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Adam R. Ray, M. D.
For many years Dr. Adam R. Ray practiced medicine in Clay
county and his death on the 3rd of April, 1917, came as a severe shock to his
many friends in the community. He was born in Frankville,
Iowa, in 1859, a son of Robert and Mary Ray,
the former a native of Ireland
and the latter of New York.
They removed to Iowa
at an early day and there the father engaged in farming. Nine children were
born to their union, two of whom are living. Adam R. was the third in order of
birth.
Adam R. Ray received his education in the district schools
of Iowa and later went to Lake Crystal, Minnesota,
where he engaged in teaching in a normal school. Doctor Ray decided upon the
medical profession as a life work and entered a medical school at Keokuk, Iowa,
from which he was graduated in 1888. Soon after graduating he engaged in
practice at Marquette, Nebraska,
and remained there for one year, when he came to Fairfield, in 1889. He built up a fine
practice and became recognized as one of the county's most able and eminent
physicians and surgeons.
In 1914 he sold his practice to Dr. Bell and went to Brown
county, where he purchased a fine ranch. He bought a drug store and was also
active in the practice of his profession until his death April 3, 1917. His
demise caused a feeling of deep bereavement to sweep the community, for in his
passing the county lost a man whose fidelity to duty in every relation of life
was characterized by high ideals.
On the 1st of October, 1890, occurred the marriage of Mr.
Ray and Miss Frances Gillette, a native of Knowlesville, Orleans County, New
York, her birth having occurred there in 1872 a daughter of Dyer B. and Ida A.
(Howe) Gillette. Her parents were both born in New York and came to Clay county in 1880.
There he purchased a good farm and thereon resided until 1890, when they
removed to Clay Center. His removal to Clay Center
was the outcome of his being elected to the office of clerk of the district
court. His death occurred there on the 16th of April, 1912. Mrs. Gillette is
still making her home in Clay
Center. Seven children
were born to their union: Watson, a merchant of Holdrege; Frances; Willis, a
retired farmer of Clay Center; Emma A., who is the wife of Albert Talbott,
editor of a newspaper; Rose, who is the wife of Ray Boerland, a rancher and oil
man of Casper, Wyoming: Julia, the wife of Bruce C. Robinson, an electrician of
Superior; and Ida, who is the wife of Carl Lynch of Haigler. Throughout his
life Mr. Gillette was a stanch republican and was likewise a member of the
Congregational church and fraternally was a Mason. He was a veteran of the
Civil war, having served in the One Hundred and Third Ohio Regiment three
years.
To the union of Doctor and Mrs. Ray but one child, Nina E.,
was born. She is the wife of Ralph Frazer, a barber of Lexington.
Doctor Ray always gave his political allegiance to the
republican party and for some time served as mayor of Fairfield. His religious faith was that of
the Congregational church and fraternally he was identified with the Knights of
Pythias and was grand chancellor of the state in 1911. He was likewise a member
of the Modern Woodmen and the Highlanders.
Mrs. Ray is active in the church and club circles of Fairfield, where she
resides in a fine home and she takes a particularly active part in the affairs
of the Order of the Eastern Star. Doctor Ray was a progressive and successful
man. He developed high professional skill through wide study and training and
continually added to his knowledge through broad reading on subjects having to
do with his profession.
Hamilton & Clay Counties, Nebraska,
Vol. 2, 1921, submitted by Cathy Danielson
Carl H. Mills
Carl H. Mills has made his home in Nebraska since 1872, when he removed to Clay
county with his parents. He is now owner of an excellent farm property in
section 20, Edgar township, and also a fine farm in Nuckolls County, whereon he
resides and he is classed with the most enterprising and prosperous farmers of
both communities. He was born in New
York state in 1868, a son of Mr. and Mrs. D. C.
Mills. The father at the time of his death was a large landowner in Clay and
Nuckolls Counties, having settled in the former county in 1872. He acquired a
homestead in Clay county, one-half mile west of Edgar in that year, whereon he
resided for some time. He later removed to Nuckolls County and passed away
there in 1918. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted from New York state, and he
served gallantly throughout the entire conflict. Carl H., whose name initiates
this review, was the only child born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Mills.
In the acquirement of an education Carl H. Mills attended
the first term of school ever taught in Edgar and then completed his education
in the country schools of Clay and Nuckolls Counties. Since reaching adult age
he has engaged in farming on his own account and owns considerable land in both
Clay and Nuckolls Counties, making his home on a farm in the latter county. His
half section located in Clay county is highly cultivated and brings him a
substantial income.
