Asher F. Pay Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 609-610

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


ASHER F. PAY, clerk of courts of Beadle county, South Dakota, residing 
in the city of Huron, is a gentleman of scholarly attainments, and is 
well known as a writer and editor. He was born in Jefferson county, New 
York, October 4, 1846, and is the tenth of a family of eleven children 
born to William and Susanna (Pitcher) Pay, both of whom are deceased. 
They were natives of Dover, England. In 1858 the family moved to 
Woodstock, Illinois, where the father was a teacher of music. Our 
subject and three brothers and sisters separated from the family after 
their removal to Illinois, and went to Washington, Iowa, where our 
subject entered a printing office to learn the trade, and when sixteen 
years of age he became manager of the "Washington Press." In 1864 he 
enlisted in Company B, Forty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was with 
Hood, and after some severe but brief campaigning, was injured at 
Moscow, and was retired from service, when he again took charge of the 
"Press." He afterward moved to Galesburg, where he started a job 
printing office, which he disposed of to become city editor of the 
"Daily Register," now known as the "Republican-Register" of Galesburg. 
He lived in Keokuk, Iowa, for two years, being in the employ of the 
"Daily Gate City," and from there removed to Warsaw, Illinois, where he 
engaged in the mercantile business. Carthage, Illinois, was next his 
home, where he resided for fifteen years, and on account of ill health 
he visited Dakota in 1882. Finding, after a short stay, that his health 
was rapidly improving, he decided to remain in the city of Huron, 
where, in company with E. T. Cressey, he edited the first daily 
newspaper of Huron, known as the "Leader." He was appointed to a 
position in the government land office, but soon was engaged by the 
"Huronite" as local editor, which position he held until he was again 
employed in the land office as receiver's clerk, and again he was 
engaged on the "Huronite." In 1899 he was chosen clerk of courts for 
Beadle county, and is filling this responsible position in a very able 
manner. 

October 15, 1868, our subject was married to Permelia A. Pond at 
Galesburg, Illinois. 

Mr. Pay is a general writer, and for fifteen years has been the 
correspondent of many of the metropolitan papers of the country, 
including the "Minneapolis Journal," the "Chicago Inter Ocean," the 
"Chicago Tribune" and the "New York World." He is a writer of much 
force, and his position as correspondent places him in touch with many 
minds, which advantage he has not failed to use to the advancement of 
his resident state, South Dakota. He is a Republican and advocates 
local option and equal suffrage. He holds membership in the Masonic 
fraternity and the G. A. R., in the latter organization holding staff 
offices with the state and national commanders, and in June, 1899, was 
appointed assistant adjutant-general, department South Dakota, G. A. R. 
He is a member of the Congregational church, and an active worker in 
church and social matters.