HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                  297

    Charles E. Matson, native of Indiana, son of John A. and Margaret
(Woelper) Matson, born in Franklin county, November 22, 1849. The
parents were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, locating
at Brookville, at an early day in the history of the state, where the
father achieved a reputation in the practice of the law, and was the
candidate of the Whig party for governor in 1849, against Joseph A.
Wright. Though brought up on the farm, the subject of this sketch
enjoyed good educational advantages. At the early age of thirteen he
entered Asbury University, and in 1864 enlisted in Company B, Forty-
third Indiana Infantry, receiving an honorable discharge at the end of
the war. Returning home he again entered the university, remaining
there three years, when he went back to the farm and read law with
his father, and after his father’s death, with his brother, Hon. C. C.
Matson. In 1873 he located at Brazil, forming a law partnership with
Hon. Isaac M. Compton, which continued until 1877. In 1878 he was
nominated by the Democratic party for prosecutor for the district com-
posed of Putnam and Clay counties and was elected. On the 13th day
of May, 1880, he married Elizabeth E. Farrow, of Greencastle. in
1880, he was renominated and re-elected prosecutor. After the expira-
tion of his second term of service, he formed a partnership with P. T.
Luther in law and abstracting, which was continued seventeen years,
then dissolved at the close of the year 1899. Soon thereafter Mr.
Matson moved back to Greencastle, where he still resides, engaged in
the practice of law.

    George A. Byrd, native of Indiana, son of William and Elizabeth
(Britts) Byrd, born in Montgomery county, September 3d, 1849, the
father dying February 22, 1861. His training was that of the farm,
attending the short winter terms of the public schools of that time until
sixteen years of age, when he enlisted in Battery L, Second United
States Light Artillery, serving on the frontier in Indian campaigns,
after the close of the Civil war. About the first of November, 1868, he
was discharged at Fort Hancock, Washington territory. Returning
home, he entered Hopkins Academy, at Ladoga, continuing there until
the close of the school year, 1870, then entered Asbury University, where
he remained two years, when he entered the law department of the
University of Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating in the spring of 1874,
when he came to Middlebury, and soon thereafter, formed a law part-
nership with George W. Wiltse, which continued about three years. In
the month of April after the removal of the county-seat from Bowling
Green in January, 1877, he located in the practice at Brazil, where, two
years later, he formed a partnership with Hon. Elias S. Holliday, a
professional and business association which continued for the period of
eighteen years.
    While at Middlebury, on the 20th day of September, 1874, he mar-
ried Lethe E. Miller, of Montgomery county. To them have been born
two children, one of whom, Lena Maud, is living and married.
    In 1888 Mr. Byrd was elected to the state senate to represent the
district composed of Owen and Clay counties, and at the session of 1889
was chairman of the committee on mines and mining and member of
the committee on education; at the session of 1891, was chairman of
the committee on benevolent institutions and of mines and mining, and