Genealogy
	ROBERT KAY, SR., planter and one of the early settlers of Pendleton District (now Anderson County), South Carolina, has been called the father of the Kay family of the South. His descendants, both within the Kay family and through collateral lines of the many Kay daughters, number in the thousands, and include a U.S. Senator and the Thirty-Ninth President. He was probably born about 1725 in King George County, Virginia. In 1731, it is believed Robert’s father moved the family to Prince William County, VA and settled on 100 acres gifted to them by William Bland, Robert's uncle. The first written evidence of a Robert Kay in Prince William County is in 1746 when he purchased 100 acres located between the Occoquan River and Bull Run. In 1747, Robert Kay was working as an overseer at Edward Berry’s estate located between Cedar Run and the Occoquan River. In 1779, Robert Kay of South Carolina is positively identified in Prince Willliam County, VA. On 5 Sep 1779, Robert Kay and his wife, Priscilla, transferred ownership of 117 1/2 acres in Dittengen Parish, Prince William County to William Calvert. This land sale is the first known record of Priscilla, Robert’s wife. After 1783, Robert and Priscilla Kay moved their family to Frederick County, Virginia. Both Robert and his oldest son, James, are included in the 1787 tithable list in Frederick County. On September 22 of that year, Robert’s son James signed a lease for 100 acres located near Mt. Weather in Frederick County. On 29 Sep 1792, Robert signed a similar lease for 19 acres on Mt. Weather. But, Robert's attention soon turned toward the newly opened lands in South Carolina. In 1794, Robert Kay, Sr., acquired a tract on Broadmouth Creek, in what is now Anderson County, South Carolina. He paid one hundred pounds sterling to Caleb Conaway for the six hundred thirty acre tract, which was described as being 200 acres from a 1784 grant to John Hallum and 430 acres from a 640 acre grant to Francis Bremar and James Martin. This tract became the Robert Kay homestead, east of Broadmouth Creek and on both sides of a road now designated as US-76. This was obviously a close-knit family, as Robert Kay’s children settled nearby, most on their father’s property. In his will, Robert set forth that he had five sons and two daughters. He further stated that a certain portion of his estate was to be divided into seven parts. Both daughters, Grace and Elizabeth, were mentioned by name, as were sons Robert Jr., Charles, William and John. The son not mentioned by name was James Kay, the oldest son and administrator of the estate. Robert Kay died in late l807, or very early l808. He was buried, most certainly, on a hill which overlooked Broadmouth Creek and the rest of his property. This spot later became a cemetery for the Kay family and eventually contained some fifty markers, mostly uninscribed field stones. Robert's wife, Priscilla, died before 25 April l808 and was presumably buried near her husband. Children JAMES KAY, the eldest son of Robert Kay, Sr., was born between 1755 and 1765, probably in Prince William County, Virginia. The earliest known documentation of James Kay is his marriage to Grace Elgin on 1 Jan 1781, in Montgomery County, Maryland. In 1787, James Kay and his father, Robert Kay, Sr., were recorded in the Frederick County, Virginia, tax or tithable list. On 22 September of that same year, James Kay leased 100 acres of land from the Proprietors of the Northern Neck of Virginia. This land was located in Frederick County, Virginia, on the western slope of Mt. Weather. Later this land fell into Clarke County, VA. James is thought to have been the first of his family to come to South Carolina. The first documentation of James Kay’s presence in South Carolina appears in the State Grant Book (Volume 29, page 311). Recorded therein is a grant signed on 2 Jan 1792 for "One Hundred and two acres surveyed for him the 27th December 1791, Situate in the District of Ninety Six in Abbeville County on Broad Mouth Creek, Bounded Northwardly and Westwardly on Land belonging to said James Key [sic] and all other sides by old Surveys." The description of the  tract would locate it near old Ghentsville, some two miles from the present town of Honea Path, SC, on the Ware Shoals road. It is believed that James eventually owned several hundred acres on Broadmouth Creek, where he operated a stagecoach stop and blacksmith shop on the old Charleston Road (see Mills Atlas of 1820). James Kay’s last appearance in any official record is the 1820 US Census of Abbeville District, SC. James and Grace are both listed as being over age 45. James Kay and Grace Elgin do not appear in the 1830 census of Anderson or Abbeville. No record of a will or an administration of his estate has been found at either Abbeville or Anderson. The date and place of their deaths are unknown. If James and Grace died after 1820, perhaps