Clay County, Formation

Under the territorial Act of 1812, all west of the Mississippi River and north of the Mississippi River, formed St. Charles County; which continued until 1816, when that part of Howard, north of the Missouri, was taken, and from Howard, in 1829, Ray County was formed, including all areas west of Grand River to the State line, and from the Missouri north to the Iowa line.

Clay County was formed from Ray, January 2, 1822, extending from the Missouri River north to the Iowa line, with its present width of about twenty-one miles, and its length, of about one hundred miles. The Act of the Legislature creating the county, appointed five commissioners to select a permanent seat of government for the county, and further provided that until the selection of this permanent seat was made, all courts should be held at the house of John Owens, which house was located upon what is now known on the plat of the town, now city of Liberty, as lot 173, on Water street. The commissioners named in the Act were Henry Estes, Enos Vaughn, Wyatt Adkins and John Pouge. These commissioners made report to the Circuit Court of the county, July 1, 1822, as follows:

"That in pursuance of the object of their appointment, they assembled together on the 20th of March last, to examine the different donations offered the county, and continued in session three days examining sites for a town, that after mature deliberation and minute investigation the tract of land owned by John Owens and Charles McGee was thought best adapted for which it was designed, as being more central for the population, surrounded with good and permanent springs, lying sufficiently elevated to drain off all superfluous waters, in a healthy and populous part of the country, and entirely beyond the influences of lakes, ponds, or stagnant waters of any kind; they therefore, unanimously agreed to accept of the proposition of Mr. Owens and Mr. McGee of a donation of twenty-five acres each for the use of the county."

Again it was deemed advisable to limit the area of the county, and on January 2, 1833, the reduction was made to its present limits, being bounded on the north by Clinton on the east by Ray, on the south by Jackson, with the Missouri River intervening and on the west by Platte.

The county comprises 254,423 acres. The county was divided into only two townships, Gallatin and Fishing River; the county seat being in Gallatin until May 2, 1825, when Liberty Township was created. Platte Township was created June 4, 1827; Washington Township, August 9, 1830, and Kearney Township was created September 3, 1872. That part of the county north of its present limits in 1831, extending to the Iowa line was called Lafayette Township, and was very sparsely settled, and on the west of the limits of the county "attached for civil and military purposes," was the Platte country, or rather the greater part of what constitutes now Platte County, was in 1837, divided into Pettie, Carroll, Far West and Preston Townships.

No reliable, authentic information can be given of any permanent settlement made in what is now Clay County prior to the year 1819. In that year there came:

These located in the southern, southeastern and north eastern parts of the county; many descendants of whom are at this time residents of the county.

The great tide of immigration began in earnest in 1820, and settlements were made on Fishing River, Big Shoal, along the Missouri River, and the southern portion of the county, generally by:

Clay County| AHGP Missouri

Source: History of Clay County, Missouri, by W. H. Woodson, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, 1920.