Public

POC-2021-02 – POC, 2021 Qtr 2, Vol. XVIII Issue 1

Document

Record Summary

Evidence Category:

Published Source

Record Type:

Newsletter

Date:

May 2021

Individuals Mentioned:

Mary Akers, Elizabeth Anne “Annie” Belcher, Elizabeth Argall Filmer, Sir Edward Filmer, Major Henry Filmer, William Green, Lucy Green, Martha Green, Sir Robert Rich Earl of Warwick, Aaron Dupuy, Charlotte Dupuy, Charles Dupuy, Mary Ann Dupuy, Pat Dunford, Bruce Dunford, Kris Dunford Stump, Marcus Dorsey, Alice Boyse Edloe, Anne Reiss, Bill LaBach, Baker G. “Bob” Clay, Baker “Bob” Clay, Casie Clay Branson, Charley Clay, Charity Blackburn Clay, Charles Clay, Edward Clay, Eleazar Clay, Emlin Clay, Francis Clay, General Green Clay, Henry Clay, Honor Ann Harper, Isham Clay, James Clay, John Clay, John Claye, John Clay Jr., John Thomas Clay, John Stewart Clay, Jonas Clay, Julia Prather Clay, Leontyne Clay Peck, Linda Cheeks Pittano, Mary Batson Clay, Mary Belcher Clay, Mary Clay, Mary Mitchell Clay, Mitchell Clay, Mitchell Clay Jr., Patience [Clay], Percival Clay, Phoebe Belcher Clay, Rachel Povall Clay, Robert Young Clay, Samuel Green Clay, Sen. Henry Clay, Sir John Clay, Susan [Clay], Thomas Clay, Tiffany Clay, William Clay, William Bascomb Clay, William Irving Clay, William Clay Hartmann, Carol Dehan, Melody DiPiazza, Michael Nantkes, Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Elyce Feliz, Amy Taylor, Ashley Smith, Eric Brooks, Grace Shannon, Jennifer Gerken, Keith Clay, Kaye Trampler, Kelly Mercer, Maureen Robinson, Brenda Beckner, Susan Bockman, Betsy Jones, Carol Lukander, Charles Pelham, Charles Reed, Donald Shores, Ian Ralby, Jack Pittano, James Branch Cabell, Jane Apperson, Jennifer Gerken, Joan Lowe, Julia Mortenson, Kendra [Johnson], Linda Blackford, Linda Pittano, Lynette Hartmann, Margaret Clay, Margaret Muse, Martha “Patsy” Wall, Mary Ellen Howe, Mary Richardson, Nancy Cook, Nancy Vaughan, Pat Smith, Patricia Clay-Jolly, Phineas [Clay], Porter Clay, Ralph Stewart, Richard Bailey, Roberta Rust, Sandy Jackson, Sarah Green Fletcher, Sharri Phillips, Susan Schoch, Susannah Watkins, Thomas Dawson, Tom Todd, William Nicholls, William Randolph

Repository:

Clay Family Society Digital Archives

Archive Reference:

Folder: 01_Pieces_of_Clay/2007-2025

Summary

Focused on COVID canceling 2022 Gathering, Welcome To Our New Website!, The Derbyshire Muster Roll of 1638, Moving Forward With Our Genealogies, DNA…and You! A Kentucky tour brings ‘new truth’ to the Henry Clay story, Sen. Henry Clay Factoids, The Legacy of John Clay, Immigrant John Claye – Casie Branson, President

Clay Line: Board

Asset

View Public Asset

Source Citation

Pieces of Clay, Clay Family Society, (Spring 2021): 12 pages; CFS Archive ID POC-2021-02.

Historical Context

Immigrant John Claye (c. 1595–1655): He arrived in Virginia aboard the Treasurer. While historical claims called him “Captain” or an English Grenadier with a large inheritance, these are considered pure fiction. He is documented in the 1624/5 Muster as a resident of Jordan’s Journey. He patented 1,200 acres on Ward’s Creek in 1635 as an “Ancient Planter”.

Descendants of John Claye: Only William and Charles are proven to be his sons, debunking earlier claims of four or five sons. William left no known children. Charles Clay married Hannah Wilson and is the only son documented to have left issue, moving into what is now Chesterfield County.

DNA and Ancestry Connections: Modern DNA testing continues to resolve ancestry “brick walls”. Notably, the DNA of Muhammad Ali (via his brother) connects him to the immigrant John Claye. Additionally, DNA evidence is being utilized to investigate the lineages of Mitchell and Phoebe (Belcher) Clay, who have roughly ten “earliest known Clay ancestors” tied to them, though specific generational links remain unproven by written records.

Derbyshire Muster Roll of 1638: Transcribed from English records, this roll contains 17,308 names of men in Derbyshire, England, and identifies 35 individuals named Clay, Claye, or Cley, along with their towns of residence.

Senator Henry Clay’s Slaves: Historical and genealogical research compiled for the “Traces: Slavery at Ashland” tour has pieced together the lives of 122 enslaved people at his plantation, including Charlotte Dupuy and Lewis Richardson. While some oral histories claim families had mixed-race children with Henry Clay, DNA evidence does not currently exist to prove these connections.