they rest among those fifty buried on the Broadmouth plantation of his father, Robert Kay, Sr. The children of James Kay and Grace Elgin: Rev. William Kay Catherine Kay Rev. James Kay Robert Kay Charles Kay Gabriel Kay Nancy Kay Elizabeth Kay Alexander Kay GRACE KAY, daughter of Robert Kay, Sr., was probably born about 1765 in Prince William County, Virginia. Very little is known about Grace’s childhood. Her parents lived in Prince William County through at least 1783. By 1787, they had moved to Frederick County, Virginia. Like two of her siblings, Grace married into the Trussell family. Her husband was Amos Trussell. There is speculation that his real name was Rhodam Amos Trussell who was born ca 1751, the son of John Trussell and Mary (?). The Kay family has long been associated with the Trussell family. In 1782, Robert Kay was listed in the Prince William County, Virginia tax rolls. Also listed were Thomas Trussell, Rhody Trussell, and William Trussell. In the 1787 Virginia tax rolls, Rhodam Trussell and William Trussell were still residing in Prince William County. Robert Kay, Sr. and his son James Kay were found in Frederick County (now Clarke County), Virginia. The property the Kays lived on was situated near the border of Loudoun County, Virginia. A Thomas Trussell family had settled just across the border from the Kays in Loudoun County. Trussells also lived on Broadmouth Creek in Abbeville County, SC, on land adjoining the Kays. Grace was named in her father’s will in 1804. When her parents died in 1808, Grace was present at the estate sale in April 1808, purchasing several items. In June 1808, four of her brothers received their share of the estate of their father, each receiving 478 dollars. It was not until March of 1811 that Grace Trussell signed a receipt acknowledging acceptance of 350 dollars. The 1810 census of Pendleton District lists an Amos Trussell in household #950 with one male under age 10 and one male between the ages of 26 and 44. Also listed are two females under the age of 10 and one female between the ages of 26 and 44. The estate papers of Amos Trussell are located in Anderson County, South Carolina in Roll 726. One paper, dated 1 Sept 1830, stated Gracy Trussell, widow, was sickly and unable to administer the estate of Amos and asked that Samuel B. Evans be appointed in her place. No evidence has been found concerning the death date or place of burial of Grace (Kay) Trussell nor if she had any children.   ELIZABETH KAY, daughter of Robert Kay, Sr., is assumed to have been born in Prince William County, Virginia. Her parents lived there until 1787 when they moved to Frederick County, Virginia (present day Clarke County). Her brother, James Kay, lived on the western slope of Mt. Weather in Frederick County. Her parents lived on top of Mt. Weather in Frederick County very near the Loudoun County line. Just across that line in Loudoun County was the Thomas Trussell household. Elizabeth married a Thomas Trussell, but it is not known what her husband’s relationship was to the Thomas Trussell of Loudon County. There is no clear evidence Elizabeth moved to South Carolina with her parents and siblings. In her father’s will it was indicated that Elizabeth had already received her full share of his estate prior to 1804. Whether this bequest took place in Virginia, South Carolina, or elsewhere is not known. Elizabeth was evidently absent when her parents died in 1808, as she participated neither in the estate sale nor in the division of the pantry items. Among the estate papers of her father is a receipt for her portion of the estate signed 3 December 1812 by one Matthew Foster: No information regarding any children she might have had nor information regarding her death has been found.   ROBERT KAY, JR., second son of Robert Kay, Sr., was born 13 May 1767. His date of birth was recorded in a family Bible. His place of birth is presumed to be Prince William County, Virginia. On 2 Jan 1792, Governor Charles Pinckney granted a tract of land in old Pendleton County to one Robert Kay. It is not certain whether the recipient of the tract was Robert Kay, Sr., or Robert Kay, Jr. Robert Kay, Jr., would have been 24 years old at the time. It is believed Robert Kay, Jr., married after arriving in South Carolina. His wife, Katherine 'Caty' Ball, was born 10 August 1777 in South Carolina. Caty Ball was perhaps the widow of Mark Ball who died in Abbeville County in 1795 and whose estate is on file in the Abbeville records. Robert and Caty’s first child was born in 1797. In 1804 Robert Kay, Sr. bequeathed "to my son, Robert Kay, the plantation whereon he now lives..." This land was located on Broadmouth Creek and was part of the six hundred thirty acre tract Robert Kay, Sr. purchased from Caleb Conaway in 1794. Robert Kay, Jr. made other purchases of land now recorded in the index to Anderson County deeds. Robert Kay, Jr. died 