Henry Gay

Notes:

Henry made a will on 3 February 1735 in Isle of Wight Co., Virginia.

Will of Henry Gay:
I, Henry GAY of Isle of WIGHT county, being at present sick and weak of body but of perfect mind and memory, think fit to make this my Last Will and Testament in manner and form following:

First; I give unto my son Henry GAY five shillings Curr. money of VIRGINIA.

2nd; I give unto my son John GAY two shilings and six pence Curr. money of VIRGINIA.

3rd and 4th ; I give unto my three sons to wit, Thomas GAY, William GAY, Joshua GAY, all my land to be equally divided between them and their heirs and assigns forever, Excepting I give them all privilege to make use of timber in the swamp for their own use for ever but not to sell.

I give unto my son Joshua GAY the Manor plantation that is the house werein I live with his equal share of the lands adjoining to the houses.

5th; I give unto my daughter Ann LAWRENCE two shillings and six pence Curr. money of VIRGINIA.

6th; All the remaining part of my estate whatsoever and all the rest to be equally divided between my four children Thomas, William and Joshua and my daughter Sarah BABB.

7th; I nominate and appoint my son Thomas to be my whole and sole executor to this my Last Will and Testament which I do own and ratify, revoking all other WILLS and Testaments formerly made by me. In witness, I hereof I have herewith set my hand and fixed my seal this 3rd day of February 1735. Henry GAY, X his mark.

The bottom part listing the witnesses names is barely legible, appears to say James Denson, Joseph Denson but date of probate is not legible.

On 6 Feb 1663, one James Long was granted a patent to land in Nansemond County in the Virginia tidewater, on a “headright” obtained for paying the passage of Henry Gay and eight others to the New World {Cavaliers and Pioneers, 1:492}. then on 22 Apr 1669 Henry Gay was himself granted four hundred acres in Nansemond County by patent {VA Patents 6:242}. There is record of the passage of three other GAYs to Virginia about the same time (George by 1654, Thomas by 1661, and Walter by 1673), but Henry is the only early GAY who seems to have purchased land. The vast majority of Virginia immigrants during this period were indentured servants, and at least a minority of those were able to save enough to later purchase their own small piece of land, but if Henry was an indentured servant, his story may be a particularly interesting one.

There is a reported deed, dated 1 Feb 1688, in which “Henry H. Gay” of Isle of Wight County, VA, is selling land “formerly belonging to Ms Henry Gay”. The quotations come from a genealogical report posted by one Craig Rhodes, a descendant of Henry. Mr. Rhodes appears to assume that this is a son of the 1669 patentee selling his father’s land, and despite the difference in counties, it might well be the same land because much of Nansemond Co was transferred to Isle Of Wight in 1774. The reported name of the grantor does raise some doubt that the deed was read correctly, as middle names were exceedingly rare during this period. Evidently, the name of the former owner (“Ms Henry Gay”) was misread, but if the original was instead “Mr Henry Gay”, that would be of considerable interest, because it would mark this Henry as a recognized gentleman — a member of the social elite.

The honorific, “Mr.”, in those days, was the equivalent of “Esq.” or “Gent.”, and to merit such recognition required more than the wealth a former indentured servant might have acquired through extraordinary hard work, talent, and luck; it also required evidence of higher education and gentlemanly bearing. It is worth noting, also, in this connection, that Henry’s patent of 400a was a fairly large holding, especially for a former indentured servant; it seems likely, therefore, that he was no such thing—at least if the deed does really make Henry a “Mr”, which remains to be seen.

Be that as it may, according to Rhodes’s compilation, a second Henry left a will in Isle Of Wight Co in 1737, in which he names sons Henry, Thomas, William, Joshua, and John, so this GAY family was at any rate well established in that part of the world by then. The compiler’s line is then carried down to the present day with much additional primary records material. I should also mention that this compendium is published on the website “Electronic Scotland”, but neither the area in which the original Henry settled, nor the given names in his descendancy suggest that he was of Scottish descent.

