Clay Family
Boston
Clay and his wife, Anna are first seen in Iowa CIty during the 1870
Iowa City Ward 4 U.S. Census. Boston is a Laborer and shown as head of
household with his wife and four
children. Since their
oldest child was born in 1864, we know that the Clay's were in Iowa at
the close of the Civil War.
Boston Clay
Little
is known about Mr. Clay other than the birth information he reports for
the 1870 census: It states he was born in the year 1818 in the state of
Alabama. It is assumed Boston had passed
away by
the time of the 1880 U.S. Census.
Anna Clay
By 1880, Anna had remarried and was living in
Muscatine
with her new husband, Abraham Seabrook. The census
also
listed
Anna's four children along with two of Abrahams in the household. The
census record is
deceiving, however, because it shows their last names as "Brooks" when
it should have been Seabrooks.
Anna's maiden name has been seen in various forms such as Robins,
Robinson, Roberts.
Fortunately,
Anna, left a paper trail which provided a documented legacy of her
life. You will find more about her fascinating life
story below.
BORN
IN SLAVERY; INFIRM MUSCATINE WOMAN INCIDENTS OF THE LONG AGO
Aged
and infirm, yet with a memory in no way impaired by the ravages of
time, Mrs. Anna Clay, 525 West 8th street is still able to recall early
events of her life, which prior to the civil war was spent in servitude.
The
aged negress, who has seen eight-two summers pass by, is the mother of
seven, the grandmother of nine and the great grandmother of twelve
children, and odder still representatives of these three generations of
her progeny, are living at the present time in the same house with her.
Born
on an Alabama plantation, she was compelled to work in the cotton
fields at a very tender age, and spent many hours with other members of
her race, picking cotton under the merciless rays of the scorching
southern sun. The can brakes of Alabama, the humid flat lands, of
Mississippi, and the snow-white fields of cotton, are still vividly
pictured in her mind, and despite the rigid stern rules of submission
under which she was held during the slavery days she declares that she
numbers the days spent in the sunny semi-tropical southland among the
happiest days of her life.
Received
Little Schooling
Work
took the place of school training in the early life of Mrs. Clay (then
Anna Robbins) though she did learn to read and write partly through
study at home and partly through a few months schooling which she
received through the kindness of one of her masters.
Southern
planters of that day could not see the advantage of giving schooling to
the colored children as these children were worth much more in the
fields than in school.
Little Anna remained on the plantation where she was born until she was
about ten years of age when she and her sister became the property of a
new master and taken into Mississippi. Life here was much the same as
it had been in Alabama with one main difference her tasks increased in
difficulty in proportion as her age increased in years.
One of
the multitudinous, rude, log huts, which were a part every tobacco and
cotton plantation in those days was her home, and despite the simple
hard working life which she led, it is her belief that she was happier
in her youth, than many children of wealthy families of the present day.
The War Comes
Then
when Anna had reached young womanhood the civil war came, and the
consequent unrest among the Negro race. While hostilities were still at
their height, Anna came north, by means of the “underground railroad”
or the “scrummage”, as she calls it. She stopped at various points
along the route, many of which she does not remember the names.
At
that time Sherman had just inaugurated his victorious march to the sea,
and though the young woman did not see any of the encounters between
federal and confederate troops, she got several glimpses of army pack
trains of both armies, on her way northward.
She came as far as Iowa City, where she worked for the family of a
doctor until after the war was over. In 1865 she was married to Boston
Clay, and the couple resided there until the death of the husband,
three years later. Mrs. Clay was subsequently united in marriage with
Abraham Seabrooks, and they came to Muscatine. The couple became
estranged some time later and since then have lived apart. Mrs.
Seabrook again taking the name of Clay.
Life Still
Dear
Mrs.
Clay has lived for the past 20 years with her daughter on West Eighth
street, in a little house overlooking Bronner’s pond. Her daughter’s
husband, Steve Lloyd, was also born in servitude.
