The past history of Clayton village has much of interest connected with it. Being situated on the St. Lawrence River, at the mouth of French Creek, it was the scene of a brief conflict during the calamitous times of 1812-15. Late in October, 1813, a detachment of the American Forces under General Brown, who commanded the advance guard of General Wilkinson’s expedition, wre ordered to rendezvous near the head of French Creek. On the evening of the 1^st of November, (1813), the enemy, having observed the concentration of the American forces at French Creek, attacked General Brown about sunset with two brigs, two schooners, and several boats laden with infantry. The encampment of General Brown was a short distance up the creek, and he had caused a battery of three eighteen-pounders to be erected on Bartlett’s Point, a short distance above, which, from its elevation, gave it a superiority over that of the enemy.This battery was under the command of Captain McPherson, of the light artillery, and was served with such effect that the assailants soon dropped down the current beyond its reach. The next morning the attack was renewed, without success, and one of the brigs was with difficulty towed off by the squadron. The loss of the Americans was two killed and four wounded; that of the enemy, much more.

The British brigs were armed with thirty-two-pounders, for several balls of that weight have been plowed up within a short distance of the scene of the engagement,--notably one now in the possession of Dr. Ellis, which was unearthed a few years since by George Copperall on the Kline farm, which is now within the corporate limits of the village. From the location of these balls, the fact is self-evident that the British must have fired much too high to do the American encampment any serious injury. Immediately after the above engagement General Wilkinson’s disastrous expedition down the river occurred. The inglorious issue of this and other events on the northern frontier excited the murmurs of the nation, and General Hampton and Wilkinson were arraigned before courts-martial, the latter being removed from command and succeeded by General Izard. Almost half a decade elapsed after the close of the war before the village assumed the shape of a permanent settlement. The place was formerly called "Cornelia," the post-office having been so named, in 1832. In 1831 the name was changed to Clayton, which it has since retained. In the primitive patent of Penet the creek and bay is named Weteringhra Guentere, and on an ancient map is named "Dumas Creek." It has very generally been known as French Creek, but has almost lost that appellation. The first permanent settlement made within the present limits of the village was by General William H. Angel, in 1819. He commenced the lumber business, and to facilitate the same opened the

in the place, the same year. He brought a few thousand bricks from Sacket’s harbor, and built a small structure which he covered with boards. His stock consisted of a miscellaneous assortment of raftmen’s provisions, among which whiskey was a staple article, all of which articles he traded almost exclusively for lumber.

In 1820, Martin Herrick and Stephen Wetherbee came in, and the year following Mr. Herrick brought on his family, which then consisted of his wife and two daughters, Lucy, now wife of Dr. Amos A. Ellis, and Eliza who died in 1823. Mr. Herrick is accredited with the honor of having erected the first log house in the village, in1821. It occupied the present site of the raft-yard of Thomas Rees. Colonel James smith, a custom-house officer, built the first frame house in 1824. It was originally 20 by 28 feet, and still stands, being occupied by Dr. Ellis and family, although improvements and additions have been made to it, so that it has almost lost its primitive identity. The first tavern was commenced by a transient character (whose name is forgotten), and completed by Hiram Davis prior o 1820. The first school-house erected in the village was a small stone building in 1825, in which school was taught the same year. The first church was that erected by the Episcopal Methodists in 1840.

Among the early settlers of Clayton village might be mentioned John Rector, James F. Angel, R. G. Angel, Chauncey Pierce, Mrs. Thomas M. Reade, Aaron and Luther Eddy, Dr. Amos Ellis, Mrs. Louisa C. Cary, henry Elliott (father of William), Daniel Porter, William Johnston, Stephen D. Johnston, Perry Caswell, John Johnston, and others.

The village was surveyed by Clark W. Candie, in 1821, and re-surveyed by Oliver Child in 1833. Its progress has been steady, and its prosperity based principally upon its eligibility was a ship-building centre, and its peculiar facilities for trade with points on the lake and river. The village has always been a place of interest, not only with regard to the natural beauty of its surroundings, but also from the fact of the enterprise and business ability of the mercantile portion of its inhabitants. An interesting article, prepared by Messrs. E. C. Bancroft, A. O. Blair, E. G. Merrick, J. A. Brewster, and T. M. Reade, a committee appointed to prepare a census and collect some historical data and statistics of the village of Clayton (French Creek), the result of whose labors was published in the Watertown Eagle, under date of march 20, 1835, from which we quote the following:

The first industrial operations at Clayton of any magnitude were commenced shortly before the war. February 3, 1812, a contract was executed between Le Ray and Richard Cummings, a Canadian, Noadiah Hubbard, of Champion, allowing the latter to take from certain lots in the vicinity of French Creek, as much timber for rafting as they might desire, by paying $35 per thousand feet for squared yellow-pine timber, $50 per thousand feet for white oak, and $80 per thousand feet for white- and yellow-pine spars. A large number of laborers and several teams were employed by the first party to the contract during the spring; and early in the season 12,00 to 15,000 feet of pine, 100 feet of white oak, and 21 masts were ready for market, besides a large quantity got out and left in the woods. Captain Hubbard was drafted with his company of minute-men. The raft was, however, got as far down as Louisville, when it was seized and detained, and subsequently proved a total loss, at least to its American owner.

The lumber business has continued among the most important commercial and industrial features of Clayton from that time to the present. Those who have been principally engaged in this branch of trade are Smith & Angel, Martin Herrick, Smith & Merrick, E. G. Merrick & Co., Merrick, Fowler, & Esselstyn, and Thomas Rees. The following statistics show the amount of business transacted by Mr. Rees for the season of 1877; oak and pine timber handled at Clayton and Port Metcalf by Thomas Rees, 1,600,000 cubic feet which if reduced to board measure is almost 19,200,000 feet. In addition to the above, Mr. Rees handled 234,000 standard pipe staves, and 200,000 West India puncheon staves. The above employed the cargoes of one hundred and fifteen vessels, averaging about five hundred tons to a cargo. Mr. Rees employs directly at Clayton and Port Metcalf during the season, from fifty to one hundred and fifty men. (Jefferson County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878)