Josephine Russell Erwin Clay (December 7, 1835 – March 29, 1920) was one of the first significant woman thoroughbred horse breeders in America and a writer. She was also known as ''Josephine Deborah Russell'', ''Mrs. Eugene Erwin'', ''Josephine Erwin'', ''Mrs. John M. Clay'', and ''Josephine Clay''.

Life as Mrs. Erwin

Born in Fulton, Missouri, she was a daughter of

William Henry Russell Josephine Russell Erwin Clay (December 7, 1835 – March 29, 1920) was one of the first significant woman thoroughbred horse breeders in America and a writer. She was also known as ''Josephine Deborah Russell'', ''Mrs. Eugene Erwin'', ''Josephine Er ...

. In 1853 Josephine Deborah Russell married a grandson of

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

named Andrew Eugene Erwin. Prior to the Civil War, the couple had three daughters. During the war, Erwin served in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, rising to the rank of Colonel and commanding of the 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment. In 1863 Josephine Erwin brought the couple's nine-year-old daughter, Lucretia (Lula), to join Andrew Erwin who was part of the force defending

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

. Andrew Erwin was killed in the Battle of Vicksburg, one week before the end of the Union siege. On July 18, 1863, the pregnant Josephine Erwin met with General Ulysses S. Grant to obtain passes allowing Lula and her to return to Missouri. Josephine Erwin bore her fourth daughter in 1864, but the girl died shortly after her birth.

Racing and breeding thoroughbreds

The

Clay family The Clays were an influential nineteenth-century U.S. political and business dynasty. The Clays are of English stock, and there are quite a few Clay families still in England, and also in other parts of the world.http://www.spanglefish.com/ClayOfPi ...

invited her and her three surviving daughters to move to

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

and supervise the household of

John Morrison Clay John Morrison Clay (February 21, 1821 – August 10, 1887) was a Kentucky thoroughbred breeder, a son of statesman Henry Clay, and a husband of Josephine Russell Clay and the brother of Henry Clay, Jr. and James Brown Clay. He was also called ' ...

's youngest son, a bachelor. John had inherited a portion of his father's estate, Ashland. To distinguish John's lands from Ashland proper, which went to his brother James Brown Clay, John's farm was variously called Ashland-on-the-Tates-Creek-Pike, Ashland Stock Farm, and Ashland Stud. Josephine and John were married in 1866. They had no children, but poured their time and energy into training and racing horses for about twenty years. John Clay traveled the racing circuit throughout the East, South, and Midwest. Josephine ran Ashland Stud. Their famous race horses included Skedaddle,

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: Actual survivors * *Last survivors of historical events Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Found ...

, Star Davis, Sauce Box, Squeeze 'em, and Victory. In 1873, Victory was bought by General George Armstrong Custer, who called him Vic and rode him at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. It is believed Vic died in the battle.

Focus on breeding

Following her husband's death in 1887, Josephine Clay focused on breeding and selling yearlings. She inherited from John Clay twelve brood mares, all descendants of

's brood mares Magnolia and Margaret Wood. Through 1900, Josephine Clay built her stock to more than fifty brood mares and two stallions and gained recognition as the first woman to own and operate a successful thoroughbred horse farm. She gained national recognition when

Riley Riley may refer to: Names * Riley (given name) * Riley (surname) Places * Riley Park–Little Mountain, a neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Riley Creek (Ontario), a tributary of the Black River in Central Ontario, Canada * Ri ...

, a horse she had bred, won the 1890

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. In 1903, Josephine Clay dispersed her stock due to her failing eyesight and new laws in New York and other states prohibiting betting on horses. She died at her home and is interred at Lexington Cemetery.

Writings

Josephine Clay was the author of several novels and short stories, including: *''John Logan'' *''Some Little of the Angel Still Left'' *''Uncle Phil'' *''The Sport of Kings''

References

Squib on Josephine Clay

The Josephine Clay Papers at the University of Kentucky

Discussion about the thoroughbred Vic

External links

Guide to the Josephine Russell Erwin Clay family papers, 1823-1901
housed at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Josephine Russell American racehorse owners and breeders Kentucky culture 1835 births 1920 deaths Henry Clay family People from Fulton, Missouri