There are many GAYs who appear in the records of these tidewater counties, and later in counties to the west, and on down into the Carolinas and Georgia, but it’s likely that a fairly large proportion of these tidewater GAYs are descendants of these early Henrys, although few genealogists researching their GAY roots have been able to establish clear links to Henry’s line. Hopefully, further yDNA testing will be able to strengthen the sketchy paper trail evidence for this important family, and accomplish the desired link-ups.

By deed dated 1 Feb 1688, Henry Gay, of Isle of Wight County conveyed to Lewis Brian "...the land and houses whereon Robert Lawrence now liveth..." said land "formerly belonging to Ms (Mr?) Henry Gay...". Henry Gay signed this deed by making his mark which was witnessed by Jno. Brian and James Doughtie, and this deed is recorded un the Clerk's Office of the Circuit Court of Isle of Wight County, Virginia in Deed Book 1 at Page 17.*2

On 1 May 1689, Henry Gay, son of Henry, made an agreement with Lewis Brian (Bryan) as follows: Lewis Brian of Nansemond stands indebted to Henry Gay of Isle of Wight, 1 Feb 1688-89. Conditions are that Lewis Brian will not molest Robert Lawrence where he now lives on land formerly belonging to Henry Gay, decd., from the main river up to Burnt House Branch. Henry Gay also stands indebted to Lewis Brian and promises to pay in Tobacco. Conditions are that Henry Gay will not molest Lewis Brian in possession of land adjacent to John Brian Sr." 1 May 1689, Witnesses: John Brian, James Daughter (17c-601)*1

On 10 Apr 1710 , Michael MacQuinley (McKenny) and Rose, his wife, conveyed to Henry Gay 150 acres, plus or minus, on the western branch of Nansemond River in Isle of Wight County. This deed recites that it is a part of 450 acres conveyed to John MacKenny on 20 Apr 1694, as aforesaid and excepts 200 acres which was conveyed to Capt. Richard Exum and 100 acres conveyed to Lewis Brian. This deed is recorded in the Isle of Wight Courthouse in Deed Book 2 at Page 157.*2

Family/Spouse: Jane Lawrence. Jane was born in 1664 in , Isle of Wight, Virginia, USA; died on 25 Apr 1737 in , Isle of Wight, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

By deed dated 1 Dec 1746, William Gay conveyed to his brother, Joshua Gay, 50 acres of land, which land was devised to William Gay by his father, Henry Gay and this deed is recorded in the Isle of Wight Courthouse in Deed Book 7 at Page 407.

Family/Spouse: Elizabeth Bolling. Elizabeth (daughter of John Fairfax Bolling and Mary Sarah Kennon) was born on 17 Dec 1709 in Cobbs Plantation, Henrico, Virginia, USA; died on 24 Jul 1766 in Curles Plantation, Henrico, Virginia, USA; was buried in Enon, Chesterfield, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 6 Aug 1810, Chesterfield, Chesterfield, Virginia, USA

Elizabeth married Major James Thomas Bolling on 24 Nov 1757 in , Amherst, Virginia, USA. James (son of Major John Kennon Bolling, Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Blair) was born on 7 Jul 1735 in Cobbs Plantation, Henrico, Virginia, USA; died on 7 Aug 1804 in Cobbs Plantation, Henrico, Virginia, USA; was buried in Enon, Chesterfield, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 6 Aug 1810, , Clay, Kentucky, USA
• Residence: 1820, , Clay, Kentucky, USA
• Residence: 1830, , Perry, Kentucky, USA

Notes:

Name: Henry (William Henry) "Red" GAY , Sr.
Birth: ABT 1758 in Augusta County, Virginia
Death: 1830 in Gays Creek, Buckhorn, Perry County, Kentucky
Burial: Henry Gay Cemetery, Mouth of Gays Creek, Perry County, Kentucky

Henry Gay was a first cousin of Rev. Jesse Bolling, who at that time was one of the most prominent Baptist preachers in Eastern Kentucky.

