The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-09-13
Important Inquiry.

hmpottaht inquiry
Uhat sort Of q man ,oas Henry Clay'S
grandfather? In their eagerness TO prove
Mr.. Folks grandfather Tory, the
Wings have forgotten 10 inquire what
sort of a man their own candidates grand
father was. or whether he had any at all !!
If he had no grandfather, he is certainly
not fit for President, and if he had one
we have no doubt he was at least a Brit
ish subject, and if not a Tory was a
Rebel.
We trust the honest fellows, who are
attempting TO prove Mr.. Folks disquaii-
cation for his grandfather's sins, will look
well to the merits or dement's of Mr..
Clay's grandfather. We have never
heard of that parsonage, and it may be
that the Clays are mere exhalntion of
the sashes of Hanover, with no other an
cestry than mud.
The discussion as TO Mr., Folks grand
father. has brought out proof that he was
one of the signers Of the Mecklenburg
Declaration of independence, and was
captain of a company of revolutionary
Wings, whom he led against the Tories.
Now, where pas Henry Clay's grand
father ?-KendaNs Erpositor.
There is "fooi of light" thrown upon this
highly Interesting subject by learned antigua
Ran who has furnished the editors of the Spring
field Register with the following:
CIny's Ancestors.
inasmuch as the charge Of revolutiona-
ry toryism is made by the Wings against
the grandfather of Col. Polk, it may not
be amiss to pry a little into the genealogy
of the Clay, or rather Clayton family.
believe it is conceded on all hands,
that the father of the great Harry was a
dancing master by profession, and that
he taught not ",he young idea how to
shoot" but the light fantastic toe" how
to leap and curicue.
The origin of the family is somewhat
mysterious but enough has come TO light
to enable us to trace it 10 Welsh root. The
great grandfather of the immortal Harry
changed his name from Clayton 10 Clay.
and for some cause best known to himself
very suddenly, after the happening OF a
certain event, put the Atlantic between
him and laderland, and as all know who
ever read Wing Almanac, hid himself
in the 'slashes of Hanover The reason
of this sudden migration, is known only
to the learned antiquarian, or such as take
an in,eres, in tracing the history OF iami-
lies, From this source the belief has be-
come prevalent. that the aforesaid great
grandfather, or Rufus Coonarium Clay
ton had, in a moment Of mental abstrac-
ton, wandered, uninvited. into the manor
of some nobleman, and was found in pos
session of certain game which he was un-
able TO account for. Travel was recon.
mended 10 the said Rufus, and hence the
existence of the family in the United
States. Ton in Welsh idiom. is inter.
preled TO poach,' and 'drhclay' signifies
that which is not nine own This er-
udlte anayza,ion of the iIlus,rious llarry's
name and origin may afford the curious
suhjec, for though, and reflection.
As for the grandfather of Whlggery S
great embodiment he was neither The
one thing nor the other. lie neither
Tough, for or against the cause OF liberty,
his motto, or rule of action being, "goc'
Lord, good devil. l know not into whose
hands may fall" The 'embodments'
father was neither too old, nor too
young to do battle for his country, but
con,en,ed himself with doing all the dam
cling Of the revolutioners.
OWEN GLENpowER. or
! n,pr Nuy mr. ,ha WeIah Antinuatiau