3 Nov 1818,  at the age of fifty-one. He was probably buried in the nearby Kay cemetery on Broadmouth Creek. His estate papers are found in Roll #356, Anderson County, SC, intermixed with his father’s estate papers and with those of a nephew, also named Robert Kay. Catherine (Ball) Kay died on 7 June 1851. She is thought to be buried with her husband in the destroyed Kay cemetery on the original land of Robert Kay, Sr., located northwest of the Broadmouth Baptist Church. Robert and Caty’s children:  John Kay Jesse Kay Martin Kay Mildred Kay Asa Kay Priscilla Kay Lyddia Kay Mason Kay Bailey Kay Cynthia Kay Mahala Kay Chloe Kay Joel Kay   CHARLES KAY, third son of Robert Kay, Sr., was born ca. 1771, probably in Prince William County, Virginia. His date of birth was determined by the 1850 census of Abbeville County, SC, which listed him as 79 years old. Although his place of birth was reported in that census as South Carolina, he is thought to have been born in Virginia, as his two younger brothers, William and John, were born there. His family is known to be in Prince William County, Virginia, until at least 1783.  Charles Kay married Annie Elgin, thought to be the sister of Grace Elgin, wife of his brother James. It is also thought Annie was the daughter of John Elgin and Mary Elizabeth Adams. It is possible that Charles and Annie were married in Virginia prior to the Kays moving to South Carolina in the early 1790s, but it is more likely they were married in South Carolina. Annie Elgin is estimated to have been born between 1760 and 1765, at least six years before her husband. Charles and Annie spent the early years of their marriage on Broadmouth Creek. On 7 Jan 1799, he purchased 145 acres on Turkey Creek for $171.44 from Catherine Elgin. On 17 March 1803, he bought an additional 72 acres from William Davis. By 1810, Charles Kay was enumerated in Abbeville County with a wife and four children. Charles Kay was enumerated in Abbeville County census records in1810, 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1850. His wife, Annie Elgin, last appeared in the 1840 census, and apparently died prior to 1850. The minutes of the Barkers Creek Baptist Church state, "Sister Anna Kay departed this life on Sept 18th 1843." This, we believe, is Anna Elgin Kay.  Charles died in 1858 at the age of 87 at the home of his daughter, Elizabeth Ann Kay. Elizabeth Ann’s husband, Jesse Kay, acted as administrator of the estate (Roll 1572, Anderson Co., SC, dated 26 April 1858). It was at their home that the personal effects of Charles Kay were inventoried and sold. It is not known where Charles and Annie are buried, but the most likely site is an old Kay cemetery overlooking a deep cut on the P&N Railroad outside Honea Path, near the Robert Henson Kay cemetery. At one time some inscriptions could be read, but by 1985 they were no longer legible. It is said there were seven or eight, perhaps more graves in the old burial area. The children of Charles Kay and Annie Elgin: Robert Henson Kay James Warren Kay Elizabeth Ann Kay Alexander Elgin Kay    WILLIAM KAY, SR., fourth son of Robert Kay, Sr., was born about 1775 in Virginia, according to the 1850 US Census of Anderson County, SC. He married Sallie Trussell, evidently after arriving in South Carolina. The marriage perhaps occurred about 1799, as their first child was born about 1800. William and Sallie began farming on 145 acres on Broadmouth Creek on part of his father’s plantation. This tract was subsequently bequeathed to him by Robert Kay, Sr., in 1804. William eventually bought several other tracts on Broadmouth Creek, increasing his holdings to several hundred acres. The 1840 US Census of Anderson Co., S.C. listed William Kay, Sr., as head of a household containing one male age 60 to 70, one female age 15 to 20, and one female age 60 to 70. Sallie evidently died before 1850, as she was not enumerated in that census. William Kay was listed in 1850 as 75 years of age and born in Virginia. His daughter, Cynthia, was living with him. William Kay’s name appears on many documents, both on his or as a witness to others. He kept careful records of his land transactions many of which have been preserved by Mr. Milton Alden Kay, Jr. of Honea Path, SC. The records have recently been deposited with the South Caroliniana Library in Columbia, SC. William Kay, Sr., died about 1854. On 10 May 1854, a 145 acre tract was sold by his heirs to a son, William Pleasant Kay. According to a great-grandson, Minos Luther Kay of Honea Path, SC, he was buried in the Kay cemetery on Broadmouth Creek in Anderson County. Of the approximately fifty people buried in that now obliterated cemetery, only the knowledge that William Kay, Sr., was positively buried there has survived to the present generation. The children of William Kay and Sallie Trussell: Elizabeth Kay Strother Kay Dorothy Delilah Kay Louisa Kay Mary Kay