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GEORGE E. BIRGE,
manager of Clay County Abstract and Loan Company, was born in Horican,
Wis., in
December, 1855, removing to Appleton,
Wis., in 1874. Was educated at Lawrence University; then employed
as book-keeper by the Appleton Manufacturing
Company, of which concern his father is President. He came to
Nebraska in October, 1878, and was appointed
Deputy Clerk of Clay County in January, 1879, filling that
position two years, during which period
he resided in Sutton. He then came to Clay Center and engaged in the
brokerage and loan business in company
with L. D. Fowler, of Sutton, and this business was merged, August 1,
1881, into the company for which he
is manager.
EDWARD P.
BURNETT, Judge of the County Court of Clay County, was born in De Kalb,
St. Lawrence Co.,
N. Y., August 30, 1845, and was reared
on a farm until twenty-one years of age. In 1866, he went to Pierce
County, Wis., where he engaged in school-teaching.
In the fall of 1868, he went to Ann Arbor, Mich., and
entered the Law Department of the university,
graduating therefrom in March, 1870. Returning to River Falls,
Pierce Co., Wis., he practiced law until
he came to Nebraska in August, 1872. Locating at Harvard, Clay
County, he resumed his chosen profession.
In the fall of 1873, he was elected Judge of the County Court, and
removed to Sutton the county seat. He
has held the office continuously since November, 1873, having been
re-elected in 1875, 1877, 1879 and 1881.
In December, 1880, he removed his family to Clay Center, the
present county seat, where he now resides.
The Judge was married near Delavan, Walworth Co., Wis., January
16, 1877, to Mary A. Niskem; they have
two children, a son and daughter.
GEORGE F.
DICKSON, Deputy Treasurer of Clay County, was born in Scotland September
11, 1843, and
emigrated to America in March, 1860.
He resided on a farm in Macon County, Ill., until he enlisted October 1,
1861, in Company I, Seventh Illinois
Volunteer Cavalry, and served for three years, after which, he engaged
in
farming in Dane County, Wis. He came
to Nebraska in November, 1868, homesteaded 160 acres in Hamilton
County, and farmed the same for about
six years. He was elected Sheriff of Hamilton County at its organization
and served two terms of two years each.
In 1874, he removed to Sutton and was for eighteen months engaged in
general merchandise business, and was
for three years employed by Frank Pyle in the grain business. He was
appointed Deputy Treasurer of the county
in January, 1880, and re-appointed in January, 1882. He was married
in Dane County, Wis., February 7, 1871,
to Mary J. Edie; they have four children--Alice, Frank, Edwin and one
infant daughter.
LOUIS F. FRYAR,
Clerk of Clay County, was born in Darke County, Ohio, in 1849, and raised
on a farm
there until sixteen years of age, when
he removed to Rock Island, Ill., and was there employed in farming until
August 1, 1861, when he enlisted in
the Thirty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving four years and
nine
months. Subsequently returning to Rock
Island, he again devoted his time to farming. He came to Nebraska in
1869, and homesteaded 160 acres in Thayer
County, residing on it for two years; then farmed in Fairfield
Precinct, Clay County, for about two
years, and also merchandising for about that length of time; after which,
he
moved to the town of Fairfield and engaged
in the implement business in company with R. Bayly, remaining with
him some years; and, in January, 1880,
joined S. Randall in the same business and is still a member of the firm
of
Randall & Fryar. Mr. F. was elected
Clerk of the county in November, 1881, entering upon the duties of his
office January 5, 1882, and is now residing
in Clay Center. He was married in Sutton, Neb., in 1873, to Laura
Bancroft; they have three children--Louis
C. and infant twins.
CHARLES J.
MARTIN, Deputy Clerk of the District Court, was born in Oneida County,
N. Y., April 9, 1846,
and reared on a farm. He enlisted August
13, 1861, in Oneida Cavalry, and was mustered out June 23, 1865.
After the war, he engaged in mercantile
business at Onalaska, La Crosse Co., Wis., for three years; then in the
livery business for a year. Subsequently,
he went to Rome, N. Y., where he was for two years employed as clerk
in a wholesale grocery. Afterward, in
Iroquois County, Ill., until he came to Nebraska September 15, 1872,
homesteading 160 acres in Harvard Precinct,
Clay County, farmed the same for three years; he then purchased
eighty acres in Lincoln Precinct, and
farmed there until he came to Clay Center in January, 1880, having been
appointed to his present position about
that time. Mr. Martin was married in Sutton, Neb., March 20, 1875, to
Louisa M. Tuttle; they have two children--Lyle
and Belle.
JONAS P. NIXON,
Sheriff of Clay County, was born in Adams County, Ohio, December 2, 1837,
and reared
on a farm. He learned the trade of carpenter
with his brother, and was employed at it off and on for several
years. He began to farm on his own account
at the age of twenty-three years. On November 1, 1861, he enlisted
in the Seventieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
Company E; was discharged January 4, 1864, and re-enlisted
immediately, serving until August 26,
1865; when mustered out, he held the rank of First Lieutenant. After the
war, he returned to his farm in Ohio,
where he remained until December, 1869, when he removed to Mount
Pleasant, Henry Co., Iowa, where he
was employed as a carpenter. He came to Nebraska April 2, 1872,
resided for a short time in York County,
and, on June 22, homesteaded 160 acres in Clay County. Mr. N.
followed farming for some years. He
was elected Sheriff of Clay County in November, 1879, and re-elected in
1881. Since he entered upon the duties
of his office he has resided at Clay Center. He was married in Adams
County, Ohio, February 7, 1861, to Mary
E. McFadden, a native of Brown County, Ohio; they have four
children--Annie L., Mary A., James W.
and one infant son.
O. H. PARSONS,
Deputy Sheriff of Clay County, was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, April
14, 1847, and
was reared on a farm. At the age of
twelve years, he removed to the home of his uncle in the same county, and
assisted him in farming. He enlisted
August 30, 1864, in the One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Ohio Infantry,
Company K, serving until July 7, 1865.
After the war, he again turned his attention to farming, following it in
the
States of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Iowa;
returned in 1868 to his home in Ashtabula County. He farmed until early
in 1870, when he came West, crossing
the Missouri River March 19 of that year. He homesteaded eighty acres
in Hamilton County, and farmed the same
until 1875. Was about that time appointed a keeper in the State
Penitentiary at Lincoln, which position
he held for twenty-three months, resigning on account of ill health,
subsequently went to Sutton, where he
was for three years engaged in mercantile business and as a carpenter.
Was appointed Deputy Sheriff in January,
1882, since which time he has resided in Clay Center.
GEORGE H.
VAN DUYNE, Treasurer of Clay County, was born in Cayuga County, N. Y.,
in 1834, and
reared on a farm. In 1866, he removed
to Livingston County, N. Y., and followed farming for about eight years.
During his residence in that county,
he held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Assessor, etc. He came to
Nebraska in April, 1875; homesteaded
eighty acres in School Creed, Clay County, and has farmed the same
since. He was elected Treasurer of Clay
County in November, 1879, and re-elected in 1881.
JUSTUS E.
WHEELER, Deputy Clerk of Clay County, was born in Freeport, Ill., in 1846.
He enlisted, in July,
1863, in the Fourth Illinois Cavalry,
and served three years. He has followed clerking and book-keeping for an
occupation since he began to earn his
own livelihood. In 1870, he went to Chicago, Ill., where he was employed
as a book-keeper. He came to Nebraska
in October, 1874, and was for seven years employed in farming in
Lynn Precinct, Clay County. Mr. W. was
appointed Deputy Clerk in January, 1882, and now resides in Clay
Center.