The records of the early annals of Clay County have been faithfully preserved by its earlier settlers, and there is an unusual abundance of material for use in portraying the story of this wonderful community's beginnings. Even at the risk of some duplication and repetition, the compilers have selected various accounts, records and memoirs of Clay County citizens and recorded them herein. Therefore, any duplications or even slight variations between these various selections will be thus accounted for. History is a composite collection and narration of human stories and being recorded by human minds is easily susceptible of slight variations in dates, places and order of incidents as between the memories of numerous persons who participated in the subject events, even when written years ago while the matters were comparatively fresh in mind.

Covering in a very condensed space, a brief resume of Clay County's history, we will open this story with a selection taken from the manuscript placed in a large steel box, in the corner stone of Clay County's magnificent new court-house, when these ceremonies were held upon August 19, 1918.

The land from which our state and county is carved was called by the Indians "NiBthaska," or "Flat Water," and the first attempt to organize the country territorially was in 1844; but the bill calling the country "The Territory of Nebraska" was not passed until May 30,1854. Before that the country's history was legendary, although the French left an authentic record of explorations along this same "Flat Water" or Platte River, as early as 1739. Lewis and Clark, 0'Fallon, Fremont, Major Long, the stage drivers, pony express messengers, and fur traders were the only bits of other life than the Indians until 1857, when the first settlers began to straggle in.

The name Clay County was conferred on a division of old Pierce County about 1855, but was transferred to what is now the south part of Lancaster County. The present boundaries and name were established by act approved February 16, 1867.

Homesteaders came in slowly and the list of these contain many names still familiar in the records of 1918. The first location, that of James B. Weston, on Section 16-5-8 on the Little Blue, was in 1857. He built a log house and called his place Pawnee Ranch. It was the scene of much Indian trouble. These Indian troubles and the early hardships retarded the country's growth, but on September 11, 1871, Acting Governor James issued a proclamation for the organization of the county and the first election was held on October 14, following. This proclamation is recorded on page 1 of Book 1 of the commissioner's records, written laboriously by hand with many a flourish. The records of the county's governing body now number (1918) seven large volumes, the first for the commissioner system, which changed to the supervisor system in November, 1888. Book seven of the supervisor record is the first of loose leaf design and typewritten. All of the recording was done in long hand until about 1908, but practically all the books are now loose leaf and written on the good old Oliver typewriter, introduced by L. F. Fryar.

The earlier history of the county is told in the history of its towns, but some of the interesting actions taken in the first record is the motion made to raise the county clerk's salary from $300 to $400; and at another meeting he is allowed 55 cents for postage. On December 2, 1871, a desk was bought for the county clerk, costing some $80, and the same is still in use; a substantial and convenient desk even if somewhat old-fashioned.

Three election districts were made: Harvard, Little Blue and School Creek, a later change adding the Big Sandy district. On March 1, 1875, the present precincts were fixed, save that Eldorado was called Lincoln and Inland was called Scott.

August 30, 1873, Commissioner Philpot of "Lincoln" precinct presented a petition for a vote on re-locating the county seat which was tabled, rejected and stricken from the files. January 5,1875, Commissioner Ezra Brown pointed out that a more central place was desirable, but his resolution was tabled without ceremony. July 7, 1875, 403 legal voters petitioned for a vote on the matter and same was called September 20, but the final decision was not reached until April 1, 1879. The last meeting of the commissioners was held in Sutton, May 21, and the first at Clay Center, June 2, 1879, but the battle still was held. The present court house was built that year with contract price of $11,000 and actual cost of $22,000, the commissioners having the proud privilege of prowling at stated intervals around the building operations and looking wise, being Messrs. W. R. Hamilton, R. Bayly, and Flavius Northrup, "W. J. Keller, county clerk, and D. M. Leland, superintendent of construction. The work was finished November 30, 1880, and the first janitor was Pedro Dominicus. The county well was bored and the poor house and jail, the latter costing $2,000, were built.

Echoes of the controversy came up in later years whenever Clay Center wanted streets, when Mr. Brown could and did prevent the use of the land for this purpose, and ditches often appeared across the streets most used. It is on record that one day some sidewalks were torn up and the women of Clay Center got out in a body and made a new one. Chivalry seems to have prevented this sidewalk from being destroyed.

Two years later, in January, 1882, one of the best known Clay County citizens, Mr. Louis Fryar, became county clerk.

The first school in the county began December 1, 1861, taught by Thomas M. Gregory in what was afterward known as District No. 5. In District No. 6, a young lady guest of D. A. Keeney at Deweese, Miss Laura A. Bancroft, of Iowa, was teaching, but the wooing of young Louis Fryar persuaded her that her life work lay in another direction. Clay Center still claims this sterling couple.

The first record of District Court dates back to May 16, 1873, Judge Gantt on the bench. The declaration of citizenship was made in May, 1874, by John W. Price. Since then there have been 1754. The first petition for divorce was made by Chas. J. Martin at this session. Trial for the lynching of Tom Jones and his sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor, on March 15, 1885, was held March 30. with H. G. Brown and T. H. Matters, for the state, and Messrs. Reagan, L. G. Hurd and J. L. Epperson for the defense, resulting in the acquittal for lack of evidence.   The rope used in this lynching is still in the county cupboard.

