John Clayton (1755-1824) was born in London, England and came to America during or shortly after the Revolution. According to family history, he first met Margaret Wandless or Wanless in Newcastle, Northumberland, England when she was 16, but her parents thought her too young to marry and also thought he was the wrong religion (Episcopalian), as they were strong Methodists. Margaret's family moved to America and she married John or William Rice, who was killed at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (North Carolina) in 1781 . John Clayton supposedly came to America to find Margaret, now the Widow Rice, and when he did, he married her in 1785 at Deerfield, Augusta co, Virginia, where her family was living. They raised a family and remained at Deerfield until their respective deaths in 1823 (Margaret) and 1824 (John). Some descendants achieved prominence - the town of Clayton, Missouri is named for their son Ralph, who was an early resident of the St. Louis area.

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