Public

POC-2012-03 – POC, 2012 Qtr 3, Vol. X Issue 2

Document

Record Summary

Evidence Category:

Published Source

Record Type:

Newsletter

Date:

Jul 2012

Individuals Mentioned:

Phyllis Alexander, Lindsey Apple, Herb Bacon, Jimmie Bacon, Julia (Julie) Brock, Al Buckner, William Bumbaugh, George Carder, Margaret Clay Carder, Susan Chilton/Shelton, Alice Clay, Angeline Clay, Beulah (Iahn) Clay, Bob Clay, Cassius Marcellous Clay, David Clay, Dr. Henry Clay, Eleanor Clay, Eleazer Clay, Eleazer Green Clay, F. Clay, Jack W. Clay, James Clay, James William Clay, Jeremiah Walker Clay, John Clay, Lance K. Clay, Margaret Muse Clay, Mary Ann Clay, Mary Clay, Morgan S. Clay, Nancy Clay, Paul Joseph Clay, Polly Ann Clay, Rachel Clay, Robert D. Clay, Sondra Clay, Waide H. Clay, William Clay, William S. Clay, S. Douglas Cline, Constance (Connie) Collins, Nancy Cook, Louise Copenhaver, Patricia (Pat) Dunford, Robert Dunville, David Hackett Fischer, Linda Gellert, Terry R. [Gellert?], Janis Hendrick, Charles Herrick, Thomas Hollingsworth, Marcia Hovenden, Luvica Hunt, Charles Knighton, Sallie Clay Lanham, Ann Martin, Perry Moore, Menica Musick, Ann Parr, Linda Pittano, Rachel Povall Clay, Shirley (Clay) Slover, Polly Ann Spradling, Mary E. Sutherland, Forrest Clay Thompson, Elsie Clay Townsend, Leon Townsend, Shirley Wilcox, Joseph Wilson, Kathleen Ann Wolf

Repository:

Clay Family Society Digital Archives

Archive Reference:

Folder: 01_Pieces_of_Clay/2007-2025

Summary

Focused on Traveling Our Rivers, Thanking Our Leaders, 2012 Gathering, Declaration of Penance, An Early Clay Family in Missouri – Charles Herrick President

Clay Line: Board

Asset

View Public Asset

Source Citation

Pieces of Clay, Clay Family Society, (Spring 2012): 4 pages; CFS Archive ID POC-2012-02.

Historical Context

The Clay Family Society’s genealogical research has uncovered several key findings:

1. Early American Clay Lineages:
Eleazer Clay (b. 1779, Virginia) is a central figure, the youngest son of James and Margaret Muse Clay. After James’s death, the family moved to Tennessee, then Eleazer and his wife Mary Dunville migrated to Missouri around 1811, settling near Doe Run Creek. Their descendants spread across Missouri and Illinois, with detailed records of marriages and land ownership.

Eleazer and his sons owned about 750 acres by the mid-1850s, and the family played significant roles in local governance, including Eleazer serving as a justice of the peace.

2. English Origins and Penance Records:
The Society has documented several 18th-century penance declarations involving Clay family members in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. These records detail public acts of penance for moral offenses, providing rare personal insights into the family’s English roots.

3. Genealogy Database and DNA Project:
The Society has compiled a genealogy database with around 700 unique individuals, tracing multiple Clay lines. Seven progenitors have been identified for whom no father is known, highlighting ongoing research needs.

A DNA project aims to further clarify relationships and origins among different Clay branches.

4. Notable Descendants:
The family includes prominent figures such as Cassius Marcellus Clay, an emancipationist and U.S. Minister to Russia, with descendants actively participating in Society events.