Failing in
health for some time, and as a result unable to pay visits to the down
town district since early last summer, she sits by the stove in her
little home, sometimes sewing, sometimes knitting stockings for child,
grandchild or great grandchild, sometimes just reflecting over the many
joys and sorrow which her life has brought forth.
The joys have
been overbalancing, and will continue to outweigh the sorrows, declares
Mrs. Clay, and life, at its eighty-second milestone, is just as sweet
as it was at the twenty-second.
(Source: Muscatine
Journal (The Muscatine, Iowa) 08 Jan 1920, Thu, pg. 10)
Mrs. Anna Clay, Ex-Slave Dies at
Home of Four Generations
Born
in slavery, spending her early life working on southern plantations,
escaping to the north by way of the famous “Underground Railway” during
the civil war, are some of the chapters of the early life of Mrs. Anna
Clay, aged colored woman, who died yesterday at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Steve Lloyd, 525 West Eighth street, sometimes known as
“The Home of Four Generations”.
Mrs. Clay had just passed her
82nd year. She was the mother of seven, grandmother of nine, and
great-grandmother of twelve children. Heart trouble, together with
senility caused her death.
Born in
Alabama
Born
on an Alabama plantation, in the days when the southern negro was
bought, sold, and frequently treated much the same as farm animals are
today, Anna Robbins, spent the early years of her life, working in the
cotton fields.
Later she was transferred from the Alabama
Canebreaks, to a big plantation in the heart of the humid flatlands of
Mississippi. Her Mississippi home was just a rude log cabin, typical of
the tobacco and cotton plantations of the day, but a short time before
her death she claimed that the hours spent in the south land, even as a
slave, were the happiest of her entire life.
She had just
reached young womanhood, when the civil war came, bringing with it the
pronounced unrest of the negro race. With hostilities still at their
height, Anna came north, via the “Underground Railroad.” Through which
so many blacks had secured their freedom.
She came immediately to this state settling in Iowa City where she was
employed as servant in the family of a doctor.
United
in Marriage
In
1865, Miss Robins was united in marriage with Boston Clay at Iowa City,
the couple continuing to reside there until the death of the
husband three years later. Mrs. Clay was subsequently united in
marriage with Abraham Seabrooks, also an ex-slave, and came to
Muscatine to live. Later they became estranged, Mrs.
Seabrooks
retaking the name of Mrs. Clay.
For the past twenty years, the
deceased had been residing in a little house overlooking Bronner’s
pond, this house being known to residents of that part of town, as the
"home of the four generations”.
Those
Who Survive
Mrs.
Clay’s three surviving children, Tom and Boston Clay and Mrs. Steve
Lloyd, reside in Muscatine, and it was with the daughter that the
deceased made her home. The funeral arrangements are being withheld,
pending the arrival of a number of out-of-town relatives who are coming
here to attend the funeral.
(Source: The Muscatine Journal,
(Muscatine, Iowa) 12 Feb 1920, pg. 6)
Funeral
services over the remains of Mrs. Anna Clay, an aged colored resident
of this city who passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Steve
Lloyd, 525 West Eighth street, Wednesday, will be held from the Bethel
A. M. E. church at 1:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon. Rev. W. W. Williams
will officiate. Interment will be made in Greenwood.
(Source: Muscatine Journal & News
Tribune (Muscatine, IA) 13 Feb 1920, pg. 8)
Clay
Funeral
Funeral
services over the remains of Mrs. Anna Clay, were held at 10 o’clock
this morning from the Bethel A. M. E. church. Rev. W. W. Williams had
charge of the services. Interment was made in Greenwood cemetery.
The pall bearers were: William Dewey, Charles Hester, Arthur Manly, J.
Lamb, Jeff Thompson and Walter Seay.
(Source: The Muscatine Journal
(Muscatine, Iowa) 14 Feb 1920, Sat pg. 5)
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McHenry Clay
The 1870 census shows a son by the name of
McHenry, who was born in Iowa in 1864. A record of him could
not be found after 1870.
