The Century Chest Collection

To my children's children, Susan Vaughan Clayton

(Transcribed from the original)

Clayton Family Package - Photos and family history

(Transcribed from the original)

To the dear, dear great grandchildren whom I love already and for whom I wish all that is good.
Susan Vaughan Clayton
April 21, 1913

In thinking of Ellen's children, of Susan's and of Burdine's children and their children I am thinking, hoping and believing.
I wish them the great happiness.

I am hoping they may know the great joy of parenthood that the peace that passeth understanding may be theirs in baby smiles and caresses.
I am hoping the sons shall be the gentle the kind, the patient, the good, the handsome the grandest men their great grandfather is. And for the daughters such husbands well be my greatest wish – and may these have girls be not great women but good – good mothers, good nieces, good daughters and all of this I am believing.
In looking into my little white Bible I carried the evening of our wedding I smile as I read this certificate: "This Certificate that on the fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord 1902 William L. Clayton and Susanne Vaughan were by me united in marriage at Clinton Kentucky asserting to the laws of the state of Kentucky Edwin Sidney Harris Williams.

He [unintelligible] Harris [unintelligible] Anderson"
And that is the greatest thing I ever did!
In turning all the pages over I find on the last flyleaves of the Book this – Ellen Burdine Clayton was born Tuesday July the twenty first one thousand nine hundred and three at 72 Amherst Street East Orange New Jersey.
She was baptized on a Sunday in October, one thousand nine hundred and four by Rev. L. M. Brayles Oklahoma City.
Susan Vaughan Clayton was born Monday October the twenty third, one thousand nine hundred and four at 110 West Tenth Street Oklahoma City. She was baptized Sunday August the fifth one thousand nine hundred and six by Dr. W. L. Pierce and with my heart over joyed and with the greatest of pride I had

William
William Lockhart Clayton Jr. was born Thursday May 6th 1909 at 1327 North Robinson at Oklahoma City. He was baptized Sunday May 16th 1909 by Rev. Percy Knickerboker.
And with my heart nearly crushed I had [unintelligible] William. He died Monday January 27th 1910 at seven fifteen o'clock A.M. It has been our great and our only sorrow.
Anne Burdine Clayton was born Saturday March 18th 1911 at 1927 N. Robinson at Oklahoma City and was baptized by Dr. Knickerbocker.
She brought us again the great joy and is the most beautiful of all the babies.

Ellen Clayton
Susan Clayton
Anne Burdine Clayton

I have had the children write their names – Burdine with my assistance for she is only two years old.
I am including a photograph of Ellen made in 1907 while we were in Paris. She was five year old. [There is] also a swell wallet picture I had given to Will very soon after our engagement on Christmas 1899. I was in Washington D.C. at the time attending school and was eighteen years old. I was twenty one when married and Will was twenty two. He was born in Tupelo Mississippi February the seventh eighteen and eighty. His father, James Monroe Clayton is living in Oklahoma now. He was also born in Tupelo Mississippi in eighteen hundred fifty – his father Benjamin Lockhart Clayton and his father Charles Collier Clayton were born in North Carolina where their father and John Fletchers Burdine's father had lived while the Burdines had fled with the Huguenots from France about 1680

Martha Fletcher Burdine Clayton, the sweet good mother of my husband and to whom he bears much a strong likeness in character and continence was born in Mississippi near Tupelo in eighteen and fifty two. She died in Oklahoma City in February the twenty second nineteen hundred and eight. She was greatly loved by her children and their children.

I was born at Clinton Kentucky on January the twenty third eighteen hundred and eighty one. My darling mother is living at her country home near Clinton Kentucky where she was born. She is seventy six year old and is the mother of ten children, six of whom are living at this time. Nancy Ellen Fawlkes Vaughan is to me a most beautiful name – Ellen is named for her – and may she be the strong unselfish, patient woman my mother is.

My father Columbus Montgomery Vaughan, the son of Patrick Henry Vaughan of Nottoway County Virginia died when he was only forty seven year old leaving my mother with several small children and in very poor health. Her management of my father's affairs, her mothering and fathering the nine small children and being bedridden a great part of the time is to me quite wonderful. Her father Kenner Fowlkes, a Virginian, and her mother Lucy Johnson Fowlkes having died before her marriage & my father writing very hurriedly with the children about me I have made the above mistakes – only my grandfather (and I never seen either of my grandfather nor grandmothers) died before my mother's marriage to my father – the fact is he died when my mother was only a small child about three year old. My grandmothers lived several years after my parent's marriage and now the Century Chest soon closed and I have no more time so in  Charles Dickens's (whose stories I love so well) very words I must say "God bless you, God bless you every one" and goodnight and goodbye

Susan Vaughan Clayton
1327 North Robinson Street – Oklahoma City