The town of Clayton was established on February 9, 1836 by order of its proprietors, Charles K. McCoy, John McCoy and Reuben K. McCoy. It is situated on the T. W. Railroad, at the junction of a road running towards Quincy and the road diverging to Keokuk, Iowa. The marriage and related entries in this work were abstracted from The Clayton Enterprise newspaper of Clayton, Illinois, dating from 1879 through 1900. Any items mentioning a family name, such as advertisements, jury lists, criminal court records and letters remaining at the post office have been abstracted. Useful information contained in each entry can include: wedding dates and places: name of spouse; name of clergy; and occupation. Surnames are alphabetically arranged for quick and easy reference.