... The oldest son of John & Mildred Higgins Chinn was the Honorable Richard Henry Chinn, an attorney. He was the law partner of that noted statesman, Henry Clay. It has been documented that Richard Henry Chinn was the only man with who Henry Clay would ever enter in partnership; Clay was also the only person who presumed to call Richard Henry by the name of "Dick". According to "Aunt Eliza" in "Social Life in Old New Orleans": "My Mother would never have dared to do such a thing".
One of the sons of Richard Henry Chinn was named "Henry Clay" after his old law partner. In an article written by Great Aunt Ellen Alvarez Chinn Jarvis Conway, she makes mention of the fact that Henry Clay was a frequent visitor in the Chinn home. On one occasion she made a handkerchief for him which he always carried and used in the process of wiping his hands after taking a pinch of snuff.
Richard Henry Chinn served twice in the Kentucky legislature... each time being elected by unanimous vote. The Honorable RICHARD HENRY CHINN married his (third) cousin, ELIZABETH (BETSY) MOORE HOLMES (with who, it is said, he fell in love with when he was six and she was three.) The Mother of ELIZABETH MOORE HOLMES was SUSAN (SUCKY) CHINN, a daughter of the union between CHARLES and SYNTHE CHINN, and sister of JOHN CHINN who married MILDRED HIGGINS. Fourteen children were born to RICHARD HENRY and ELIZABETH MOORE HOLMES CHINN. All of the children were born in Kentucky where he practiced law until approximately 1836. At that date he moved his family to Louisiana and took up his practice in the city of New Orleans. ...
