Connection:
Eve Hardin Clay and David Peyton Clay = Sarah M. Clay
Sarah M. Clay and James M. Hatcher = Mahaney Hatcher
Mahaney Hatcher and Berry Bateman Shepherd - Sarah Margaret Shepherd
Sarah Margaret Shepherd and George T. Chambers = Lillie M. Chambers
Lillie M. Chambers and William Wayne Bentley = Nancie Bentley
Nancie Bentley and Clifton Babb = Billy Babb
Billy Babb and Rosa Mae Bloodworth = Eileen Babb
In "History of Wilkinson County" by Victor Davidson no mention is made
of the Clay family. Yet they, like many other families in Wilkinson County
not mentioned, settled in Wilkinson from it's creation. As in other county
histories, families get left out - whether by ignorance, family dislike
by the author, space in the book or lack of family information at the time
of publication.
(Note: It has been brought to my attention that families were charged
$250 to write their history to be published in the book)
Below is an excerpt from the orginal book "Georgia Historic
Families" published in the 1930's. I believe it is in reprint now.
I don't like to think of Grandmother Eve as a witch with all the negative
thoughts that go with that word. I think of her as
stong-willed woman who had her way of doing things and not caring
what the neighbors or some of her children thought.
Here's to you Grandmother - A Woman Before Your Time!
Excerpts From
Ga Historic Families by L.W. Rigsby
"The Welsh Witch Woman"
"There was living in Wilkinson Co., Georgia,
83rd Subdivision, 1850, in the family of her daughter Sarah Hatcher, an
old woman who was listed in the census of that year as follows: "Eve Clay,
aged 80, female, born in Georgia." There was living at the time of collecting
the material for this sketch, in Wilkinson County, Ga. Mrs. Susie Gilbert,
in Washington County, Ga, Mrs. Mary Trawick, and in Florida Mrs.
William Connell, each of whom remembered Eve Clay as mentioned above and
from them I obtained the salient Points of this sketch together with traditions
from my mother who remembered her quiet well and who left notes relating
to her."
" Eve Hardin was born in Georgia in 1770 of Welsh
descent. During the early days of the revolution the family refugeed from
state of Georgia to the Southwestern part of Virginia where John Hardin,
her father participated in Dunmore's war. Later the family refugeed from
this frontier settlement into Pennsylvania, her father serving in the Pennsylvania
Militia, from Pennsylvania the family refugeed into either North Carolina
or Virginia in the vicinity of Orange County, if not within the borders
of that county. At the close of the revolution the family came into Washington
County, Ga., that is the children came and it is presumed that the father
is dead. The three earliest Hardins coming to Georgia were Isaac, Adam
and Nicholas. Isaac appears to have gone back to Virginia and presumably
he was an uncle of Adam, Eve, and others."
"Sept. 26, 1792 Eve Hardin was married to
David Clay in Warren County, Georgia. Presumably she was living at that
time either with her brother Adam or her Uncle Isaac. Very little is known
of her married life except that which is included in "The Georgia Branch
of the Virginia Clays and Their Celebrated Cousins" but what we do know
is unfavorable. She had a violet temper, was self-willed and could not
be reasoned with when her temper was aroused. David Clay was a man of considerable
property and owned a plantation in Washington County and one in Wilkinson
County. When she was overcome with one of these rages he quietly removed
himself to his Washington County Plantation until the storm blew over when
all was quiet until the next time.
Her husband died before 1820 and the more
minute part of this sketch begins with her widowhood.
After her husband's death she remarried, but
the marriage was not happy. Her second husband sent her to my grandfather's
on the pretext that he was sick.. He was living at that time in what is
now Terrell Co. and Eve was living in Wilkinson. She went horse back carrying
a negro woman with her. When she returned she found that her husband, negroes,
and mules had disappeared. She was left with lands, a horse and one negro.
She immediately set out in pursuit of her husband and slaves and followed
them to some place either on the Gulf near Port St. Joe or Savannah. The
family are not exactly agreed as to the place, but wherever it was her
husband and negroes had taken ship and that was the last she ever knew
of either. Whether this deranged her mind or whether she had been of the
same disposition all along I do not know but now began a peculiar kind
of life.
Going back a little. After the death of David
Clay and before the children began to leave home Eve Clay had fried ham
for breakfast one morning. The older children knew, or thought they knew,
that there was no ham in the smokehouse. They immediately began to inquire
of their mother as to where she got the ham. She would not tell them or
give any explanation The older children refused to eat breakfast unless
she would tell and she refused to tell, so they went to work breakfastless
and no member of the family, to this day knows any more about the ham than
when the discussion first started.
