Joseph Alvey Clayton (1817-1873) and Margaret Amanda Poole (1831-1873)

HOME PAGE  |  SEARCH THIS SITE  |  WHAT'S NEW ON THIS SITE  |  GUEST BOOK  |  E-MAIL



[This page is part of the Joseph Alvey Clayton-Margaret Amanda Poole Web Site]


Joseph Alvey Clayton
(1817-1873)
and
Margaret Amanda Poole
(1831-1873)

Star

Joseph Alvey Clayton

Detail from a daguerreotype
(courtesy of San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas)

[Click on a supernumeral to go to the source citation]
[Click on a source number to return to the text]

Joseph Alvey Clayton (pictured above), identified as Joseph Alvie Clayton in some sources,1 was born on December 30, 1817,1a,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 probably in the part of Giles County, Tennessee that later became Marshall County.10   He is believed to be one of four children (all sons) of Morgan Clayton and Mollie Steele.11,11a

He was reared in what is now Marshall County, Tennessee12 and had little schooling, but his "alert mentality enabled him to overcome this early handicap and he became a man of broad information and mature judgment."13

Joe came to Texas in early 1835,14,15,16 seventeen years old and unmarried, and about a year later, on April 21, 1836, fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, which effectively ended the Texas Revolution, as a member of Capt. Amasa Turner's infantry company but attached to the artillery under Lt. Col. James C. Neill.17,18,19   Today his name is inscribed on the monument at the San Jacinto battlefield, and the battlefield museum holds a shotgun and a bible that belonged to him.20

After Texas independence in 1836 he did some Indian scouting and worked as a surveyor.21  Family tradition is that he was a member of the surveying party wiped out by Indians in September or October 1838 in the "Surveyors' Fight" at Battle Creek near Spring Hill in Navarro County but that he was not with the party when attacked because he had returned to Franklin to retrieve forgotten equipment.22  He participated in the Mexican War, including the Battle of Chapultepec on September 13-14, 1847.23

During the Mexican War he had returned to Tennessee to marry Margaret Amanda Poole in Shelby County, Tennessee on June 24, 1847,24,25,26,27,28,30 probably at the Mississippi River plantation of his brother, John Steele Clayton.31

Amanda, as apparently she was known,32 was born on April 20, 1831 in Lincoln County, Tennessee to George Pool and Martha Mitchell.33

Joe and Amanda settled in 1847 near Washington-on-the-Brazos, in Washington County, Texas.34,35  In 1852 they and their two daughters, Ida (about four years old) and Mollie (one year old), moved to Navarro County, Texas, where they settled at Wadeville, near present-day Kerens.36,37,37a  A few years later the family moved northward to settle near the Trinity River and the town of Mesquite (now known as Chatfield) in northeast Navarro County.38  There he settled into raising sheep and horses.39  He was an Odd Fellow40 and a Mason41,42 and helped establish some of the early Odd Fellow and Masonic lodges in Navarro County.43

J. A. Clayton's signature
J. A. Clayton's signature on the 1861 Ordinance of Secession

Joe owned slaves.  He was taxed in Texas for eight slaves in 1852 (valued at $3,500), six in 1853 (valued at $3,500), three in 1854 (valued at $2,500) and five in 1855 (valued at $3,000)43a and owned an interest in slaves in Tennessee or Mississippi.43b  There is no doubt about his feelings on the issues that led to the Civil War.  In January 1860 he was a member of a group that met in Corsicana and passed a resolution stating, "We are heart and soul with our Democratic friends of the 'Old Dominion' in their determination to resist the encroachments of the enemies of the institution of slavery."44  In December 1860 he presided over a "mass meeting" in Corsicana that passed resolutions including one that "the doctrine of negro equality is abhorrent to every feeling of our nature."45  The December meeting also declared by unanimous voice that he was the choice of the group to seek election to the secession convention to be held early the next year.46  Joe was a trustee of the Masonic and Odd Fellows Male and Female High School at Chatfield,46a whose teachers the Corsicana paper described as "sound on the slave question."47   While running for election to the secession convention, Joe published a "circular" that set out his views on Texas secession.48  In the election he and J. P. Weir were chosen to represent a district composed of Navarro and Hill Counties at the secession convention in Austin January 28 to February 4, 1861,49,50 and he was one of the signers of the resulting Ordinance of Secession.51  He joined the Joseph Clayton's grave markerConfederate army on September 15, 1861 in a reserve company of the 19th Infantry Brigade of the Texas Militia.52,53,54   He also was active in the Navarro County Democratic Party55 and in 1860 was a county commissioner.56