The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Mills, D. C. Mills, owns and
resides upon a farm in Clay county. He was educated in the country schools of
Nuckolls County and graduated from the Edgar high school and soon after putting
his textbooks aside engaged in farming on his own account.
In 1918 he was married to Opha E. Stayner, a native of ClayCounty and a daughter of Edward Stayner. Her father is one of Clay county's
honored pioneers, who now lives on a farm one and one-half miles north of
Edgar. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Mills: Mary Margaret and
Rita.
D. C. gives his political allegiance to the republican party
and fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The
other members of the family born to Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Mills are: Rita, a
stenographer for the Liberty Fire Insurance Company at Omaha; Harry H., residing at home; and Lela,
who is attending school.
The political allegiance of Mr. Mills has always been given
to the republican party and it is well known that he is a stalwart champion of
any cause which it espouses. His fraternal affiliation is with the Odd Fellows.
Mr. Mills has learned his lessons in the school of experience and his life
illustrates that it is under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of
necessity that the strongest and best in men is brought out and developed. His
has been a useful and active life fraught with good results and his energy has
been a potent element in his continued advancement.
Hamilton & Clay Counties, Nebraska,
Vol. 2, 1921, submitted by Cathy Danielson
Mathias Chada
Mathias Chada, now deceased, was identified with the
agricultural interests of Clay county for a number of years. He was born in Bohemia on the 17th of
January, 1840, and died on his farm March 4, 1921, the news of his death
causing a feeling of deep bereavement to sweep the community.
Mathias Chada received his education in the schools of his
native country, where he resided until 1851 when he came to the United States
with his parents. He located in Wisconsin
and learned the shoemaker's trade at which he worked for some time. Upon the
outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted from Milwaukee
in a Wisconsin regiment and served four years,
three months and six days.
In 1873 he and his wife came to Nebraska, locating in Saline County, and
there they resided for some years until he acquired a homestead in Clay County.
He followed his trade in Crete, his family remaining on the home place, but in
1889 removed to his farm in Clay county and there resided until his death.
A small frame shack was their first home on that land but
Mr. Chada later, erected a fine residence. Mrs. Chada is now living on the farm
alone and is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land, from which she
receives a substantial income. Mr. Chada engaged in mixed farming and his
success was the result of his own determined effort.
On the 22d of November, 1869, occurred the marriage of Mr.
Chada and Miss Jennie Fritchek, a native of Bohemia, and a daughter of Henry Fritchek.
Her father located in Wisconsin
in 1866 and resided there until his death. Seven children were born to the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Chada, four of whom are now living: Libbie, the wife of
Stine Bedner of Clay County; Georgia, married Joe Secora, a farmer of New York;
Ben, a farmer of Keith county; and Blanch, who married Ed. Zajic, a farmer of
Webster County.
In politics Mr. Chada was an earnest republican and he stood
for all that was progressive in matters of citizenship. His time and energies
were concentrated upon his business affairs and he justly won classification
with the representative farmers of Clay County.
Hamilton & Clay Counties,
Nebraska, Vol. 2, 1921, submitted
by Cathy Danielson
Clarence Percy Avery
For many years Clarence Percy Avery, now deceased, was
prominent in the business circles of Edgar. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana,
in 1870, a son of Orin and Rosalie (Hoffman) Avery. The father was a graduate
of West Point and he served with the
commission of captain during the Civil war. While stationed at New Orleans during the war he met his future
wife. After the close of the conflict he came to Clay County, secured a
homestead, and lived there a short time then moved to Edgar, and lived there
for thirty years prior to his death. His widow still resides there. To the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Avery five children were born: Carrie, who is the wife of
Henry Jackson, conducting a grocery and dry goods store at Edgar; Clarence
Percy, whose name initiates this review; George A., who is manager of a canning
company at Los Angeles, California; Robert, whose death occurred in 1919 and
who has for some time been in the lumber business at Lincoln; and Willard, who
is living on the farm near Edgar.
Clarence Percy Avery received a grammar and high school
education and in due time entered the State University of Nebraska and later a
business college at Lincoln.
He worked for the Griswold Seed Company for twelve years after completing his
schooling and subsequently came to Clay county and located in Edgar. There he
engaged in the grocery business with his brother George until they sold the
store in 1912. He built up a large patronage by reason of his fair prices and
dealings and soon became recognized as one of the most successful business men
in the community.