In personal appearance she was of medium size
with gray eyes and at the time of which I write her hair was white. It
was probably auburn in earlier life. She was restless, filled with boundless
energy, with shame and of a most determined disposition and violent temper.
She had a great store of Welsh superstitions and
of Scotch Closeness. She united these and practiced the profession of Palmistry
and "fortune-telling." In this she traveled considerable distances, usually
going horseback and carrying her serving woman with her. The practice of
her profession of Palmistry and "fortune-telling". In this she traveled
considerable distances, usually going horseback and carrying her serving
woman with her. The practice of her profession proved profitable and she
was accustomed to have in her possession considerable amounts of silver.
She went as far as Savannah, and even to the Gulf Ports and wherever she
went her art was in demand. Her temper, and her rather uncanny skill in
foretelling, or rather guessing the coming future events, built for her
quite a reputation. This with her age and appearance and peculiar conduct
soon attracted to he the appellation of "The Witch Woman".
Her children disapproved of this kind of existence
and every effort was made by them to get her to abandon her fortune telling
and these exscusions but without avail. The struggle between Eve and her
children over this, was long and persistent with Eve continuing to do as
she pleased. The children finally scattered out and Peyton Clay built Eve
a house near his home. Here she lived for a number of years all alone and
it was here that Mrs. Susie Gilbert knew her. Her serving woman appears
on the scene no more and from now on we find Eve traveling on foot. Peyton
Clay was wealthy and it is presumed that there was a deliberate attempt
made to prevent these excursions, but to no avail. She was too independent
to ask for a horse or to be carried and on more that one occasion traveled
from Wilkinson County to Sumpter and Terrell counties on foot. Her children
would send her back when her time was out.
She lived to an extreme old age and got to where
she could not walk a foot log. This did not prevent her, however, from
going when and where she pleased. There were no bridges and she would wade
the creeks at the fords and on one occasion gave some of her grandchildren
a server scolding because they had seen her come to a creek and wade it
and did not offer to take her up and carry her across on the horses which
they were riding home from the field. They had wanted to see her wade the
creek and did not let her know they were there until after she crossed
the creek. I think that she was justified in her indignation at her grandchildren
at this time.
Her grandchildren were divided as to her supernatural
powers, some believed in her possessing such powers and others did not.
My mother had no faith in her possessing such powers but her sister Francis
who married Hiram Wadsworth did. Mrs. Luvinia Connell still relates this
circumstances as proof of Eve's power. "Judith Lucindy, my sister died
quite young. Before her death, I was very sick and my mother was expecting
me to die. Grandma (Eve) was at our home. At that time Judith was well
and playing about. Mother asked Eve to tell her if I was going to die.
Grandma told my mother that I was not going to die but that Judith was.
I got well but Judith was soon taken sick and died."
Mrs. Trawick remembers Eve coming over in Washington County
to visit relatives. She says that at that time she was very old and always
came on foot. She says that all of the children were afraid of her, and
that people called here a Witch. Mrs. Gilbert of Wilkinson County gives
the same account of her.
She lived to be very old and is given by White as an instance
of longevity in Wilkinson County. When enfeebled by age her daughter Sarah
Hatcher appears to have taken her in her home and to have given her the
necessary care and attention. Age had finally done what man had been unable
to do, that is subdue and tame her proud and imperious spirit.
These characteristics of Eve has appeared in other members
of the family to a much lesser extent. In collaterals it has rarely ever
gone beyond eccentricity, but in my opinion John Wesley Hardin of Texas
was of this family and this characteristic explains his live and conduct,
Henry Clay of Wilkinson County must have inherited a share and I have seen
it in others to a less extent. As a matter of fact I have felt the surge
at times in myself. This characteristic was so marked that a common expression
among all descendants when one lost his temper was "Watch old Eve". That
was all that was necessary to cool the temper and restore tranquility.
Now in concluding this sketch, I know of nothing
better for all descendants to do that adopt this as a permanent motto "Watch
old Eve". Time and the diffusion of her blood among the blood of many others
has nearly destroyed the potency of this characteristic, but is likely
to be renewed at any time by a series of marriages among her descendants
or with some other family of similar blood lines and with similar characteristics.
She had many good and noble qualities but it is by this characteristic
that she is remember and it is from this characteristic that we descendants
can most profit, that is in a negative way by guarding against the development
of this characteristic within our hearts."
Eileen Babb McAdams
copyright 2003-2004