of Bismarck, North Dakota, she being a practicing physician of the Homeopathic school, having graduated at Ann Arbor, Michigan and took a post-graduate course at Boston and Chicago; Anna L., wife of George F. Bartholomew, a banker of Valparaiso, Indiana, she being a practicing physician; Ely C., a merchant of Correctionville, Iowa; Lydia B., who died at the age of 20 years; and Lillie, wife of C. F. Kuehnle, a banker of Denison.