Joseph Clayton (abt. 1755 - abt. 1824)

Born about 1755 in St. Mary's, MD

Descendants

Died about 1824 at about age 69 in Nelson, KY

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Biography

Joseph Clayton was born before 1760, in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. In 1777, Joseph enlisted in the Continental Artillery. He fought in the Revolutionary War as a private, taking part in various battles. He was discharged in 1780 and returned to St. Mary’s. ^[1]

In the War, he was a private in the Continental Artillery Regiment of Charles Harrison. The Regiment was just being formed as a new part of George Washington's Continental Army, building on a prior Virginia unit. Joseph Clayton fought in a number of battles, earning a Bounty Land Warrant which he apparently sold to speculators. ^[2]

About 1785, Joseph and his wife moved to the Pottinger’s Creek settlement in Nelson County, Kentucky as part of the initial wave of Maryland Catholic emigration described by Benedict Webb. The group included St. Mary’s neighbors and fellow-members of Joseph’s artillery regiment. They remained a close-knit community for decades and even generations.

Joseph is found on the United States Census of 1810, residing in Nelson county, Kentucky ^[3] Joseph Clayton was a landowner and farmer. With his wife Eleanor, he had at least eight children who survived to adulthood. Joseph sometime between 1813, his last presence in the regular annual tax records of Nelson County, and 1823, when his wife is described as a widow in the marriage record of their daughter Catherine. ^[4]

Researchers Notes

His origins remain unclear. Circumstantial evidence suggests that he came from St. Mary's County, Maryland. He may have been related to a Thomas Clayton who lived in St. Mary's, apparently close to some of Joseph's close neighbors and associates in Kentucky

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.paulnordberg.net/pdfs/joseph-clayton.pdf
2. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LW7N-41D
3. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY2-SR9M?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=LW7N-41D&i=3&cc=1803765
4. ↑ "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-YJSL-X?cc=1804888&wc=QD3Q-W4B%3A148168001 : 30 June 2016), > image 420 of 530; Madison County Courthouse, Richmond.

• Rev War Pension APP
• Huntington Collection of Maryland State Archives Security Microfilm as of 1946 found here: http://mdhistory.msa.maryland.gov/msaref05/msa_te_1_171/html/msa_te_1_171-0066.html
• "United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH29-3K3 : accessed 2 October 2022), Joseph Clayton, Bardstown, Nelson, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 14, NARA microfilm publication M252 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 8; FHL microfilm 181,353.