There is a book, which I have not yet seen but which I will look for next time I'm at the library, called The Clay Family. Part I, by Zachary Smith, is about Henry Clay's mother; Part II, by Mary Roger Clay is The Genealogy of the Clays. These 8 children are (I am told) listed as children in that genealogy.
William Mitchell | Henry | Mary Obedience | Amey | Martha | Charles | John | Mary
1. William Mitchell 1710-1774 mentioned in father's will
m. Martha Ann Lewis (or Belcher or Ligon - John Pritchett) (or Runyan - angelfire site)
1747 - tax list Southarm Parish (3 titheables)
1760 - inherited Fighting Creek property (330 acres); inherited Deep Creek property (400 acres)
1764 - sold Fighting Creek property to William Moseley
1764-1768 m Agnes Unknown between 1764 (Martha still alive) and 1768 when she (Agnes) left him
1767 - Deep Creek property - gave 113 acres to son Obediah, sold rest to Elam Farmer1767
(Obediah sold 113 acres to Elam Farmer 1768)
1768 September 22 September - put an ad in the Virginia Gazette saying Agnes had"eloped from my bed, and robbed me of things of considerable value, and I suspect, will endeavor to run me in debt."
1773 son Mitchell Clay buys Clover Bottom.
"Henry Clay brought Indian slaves into captivity that later became the property of William Clay. Contrary to an act of the legislature freeing Indians, William contrived with his son, Mitchell Clay, to sell "one Negro wench named Rachel, age 19, and her daughter, Judy, age 6," who became the property of John Draper." from John Pritchett's website.
"Many years afterward, and after the death of Mitchell Clay, which occurred in 1812, this trade gave rise to two interesting law suits; one, by the Negro for their freedom, which they succeeded in establishing ; and thereupon the representatives of Draper sued the executors of Clay and their sureties, recovering a large decree against them, resulting in the bankrupting of Captain William Smith and the estate of Colonel George N. Pearis, sureties of the executors of Clay." (Johnston, History of the Middle New River Settlements . . . , p. 397)
1774 died
Children: William, Mitchell, Judith, Obadiah, Hannah, Jesse.
And possibly Elizabeth Clay 1735-1793 who m Isham E Belcher
(brother to Phoebe Belcher, who married Mitchell Clay)
2. Henry Clay 1711-1764 mentioned in father's will
1711 Sept 3 born
1735 m Lucy Greene 1717-1770 (d/o Thomas Greene III and Elizabeth Marston)
1747- tax list Southarm Parish (5 titheables)
1750 July 28 - Thomas Greene deeded 200 acres
1760 - inherited Swift Creek property (240 acres)
1760 - conveyed 220 acres (father's 1724 patent) to son Henry
1761 - sold Thomas Green property
1764 - sold Swift Creek property to James Hill
1764 - died - Cumberland County
will dated 8 March 1764 , recorded 28 May 1764
widow Lucy married William Marshall
3. [Mary] Obedience Clay 1712-1770 not mentioned in father's (Henry's) will - but her husband was. (The Blankenstein site says her children were mentioned also - I will have to look into this. It also says that Richard Belcher was living on the land of Henry Clay. Nevertheless, the Blankensteins think Mary Obedience was the daughter of John Clay, brother of Henry.)
William & Mary Quarterly 4 W (2)
Page 129 Some Wills of the Clay, Just and Harralson Families
…Henry Clay, Chesterfield Co. March 28, 1749. Mentions sons William, Henry, Charles, John, Daughters Amey Williamson, Mary Watkins, grandson Henry Clay, granddaughter Mary Clay, wife Mary. Also RICHARD BELCHER, James Hill. Witness, George Farrar, Aleson Clark, George Reny Turner….
According to General Green Clay (s/o Charles, grandson/of Henry & Mary Mitchell)
"Henry was my grandfather, and married Mary Mitchell (daughter of William and Elizabeth mitchell). they lived and died in chesterfield county, virginia, at the old place on the west side of swift creek. They had four sons, William, Henry, Charles our father, and John, the grandfather of henry clay, late member of congress, and negotiator of the treaty of ghent, and several daughters, Obedience(IN question??),Martha, Amy, Mary,and one unk."
this quotation comes from the Angelfire website
So. Circumstantial evidence seems to connect her with Henry, but there is the problem of his will.
