Clay Family Society

CLAY FAMILY INTERESTING FACTS

Where were your American Clays? Who were your American Clays?

  In 1790, just after the American Revolution, the formerly British Colonies looked like this: 

• There were approximately 75 heads of household in the extant North American colony records named "Clay."
• There were 3 in CT;  7 in ME; 3 in MA; 15 in NH; 1 in NY; 12 in PA; 5 in VT.
• South of the Mason Dixon Line there were 3 in MD;  7 in NC;  and fewer than 25 in VA (1782/83 tax lists there were about 43 on "1790 census substitute," but names are replicated.)

  In 1830, the census had gone up considerably:

• 311 heads of household:  22 in ME;  3 in MA;  26 in NH;  6 in NJ;  13 in NY;  35 in PA;   6 in VT.
• In the original southern colonies:  19 in GA;  11 in NC;  3 in SC;  3 in MD;  51 in VA;  1 in Wash. DC.
• Elsewhere "in the west": 9 in AL; 3 in MI; 2 in MS; 9 in MO; 20 in OH; 15 in TN; 9 in IL; 3 in IN; 36 in KY; 3 in LA.

  In 1930, the last census available, things were a bit different. 
  Out of 5266 households where the head of household was surnamed Clay:  

• In the northern colonies:  CT had 20;  MA had 81;  ME had 30;  NY had 116;  NH had 26;  NJ had 56;  PA had 252;  RI had 8 (2 from England; 1 from Greece);  VT had 7.
• And, in the southern colonies:  DE had 5;  DC had 14;  GA had 276;  KY 321;  MD had 53;  NC had 123;  SC had 31;  TN 173;  VA had 368;  WV 204 
• Elsewhere:  AL 218;  AZ 16;  AR 187;  CA 188;  CO 32;  FL 67;  HI 1 (from Korea);  ID 22;  IL 194 (including at least one from England and one from Czechoslovakia) ;  IN 138;  IA 85 (Swen is from Sweden);  KS 64;  LA 208;  MI 125;  MN 31;  MS 363;  MO 245;  MT 6;  NE 38;  NV 1;  NM 19 (Jim Tee Lah Luby Clay, Navajo sheep farmer);  ND 2 (including Henry Ton Clay, Holland);  OH 303;  OK 141;  OR 27;  SD 14;  TX 475;  UT 16 (3 from England);  WA 56 (1 from Luxembourg);  WI 13;  WY 9
• Out of the 5266 households: 3324 were identified as white, 1909 as black, and 33 as another ethnicity.

  ~submitted by: Pat Dunford