John Clay and Samuel Clay were the sons of Dr. Henry Clay III and his wife Rachel Povall Clay, who moved with their family of 12 children to Bourbon County from Charlotte County, Virginia in 1787.

John Clay (1757-1814) was born in Cumberland County, Virginia. He served as a Cadet in the Virginia Regiment of Capt. Samuel Hopkins (per DAR Volume 209). He married Martha (Patsy) Ingram in 1779, in Charlotte County, Virginia, and died in Bourbon County in 1814. His will mentions three sons, John, Samuel and George and his son-in- law, Henry Clay Bruce, who was married to his daughter Mary (Polly).

Samuel Clay (1761-1810) was also born in Cumberland County, Virginia. He served under General Green in the Carolinas during the Revolution, and died in Bourbon County in 1810. He married Nancy Winn in 1780, in Charlotte County, Virginia. Samuel Clay’s will mentions sons, Henry, Samuel, George, Littleberry, John, Richard, Thomas, and William Green, and daughters Leticia and Rachel.

Dr. Henry Clay III  (1736-1820)  was a double first cousin of General Green Clay of Madison County, KY, and a first cousin of Henry Clay, the Statesman, of Lexington, KY. He is listed in the DAR Patriot Index for his service in Virginia and also served in Lord Dunmore’s War. Dr. Henry Clay III and Rachel Povall Clay are buried in the Clay Cemetery near Escondido Road in Bourbon County with a number of their children and grandchildren. This large cemetery has recently been restored and is located next to the stone house built by the Clays in 1787.

THOMAS CONN was born in 1733, the son of THOMAS & MARTHA CONN who both died in Frederick County, Maryland by 1761.  In 1763 Thomas Conn served as a constable in Frederick County, Maryland.  By that time he was already married to Sally MADDOX, daughter of John MADDOX and Mary DYSON.  Shortly after his parents' deaths Thomas and Sally Conn moved to Virginia and settled in Brumfield Parish, Culpeper County.  settling near Front Royal on 3,400+ acres known as the Long Mountain Tract on the west side of the north branch of the Rappahannock River about 8 miles southeast of Front Royal.  At that time this area fell into Culpeper County, but became part of Rappahannock County in 1833.  Thomas and his family were raising sheep on their Rappahannock River land. He was active in the Donegal Presbytery & Missions, and, in fact, the Reverend Hugh Conn, the first Presbyterian minister in Maryland, is thought to be his uncle.  (y-DNA testing has proven that Thomas & Hugh are very closely related.)

Thomas Conn sided with the colonies during the War for Independence and served as a Captain in the Virginia Militia and as a Lieutenant & adjutant in Marion's Brigade, 1781 "Captain Thomas Conn, Culpeper Militia, 1779-1780" is referenced in the Index of American Revolutionary War Records in the Virginia State Archives. Also, "Virginia Revolutionary War Pension Applications":  Vol. 13, page 4-5:  Michael Burk (#S.1174) served under Captain Conn for three months, perhaps stationed at Albemarle Barracks, per his (Michael Burk's) 1833 statement in Madison County, Kentucky.  Vol. 14, page 3:  John Anderson (#W.884) states his certificate of service was stolen from him by a colored man belonging to Captain Thomas Conn of Culpeper County, Virginia.  Also, Virginia State Archives, page 200 of expenditures: "December 1, 1779, #260, Warrant to Capt. Tho. Conn for pay of the Company of Militia __ from Culpeper, guarding Conven. Troops at the Barracks in Albemarle __ Pay Roll 346.18.2"   Please note that 11 DAR members have traced their lines back through Thomas Conn.  However, some applications incorrectly show his year of death as 1815, which indicates the member(s) has confused Thomas Conn (1733-1811)  with his son, Thomas Conn  (~1767-1815) and have incorrectly collapsed the two men / two generations into one individual.  Thomas Conn, the younger, was born about 1769 possibly Frederick Co., MD and died 18 Jun 1815 Bourbon Co., KY, served as cornet and quartermaster, Hall's Regt., Cavalry, KY Volunteers, 1793.  (Source:  Burgess, Jane F., CGRS, "Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin" Fall 2001, p. 475.)  The DAR files need to be corrected by those who made applications with the incorrect information.

