History 
- Biographies
- 1854 U.S. Gazetteer
"CLAY, a county in the S. E. part of
Illinois, has an area of 440 square miles. It is intersected by the
Little Wabash river, and also drained by Elm creek. The slope of the
county is toward the S. E.; the surface is undulating, or nearly level;
and the soil is fertile. The county consists partly of prairie, and is
partly covered by forests. Indian corn, oats, potatoes, and pork are the
staples. In 1850 it produced 245,575 bushels of corn; 38,315 of oats,
and 320 tons of hay. It contained 3 churches, and 480 pupils attending
public schools. Capital, Maysville. Population, 4289."
- 1884 History of Clay
- 1909 Biographical and Reminiscent History
- 1912 History of Southern Illinois
- 1915
History of the Disciples of Christ in Illinois
- 1930 Business Men of Clay City
- Clay Roots issues published by the
Clay County Genealogical Society
DISTANT MARKETS FOR PRODUCE
First settlers in Clay County, Illinois, found themselves so far inland
that they were handicapped in getting their produce to a market. They solved
the difficulty by building flatboats on the Little Wabash River, in the
1820's and floating their bags of grain and barrels of pickled meat down the
Ohio and the Mississippi to markets as far away as New Orleans.
Extracted 25 Oct 2019 by Norma Hass from Pioneer Days in Illinois,
compiled by the Workers of the Writers' Program
of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Illinois, published in 1940,
page 38.
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