POC-2026-01 – POC, 2026 Qtr 1, Winter
Record Summary
Summary
Focused on Connections, Mark Smith Clay Joins the John Clay (1613) Line, Clays Who Served (Lt. Tom Clay), DNA Corner (Two More Big-Y Tests Join John Clay 1613’s Haplogroup) – Ned Boyajian President
Asset
Source Citation
Newsletter: Pieces of Clay – Winter 2026, Clay Family Society, Inc.; 13 pages; CFS Archive ID POC-2026-01.
Historical Context
African American Roots Discovered: CFS member Dinah Lynn Clay discovered that her 2nd-great-grandfather, Mark Smith Clay, was one of the “Randolph Slaves” freed after 12 years of litigation following the 1833 death of Senator John Randolph.
Paternal Lineage to White Slave Owner: Mark and his siblings arrived in Ohio as minors following the death of their mother, Nancy. Genealogical records and naming patterns strongly linked their father to William H. Clay, a white slave owner living on the Roanoke Plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia.
Shedding Mixed-Race Labels: Due to their light skin tone (inventoried as “very bright” or “bright nearly white”), Mark and his siblings presented themselves as white after leaving Ohio. Mark served in white Union Army units and married a white woman, hiding his slave roots from descendants.
DNA Connection to 1613 Lineage: To confirm the lineage, Dinah’s brother underwent a Big-Y DNA test. The results perfectly matched descendants of John Clay, who arrived in Virginia in 1613.
Traceable Lineage Confirmed: Combined with documentation from the book Adventurers of Purse and Person, which links William H. Clay back to Josiah Clay and ultimately to the earliest John Clay, the DNA findings successfully connected a former slave family to the earliest known Clay lineage in America.
Expanding DNA Haplotree: The Ancient Clays Haplotree has grown to include 11 male Big-Y DNA testers who hold Haplogroup 1.1 R-BY74161 (associated with John Clay 1613), bringing the Y-DNA branch directly into the modern era where it overlaps with written genealogical records.