POC-2023-03 – POC, 2023 Qtr 3, Summer
Record Summary
Summary
Focused on a Call to Volunteer, Was Charles Clay at Bacon’s Rebellion?, Clay Family Traits survey results, Who the heck was Claude Clay?, Field Trips – Ned Boyajian President
Asset
Source Citation
Pieces of Clay, Clay Family Society, (Summer 2023): 13 pages; CFS Archive ID POC-2023-03.
Historical Context
Debunking the Bacon’s Rebellion Myth: Research indicates there is no material evidence or historical participant list proving that Charles Clay (son of early immigrants John and Elizabeth/Ann Clay) or old John Clay(e) himself actually participated in Bacon’s Rebellion. The claim appears to be a myth based merely on the family living in Henrico County at the time.
The “Claude Clay” Tombstone Mystery: An investigation into a 1993 nostalgic postcard featuring a tombstone for “Claude Clay” concluded that the name is undoubtedly fictitious. Research failed to locate the postcard’s designer, Marge Mayes, and found no Clays buried in the cemeteries of her town (Haines, Oregon).
Earliest Known Clay Ancestors (EKCAs): Newly recorded genealogical lineages from incoming members identify several distinct family branches and their earliest known ancestors:
* John Clay(e): Noted as an early immigrant (1613).
* Henry Clay (1672–1760).
* Richard Clay (1718–1801): Located in Maine.
* Thomas Clay: Father of General Lucia DuBigeon Clay.
* Henry Byron Clay.
* Thomas Jefferson Clay: Born December 9, 1845, in Chambers, Alabama; died April 23, 1935, in Dunn, Texas.