Louisa Clay
Anna's
only daughter, Louisa aka Lulu, was born 2 Sep 1867 in Iowa. She
married Stephen (Steve) Lloyd on 23 September 1884 in Muscatine.
Louisia and Steve had nine children. Louisa
passed away on 23 Jul 1933 in Muscatine. Her life story is summarized
in the following obituary:
Charles C Clay
Charles
was shown living in Muscatine, IA with his step father, Abraham
Seabrooks, his mother and siblings during the 1880 U.S. Census.
By 1895, he was residing in Oskaloosa, working as Head Porter
at
the Birdsall Hotel. He and Mary Etta Brown were married in
Mahaska County on 8 Feb 1900. He and Mary were still living
in
Oskaloosa during the 1900 U.S. Census. The
record
shows his birth information as April of 1871 and he was working as a
hotel porter.
We know Charles was living in Des Moines by
September of 1903 because his mother, Anna, traveled from Muscatine to
Des Moines to visit him and attend a conference. During the 1910 Des
Moines Census, Charles & Mary were living in a home they owned
on
18th Street. Charles was working as a Janitor at the time.
On 20 Feb 1917, Mary filed for divorce in Des Moines. Nothing
more is known of Charles until he passed away in Des Moines on or about
26 Jan 1920. Charles was buried at Glendale Cemetery, Des
Moines,
IA.
Charles
Clay, Negro, 54 years old was found dead in a rooming house at
750 Tenth street this morning. Police Physician A. L. Leiber said the
man had been dead for several hours. According to persons living in the
house, Clay complained of heart trouble. Coroner Clift was notified.
(Source: Des Moines Tribune (Des Moines)
26 Jan 1920, Mon, pg. 4)
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Boston Clay, Jr
Named after his father, Boston was the youngest Clay family son. He was
born 30 April 1876 in Iowa City. He moved with his widowed mother and
his siblings to Muscatine, IA prior to 1880. In July 1892, at
the
young age of 16, Boston was in a boxing
contest in
Iowa City. He was facing Jack Conley. He served
in the colored calvary during the Spanish American War.
He was mustered out of service March 1899 at Fort Clark,
Texas. In 1914, he invented a
Button Machine that he patented (Patent # 1,103,762).
While he lived most of his life in Muscatine, he spent
considerable time in Iowa City and Des Moines, as well. In
March
of 1906 he married Laura Maude Brown in Des Moines,
Iowa. Six
years later, April 1912, the local newspaper
reported she
sought a divorce. It appears the marriage was not dissolved at that
time because on
1 Nov 1913, the newspaper reported he was seeking divorce from his
wife, Maude Clay.
In October 1913 Boston
was working in Iowa City at the Johnson County cafe when the
Muscatine Journal reported he had been arrested there for a charge
of holding up a passenger on an Iowa CIty traction car. It didn't take
him long to show up on the steps of the Muscatine news office
to
set the record straight. "Well,
that was certainly a mistake" he said
in refuting
the charge. "I have been
working steady in the Johnson County cafe
there for a long time and I was busy at the cafe when I was supposed to
have been arrested. And I can prove it too." The
Muscatine
Journal did not publish an
apology, but did report the next day that Clay claimed the story was
untrue.
Boston was active in the
Colored Democrats of Iowa organization. He served as President of the
Muscatine organization in 1934. His work encouraged
participation
of all Iowa Colored Democrats through political rallies, speakers at
their business meetings, and membership drives through sponsored local
dance events.
On April 1, 1936, a marriage record shows Boston married
Laura Maud Ousley in Davenport, Iowa. He indiciated on the
form
that it was his third marriage. It was Maud's first marriage.
It
appears Boston did not father any children during any of his marriages..
More about his life story is
found in the
following newspaper article.
