96                  HISTORY OF CLAY CQUNTY

of the death of John J. Hayden. The date of his appointment was
April, 1892, and in the fall election, he was elected county surveyor for
Clay county. In the month of January, 1893, he was made deputy
clerk of Clay county circuit courts, so in April, 1893, he resigned the
office of surveyor and filled the office of deputy clerk up to 1895, when
he was made deputy county auditor, holding that office from 1895 to
1899. September, 1899, he removed to Greencastle, Indiana, and at-
tended De Pauw university until January 1, 1903, and then returned to
Brazil and again entered the auditor’s office as deputy, which position
he held until 1906, when he was elected county auditor and is still
filling the office with credit to all interested.
    Mr. Burns is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to
Brazil Lodge, No. 264, F. and A. M.; the Improved Order of Red Men,
Indianola Tribe, No. 61; Modern Woodmen of America, Lodge No.
3418; Order of Home Defenders of America, No. 1. Mr. Burns is a
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and in his polit-
ical affiliations is a Democrat.
    He was united in marriage September 11, 1892, to Codelia B.
Jenkins, born near Center Point, Clay county, Indiana, December 28,
1872, the daughter of William T. and Nanoma S. (O’Brien) Jenkins,
both natives of Clay county. Her father was born June 30, 1832, and
is now residing in Clay county and farms in Sugar Ridge township.
He spent his youthful days in Owen county, Indiana. At one time he
owned one hundred and fifty-two acres, but sold forty to his son. He
is engaged quite extensively in breeding pure-bred hogs and full-blood
cattle, mostly short-horns. Politically, he is a Republican and has been
member of the school board at Center Point several terms. His wife
died aged forty-three years in 1883, and was the mother of four daugh-
ters and two sons, five of which children are now living, as follows:
James P.; Laura A., wife of S. E. Brown; Sadie E., who died aged
twenty-four years, wife of James D. Hicks; Emery S.; Gertrude, wife
of Rev. Charles F. Spray, who is a minister of the Methodist Epsico-
pal church in Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Burns are the parents of
the following children: Ray Leland; Verna Choline; Dane Emery;
James Dudley.

    GEORGE ADAM NUSSEL is a native son of Posey township, born on
the farm on which he now resides in section 24 April 23, 1854, and is
of German parentage. His father, George Nussel, was born and reared
in the fatherland, and coming to the United States about 1844 he made
his way to Indiana and first bought eighty acres of land in Posey town-
ship, Clay county, to which he added from time to time until his estate
numbered two hundred and fifty-five acres, all of which he cleared
with the help of his sons and placed the land under an excellent state
of cultivation. He at one time also owned forty acres which is the
present Apple Grove, but sold that tract, and also owned land in Jack-
son township. He died April 15, 1892, on the old Nussel homestead,
now the home of his son George A. In Clay county he married Anna
Barbara Fleishman, born and reared in the fatherland of Germany,
and their family numbered eight children, six sons and two daughters,
George Adam being the sixth born, and all with the exception of the
eldest was born in Clay county, Indiana. Mr. Nussel, the father, was
a Republican.