Christian CLAY

   Another name for Christian was Christopher CLAY.

  General Notes:

Recent information seems to connect us to connect us to this family. This is all subject to change based off of more research.

The following was copied from: Portrait and Biographical Album of Oakland County, Michigan, Chapman Bros. (1891), pp. 652-656

The grandfather of our subject, Christian Clay, was born in 1725, near Berlin, Germany, and entered the service of his Prince at the age of eighteen years, serving seven years. The principality in which he lived became subject to Prussia, and he entered the service of Frederick the Great, who was on the throne of that country. After serving five years he returned to his old home to find that the family was gone, no one knew whither. He then came to America, landing in New York sometime before the breaking out of the French War. After living in the city of New York for a time he went to Philadelphia on business, and while stopping at a tavern he became acquainted with a man by the name of Clay, who lived in Virginia and said he came from Germany. He bore the same name as one of the brothers of Christian Clay, while the names of their father, mother, brothers and sisters were also alike. They concluded therefore that they must be brothers, and made an agreement whereby Christian was to return to New York, dispose of his interests there and come to Virginia to his supposed brother. However, when Christian Clay was almost ready to start to the Old Dominion he was one evening walking along the street en route to his boarding house when he was seized by a company of British soldiers and pressed into the service. The morning following his seizure the fleet sailed out of the harbor, carrying him with others. After serving for a time in the British navy he was put in the ranks and fought at the battle of Louisburg. With his regiment he was sent with Gen. Wolfe to capture the city of Quebec, scaling the heights of Abraham during the night and in the morning helping to fight the battle that defeated the French, deprived them of Gen. Montcalm, and gave the city to the British though at the cost of the death of Gen. Wolfe and many of his heroic followers. Two days after that memorable event the Indians, who were in the surrounding woods firing upon the soldiers, shot Christian Clay, the wound penetrating the knee and disabling him for life. He was taken to a hospital and soon discharged, after serving in the British army and navy five years. When able he commenced to work, and hoarded sufficient money to take him back to New York. In that city he met a woman whose first name was Mary, and who had just come over from the Fatherland. He paid her passage, married her, and they removed to Essex County, N. J., and later to Sussex County, the same State, where they reared a large family, comprising two daughters and six [Begin Page 655] sons. They were members of the First Presbyterian Church in Sparta as early as 1780. Grandfather Clay departed this life in 1820, at the age of ninety-five years, while his wife survived him several years. Of the children of Christian and Mary Clay the following is recorded: John passed his entire life in Sussex County, N. J., and his children were Abram, Noah, Maria and Sarah; William died in Ohio; Christopher, in Sangamon County, Ill., at the age of eighty-eight years; Thomas, near Cleveland, Ohio (This would be the only error based off of information on Thomas-PAC*); James removed to Kentucky and there enlisted in the service of his country in 1812, fighting under Gen. Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe, and in the battle of the Thames. Two days after the latter engagement he was taken ill and died in Canada.

(*From Thomas's sale of lands in the 1830's it is possible he planed to move to Ohio with his son, but it never happened for some reason. PAC)

The first church of Hardyston was built on land (to the extent of 54 acres) given for that purpose by the proprietaries of New Jersey. For some years it was a mere shell of frame, roofed and weather-boarded, with roughly hewn seats for the worshippers. The galleries and steeple were added about 1804. The original frame remains to-day, apparently as strong as when first put together. The church has been twice repaired, once in 1837, at a cost of $1500; and a second time, in 1869, at a cost of $4000. The original members of the church are supposed to have numbered ten, and to have been named as follows: Christian Clay, Mary Clay, his wife; Jonathan Sutton, Robert Ogden, Jonathan Sharp, Jane Mills, wife of Robert Mills; Mary Johnson, wife of Andrew Johnson; Gabriel Paine, John Linn, and Martha, his wife. April 8, 1810, there were 40 on the roll. May 14, 1819, there were 99 active members of the church, and 49 of them were dismissed to form the church of North Hardiston, and 13 to form that of Hamburg; leaving 37 to continue the First Church of Hardiston. In 1828, there were 64, and on January 1, 1839, 134.

Proceedings of the Centennial Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church at Sparta, N.J., November 23, 1886, Together with a History of the Village

At the same meeting, the trustees chosen, took the oaths required by the act of the Legislature, and assumed the name and title of the " First Presbyterian Church in Ilardyston." "It would not be amiss to date the church back to the time when services were held in the house of Robert Ogden. This was perhaps as early as 1780. The church was built on land (to the extent of 54 acres,) given for that purpose by the proprietaries of New Jersey. For some years it was a mere shell of frame, roofed and weatherboarded, with roughly hewn seats for the worshippers. The old frame remains to-day, apparently as strong as when first put together. The original members of the church are supposed to have numbered ten, and to have been named as follows: Christian Clay, Mary Clay, his wife; Jonathan Sutton, Robert Ogden, Jonathan Sharp, Jane Mills, wife of Robert Mills; Mary Johnson, wife of Andrew Johnson; Gabriel Paine, John Linn, and Martha, [his mother.] April 8th, 1810, there were 40 on the roll. May 14th, 1819, there were 99 active members of the church, and 49 of them were dismissed to form the church of North Hardystou, and 13 to form that of Hamburg, leaving 37 to continue the First Church of Hardyston."

....
After the dismissing of 62 members to form the churches of North Hardyston and Hamburg, May, 1819, there remained but the following 37: Christian Clay, Mary Clay, Robert Ogden, Jane Mills, Mary Johnson, John Butler, Polly Butler, Nancy Pitney, Martha Corwin, Margaret Joialomon, Margaret Hurd, Mary Morrow, Sarah Roberts Hindes, William Corwin, Rebecca Sutton, Mary Johnson, Sarah Van Duzer, Rhoda Ba'ey, Phoebe Munson, James Morrow, Jane Morrow, Mary McCullom, William Durling, Sarah A. Durling, Samuel Johnson, Hannah Robinson, Charity Pierson, Nancy Hurd, Bethany Osborn, Phebe Matthers, Rachel Wade, Phoebe Easton, Mary Durling, Samuel Wade, Mary E. Ban, Daniel Lanterman, Barbara Lanterman.

http://dunhamwilcox.net/nj/sparta_nj_presby_ch.htm

Christian married Mary before 1766. (Mary was born in Germany and died after 1820.)