James Clayton, the Son of James Clayton of Hyde Co.
This man, you may recall, was born in Kent County, Delaware, and appeared
in his youth to be closely associated with his mother's family, the
Newells. He had three maternal uncles, named John, Thomas, and
William, after whom three of his sons may have been named. It seems
likely that all four of his sons were also born in Delaware, although
his father had probably moved to Hyde County before any of his
grandchildren were born.
James Clayton, blacksmith,
continued to live in Hyde County until ca 1769. In 1762 a deed from
Thomas and John Spencer to James Clayton was acknowedged in court and
registered. (This John Spencer may have been the son of William
Spencer.)
During this period James Clayton sold
three tracts of land. In July 1769 he appeared on a petit jury, but he
apparently moved to Craven County that year. He continued to sell property
in Hyde County until 1782, but the deeds identify him as James Clayton
of Craven County.
In 1767 James Clayton had acquired property in Craven County on the
Lower Broad Creek: two tracts from John Carruthers and one from
Thomas Delamar:
1767 John Carruthers, planter, to James Clayton, Blacksmith for 16
lbs. 100 acres ns of Neuse and ns of Lower Broad Cr. beginning at
Whitehouse Gut. Witnesses: Thomas Delamar and Isaac Simmons.
(Carruthers had recently purchased this property from John Moore,
Elder.)
1767 John Carruthers to James Clayton for 11 lbs land ns of Neuse,
s side of head of Lower Broad Cr. beginning at mouth of Poplar Branch,
etc. to corner of a patent granted to John Moore 11 April 1745, to
Isaac Simmons line, etc.
witnesses: Thomas Delamar and Isaac Simmons
(One book has this deed published as conveyed to Joseph
Carruthers, but I believe that is in error.)
James Clayton appears on a tax list in Craven County in 1769 with
five slaves.
James appears to be a widower in Craven Co. because within a
couple of years he had apparently remarried--to Mary Edwards, a widow
with at least four children. Her husband, Solomon Edwards, had
apparently died in 1766.
In March of 1771 James appeared in court, represented by Mr.
Sitgreaves, to qualify as administrator of the estate of Acenah
Edwards, decd. (Significantly Capt. Thomas Sitgeaves, paid a
unit of soldiers who had belonged to the Prison Guard on Jan 8, 1771.
The unit included the name James Clayton, probably the son of the James
whom Sitgreaves had represented in this court case. Was this in
connection with the Regulators incident?) James Clayton entered into
bond with James Carraway and Christopher Dawson and qualified.
In 1774 James Clayton acquired more property in the Lower Broad
Creek area from Joseph Brooks. (See Craven County deed books 14, 15
and 21.) The Brooks tract appears to be his last land acquisition
except for a patent for 500 acres on the sound granted in 1782.
In 1776 James Clayton, Sr., blacksmith for love and affection conveyed
to his son William Clayton the two parcels on the Lower Broad which he
had acquired in 1767 including the 100 acres on the north side of the
creek "where James Clayton, Sr. now lives".
Witnesses were John Carruthers and Abel McBay.
His will indicates that his home plantation was adj. to William
Clayton, Joseph Carraway and Joseph Good. His exors were "my son
William Clayton and my friends William Carraway Esqr and Joseph Good"
(Presumably this is the William Carraway whose will was also made in
1783.)
In December of 1783 the will of James Clayton,
planter, was proved by Francis Delamar in Craven County court (it was written
the 21st day of August). In it he names wife Mary and four sons:
John, born 1745 died in Hyde Co.;
William, born 1750, married Rhoda Ann;
James, born 1753, thought to have died in the Revolution;
Thomas, born 1755, married Sarah Delamar, dau of Francis 1784.
(The birthdates of the four sons were provided by cousin Margaret
Clayton Russell.)
James left his children
land in Hyde and Craven Counties. In addition to his sons he named three
daughters:
Tomson (or Tonnieson?), who was contemporary with his sons. She
married Demson Delamar, and they are said to have moved to GA.
The other two daughters were children of Mary Edwards. They were
contemporary with their father's grandchildren. (Their mother survived
James and wrote her will in 1795):
Elizabeth married Jesse Lester. He was the executor of
Elizabeth's mother, Mary Clayton in 1795, but Elizabeth had died by
that time. It is possible that James C Lester was their son; he
is mentioned in the will of Thomas Clayton in Pulaski Co. GA in 1820.
Eunice married James Cannon and moved to Ga.
James Clayton's son John, apparently
the oldest, seems to have remained in Hyde County. He and his brothers
exchanged property so that he owned all the Hyde County property and they
owned all the Craven County property. John had two sons, Thomas and Elliot.
Elliot Clayton joined the Core Sound Friends Meeting on 8m 27d, 1814
but was dismissed three years later for "marrying out of unity".
(There are Claytons in Hyde County today, but they trace their
ancestry from the Claytons of Perquimans Co, a branch of the New
Jersey family.)
There was a Quaker meeting house on or near the shore of Lake
Matamuskeet and probably on land which had been owned by Elliot's
grandfather, James Clayton. The property belonged to John Moore of
Jones Co. when he died ca 1798 and willed it to three Quakers,
Ezekiel Harris, James Hall and Lemuel Cartwright. James Hall was
almost surely a cousin of James Clayton and had come down with him
from Kent Co. DE ca 1760 and was conveyed property by James Clayton on
the lake. In 1764 Ezekiel Cartwright was conveyed similar property,
and in 1772 Ezekiel Harris.
Son William appears
to have remained in Craven County. (This is probably the William Clayton
who is a recorded participant in the battle of Camden as a part of the
Craven County militia.) Craven County deeds reveal that he and his wife
Rhoda Ann had three sons: James, Dempsey, and William.
Son James was said to
be "absant" and his share was conditioned upon his return, and otherwise
was to go to his three brothers. (Mrs. Margaret Clayton Russell, who has
published a history of the Clayton family stated that son James was in
the American navy during the Revolution, captured by the British and
last heard of in Pensacola. She has this from family records and/or
traditions.)
Son Thomas, presumably,
the youngest, born in 1755, was the ancestor of Margaret Clayton Russell.
Thomas married Sarah Delamar, daughter of Francis Delamar. In a deed from
his brother William in 1796 he is listed as a ship carpenter. (William
is listed as a blacksmith.) Thomas moved to Hancock County, Ga. in 1804,
and his descendant, Margaret Russell, has considerable detail on his family
history from that time. Thomas's grandson was the famous General Henry
Delamar Clayton of the Confederate forces in Alabama.
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