Martha Clay

Martha Runyon Clay
BIRTH
14 Feb 1712
Gloucester County, Virginia, USA
DEATH
1 Jan 1764 (aged 51)
Henrico County, Virginia, USA
BURIAL
Burial Details Unknown

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/148500221/martha-clay

Martha Runyon or possibly, Martha Lewis (sister of Colonel Charles Lewis - Lord Dunsmore's War), was born on February 14, 1712, in Henrico, Virginia. Some parts of Henrico later became part of Chesterfield, Virginia, where her future husband, William Mitchell Clay, was born. Henrico must have been an exciting place to live. It was the second city to be established in Virginia, after Jamestown (1607). It was the most important town on the James River

The Family

From https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gnu2222&id=I4376

She married William Mitchell CLAY 1729 in Henrico Co., Virginia, son of Henry CLAY and Mary MITCHELL. He was born ABT 1708 in Chesterfield Co., Virginia, and died 10 Sep 1774 in Point Pleasant, Virginia (Now West Virginia).

	  Children of Martha Anne and William Mitchell CLAY are:

• + 2 i. Elizabeth CLAY was born 1734 in Henrico Co., Virginia, and died BEF 1789.
• 3 ii. William CLAY was born ABT 1735 in Henrico Co., Virginia, and died Oct 1812 in Franklin Co., Virginia. He married Ann OLD 10 May 1756 in Amelia Co., Virginia. She was born ABT 1735 in Henrico Co., Virginia.
• + 4 iii. Mitchell CLAY was born 1736

Origins

Name seen as Martha Anne (Runyon) Warner.

Not a known child of Colonel John 'Councillor' Lewis & Elizabeth Lewis

Martha may have been previously married to a Runyon.

Martha Runyon may not be the correct wife of this man as noted on other sources.

“There is some confusion as to the wives of William Mitchell Clay. Many of us know William Mitchell Clay as the father of Mitchell Clay & father-in-law to Phoebe Belcher. William Mitchell Clay, born circa 1708-1710, was married to a woman whose given name was Martha. Some have said that her maiden name was Green while others have said it was Runyon. Both of these theories have been disproved. Another possibility is that she was Martha Lewis, sister to Col. Charles Lewis. Col. Lewis fought in the Battle of Point Pleasant -- the first battle of the Revolutionary War.”

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From https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gnu2222&id=I4375

• Title: Descendants of Sir John Clay
• Author: West Virginia Roadbuilders
• Publication: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~richmond/ancestors/clay000...

Text: William Mitchell5 Clay (Henry4, Charles3, John2, John1). There is some speculation that he may have been born prior to the marriage of his parents in 1708, hence the use of his mother's maiden name as his middle name. He married Martha Runyon in 1729 in Henrico Co., VA.6 He married Martha Anne Lewis, daughter of John Lewis and Elizabeth Warner, in 1752.6 He married Agnes (--?--) before September 8, 1768.6 He died on September 10, 1774 in Pt. Pleasant, VA (now WV).

"A great deal of mystery revolves around the identities of William Mitchell's wives. Very little real information is available to support positive conclusions. The best explanation is presented by David Roper.

Other researchers have stated that the first Martha was Martha Green, daughter of Thomas Greene and Martha Filmer. This is certainly in error, as this Martha was the wife of Charles Clay, William Clay's brother. Martha's sister Lucy was the wife of William's brother Henry."6

"Martha Lewis Clay evidently died sometime between 1764 and 1768, as no other record of her is found after 1764, and in 1768, William Clay placed an advertisement in the Virginia Gazette stating that "...my wife Agnes has eloped from my bed, and robbed me of things of considerable value..." William and Agnes were either back together in 1769, or she was living alone but still using his name, since she gave a deposition in the Chesterfield County court of May 5, 1769. Note that William Clay was in Bedford County by 1768."6

Known children of Col. John3 Lewis Jr. and Elizabeth Warner were as follows:

viii. Anne Lewis was baptized on 14 Feb 1712 at Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Co., VA

https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=caswellcounty&id=... Caswell County Historical Society does not have parents for the Ann Lewis who married Robert Lowry, of Edgecombe County Please provide evidence.

Also seen as wife of Thomas Merriwether please provide evidence

Also seen as “Martha Ann” and the wife of https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Clay-314 please provide evidence. https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gnu2222&id=I4376 Has the wife of William Mitchell Clay as Martha Ann Runyon

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Sep 23 2018, 1:46:17 UTC
• http://hdhdata.org/roots/d0043.html#f00013
• https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=vandersen&id=I201
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lewis-11286
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/148500221/martha-clay

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• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jul 22 2021, 0:40:24 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

Martha Lewis (sister of Colonel Charles Lewis - Lord Dunsmore's War), has been verified by Wendy Browne, a Lewis family researcher, as definitely was not the wife of William Mitchell Clay. So, this leaves Martha Runyon, which has been my first choice over the last several decades.
Our Martha Runyon was born on February 14, 1712, in Henrico, Virginia. Some parts of Henrico later became part of Chesterfield, Virginia, where her future husband, William Mitchell Clay, was born. Henrico must have been an exciting place to live. It was the second city to be established in Virginia, after Jamestown (1607). It was the most important town on the James River.
Martha Clay was lucky in some ways. She died prior to the death of her husband of 35 years, William Mitchell Clay. William, 66, a Virginia militia volunteer, while hunting game with a friend, he was killed by an Indian. He was the first casualty in his unit that was fighting “Lord Dunsmore’s War.”
Her son, Mitchell, and his wife Phoebe Belcher, faced Indian hostilities in the Shawnee Lake area of Mercer County, West Virginia, at that time known as Clover Bottom. Three of their children, a girl and 2 boys, were killed by Indians. Their tragedy so touched so many, a statue of Mitchell and his wife, called “A Torment in Stone” stands by the courthouse at Princeton, in Mercer County today. Several of his daughters (there were 7 girls and 7 boys), married soldiers.
Her son, Ezekiel, was killed by Indians (?) in Montgomery, Virginia. Eventually all of her children took off for other parts of the country. Some say she died in Cumberland.....
He husband, William, remarried shortly. Agnes was possibly much younger. As it appeared in the Virginia Gazette on September 22, 1768: "Whereas my wife Agnes has eloped from my bed, and robbed me of things of considerable value, and I expect will endeavor to run me in debt, I therefore forewarn all persons from dealing with her on my account, as I will pay no debts of her contracting. (I must admit that Agnes could be married to another William, there were several).

Mitchell Clay and Wives Children. Dates are approximate. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Yes, there could be other children.

. Elizabeth Clay (1735 to after 1793)
. William Clay (1733 to 1735 - 1810)
. Ezekiel Clay (1737-1777)
. Judith Clay (1737-1809)
. Obediah Clay (1738 to 1815-1818)
. Pearce Clay (1738-1828)
. Mitchell Clay (1736-1739 to 1811)
. David Clay (1740 to 1777 or after 1825)
. Meredith Clay (1742-1806)
. Nancy Clay (1744-aft. 1825) could also been
known as Hannah Clay
. Jessie Clay (1745- 1824)
. Mary Clay (1755-abt. 1810)

Note again: Please disregard her father as a Lewis. Thank you.