To read the resolutions on Texas secession passed at the December 15, 1860 public meeting in Corsicana, click here.  To read Joe Clayton's "circular" giving his views on Texas secession, click here.  To read the Ordinance of Secession (signed by Joe), click here.

Joe and Amanda died three days apart.  She had been ill in July 1873 when his arm was mangled or torn off by a threshing machine.57,57a  This hastened her death, which came on July 29,58,59 and he died the day she was buried, August 1, 1873.60,61,62  He was fifty-five, and she was forty-two.  They are buried in the Old Cemetery at Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.63  Click here to read Joe's obituary and here to read Amanda's.  (The photo of Joseph A. Clayton's grave marker in the Old Chatfield Cemetery at left is courtesy of Dana Subbs.)

Joe and Amanda had eight children,64 listed below.  Click on a name to go to a page about that person and his or her descendants.

Ida Carolyn Clayton, who was born on 24 May 1848 in Washington County, Texas, married James Thomas Fortson on 20 Jun 1867 in Navarro County, Texas, and died on 30 Aug 1910 in Rice, Navarro County, Texas

Mary E. ('Mollie') Clayton, also known as Margaret, who was born on 20 Feb 1851 in Washington County, Texas, married William Fletcher Bachman on 20 Jan 1874 in Navarro County, Texas, and died on 20 Jul 1889 in Dallas County, Texas

Mitchell Steele Clayton, who was born on 18 Sep 1854 in Navarro County, Texas, married Georgia ('Georgie') Pannill on 13 Aug 1885 in Navarro County, Texas, and died on 31 Jan 1920 in Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas

Joseph Henry Clayton, who was born on 6 Nov 1856 in Navarro County, Texas, married Anna ('Annie') May Lisman on 17 Jan 1883 in Navarro County, Texas, and died on 9 Mar 1923 in Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas

Albert Hervey Clayton, who was born on 2 Aug 1861 in Navarro County, Texas, married Mattie Williamson, and died on 20 Jul 1923 in Bexar County, Texas

Dixie Rena Clayton, who was born on 4 Apr 1863 in Navarro County, Texas and married James M. Reid on 16 Dec 1880 in Navarro County, Texas

James Roger Clayton, who was born on 1 Jul 1865, did not marry, and died on 11 Sep 1932 in La Cruz, Tamilipas, Mexico

Janette Poole ('Jennie') Clayton, who was born on 2 Jul 1868 in Navarro County, Texas, married Dr. W. Edward Brown, and died circa Aug 191 in Merkel, Taylor County, Texas