Catherine Kay William Pleasant Kay Jane Kay Sallie Kay Mahuldah Kay Cynthia Ann Kay   JOHN KAY, youngest son of Robert Kay, Sr., and his wife, Priscilla, was born 21 Sep 1777, in Virginia, probably in Prince William County. His parents lived there until at least 1787. In 1792, they leased land in Frederick County (now Clarke County), Virginia. The lease of this land was for the natural lives of Robert, Priscilla, and John. John is buried with his wife Rosannah (perhaps McDavid) at Little River Baptist Cemetery in Abbeville County, South Carolina. John was only about seventeen years old when his parents settled on the Broadmouth Creek in South Carolina. By 1798, at the age of 22, he was married to Rosannah, thought to be the daughter of Patrick McDavid. In the 1800 US Census of Pendleton District, SC, both John Kay and his father, Robert, were enumerated in close proximity to each other. They may very well have been on the same plantation. In 1804, Robert stated in his will that at his death his other children would inherit certain parcels of land, and that John would inherit "the plantation where he and myself now live, at his mother’s death." Following the death of his parents, John Kay moved some six miles to Abbeville County, near Little River, a tributary of the Savannah. Exactly when he moved there has not been determined, but he sold his 145 acre tract on Broadmouth Creek in 1813, so it may have been at that time. The 1820 census recorded him in Abbeville County at the location where he apparently spent the rest of his life. After almost fifty-six years of marriage, Rosannah Kay died 25 April 1854, and was buried at Little River Cemetery. Of her ten children, only Larkin, Malinda and Lucinda survived her. When Rosannah died, John, at age seventy-seven, went to live with his daughter, Lucinda (Kay) Green. He died 23 April 1855, and was buried at Little River Cemetery. John and Rosannah’s stones are still there to mark the location. Rosannah’s gravestone states that she was the mother of ten children. Two of John and Rosannah’s children evidently died young, as only eight were mentioned in the settlement of John Kay’s estate. Their children: Reuben Kay Matilda Kay Asenath Kay Ann Kay Larkin Kay Thurza Ann Kay Malinda Kay Lucinda Caroline Kay   Colonial Ancestors It is ironic that Robert Kay has been identified as the progenitor of so many, but his own parents have not been absolutely proven. There is, however, considerable circumstantial evidence linking him to a particular Kay family line in Virginia and England. Research regarding the Virginia lineage of Robert Kay of South Carolina was published in "The Ancestors of Robert Kay of South Carolina" in 1991. That research concludes, though does not prove, that Robert Kay of South Carolina was the son of James Kay and Mary Steward of King George County, Virginia. Robert’s presumed father, James Kay, lived from approximately 1694 to 1743, and was the third generation of this Kay family in Virginia. Both his father and grandfather were also named James. James of the second generation was born about 1662, married Mary Pannell, and died as a young man about 1698. James of the first generation was born in 1634 in Bury, England. He immigrated to Colonial Virginia by 1665. Before his death around 1679, he married Sarah Iveson, fathered five children, and gained title to 2000 acres of virgin land on the banks of the Rappahannock River. British Ancestors As mentioned above, it is believed that Robert Kay of South Carolina descends from James Kay, the immigrant to Colonial Virginia. In "The English Heritage of James Kay of the Colony of Virginia", James the immigrant is traced back through English records to Robert Kay De Wedell of the fifteenth century. ("The English Heritage of James Kay of the Colony of Virginia", by Franklin Spearman, is included as an addendum to "The Kay Chronicles", written by Kenneth Kay in 1909, and published by the Kay Family Association in 1992). The primary evidence that we have as proof of James Kay's origin in the village of Bury, Lancashire, England, is the very detailed will of his sister, Susan Kay Meadowcroft. Through settlement of the Meadowcroft estate, James Kay, the immigrant to Virginia, is proven to be the brother of Susan Kay Meadowcroft. As detailed in "The English Heritage of James Kay of the Colony of Virginia", James Kay, the immigrant, descends from the Kays of Birdhole, Bury, England. His father was James Kay (b. 1599 - d. after 1653); his grandfather was John Kay (b. ca. 1577 - d. 1653); his great-grandfather was Arthur Kay (b. ca. 1540- d. 1617). Arthur Kay of Birdhole descends from Roger Kay of Widdell (b. ? - d. 1563), Roger Kay of Widdell (Woodhill) (b. 1500 - d. ?), and Robert Kay de Wedell (living in 1491). This Robert Kay de Wedell probably descended from William Kay who was listed in the Subsidy Roll of 1332 as living in the Bury District.