Oh, Henry!

Henry Clay, Son of Henry Clay, against Henry Clay

Henry Clay I was born about 1672 probably in Virginia. He died in 1760 in Chesterfield County, Virginia leaving 240 acres of land to his grandson Henry. The confusion was that Henry I had several grandsons named Henry, so no one knew which Henry he was talking about.

In his 1749 will, Henry wrote, “I give & bequeath unto my grandson Henry Clay two hundred & forty acres of land adjoining to James Hill to him and to his heirs and assigns forever.”

Henry had sons, Henry II and Charles who both named sons Henry. A Chancery suit was brought by Henry III, son of Henry II, claiming that as the oldest grandson named Henry, his grandfather, of course, was leaving him the land. Charles believed it was to his son, Henry, the land had been left.

 

While I do not know the result of the court case, I can say that the Chancery file spells out most of the family connections and is what every genealogist dreams of – family connections!

Henry I married a woman named Mary and most trees have her maiden name listed as Mitchell. Henry’s (I) 1749 will named his children and heirs as William (m. Martha Lewis), Henry (m. Lucy Green), Amey Williamson (m. William Green (brother of Lucy Green, Henry’s wife) and Benjamin Williamson), Martha Bass (m. William Bass), John, Charles (m. Martha Green (sister of Lucy, Henry’s wife), and Mary.

Supposedly, three of Henry’s (I) children married three children of Thomas Green who was supposedly born about 1665 probably in Virginia and died about 1733 supposedly in Cumberland County although that county was not formed until 1749 from Goochland. I cannot find the will of Thomas Green, if anyone has any documented proof of Thomas, please reach out.  

Thomas Green supposedly had children Abraham (m. probably Elizabeth Cowels), William (m. Amey Clay), unnamed daughter (m. Cowels), Elizabeth (m. Leonard Cheatham), Martha (m. Charles Clay), Thomas Jr, Patty (m. Hardin), Rebecca (m. Jones), Marston

My focus is on the line of William Green and his wife, Amey Clay.

William Green was born about 1705 in Virginia and died about 1744 in Amelia County, Virginia. He married Amey Clay, daughter of Henry Clay I who died 1760 in Chesterfield, Virginia and left his grandsons, also named Henry, wondering which one he left land to.

Children born to William and Amey Clay Green were Amey (m. Edward Moseley), Henry Filmer, Thomas, Martha (m. William Williamson), William Jr (m. Sarah MNU), John (m. Mildred Davis).

William Green died in 1744, and Amey remarried to Benjamin Williamson whom I know little about.

William Green Jr was born about 1735 probably in Amelia County, Virginia to William Green and Amey Clay. He died 1818 in Richmond County, North Carolina where his estate file can be found. He married Sarah, many trees show her maiden name as Stone, but I cannot find any proof of that.

Children born to William Green Jr and Sarah were David Sr (m. Ann Jones & Elizabeth MNU), Frances (m. Hill), Robert (m. Mary Chappell), Mastin, James (m. Nancy Yancey), Joel (m. Mary Davis), John (m. Wincey Flinn), William III, Sarah (m. John Flinn).

David Green Sr was born in Lunenburg, Virginia in 1760 to William Green and Sarah (Stone?). He is the brother of James Green who married Nancy Yancey in 1792 in Mecklenburg, Virginia. Nancy is the daughter of Richard Yancey Jr who was the brother of Robert Yancey Sr who married Philadelphia Jones who is the grandmother of Lewis and Robert Griffin who were bound out with John Morris in 1795 in Mecklenburg, Virginia.

David Green’s Revolutionary War pension file tells us quite a bit about his life. He filed for his pension while a resident of Limestone County, Alabama on 21 Nov 1832. He was age 74 years. He entered the service of the United States while a resident of Mecklenburg County, Virginia on 1 Jun 1780, being drafted. He served again in 1781, while a resident of Lunenburg County, Virginia. He states he was born 25 Dec 1760 in Lunenburg County, Virginia and had a record of his age that was kept by his father who had died twenty years previous (about 1812). 

After the Revolution (after 1781) he moved to Bedford County, Virginia where he lived for three years and then moved to Montgomery County, North Carolina (after 1784) where he lived forty years (after 1825) and then moved to Limestone County, Alabama where he had lived for about three years (1829) and still resided at the time of the pension claim. He knew of no person in Alabama who could confirm his service but had written to Robert Green in North Carolina and if he was still living, he would send an affidavit to the Department proving his service.