Sources

1. Handwritten obituary of Joseph Alvey Clayton, by Norris Witherspoon, undated (copy obtained 31 May 1973 by Roger Bartlett from Joe Guthrie, Corsicana, Texas); Mitchell Steele Clayton [Corsicana, Tex.?], letter to Mrs. E. H. Clayton, Livingston, Ala., undated but replying to her 21 Jan 1920 letter, transcripts of which are in possession of Roger Bartlett (naming Morgan Clayton and Miss Mollie Steele as parents of Joseph A. Clayton, John Steele Clayton, William Clayton, and Bonapart Clayton).
1a. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 3 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Gen. Soc'y, 1984), p. 28.
2. Maggie Highnote, undated records. These five pages are marked "Record from Family Bible (Clayton)" on one page and "Family Record" on another. Two pages are on letterhead of Charles H. Highnote, 616 S. 15th St., Corsicana, Tex. Some or all are thought to have been written by Mrs. Highnote from a family bible. The bible probably is now in the San Jacinto battlefield museum, near Houston, Texas. Joe Guthrie, Corsicana, Tex., provided copies to Roger Bartlett on 31 May 1973.
3. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," in Navarro County Scroll 1967 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Hist. Soc'y, 1967), pp. 28-35.
4. Susie Robinson, Corsicana, Tex., letter believed to be to Will Bachman in California, 18 Sep 1938, p. 5.
5. Sam Houston Dixon and Louis Wiltz Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto (Houston, Tex.: The Anson Jones Press, 1932), p. 77.
6. Lineage of Mrs. Susie Clayton Robinson, Founders and Patriots of the Republic of Texas: The Lineages of the Members of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (Austin, Tex.: The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, 1963), p. 186.
7.Lineage of Mrs. W. S. (Nellie May) Guthrie, no. 4529, Founders and Patriots of the Republic of Texas: The Lineages of the Members of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (Austin, Tex.: The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, 1963), p. 470.
8. The New Handbook of Texas (Austin, Tex.: Tex. State Hist. Ass'n, 1996), vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton."
9. One source gives his birth date as 30 Aug 1817.   Handwritten obituary of Joseph Alvey Clayton, by Norris Witherspoon, undated (copy obtained 31 May 1973 by Roger Bartlett from Joe Guthrie, Corsicana, Texas).
10. One source states that he was born in Giles County, Tennessee.  Ibid.  Other sources state that he was born in Marshall County, Tennessee.  The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.; Sam Houston Dixon and L. W. Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto, above, p. 77; Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.   Marshall County did not exist before 1836, when it was created from portions of Giles and other counties.
11. Marian Butler and Percival David Park, Morgan Davis (d. 1831) and Sarah (Reed?) Davis of North Carolina and Tennessee (1991), p. 17.   This document is a typewritten manuscript, a copy of which was provided to Roger Bartlett by William S. Grubbs in 1996.
11a. Mitchell Steele Clayton [Corsicana, Tex.?], letter to Mrs. E. H. Clayton, Livingston, Ala., undated but replying to her 21 Jan 1920 letter, transcripts of which are in possession of Roger Bartlett (naming Morgan Clayton and Miss Mollie Steele as parents of Joseph A. Clayton, John Steele Clayton, William Clayton, and Bonapart Clayton).
12. Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans, ed. Eugene C. Barker and Ernest William Winkler (Chicago, Ill.: The American Historical Society, 1914), vol. IV, pp. 1727-28, s.v. "Mitchell S. Clayton."
13. Ibid.
14. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
15. Sam Houston Dixon and L. W. Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto, above, p. 77.
16. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
17. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
18. Lineage of Mrs. Susie Clayton Robinson, above (stating that he was in Capt. Amasa Turner's Company at the Battle of San Jacinto).
19. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
20. Ibid.
21. Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans, vol. IV, pp. 1727-28, s.v. "Mitchell S. Clayton," above.
22. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.   For a description of the Surveyors' Fight, see Jimmy L. Bryan, Jr., "'More Disastrous Than All:' The Surveyors' Fight, 1838," East Texas Historical Journal, vol. 38, no. 1, p. 3 (2000).
23. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
24. Marriage record of Joseph A. Clayton and Amanda Pool, bk. 1, p. 16, Office of County Clerk of Shelby County, Tenn.  Every reference to their marriage that has been located thus far and that gives a date says that the marriage occurred on 21 Jun 1847 (or, in three instances, on 1 Jun or 22 Jun). The records of the County Clerk of Shelby County, however, state that the license was issued on 21 Jun 1847 but that the marriage occurred on 24 Jun.
25. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above (giving only the month and year and stating that they married in Tennessee).
26. Susie Robinson, 18 Sep 1938 letter, above, p. 5 (stating that they married in Tennessee but misstating the date as 21 Jun 1847).
27. Navarro County Cemetery Records, vol. 3, above, p. 28 (identifying Margaret A. as wife of J. A. Clayton but not giving the date or place). 
28. Sam Houston Dixon and L. W. Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto, above, p. 77 (stating that he married Amanda Poole in Tennessee but misstating the date as 1 Jun 1847).
30. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above (stating that he married Amanda Poole in Tennessee but misstating the date as 1 Jun 1847).
31. William S. Grubbs, electronic mail to Roger Bartlett, 17 May 1993.
32. John S. Clayton, Memphis, Tenn., letter to Joseph Alvey Clayton, 9 Mar 1856, a transcript of which is in possession of Roger Bartlett ("Sophia [John's wife] says she wrote you and Amanda a long letter . . . .").
33. Gary Boyd Roberts, 1401 E. 55th St., Apt. 508, Chicago, Ill. 60615, letter to Joe Guthrie, 16 May 1973, a copy of which is in possession of Roger Bartlett.
34. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
35. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
36. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
37. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above (stating that they lived near Kerens without mentioning Wadeville).
37a. Sam Houston Dixon and L. W. Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto, above, p. 77 (stating that they lived near Kerens without mentioning Wadeville).
38. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
39. Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans, ed. Eugene C. Barker and Ernest William Winkler (Chicago, Ill.: The American Historical Society, 1914), vol. IV, pp. 1727-28, s.v. "Mitchell S. Clayton."
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid.
42. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
43. Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans, ed. Eugene C. Barker and Ernest William Winkler (Chicago, Ill.: The American Historical Society, 1914), vol. IV, pp. 1727-28, s.v. "Mitchell S. Clayton."
43a. Records of Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas Resident Tax Rolls, Navarro County, Texas, reel 691, 1852, schedule A, p. 5, line 4, Genealogy Div., Texas State Library (microfilm); ibid., reel 691, 1853, schedule A, p. 3, lines 23-25; ibid., reel 691, 1854, schedule A, p. 4, lines 36-37; ibid., reel 691, 1855, schedule A, p. 6, lines 1-3.
43b. John S. Clayton, 9 Mar 1856 letter, above ("I sold him [James Pool] your interest in the negroes for $1050.00, this is exclusive of the hire, the hire will be some $300 to $500 dollars [sic] . . . .").
44.
45. The Navarro Express, Corsicana, Tex., 21 Dec 1860, p. 2, col. 4.
46. Ibid.
46a. Ibid., 26 May 1860, p. 2.
47. Ibid., 9 Jan 1861, p. 2, col. 1.
48. Ibid., 2 Jan 1861, p. 1, cols. 1-2.
49. Ibid., 16 Jan 1861, p. 2, col. 1.
50. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
51. An Ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of Texas and the other States united under the compact styled The Constitution of the United States of America, Texas State Archives.
52. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
53. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
54. Sam Houston Dixon and L. W. Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto, above, p. 77.
55. The Navarro Express, Corsicana, Tex., 21 Jan 1860.
56. Ibid., 31 Mar 1860, p. 2.
57. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
57a. Louise P. Hodge, "The Chatfield Cemetery," in Navarro County Scroll 1967 (Corsicana, Tex.: The Navarro County Hist. Soc'y, 1967), pp. 62-63.
58. Ibid.
59. Grave marker, Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.
60. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.
61. The New Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 149, s.v. "Joseph Alvey Clayton," above.
62. Grave marker, Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.
63. Grave markers, Old Cemetery, Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas.
64. Mattie Beth Harper Moore, "Historical Facts About Rice and Chatfield, Texas, Navarro County, and of Families of Both Communities," above.


Click here to go to the top of this page

Click here to go to the beginning of the sources

Click here to go to the home page

Click here to sign or view the guest book

Star

This page maintained by Roger A. Bartlett
Last revised on 1/6/07