HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY  201

    Katherine Oliver, daughter of Montgomery Oliver, who is a native
of Clay county, born in Posey township, December 5, 1877, was elected
superintendent of the schools of Ada county, the capital county of the
state of Idaho, in the fall of 1898. Miss Oliver was then just barely
old enough to qualify; in fact, she was slightly under age at the time of
her election, but became of elective age a few days before her qualifying
and taking charge of the office, January, 1899. In the spring following,
she married Charles F. Koelsch, the probate judge of the county.

    Elisha B. Peyton, son of Jared Peyton, was a native of North Caro-
lina, coming with his parents to Clay county when but a child, the family
locating within the territory of what is now Cass township, about half
way between Eel river and the site of the town of Poland. In his early
manhood he was a teacher, as was also his father before him. He also
read law, practicing in the justices’ courts. At some time in the ‘50s he
formed a partnership in general merchandising with John B. Nees, at
Poland. In 1863 he located in business at Bowling Green, in partnership
with R. M. Wingate, and a year later with C. M. Thompson, who bought
out Wingate’s interests, November 10th, 1864. In 1867, James Black
bought out Peyton, who then went to Kansas, locating at Emporia in
the practice of the law in company with Sanders, who had also gone from
Bowling Green to Emporia. Some years later he was elected judge of
the Lyons county circuit court, then re-elected. Ten or twelve years ago
he died, at an age some years beyond the allotted three score and ten.
A year ago there was but one surviving member of the family, Abner
Peyton, at Emporia. As a judicial officer Mr. Peyton acquitted himself
with honor to his profession. In 1852, when John B. Nees was appointed
Commissioner to make reinstatement of records destroyed by the fire of
November 30, 1851, Peyton was chosen his secretary. He was a man
highly esteemed for his many good qualities, his intelligence and useful-
ness to society and the state.

    John C. Major, native of Kentucky, born in Franklin county, August
27, 1831 ; his parents having died, at nine years of age he was taken by his
grand-mother, with whom he lived four years, then went to Missouri to
live with an uncle, where he attended school; returned to his native state
at seventeen years of age and soon thereafter entered the Kentucky Mili-
tary Institute. Later, he worked at carpentry several years, then, in the
winter of 1853, attended Bartlett’s Commercial College, Cincinnati, where
he graduated, April 21, 1854.
    In the month of June, 1854, he came to Bowling Green to visit friends
who had preceded him from Kentucky, and was employed by his former
associate, John S. Campbell, at carpentry, until some time in the year
1857, when he accepted a deputyship under George Pinckley, clerk of the
Clay Circuit Court, who died, April 15, 1860, when, on the following day,
Major was appointed to fill out the unexpired term. In the Democratic
county convention of 1860 he was the competitor of Dillon W. Bridges
for nomination for clerk. On the 12th day of November, 1857, he mar-
ried Miss Henrietta M. Pinckley, daughter of George and Rebecca
Pinckley, who died January 29, 1859, leaving one child, Belle F. Major,
born September 19, 1858, who is the wife of Judge Samuel M. McGregor,
of Brazil.
    At the breaking out of the Civil war, in the spring of 1861, he