Place:Clay, North Carolina, United States

Watchers
NameClay
Alt namesClaysource: Getty Vocabulary Program
TypeCounty
Coordinates35.05°N 83.767°W
Located inNorth Carolina, United States     (1861 - )
See alsoCherokee, North Carolina, United StatesParent county (source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990)
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Clay County is a county located in the far western part of U.S. state North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the county population was 11,089. The county seat is Hayesville, population 311, elevation 1,893 ft.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

This area was occupied by the Cherokee Nation at the time of European settlement. The name of Brasstown, an unincorporated community in the county, was derived from a Cherokee term for a village location, which English speakers confused with another that meant "brass." They referred to the village as Brasstown, a translation unrelated to the Cherokee history of the site.

Migrants into the area were primarily of Scots-Irish descent, who had moved into the backcountry of the Appalachians from eastern areas. They moved south from Pennsylvania and Virginia after the American Revolution. Most became yeomen farmers and few owned slaves in the antebellum years.

In the fall of 1860, George Hayes, who was running for state representative from Cherokee County, promised his constituents to introduce legislation to organize a new county in the region. That would bring business associated with a new county seat, and make government accessible to more people. In February 1861 the legislation was introduced and passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. Clay County was formed primarily from Cherokee County, North Carolina, however a small area was taken from Macon County; it was named for statesman Henry Clay, former Secretary of State and member of the United States Senate from Kentucky. In honor of Mr. Hayes, the legislature designated the new county seat as Hayesville.[1]

Given the interruption of the American Civil War, Clay County lacked an organized, formal government until 1868. Later that year, during the Reconstruction era, the first United States post office in the county opened in Hayesville. The first county courthouse was built in 1888; it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Since the nineteenth century, Clay County has remained largely agricultural.[1] Given its relative isolation, in the 21st century, residents continue to be overwhelmingly of European-American ancestry.

The Clay County Progress is the local newspaper, reporting mostly county news.

Timeline

Date Event Source
1845 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1861 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1862 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1868 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1870 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1870 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1880 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1913 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1870 2,461
1880 3,316
1890 4,197
1900 4,532
1910 3,909
1920 4,646
1930 5,434
1940 6,405
1950 6,006
1960 5,526
1970 5,180
1980 6,619
1990 7,155

Research Tips

External links

www.rootsweb.com/~ncclay/


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Clay County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.