Meeker County MN Archives Biographies.....Clay, Henry 1842 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 January 9, 2020, 12:53 am

Source: Alden, Ogle & Co.
Author: See Below

      HENRY CLAY, the popular postmaster of the village of Dassel, is the son of
Caleb and Zilpah (Akers) Clay, and first saw the light January 4, 1842, in Lawrence
county, Ky. His father was a native of Virginia, and his mother of Tennessee, who
had married in Pike county, Ky., and later moved northward to Lawrence county. Some
time after the birth of our subject they removed to Wayne county, W. Va., where they
made their home until the spring of > 1866, at which time they came to Minnesota and
settled in McLeod county. A year later they made their appearance in Collinwood
township, this county, but in the spring of 1868 settled on section 28, in what is
now Dassel township, where they resided until called to “cross the dark river,
Death,” the mother in 1875, the father in 1877.

.   Henry remained beneath the paternal roof until September 5, 1861, when he was
united in marriage with Miss Martha Bartrum, a native of Boyd county, Ky., after
which he with his young wife settled on a farm in Wayne county, W. Va. On the 24th
of June, 1863, Henry enlisted in Company B, Forty-fifth Kentucky Mounted Infantry,
and served in the Union army. They were employed in the pursuit of Morgan when on
his famous raid, and Mr. Clay, with the balance of the command, was in the saddle
for twenty-six days and nights, only stopping long, enough to feed their horses and
cook their coffee. The little sleep they got was found in the saddle. They were in
two engagements, Mt. Sterling and Cynthiana, at the last named totally scattering
and demoralizing the rebels, and the command for several days were engaged in
picking up stragglers. Among them were a cousin and an old school mate, the former
with his arm broken. Out of Mr. Clay’s family he was the only loyal one, all his
brothers except one being in the Confederate army. He received his discharge
December 24, 1864, and the next spring came to Minnesota, and after remaining in
Glencoe some eighteen months removed to Meeker county and took up a claim on section
32, in what is now Dassel township. This being all timber his crops for a year or so
were quite limited, but as the land was cleared they grew more extensive. He
remained upon the farm until 1870 or 1871, and then entered the employ of the St.
Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad Company, building snow fences, although his
family resided on the farm. In December, 1887, he removed his family to the village
of Dassel, and on the 1st of May, 1887, took possession of the post-office; he
having been appointed to that position.

    Mr. Clay is an active and influential member of Colfax Post, Ho. 133, G. A. R.,
and was one of the signers for a charter for that society. Mr. and Mrs. Clay are the
parents of seven children, whose names are as follows — Rufus E., Ida M., John F.,
Emily E., Walter Scott and Walter McClellan, twins, and Clifford H.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
Illustrated Album of Biography
Meeker and McLeod Counties, Minnesota
1888


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