By 1784 the Conn family was preparing the move to Bourbon County, Kentucky, and eventually completed the move by 1788 when at least one land deed shows his as "Thomas Conn of Bourbon County, Kentucky". He owned approximately 2000 acres of land in Centerville, Kentucky, on the immediate west side of the intersection of Russell Cave Road and the Georgetown Pike.  Identified 8 children of Thomas and Sally Conn are:  Notley Conn, b~1762 (one of the first Congressmen serving from Kentucky alongside Daniel Boone and Henry Lee); Thomas Conn III b.~1767; John Maddox 'Jack' Conn b. 11 Aug 1768 (m. Nancy 'Mary' Keene);  Hezekiah Conn b.~1771 (m. Isabella Richardson Buck); Cassandra Conn b.~1775 (m. David Flournoy); Sallie Conn b. 22 Sept. 1781 (m. Thompson Ware); William Conn b. 7 Aug 1784 (m. Frances Webb); and James Conn b. 5 May 1786 (m. Kitty Webb). 

Thomas Conn died before the 8th of March 1811.   His wife died before April 1821.  For further Conn info please contact:  Debbie McArdle, 6705 Connecticut Trail, Crystal Lake, IL 60012 jjmcard@mc.net.

John Debruler was born in  Maryland,  possibly Harford Co., 7 Jun 1750.   He enlisted in to the military on Aug. 1775  and served through 1779.  He served as a Private in the 4th Maryland line as a rifleman. He fought at the battle of Washington on 16 Nov, 1776 under Capt.  Alex Smith and Col. Rawling of Rawling's Regiment.  He also served under Col.  J. C. Hall. His serial No. was S35890.  He applied for a Pension on 11 Aug  1819 in Bourbon City Kentucky at the age of 67.  At that time he had an invalid wife of 71 years and a daughter Mary whom cared for her elderly mother. This information is from the "Index of Revolutionary War Pensions  Applications" in the National Archives, 1976.  This John Debruler was in  Clermont County, Washington Twp., Ohio in 1809 and served one of the Overseers of the Poor under the Poor Relief for Child Administrator. Per  "Clermont Co., Ohio Revolutionary Veterans, Vol 3" by Aileen Whitt and  "History of Clermont County, Ohio with Illustrations and Biographical  Sketches of the Prominent man and Pioneers" by Louis H. Everts 1880.

Obituary

"The Western Citizen", Clermont Co., OH

Fri 21 Dec. 1849

Deaths

On the morning of the 13th inst. at his residence, Mr. John Debruler of this county, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, aged 93 years 6 months and 5 days. He was born in Hartford Co., MD. on the 7th day of June 1750. At age 25, he rallied to the standard of his country. He was in the Battles of Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, and Brandywine. He removed to this state some 50 years ago. Member of the Methodist Church for some 60 years.

George and Daniel Earlywine were brothers and served in the Continental Line of Virginia, three years. They were probably born in the l750, l760 time period. George married Mary Snapp, widow in l787 and Daniel married Mary Fight in l786. Daniel  was probably born in Md. or Pa. He lived in Va.  and moved to Ky. and to Bourbon Co. Daniel  Earlywine died on his farm and I never found its location. I wrote the  Pa. Museum and Historical Commission for his papers and   they say he served from Pa. in the Washington Co. Militia in Captain William Fife's Fourth Company, Second Battalion as a private in the first class. He is also listed as serving from Virginia but never claimed his land. The date of discharge for his service in Pa. is  Feb. 5, l782. The letter form  the Archives was signed by Barbara Philpott, Assistant Archivist , we believe Daniel Earlywine about l830 in Nicholas County, Ky.  He and Mary Fight had been married July 24, l786 in Bourbon Co. by James Garrard who became the 2d Gov. of Kentucky. Daniel and Mary Fight had the  following children: l. Phoebe b. Ky. married NOah Richey l809; 2. Susanna b. Ky. married Nov. 7, l8l2 John Gonce 3. Elizabeth d. l862, married Aug. l9, l8l3 Jacob Feeback; 4. Daniel, Jr. married Hannah Harney 5. Rebecca, b.  April l2, l798, died l885, married March l9,l8l8 Samuel Gonce; 6. GEORGE (MY ANCESTOR) b. Aug. 5, l80l, Ky. married Sarah Doan), he died 2/20/l87l in S. Ind and is buried there. 7. Nancy married Thomas Gonce 8. Jesse married l. Elizabeth Harney md. 2. Elizabeth Shaw 9. Christina  l0. Mahala married William Hamner Dec. 30, l830, and is buried in Hamner Cem.  south of Franklin, Indiana. My Mother, myself and my aunt joined DAR on Daniel Earlywine.