David remained in Limestone County, Alabama until the death of his two sons. He moved back to Montgomery County, North Carolina to the home of another son and his brothers before 6 Nov 1837 when, as a resident of Montgomery County, North Carolina, he applied to have his pension transferred from Alabama to North Carolina.

Research timeline of David Green

1760 born Lunenburg, Virginia

1780 drafted into service Mecklenburg, Virginia

1781 drafted into service Lunenburg, Virginia

1785 marriage to Ann Jones in Bedford, Virginia

1790 tax records for Bedford, Virginia

1791 bondsman for marriage of Sarah Green and John Flynn, Mecklenburg, Virginia

1800 Census Montgomery, North Carolina

1810 Census Capt. Harris, Montgomery, North Carolina

1830 Census East of Pee Dee and Yadkin River, Montgomery, North Carolina

1832 Moved to Limestone, Alabama (where two sons died)

1837 Moved back to Montgomery, North Carolina

1840 Census West Pee Dee River, Montgomery, North Carolina

1842 Wrote will in Stanly, North Carolina

1843 Will probate & estate in Stanly, North Carolina

David Green’s 1842 will list heirs as Jones Green, called “my oldest son,” and the heirs of Jones Green, the heirs of David Green, the heirs of Bolin Green, and the heirs of Mastin Green, indicating that all his sons except Jones were deceased. We know from David’s pension file that two of his sons died in Limestone County, Alabama as David stated he had lived there “until the death of two of his sons” sometime between 1832 and 1837. Unfortunately, he did not name the sons that died and I can find no record of them in Limestone County, Alabama.

The 1800 and 1810 Census’ for Montgomery County, North Carolina shows David having four sons. His will also names his four sons. Census data shows their approximate dates of birth and that all of them were living around Montgomery County, North Carolina in 1830 with Jones living in Stanly County (neighboring Montgomery) in 1840.

Jones Green remained in the Montgomery County area early in life but moved to Stanly County by 1840. He married a woman named Elizabeth and they had several children according to the 1850 Census. Jones’s occupation is listed as a Saddler in 1850, 1860, and 1870, the last Census I can find him on. Jones lists his birth as about 1785 in Virginia. Jones also administered the estate of his father, David Sr, in 1842, Stanly County.

This data eliminates Jones Green as being one of the sons that died in Limestone County, Alabama in the mid-1830s. That leaves David Jr, Mastin, and Bolin.

David Green Jr. also remained in Montgomery County, North Carolina. According to the many descendant trees of his daughter Nancy Green Hicks, he married his first cousin Elizabeth Green, the daughter of Joel Green who was a brother to David Green Sr (the father of David Green Jr). David Jr probably died before 1850 as his wife is found on that Census without him. Nancy Green Hicks died in 1917, her death certificate naming her parents as Dave and Lizzie Green.

Bollen (Bolin) Green, son of David Green Sr, was living in Montgomery County, North Carolina in 1830 and is found on the same Census page as John Jacky Morris, my third great grandfather, just a few doors away.

Based on DNA matches for my Uncle Don, I bet John Jacky and Amelia Morris knew Bollen Green and his family personally from Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Bollen left Montgomery County around 1830. Most family trees show him living in Fayette County, Tennessee in 1840 but according to his father, David’s Revolutionary War pension file, two sons died in Limestone County, Alabama in the mid-1830s. I believe one of these sons was Bollen.

The Bollen Green in Tennessee may be from an earlier generation of this same Green family. 

Mastin Green can be found on the 1830 Census for Montgomery County, North Carolina living beside his father, David Green Sr. I believe Mastin may have been the other son that died in Limestone County, Alabama in the mid-1830s.

Note of caution:

All the information I can find on this Green family seems to be taken from the Chapman files where many connections to the family of Maj. Henry Filmer are made but not sourced (proven). William Green absolutely married Amey Clay, the daughter of Henry Clay. Abraham Green was most likely William's brother as was Thomas Green who became guardian to William and Amey's children (proven by court (Order) and Chancery records in Amelia, VA). More research is required to prove the parents of William Green (m. Amey Clay).