Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Bryan, Oscar D. 1845 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 18, 2006, 10:17 pm

Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  OSCAR D. BRYAN. One of the pioneer settlers of Nobles county and one of the

very first to take up a residence in Grand Prairie township is O. D. Bryan, who

is one of the members of the board of county commissioners. He is one of the few

Nobles county homesteaders who have resided continuously on the land they

secured from the government, and his residence on the one farm covers a period

of thirty-seven years.



  Mr. Bryan was born in Geauga county, Ohio, Nov. 24, 1845, the son of James M.

and Sarah (Rockwell) Bryan, who were both natives of New York state. James M.

Bryan moved west when a young man and located in Ohio. He is now living with a

daughter in Hancock county, Iowa, and is ninety years of age. The mother of our

subject died in 1860.



  When Oscar was four years old the family moved to Buchanan county, Iowa, and

that was his home until past eighteen years of age. On Feb. 29, 1864, he

enlisted in company E, of the Fifth Iowa volunteer infantry, Captain Daniel S.

Lee, and served in the army until the close of the war. He was transferred to

company G, of the Fifth cavalry, Aug. 8, 1864, and served as bugler of that

company until he was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 11, 1865.



  After the war Mr. Bryan returned to his old home in Buchanan county, Iowa, and

resided there until 1870. He then spent one year in Wright county, Iowa, and

then, in June, 1871, came to Nobles county. He filed a homestead claim to the

northwest quarter of section 18, Grand Prairie township, and he has since

resided on the place. He has sold one-half of the original farm, but still owns

the west half of the quarter. He experienced all the hardships that were the lot

of the pioneer settlers and, as he expresses it, "got everything that was coming

to an early Nobles county settler."



  Mr. Bryan was married in Wright county, Iowa, Oct. 19, 1872, to Lyda Sprague,

a native of Indiana and a daughter of Charles and Mary Sprague. Mr. and Mrs.

Bryan are the parents of the following living children: Jennie, born, in Wright

county, Iowa, Dec. 11, 1873; Ralph, born in Nobles county Nov. 21, 1882; Vera,

born in Nobles county Aug. 26, 1891.



  Mr. Bryan has been a lifelong democrat and has taken an active part in local

politics. He voted for Samuel Tilden and has since upheld the principles of

democracy. He is rightly called the father of democracy of Grand Prairie

township. In July, 1903, he was appointed county commissioner from the fourth

district to fill the unexpired term of P. C. Pratt, resigned. In 1904 and again

in 1906 he was elected on the democratic ticket without opposition and is now

serving on his third term. For thirteen years he served as chairman of the Grand

Prairie township board, and was treasurer of school district No. 39 from the

date of its organization up to fifteen years ago. He is a member of the Odd

Fellows and Workmen lodges.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 

WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908



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