John and Elly Clayton and their adult children settled in Allen County, Indiana in the mid-1840s, after
leaving Richland County, Ohio where they were pioneers. John, the presumptive son of William and
Elizabeth Clayton (their names and dates of death appear in the Clayton family Bible), was born in 
Virginia about 1769. Elly was born about 1779 in northwestern Maryland. Her maiden name is 
unknown. Because at least two of John & Elly's children or grandchildren gave their offspring a given 
name or middle name "Perry," I think it's possible that her maiden name was Perry. Since Elly's first-
born son was named Samuel (and her father-in-law's name was William), it's also possible that Elly's 
father was named Samuel. But so far, I haven't made a connection to a Perry family. . . so it's just 
conjecture at this point.

At any rate, once John and Elly moved along with some of their children to Allen County, Indiana, John 
purchased land in Cedar Creek Township. There, he engaged in general farming, as he had in Richland
County, with the help of his adult sons. Not long after the move, however, he died on June 9, 1847. He is
buried in the Old Leo Cemetery in Allen County.

John Clayton died leaving a will that named his surviving adult children. It mentioned Samuel Clayton
(1798 - 1879) and Thomas Clayton (1803 -1852), both of whom were born in Virginia. Neither Samuel
nor Thomas had accompanied the family to Indiana. The remaining Clayton children, all born in 
Richland County, Ohio, migrated to Allen County with John and Elly in about 1845. Each is mentioned
in John's will, including Elizabeth Clayton (1807 - 1894), who married Frederick Roop, Jr. and was living
in Allen County with her husband and children at the time of the 1850 Census. William Clayton was 
unmarried and living in Allen County with his widowed mother in 1850. Daughter Ann married John
Osborn of neighboring DeKalb County in 1850. Ruth married Eli Mitchel Gatchel and they resided in 
Cedar Creek Township with their children both in 1850 and 1860. Ruth died prior to the 1870 Census, 
but her husband continued to reside in Allen County at the time of the census. Daughter Mary 
Caroline (1814 -. 1900) married Andrew John Hursh in 1836. They are enumerated with their children
in Allen County for the 1850 Census.  Henry Clayton married Sarah Essig in 1851 in DeKalb County; 
after her death, he married Emily Lavina Showers and was living with Emily and two children in Allen
County in 1860. In about 1881, he married Mary Ann Hursh -- but he apparently was a bit of a cad, as 
the local papers reported he'd been stepping out with ladies. I don't know whether he died of natural 
causes about 1890 or whether Mary Ann decided to put a stop to his cheating. John and Elly's 
daughter Jane was 27 years old and living with her mother in 1850. I couldn't find a marriage record in
Indiana for her, nor did I find her in the 1860 Census, so she may have died relatively young.

Elly and John's youngest son, Daniel (1824 - 1902) was my ancestor. He  was widowed at a young age 
when his first wife, Mary Craig Clayton, died in December 1846. He married again in 1849, this time to Miraba 
DePew, daughter of Issac DePew and Margaret Williams of Allen County, Indiana. The couple had a 
daughter who died in infancy. Shortly thereafter, Miraba died as well. 

After that, Daniel, his sisters Mary Caroline Hursh and Elizabeth Roop, and their families migrated to
Iowa, where Daniel remarried. His married to Cyrene Jeraldine Moore (daughter of William Moore and 
Priscilla Ayers) lasted forty-seven years. The Hursh and Roop families remained in Iowa until their 
deaths, but Daniel and Cyrene followed the Oregon trail to Washington Territory, along with Cyrene's
parents. One interesting thing about these Clayton siblings is the frequency of twins. Elizabeth and 
Frederick Roop had a set of twins; Mary Caroline Hursh had two sets of twins; and Daniel and Cyrene
Clayton had a set of twins -- Thomas and Sarah Emmoline. Sarah was my great-grandmother.