~1732 Henrico County - m Richard Belcher (1710-1763)
Children: Anne 1730 - 1766/7 - m Peter Blankenship
Isham 1732 - 1823 - m Elizabeth Clay (possibly cousin, possibly daughter of William Mitchell Clay)
Richard 1734 - ? - m Mary Unknown
Phoebe 1737 - 1810/1813 - m Mitchell Clay (possibly cousin, son of William Mitchell Clay)
some people make her the daughter of Francis Belcher and Phoebe Cabaniss
Thomas 1744
Robert 1746
William 1748-1795
Elizabeth Ann 1749 - 1820 - m Richard Bailey
some people make her the daughter of Francis Belcher and Phoebe Cabaniss
Benjamin 1749
1763 Richard Belcher died, Chesterfield County
1770 died
4 Amey Clay 1713-1774 mentioned in father's will
m William Marston Green 1705-1744
1733 - William Green bought 400 acres in Prince George (now Amelia) Co
1733/4 - William Green - land patent 100 acres, Amelia Co
1735 - William Green - Amelia County surveyor (briefly)
1736 - William Green - Amelia County justice (briefly)
1737 Dec - William Green - 100 acres from Thomas Bell
1738 - William Green - land patent Horsepen Branch 652 acres (included 1733 land), Amelia Co
1738 - William Green - land patent Winticomack Creek1,550 acres, Amelia Co
1738? - William Green - land patent - 400 acres from Samuel Cobbs, Amelia Co
1740 May - William Green - militia officer
1744 - William Green - died - Amelia County
will dated 19 July 1744 , recorded 22 Aug. 1747
1748 June 9 (bond) Amelia Co - m Benjamin Williamson
by 1761 Bnejamin Williamson dead
1774 - died
5. Martha Clay 1713-1745/6 not mentioned in father's will (she died before he did)
1713 Aug 10 - born
1730 - William Bass sr gave 275 acres to William and Martha (originally from William's grandfather)
1731 May 6 - Chesterfield Co - m William Bass jr 5 Dec1707- 21 Jan 1769 (s/o William Bass & Mary Faile)
7 children
1736 - William Bass - tax list Henrico Co
1745/6 March 1 - died
William Bass later married Mary Walthal
6. Charles Clay 1715/6-1789 mentioned in father's will
1715/6 (or 1716/7) January - born
17xx - m Ora Steward
1741 November 11 - m Martha Patsy Greene 1719-1793 (sister of Lucy, d/o Thomas and Elizabeth Marston Greene)
1760 July - bought land in Chesterfield County from Thomas Trueman
1760 - inherited land on Nut Tree Run of Swift Creek (425 acres)
1763 March - sold 97 acres from Chesterfield County land to Thomas Tiller
1765 - deeded Nut Tree Run land to son Eleazer
1782 - tax list Pittsylvania County (delinquent - 11,300 acres)
land advertised for sale by sheriff Virginia Gazette - 13 March 1783
1783 - Powhatan County - head of household list - 4 whites, 10 blacks
1789 February 25 - died
will dated 28 Oct. 1788 , recorded 16 July 1789
7. John Clay 1718-1762 mentioned in father's will
1718 - born
According to one genealogy, he married 1st Mary Bass and 2nd Mary Watkins Ross.
According to John Pritchett, he married 1st Sarah Watkins, d/o Edward Watkins (her children listed in Edward's will 1765) and 2nd Mary Bass (his niece, d/o sister Martha and William Bass)
1749 Oct 6 - road surveyor from Swift Creek Bridge to Falling Creek
1754 - bought 470 acres - n side of Nut Creek Run, Chesterfield Co
1756 - tax list Chesterfield Co (5 titheables)
~1759 - m. Mary Bass
they apparently had a son, Jeremiah Bass, before they were married
1762 - died - Chesterfield Co
will dated 15 Nov. 1761 , recorded 5 Nov. 1762
angelfire site: John Clay b: 1712 was the father of Rev. John Clay, an eloquent Baptist preacher who went to live in Hanover county, and who was the father of Henry Clay, the great Kentucky orator and statesman.
8. Mary Clay 1722-1777 mentioned in father's will
m Thomas Watkins - His now lost will was proved 5 February 1781.
Back to Clay Home Page
Back to Home
To Mary Obedience Clay Page
To Richard Belcher Page
contact me at: lee@leesgenes.com
page last updated 25 Aug 2004
Buried: on farm later owned by grandson Eleazer Clay