In 1901 Mr. Avery was married to Miss Ida Gardner, a native
of Ohio and a
daughter of James H. and Elizabeth (Ludwick) Gardner. The father was a native
of Eaton, Ohio,
and the mother of Adams county, that state,
and their marriage was celebrated in 1875. Mr. Gardner was a druggist, having
received suitable education along that line in Fayette, Indiana,
and upon locating in Edgar in 1883 he immediately opened up a drug business.
Previous to his coming to Clay County he had been engaged in like business in Illinois. He won more
than a substantial amount of success in the conduct of his store, in which
connection he continued until his demise.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were the parents of three children:
Mrs. Avery; Estella, who is the wife of George W. Ivins, a real estate man of Cape Girardeau, Missouri;
and J. Wilson, who is conducting a drug business in Vancouver, Washington.
Mr. Gardner was a veteran of the Civil war. His widow is
living and makes her home with Mrs. Avery. Two children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Avery: Harold G., who is attending the State University
at Lincoln; and Maxine, who is attending the Edgar public schools.
Throughout his life Mr. Avery was a stanch supporter of the
republican party in the interests of which he took an active part. His
religious faith was that of the Baptist church. Fraternally he was identified
with the Masons, being a Knight Templar, Shriner and having attained the
Thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He also belonged to the Ancient
Order of United Workmen. At the time of his demise Mr. Avery was serving as
county treasurer of Clay County.
Hamilton & Clay Counties, Nebraska,
Vol. 2, 1921, submitted by Cathy Danielson
Eli A. Armstrong
Eli A. Armstrong, who is engaged in general farming on
section 10, in the town of Leicester, Clay County, was born in Jackson county,
Ohio, February 5, 1859, and is a son of John and Lucy Anna (Garrett) Armstrong.
He spent his youth upon a farm in his native state and attended the
subscription schools, pursuing his studies in a little frame schoolhouse in Scioto township, where the methods of teaching were
primitive and where the pupils sat upon rude benches. School was held about
three months in the year and he had to walk a distance of three miles to
school. It was in such an environment that E. A. Armstrong spent his youthful
days.
His mother died when he was a lad of but thirteen years and
he then went out to work as a farm hand. By hoeing corn at twenty-five cents
per day he earned the money that bought him the first pair of shoes which he
secured for himself. He afterward worked by the month for some time and at the
age of seventeen years made his way to Iowa.
There he was employed at farm labor at a salary of thirteen dollars per month.
Later he engaged in homesteading in Kansas
but gave up his land there and in 1882 removed to Clay County, Nebraska, making the
trip across the country to this state in a covered wagon. He had no capital
with which to purchase land at the time, so he rented, but afterward bought
eighty acres on which was a sod house. He built a straw barn and began
developing and improving the property, overcoming all the difficulties and
hardships of pioneer life by his persistency of purpose and undaunted energy.
He has put all of the buildings upon his place and built all of the fences and
he broke the greater part of his land with a team of horses. He did most of his
trading in the early days at Harvard and at Hastings and has hauled earn to Harvard,
which he there sold for ten cents per bushel. He, too, experienced the
hardships occasioned by the drought of 1894, but with perseverance and energy
he has passed through the hard times and is now in very comfortable financial
circumstances. In the early days it was necessary to burn cornstalks and corn
for fuel, as there was no timber within long distances. Mr. Armstrong carried
on general farming and also raised Duroc Jersey hogs for many years but now
rents his land, leaving the actual work of further developing the fields to
others.
Mr. Armstrong was married to Miss Martha Carson, a native of
Iowa and a
daughter of Edwin Carson. She passed away November 30, 1919, after they had traveled
life's journey happily together for many years. She was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
of Trumbull and her many
splendid traits of heart and mind endeared her to a large circle of friends.
Mr. Armstrong also belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church
of Trumbull. He
has served on the school board and has filled the office of road supervisor and
since age conferred upon him the right of franchise has given his political
allegiance at times to the democratic party and at other times has been an
independent voter. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He possesses many sterling traits of character and all who know
him testify to his worth as a citizen, to his reliability and progressiveness
as a business man and to his fidelity in friendship.
Hamilton & Clay Counties, Nebraska,
Vol. 2, 1921, submitted by Cathy Danielson
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