James Kenney Sr. was born Nov. 29, 1752 in Augusta Co. Virginia to James Barnett Kenney and Miss Kramer. James Barnett Kenney was born in Northern Ireland in 1720 and came to the US. around 1740. He settled in Augusta Co. near Staunton. In 1751 he married Miss Kramer.

In 1771 James Sr. married Mary Frame, daughter of John and Margaret Hogshead Frame.

  James Sr. came to Kentucky in April 1776 and lived at Boonesborough until June 1776. He brought with him his brother Joseph.

  James met Michael Stoner at Boonesborough and Mr. Stoner invited James and Joseph to come to his improvement on what was to become known as Stoner Creek, near Paris, Bourbon Co. Kentucky.

  Mr. Stoner gave James 50 acres of land in payment for "stocking" a shovel plough for him. James liked the look of Kentucky and decided to settle here.

  James and Joseph went back to Virginia and fought in the Revolution. Joseph was killed in Kentucky in the war. James was made the administrator of Joseph's estate, which was land granted to him in Kentucky. 

  James enlisted in Virginia in Capt. Joseph Crockett's Company, 7th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Lieut. Col. Holt Richeson.  James was taken prisoner 10-4-1778 at Germantown. At the close of the war James held the rank of Captain. 

  At the end of the war  James brought his son John C. to his land on Stoner Creek and made a camp, he left John there alone while he went back to Virginia to bring the rest of the family to their new home. Polly Kenney, James' fourth child told her children she remembered the long trip on horseback as she sat in front of her father in the same saddle.

  James was a farmer all of his life. He owned several acres of land on the Stoner and  willed it to his wife and children when he died.

  James was one of the original trustees of the Bourbon Co. Academy founded in 1798.

  James and Mary Frame were the parents of: David, Elizabeth, John C., Polly, James Jr., Moses, Sallie, and Nancy.

  Mary Frame Kenney died 9-22-1796 in Bourbon Co. Kentucky. James married  Margaret

Johnson, daughter of Andrew and Mary Gregg Johnson on 6-17-1799 in Bourbon Co.

Kentucky.

James and Margaret were the parents of: Marie Louise, Abigail, Helena, Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charlotte Corday, Victor Mareau and Margaret "Peggy".

  James died 3-13-1814, he is buried in the Kenney Graveyard on his farm on Stoner Creek. Margaret Johnson Kenney was born 1-11-1777 near Alexandria Virginia. and died 5-26-1829 and is also buried in the Kenney Graveyard. Mary Frame Kenney as well as several of the family are buried with James.

KENNEY, FRAME, JOHNSON, GREGG

This information came from:

Early Bourbon Co. Families, James Kenney and his descendants written by Corday Leer Buckley in The Kentuckian-Citizen, Paris Kentucky.1944.

Collins's History 1776

Deposition of James taken in 1809 from Kentucky. Court and other records, Vol. II pg. 115

Excerpts from Perrin's "History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison and Nicholas counties.

Old Kenney bible copied by Corday Leer Buckley

Will of James Kenney, will book E. pg 91

Will of Margaret Johnson Kenney, will book H pg. 255

Cemetery records and photos

Kentucky. Census for 1790

1800 Bourbon Co. Tax List

1810 Bourbon Co. Kentucky. census

Judith Brumm

Justin Howery

from info provided by Tim Forsythe