Henry Gay B. 1750 d. 1830 served as a Revolutionary War Soldier. At the Battle of Yorktown, October 29, 1781, he was a bodyguard to General George Washington. he came from Greene County, Virginia to Cutshin, leaving eight children from a former marriage. In 1796 he married Margaret Russell. In "Rugged Trail to Appalachia" by Mary Brewer it is written that Margaret Russell was a concert pianist from Tennessee. Mrs. Brewer, also, states, "In 1797 W Henery built a sturdy log home at what was first known as Corner Shoal, so called because the creek which emptied into the river there, made a kind of corner at the shoals. It later came to be known as Shoal, where the Buckhorn Lodge is located today".

In the "John Jay Dickey Diary" page 2211, T.M. Gay was interviewed at Hyde n, Kentucky. March 29, 1898. he stated: "I'm the son of Nelson Gay, a son of Henry Gay. He is 82. He was born in Perry County. His father, mentioned above, Henry Gay was, in turn, a son of a Henry Gay. He came from Ireland, he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War; he enlisted soon after he came over.

THIS WILLIAM GAY MAY NOT BE THE FATHER OF HENRY GAY OF KENTUCKY

In 1613 Derry, a city in Northern Ireland, was selected by the British f or Colonization, and was renamed Londonderry. The citizens of Derry we re not in favor of the move, and from 1641 to 1689 there followed one upr ising after another. DR. WILLIAM GAY, who had been involved in the uprisi ngs in 1670, left England about this time and came to America. He settl ed in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he is said to have married the grandda ughter of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. He set up an apothecary shop in Henr ico County, Virginia, where a son, HENRY, was born. Henery's son, W. HEN RY (1750-1830), was a bodyguard to GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON at the Batt le of Yorktown on October 29, 1781.

W. HENRY lived at Greenbriar, Virginia, where he raised a family of ten sons. In 1796, after he lost his first wife, he met and married MARGARET RUSSELL, a concert pianist from Tennessee. Accompanied by three men named Carnage, Wright and Sweeden, W. HENERY and MARGARET left Virginia for Kentucky.

Crossing the southern boundary of what is West Virginia today, they entered Kentucky, came into the Big Leatherwood area, down Cutshin to Asa's Branch into Wilder and on to Grassy Branch. These creeks and branches, all in Leslie county were unnamed at that time, and were later identified by names given to them by W. HENRY GAY.

After W. HENRY reached Grassy Branch he went up another small stream, which he called Rush Creek, and found an old Indian trail that led to a large overhanging cliff. There under that cliff W. HENRY and Margaret lived their first year in Kentucky and it was where, in the winter of 1796, their first son, HENRY III (known as CLIFF HENRY), was born.

In 1797 W. HENRY built a sturdy log home at what was first known as Corner Shoal, so called because the creek which emptied into the river there, made a kind of corner at the shoals. It later came to be known as Shoal, where the Buckhorn Lodge is located today. Around 1800 this home was sold to MR. CARNAGE, who in turn sold it to WILLIAM BOWLING, known as BLUE HEAD BILLY BOWLING.

One day, while MR. CARNAGE lived there, he came home from hunting and found that one of his small children had been killed by a bear. He buried the child on the farm and stuck a maple switch in the grave. The switch took root and grew into a large tree which later became hollow. ALLEN GAY, age 85 in 1977, said he had looked into the hollow tree and seen the ch ild's grave.

Both MR CARNAGE and his wife are buried near the Buckhorn Lodge. Their graves were supposed to have been moved when the BuckhornDam was uilt, but those who know the location of the graves refused to tell where they were, and the graves are still there.

MR. SWEEDEN was killed in 1789 when cutting a bee tree. MR WRIGHT moved on to some other locality.

W. HENRY, whose name appears as HENRY GUYE on the tax records, was the first of the GAY family to pay taxes in Perry County in 1821 or 1822. CALE GAY, a Great Great Grandson, said he saw the record.

