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.
Pat Dunford — 2009
Start Date 11/12/2022 - Please rate your reaction.
+1
1
+1
+1