William Clayton, “the Elder”

In 1904 Henry F. Hepburn published an incorrect Clayton family lineage. Later, James Bellarts published an extensive account of William Clayton tying him to the Yorkshire family of the same name. Research by Col. Charles M. Hansen, Louis E. Jones and Marilyn L. Winton-Misch has shown that William Clayton, the immigrant to Pennsylvania, was not related to the Yorkshire family of that name.

The research of these historians[1] show that William (Claiton) Clayton (of the Kent) was descended from:

• William Claiton "the younger," b. 1610 in Boxgrove, Sussex, England
• William Cleton "the elder," b. 1589 in Walberton, Sussex, England
• Rychard Cleton, b. before 1563 in Walberton, Sussex, England