While the family lived at GAY'S CREEK, W. HENRY had to be away from home a lot hunting, trading or other business, and MARGARET kept the home and garden. One night, a bear destroyed the garden and MARGARET devised a plan to kill it. She filled several containers with brandy, and placed them in the garden hoping the bear would return. That night it did return, and next morning MARGARET went out to find it thoroughly drunk, lying on its back, peacefully flapping its paws in the air. The grandchildren said, "That was the easiest shot Grandma ever had!"

W. HENRY and MARGARET had eleven children, all boys. One of their sons, EDWARD J., became a Congressman, and EDWARD J'S grandson was a Senator from Louisiana in 1918.

Sons JOHN and JIM went to Fayette Counth. JIM'S son, JOHN L. GAY, became a banker and was Mayor of Berea, Kentucky, for the longest term served by any Mayor in America. ALLEN called him a versatile and energetic man, having suffered a broken arm at the age of 94 while building a garage.

NELSON GAY, who was W. HENRY'S twenty-first son and youngest of his and MARGARET'S sons, was married three times, first to HANNAH BARGER, daughter of ABRAHAM BARGER. Their children, all sons too, were: THOMAS GAY, father of LIGE (ELIJAH), Born 1895, and CALE GAY, born 1910,: BILL GAY, father of ALLEN GAY, born 1892,: JOHN GAY; ABRAHAM GAY; LIGE GAY; HENRY GAY; and JESS GAY.

NELSON'S second wife was CHARITY BOWLING. They had three children. His third wife was Polly Huff, no children.

ALLEN worked at that job for many years while his wife, MARY BELL, taught school in Leslie County.

ALLEN'S son, GREELEY, and wife, GLADYS, also lived in Leslie County for many years. GLADYS worked at Frontier Nursing Service until 1948. Today ALLEN and GREELEY live in Indiana. CALE lives in Perry County and LIGE is the only one left in Leslie County. LIGE is an active member of Senior Citizens Club, having served as President of the club for the past year. Before retirement he taught 40 years in the Leslie County School System. He is probably one of few old timers left who still dig ginseng. Although it is $64. a pound, he digs it mostly for the exercise and enjoyment he gets from tramping the woods. He says he digs it only in the fall, when the berries are ripe on the plants, so he can replant them.

EVERY YEAR THE GAY FAMILIES HAVE A REUNION WITH DEDICATION CEREMONIES TO " OLD RED" HENRY AND HIS EXPLOITS. ON JUNE 27, 1976, THE REUNION WAS HE LD AT LEVI JACKSON STATE PARK, WHERE THE FOLLOWING DEDICATION WAS READ: " HENRY GAY, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON AND HIS MINUT EMEN HELPED BUILD AND MAINTAIN THIS LAND OF THE FREE, INSURING PEACE AND T RANQUILITY WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

WE, HIS DESCENDANTS, GATHER HERE TODAY IN PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP TO CELEBRA TE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GAY REUNION AND THE 200TH BIRTHDAY OF OUR N ATION AND TO HEREBY WISH TO DEDICATE AND INSTILL IN THE HEARTS AND MIN DS OF ALL HERE PRESENT, THE MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED RED HENRY GAY." (Inform ation from LIGE GAY, ALLEN GAY, CALE GAY, and SILAS BOWLING)

HENRY GAY, SR. WILL..PAGE 437, DEED BOOK "B" , PERRY COUNTY, Kentucky..PRO BATED APRIL 14, 1830.

JANUARY THE 17TH DAY, 1830

"I, Henry Gay, Sr., being sick in body and being perfectly in my right min d, and as life is uncertain, and wishing to settle my affairs in this worl d, first: I give my son Henry, my upper plantation where Russell Gay now l ives, for work he has done for me since he has been of age, also my wat ch and the use of a horse beast untill he can raise one, if he lives wi th me that long, and i will and bequeath unto my son Russell, two heifer s, to be worth eleven dollars, and the balance of my estate, both real a nd personal; I will and bequeath to my wife, to be divided between the fol lowing heirs, to wit: Nelson, Elijah, and Joseph, Joanna, Rachel and Mar y. The land to be divided between Nelson, Elijah and Joseph and the person al property between Joanna, Rachel and Mary, and I do by these present ack nowledge this to be my last will anf testament. In witness where of I ha ve here unto set my hand and seal".