The Clay County Agricultural Association was organized April 15, 1872, at Sutton, and in 1881 the headquarters came to Clay Center. A. K. Marsh was president and J. M. Ramsey, secretary. The organization has continued with an annual appropriation from the county treasury. Agriculture has been from the first the county's mainstay, and we have a record in 1875 of 412 cars of grain shipped from Harvard, 330 from Sutton, 500 from Fairfield, Edgar and Glenvil. Wheat was then 65 cents.

The B. & M. Ry sold the land for the new county seat, which was laid off into 600 lots. The first building was put up in May, 1879, and was a story frame, used as a courthouse. A post office established in Marshall Township, a mile east of town, in 1873, at the house of James Cruickshank, was changed to Clay Center, and a year later Mrs. Sophia Cruickshank became postmistress. The sale of stamps in 1889 is recorded as $329. In the year 1917 the sale in Clay Center was $25,000 or better. A society of Christians who were holding services in the schoolhouse southwest of town, now Central district, removed to town and built the first church in December, 1880, at a cost of $1,200, replaced in 1905, at a cost of about $6,000. A schoolhouse was built in July, 1881, with Mrs. Charles Wagner as first teacher, this being replaced in 1888 by a large frame building, and in 1902 the present brick structure was erected.

A large proportion of the county's population is of German or Bohemian extraction. About 55 families of Germans from Southern Russia near the port of Odessa on the Black Sea, came to Sutton and the adjacent country in the fall of 1873. The principal leaders of this colony were John Grosshans, Henry Griess and Henry Hoffman. They purchased about 16,000 acres of land there, averaging a price of $7.00 per acre. Their influence and ways are still very noticeable in the vicinity of Sutton.

Clay County has always been rather Republican in politics, but the Populist movement was strong for a few campaigns. In 1896, A. C. Epperson, one of the later leaders in the affairs of the county, was elected county attorney, the only one of his party to win out. In 1916, the Republican candidate for governor carried the county by a large majority, but an entire Democratic court house bunch was elected.

Crime has never been very prevalent in the county. The Taylor-Jones lynching was the most sensational, until a gang of petty thieves was broken up by Sheriff Guy W. Secord in 1900, whereby a. Clay Center man was killed. In 1916, a grain dealer was found dead in Harvard and Sheriff Charles 0. Sanderson was shot by the supposed murderer.

Many Clay County people have become prominent in state or national affairs. S. R. McKelvie has been lieutenant-governor, and may yet be governor. (Governor 1919-1923.)  C. A. Fulmer is chancellor of Wesleyan University. H. K. Wolfe became a national educator, N. M. Graham, a prominent educator in Omaha. J. L. McBrien and Miss Edith Lathrop are in the bureau of education at Washington, D. C, A. C. Epperson has been on the supreme court commission, M. L. Corey and W. K. Newcomb and Miss Georgia Wilson are integral parts of the Federal Loan Bank of Omaha. J. A. Cruickshank, son of the first postmistress, is head of an important postal system for our soldier boys in France, and we might continue indefinitely. Suffice to say, that no county has a higher liberating average" than good old Clay.

Movements for a new court house have been started in the past fifteen years, but each failed miserably until early in the spring of the year 1916, Charles H. Epperson, an attorney residing at Fairfield, Nebraska, realizing the dire necessity of a new one, started the circulation of petitions to secure the necessary fifty-five per cent of the names of the legal voters of Clay County authorizing the Board of Supervisors to make the necessary levy to raise funds to erect a new court house at Clay Center, Nebraska.

A large number of signers were secured at Fairfield and Edgar, but nothing was done toward securing signatures in other parts of the county. About the middle of September, 1916, the Commercial Club of Clay Center met and organized a movement to secure the necessary signatures and raised a fund to pay the expenses of canvassers to cover the county.

H. C. Palmer of Clay Center was appointed to take charge of the drive, and at once proceeded to organize the county in less than eight days, with the splendid co-operation of the committee appointed by him, secured the names of sixty-two per cent of the legal voters of the county.

The petition was filed with the County Board of Supervisors on the 27th day of September, 1916, and on that day the County Board, consisting of A. W. Clark, chairman, John Myler, Smith Ingalsby, George Fishback, Frank Westering, George England and Philip Schwab, unanimously voted to make the necessary levy and to build a court house to cost $100,000. W. F. Gernandt, of Omaha, was employed as architect to draw plans and afterwards Olson & Johnson of Omaha secured the contract for the election of the building, and on August 19, 1918, the corner stone was placed in position by Ambrose C. Epperson, Grand Master of the A. F. & A. M., in the presence of a large gathering of the leading citizens of the county. Ambrose C. Epperson, G. M. A. F. & A. M., of Nebraska:

In compliance with our request for information regarding the amount contributed to the several branches of the war activities by the citizens of Clay County during the war, ending August 1, 1918, I have the honor of submitting the following report:
Amount invested in :

Exclusive of Knights of Columbus contributions.

Respectfully submitted, H. C. Palmer.

History of Hamilton and Clay Counties Nebraska Vol 1 The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company 1921
Contributed to Genealogy Trails by Friends For Free Genealogy

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