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Noah Williams submitted by Conley Wolterman One of the representative citizens and early settlers of Ida County, Iowa, came to Ida Grove in 1876 and engaged in business, opening the first bank in the county, known as the Ida County Bank. This was in the old town on the north side (Village of Ida) and was a private concern. In 1878, he erected a bank building in the new addition, named by the Maple River branch of the Maple Valley Railroad as Ida Grove. Under his judicious management, the enterprise proved a successful one and he transacted a vast amount of business, requiring three efficient assistants. Here he continued banking until the fall of 1888. He was also interested in a real estate and loan business. He handled a large amount of Ida County's land, and was the owner of about 7,000 acres. He owned 1,000 acres of land in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Since he disposed of his banking interests, he devoted his attention entirely to real estate, long-time loans and stock-raising. Mr. Williams was born in Highland County, Ohio, in the year 1840, and was the son of James and Sarah (Wolf) Williams, of Welsh and English descent. He was reared and educated in his native county, and taught school for several years in Ohio and Illinois. He handled grain for a time. He began to invest his money in bonds and securities, and in 1875 came to Iowa with a view of entering into the banking business at Jefferson, but changed his mind and came on west to this part of the state. He spent about 8 years in Illinois. During the Civil War, he was a member of Co. H, 60th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel William H. Trimble, and served for a short time only. Since 1888, he was one of the trustees of Cornell College. He was married near Waterloo, Iowa, in 1883, to Miss Louisa J. Cottrell, a native of Troy, New York, and a daughter of Amasa and Rebecca J. Cottrell. They had one child, Noah, Jr., born in 1885.

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