COMMERCIAL
CHEF IS BOSTON CLAY
Landlord
Houser, of the Commercial Hotel, is fortunate in having the services of
so excellent a chef as Boston Clay. Mr. Clay has been all over the
country, from coast to coast, and h as seen service in some of the best
cafes and hotels. He needs no recommendation, as his service speaks for
itself.
Boston has also seen service in the army during the
Spanish American war. He vividly remembers the day that generous and
philanthropic woman, Helen Gould, visited their camp and out of her own
purse paid for a wagonload of speckled trout with which he prepared a
treat in the way of an appetizing fish dinner for the colored troops.
Boston
was with the brave colored warriors who stormed San Juan Hill, won the
victory and saved the Rough Rider's (Teddy) life at a critical
juncture. Boston says the colored troopers rode over the tin soldier
boys from New York, the scions of patrician and pintocratic parents,
who in terror fell flat the ground, preferring to be live cowards
rather than dead heroes, while the colored troops, scorning danger,
braved the foe and won the battle that saved Teddy's bacon and made him
famous.
Bos. and the rest of these dark skinned heroes don't like
the way Teddy and Taft treated them since and the stigma they sought to
place on them in connection with the Brownsville riots and other deals.
But
this has nothing to do with Boston's being a fine chef except he was
one of the best army and hotel cooks in Cuba and is in this city today
and is making the Commercial dinner table place that is sought after by
all who relish a meal that is cooked right.
(Source: Muscatine News-Tribune(
Muscatine, Iowa) 27 Nov 1910, Sun pg. 5)
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IOWA NEGRO INVENTOR
Boston Clay |
We
are glad to present to our many readers a brief biography of one of the
many investors that have been produced by the Negro race within the
past fifty years.
The above cut is that of Mr. Boston Clay, who was
born in Iowa City, Iowa and raised in Muscatine, Iowa. He is of Irish,
Indian and Negro descent. His grandfather was Judge Henry Clay, who is
buried in Iowa. His father died when he was but a small child, leaving
his mother with four children to care for. Young Boston was then
compelled to rely upon his own resources in early life.
He worked at
a hotel for many years in Muscatine. At the age of 17 years he served
in the Tenth United States regulars during the Spanish-American war and
came out with an honorable discharge at Fort Clark, Texas. Having been
away from home fourteen years, he returned and stayed a short while.
While home he wrote a book called "The Coal Miner's Check No. 96," of
which he sold quite a number. His next step was to invent a Button
cutting machine which would cut three blanks at once in three different
sizes by one operation. The record in Washington shows that there is no
machine that will cut more than one button of the size. He therefore
now holds the controlling interest in the United States in this
invention and also has patents pending in five different foreign
countries which he has a standing guaranty for a set price as soon as
the patents are procured for the rights in this country. The invention
will certainly prove to be a valuable and profitable addition to the
mechanical science of our country. An eastern syndicate is handling his
foreign business. (Source: The Bystander (Des Moines, Iowa)
18 Dec 1914, Fri, pg. 8) |
Boston died of valvular heart disease in Des
Moines on 21 July 1940. He is buried in the veterans section of the
Muscatine Greenwood Cemetery.
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Thomas J. Clay
Thomas was the second to youngest son in the Clay family. He was born
in Iowa City, Iowa on April 13, 1868. He moved with his
mother and siblings to Muscatine in time for the 1880 U.S. Census to
take place. Marriage records say he married Sallie Mullins 6/24/1894 in
Des Moines Polk County, Iowa. He then married Bertha Crangle in Benton
county 12/6/1903.
In
Jan 1893, Muscatine news reported that Thomas Clay of Des Moines and
Randal Harris of Omaha, were colored middle weights who fought fourteen
rounds before an audience in Seevers Hall in the city. They mentioned
Thomas is a stepson of Abe Seabrooks.
The 1900 census shows
Thomas J Clay and wife Yetta May Clay living in Des Moines as
Boarders. His occupation is shown as Traveling Salesman.
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