Signed: Henry Gay
Test: Justus Bowling and Jeremiah Smith
Clerk's Statement signed by: Jesse Combs, Clerk.

Stamp on the document reads: J. F. Cantrell, 1929 E. Woodland, Springfiel d, MO 65804


ORIGINAL DOCUMENT DONATED BY MEMBERS OF THE WHITE FAMILY OF CLAY COUNTY, K entucky.

EXTRACT of GOOSE CREEK SALT WORKS
NOV. & DEC. 1807 ORDER BOOK FOR ACCOUNTS
CLAY COUNTY, Kentucky
Mss. Reel 43, Item # 649
17pp. Kentucky Historical Society
Rarebook Room Filmed 1981

Recieved from Junetta Bundy Collins and Nancy Frost Moulton, March 20, 200 4

ORDER BOOK: GOOSE CREEK SALT WORKS ACCOUNTS:

29th September, 1807: Clem Griggs: 35 bushels of salt payable at Goose Cre ek Salt Works; payable on 15th November. As witness my hand and seal th is 29th day of September, 1807 Thomas McJilton. Witness: Frances McMillan .

November, 1807: JOHN BAKER: traded 21 Racoon Skins and 1 fox skin for salt .
CAPT. JOHN GILBERT: traded i Barr of Lead for Salt.
OWEN HALL: purchsed buttons
MRS. AMIS: purchased 2 combs, 1 looking glass and 1 dozen needles.
ROBERT BAKER: purchased ? bushels of cornmeal.
EDWARD COX: purchased `Sundries' for JAMES (JAS) BAKER, who had 1 foxsk in and traded it for 2 bushels of salt for James Baker. Mr. Cox also boug ht `Buttons' for MRS. HARRIAON and then bought for himself 2 and1/2 bushe ls of salt; iNegro named JIM; and Auger, 1 umbrella and 1 quart of whiskey .
December, 12, 1807:
MRS. AMIS purchased 12 yards of lace and 1 scoop.
WILLIAM MCCLOOUM bought a `Note' for 3ilbs.,9.
CAPT. ABNER BAKER bought powder and 4lbs of sugar. Also bought 1 bushel co rn @ #4.6; 1 bushel, 10 weight of salt; 77 lbs. of beef @ #16 and 5 Bar rs of soap.
JOHN BAKER got 1 pair of leggings per order of CHRISTOPHER BOLIN by certif icate for $16.50. JOHN also paid WILSON MOORE 3lbs.
HENRY GAY bought 1 pair cards.
PETER HAMMONS by Thursday was to receive 3 yds of cloth for 18 pounds a nd he bought 2 bushels of corn @ 4lbs., 6 pence (?) and the yards of gr ey cloth was 17 pounds and 6 pence.

The first known Salt Works in Clay County, Kentucky were called Langford 's Lick, and were later known as Lower Goose Creek Salt Works.
See CAPT. JOHN AMIS FILE.

FROM: REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS IN Kentucky (QUISENBERRY)
ROSTER OF SOLDIERS FROM NORTH CAROLINA IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
Allen Gay, Babee Gay, Bable Gay, Bobie Gay, Henry Gay, James Gay, Johath an Gay, Joshua Gay, Richard Gay, Robert Gay, Simon Gay and William Gay.

What I have is from the Kentucky Explorer magazine - Vol. 21, No. 9., pa ge 94.
The editors have come across some old clippings, and are including th em in the magazine.
Under the heading, Gay-Russell:
Soon after the close of the Revolutionary War Henry Gay, Sr., of Augusta C ounty, Virginia, married as his second wife, Margaret Russell of Hawkins C ounty, Tennessee. She was closely related to the Grant family of which Ge neral U. S. Grant was a member. Henry Gay and his wife moved to Perry Cou nty, Kentucky, where he died in 1830. She survived him many years, bei ng 96 at her death.

