History of Clay County, Iowa

The earliest settlement in what is now Clay county is thought to have been in 1856.  The first actual settlers were undoubtedly the Kirchners and Ambrose S. Mead at the present site of the town of Peterson.  During the same summer, 1856, a number of others arrived and settled within the present limits of Clay County. George Gillett and brother came and located at what has since been known as “Gillett’s Grove”. Ezra Wilcox arrived and took a claim near the mouth of Willow Creek, in what is now Herdland Township.

Clay County was officially organized in the fall of 1858 and is named after Lieutenant Colonel Henry Clay Jr. of the Mexican War. Before its organization Clay County was attached to Woodbury County for judicial and civil reasons. The first county seat was located at Peterson where it remained until 1871.

In 1871 the town of Spencer, named after George E. Spencer, was formally laid out.  Since it was more centrally located than Peterson, the county seat was moved after voters elected to do so in an election held in October of that same year. In 1878 the first railroad was built through Spencer and in less than a year the population grew to 1000.  The courthouse, built in 1901, still stands.

There are 10 incorporated cities and 16 townships in Clay County. The 2003 population has been recorded at 17,073.

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Clay County, Iowa Genealogy
URL: http://iagenweb.org/clay
Page by Janet M. Young
Clay County IAGenWeb Coordinator