The Portland daily press., 1899-10-28
CLAY'S MOTHERS TAVERN
Something About the Mother OF tins
Great Orator and Statesman.

(From the ST. Louis Globe .Democrat.)
Comparatively few people are row llv-
| ing who know that tIe mother OF Henry
| Clay once "kep. tavern" In Versailles.
| ky and fewer still have ever had 1t oc-
cur t, them that, had this NOS been the
case. Clay would most probably not have
| come to Kent ucky at all.
The Watkins family arrived In YER
saillts about the close of ia, eight senth
retinue of slaves. l may say right here
that there is little foundation for the
popular idea that Henry Clay's boyhood
was spent IN tae atmosphere OF poverty,
obscurity and absolute want The mother
of the "Mili Boy Of the Slashes," kliza-
beth Hudson, was a member of wealthy
Virginia family, and in wedding the
Rev. John Clay (attsr whose death sine
married Henry Watkios) she married
into family of equal prominence with
her own. The Clsys and Hudsons prob
ally lived in the rather gorgeous style
OF tho Virginia gentry, and II the Rev.
John Clay was poor 1t was no doubt due
to the dsvastat tlon wrought by the Revo-
| lutionary War. IL il extremely unlikely
th at his poverty could have been SO great
as the story books would have us believe.
Henry Clay did not accompany his
mother and stepfather to Kentucky, but
re Daiped In Richmond, Va, as deputy
in the clerks office. and engaged In pros
| ecuting his legal studies. The Natkinses
shortly took charge Of the only hostelry
in Versailles, and" Watkins Tavern" be-
came famous in the surrounding country.
h traa atn fnnl hn
| at the corner of Main street aud Court
Square by Henry Metoalfe, at that time
| stonemason, and afterward Governor
of Kentucky. Such placer were a sort Of
political headquarters and rendezvous
for the discussion of the news OF t,s day,
at time whe news Travelled only by stage
coach. Ihe Marshalls, tie Crittendeus,
the Riackburns. the Clnys. the watkinsss
and other proininsnt men no doubt
planned campaigns at "Watkins' Tav-
ern," aud here General Lafayette was
entertained In 1896.
Mrs Clay Watkins was very attractive.
While Iot beauty, she was comely
with dark hair and eyes and rosy cheeks
| Her manners were very engaging, and
| she was most entertaining oonversa-
| tionalist, She had well rounded and
| sbapely figure, and posssssei great vigor
| of mind and body. Her first husband, the
| Rev. John Clay, evidently realized full
| ly his wife's charms, for, In making his
| will he more than ouoe gives directions
lin case my beloved wife should inter-
marry betwixt this and them" And
sure enough, at 83. the mother Of nine
children, she married Henry Watkins,
IAN elegant and accomplished gentls-
man" OF %, for whom she afterward bore
seven children
Mrs Watkins WAS full OF spirit, as a
story told by one Of her grandsons, Il.
b. Watkins of Lexington, proves. He
says that the day after the burial OF Rev.
John Clay, the British Colonel Tarleton
made a raid into Virginia, and his men
devastated her place. Mrs. Clay repri-
manded Tarleton SO severely that he
en- piled sack of coin on. u table and
| told her to take that for her losses. AS
soon as Tarlston left Mrs. Clay scraped
the money OF into her apron and threw
it into the fire. saying that her hand
"fhould aot be polluted with British
gold" Sho seems to have been nsbis
woman, much reverenced by those who
viduality and an imperious will.
About the year 1915 the Watkinses gave
up their tavern in Versailles and settled
upon farm which they owned, three
miles south of town. Here Mira. Watkins
disd In 1929, at the age of 80 years. Her
remains were buried In country grave
yard close by, and rested there until 1851,
when they were removed to Lexington
| by her son, Henry The "Hsnry Watkins
farm" which is still point Of great In
| tsfest, 10 now tho home OF Mr.. Robert
Mcconnell The last vestiGe of the Wat
kins residence has given place to more
modern tmproyemsnts.