Family/Spouse: Frances Trent. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Margaret "Peggy" Russell on 15 Aug 1795 in , Hawkins, Tennessee, USA. Margaret (daughter of Martin L Russell and Violet Grant) was born in 1780 in , Hawkins, Tennessee, USA; died on 1 Feb 1855 in Gays Creek, Perry, Kentucky, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Elizabeth Wilkison on 22 Jun 1797 in , Greene, Tennessee, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

"Bolling Hall" is located on the James River, about 35 miles west of Richmond. The land was claimed by John Bolling in 1714 and was inherited by grandson, William Bolling. William Bolling built the original Bolling Hall in the late 18th century and the house remained in the Bolling family from 1714 to 1872. Bolling Hall was the original site for one of the first schools in the United States to educate deaf children. Congenital deafness ran in the Bolling family. William Bolling had three siblings who were born deaf. Since there were not any schools for the deaf in the United States at the time, William’s deaf siblings were sent to Scotland to learn under acclaimed teacher, Thomas Braidwood. In 1760, Thomas Braidwood opened 'Braidwoods Academy' in Edinburgh, the first school for the deaf in Britain, which later relocated to Hackney, England. He made early use of a form of sign language, which continues to be used today. William Bolling married Mary Randolph and they had 4 children. One of their children, William Albert Bolling, was born deaf. William hired John Braidwood, grandson of Thomas Braidwood, to come to Bolling Hall and teach all his children. Thus, Bolling Hall became the first place in Virginia where children with congenital deafness were taught. Later, William opened a larger school for the deaf at Cobbs, another Bolling family plantation, which was large enough to accommodate deaf children from other families. The Cobbs school operated from 1812 until 1816. Bolling Hall fell into disrepair in the 1940's but has undergone a rejuvenation in recent years. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, noted for its significance in architecture, education and social history.

Sources:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/VAGuide/tour19.html

www.bolling.net

www.wikipedia.com

http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/va/Goochland/state.html

William married Mary Amelia Bolling on 23 Feb 1798 in , Henrico, Virginia, USA. Mary was born on 5 Jul 1774 in Curles Plantation, Henrico, Virginia, USA; died on 8 Aug 1863 in Bolling Hall, Goochland, Virginia, USA; was buried in , Goochland, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, , Perry, Kentucky, USA
• Residence: 1880, Crocketsville, Breathitt, Kentucky, USA; Marital Status: Married

Joseph married Sarah Sally Johnston on 20 Nov 1835 in Saul, Perry, Kentucky, USA. Sarah was born in 1821 in , , Kentucky, USA; died in 1854 in , Perry, Kentucky, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

William Albert Bolling was born to Colonel William Bolling.

As a deaf child, he got private tutoring with John Braidwood, grandson of Thomas Braidwood who founded the Braidwood Academy. Private tutoring was at the Bolling Hall, his private home with his deaf sibling, Mary. The private tutoring lasted from 1812 to 1814.

Later, he and Mary enrolled at the public school for the deaf, Cobb School, on the Cobb Plantation, Goochland County, Virginia in 1815 and closed in 1816. He then enrolled again at Manchester School in Manchester, Virginia June 1817 to May 1819 (Braidwood left to become a barkeeper at a tavern nearby, while John Kirkpatrick remained as the instructor. William was then transferred to a new school, Cumberland School at Farmville, Cumberland County, Virginia from 1819 to circa 1821 under the instruction of Reverend John Kirkpatrick, who was ordained as a Reverend at the Cumberland County Courthouse May 1819.

Family/Spouse: Mary Louisa Morris. Mary (daughter of Richard Morris and Mary Watts) was born on 11 Aug 1810 in , Campbell, Virginia, USA; died on 4 May 1852 in , Goochland, Virginia, USA; was buried in , Goochland, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, , Perry, Kentucky, USA

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, , Perry, Kentucky, USA

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1850, , Perry, Kentucky, USA