Slator Clay
Slator Clay [1]
a Protestant Episcopal minister, was born in New Castle, Del., Oct. 1,1754. When a young man he studied law, and soon after began to practice. About 1780 he was induced by the captain of a vessel to sail with him to the West Indies on what he supposed would be a short voyage; but the war of the Revolution was in progress, and the vessel in which he was a passenger was captured by a British 'privateer. :He was put ashore on the island of Antigua and abandoned, but soon after took passage in a vessel for New York, which was then in possession of the British. The ship, however, was taken by an American privateer, which was caught in a storm and wrecked on the rocks of Bermuda, where, nevertheless, Mr. Clay landed in safety. There being little prospect of his getting away from the island, he opened a school, and taught for six years. The events of his late voyage had produced in him great seriousness, which led to his devoting himself to the Christian ministry.
His friends in Bermuda proposed to accept him as their pastor as soon as he should receive ordination from the bishop of London; but hearing of the consecration of bishop White in Philadelphia, and preferring to spend his life in his native land, he left Bermuda and arrived in Philadelphia in 1786. On Dec. 23 of the next year he was ordained deacon, and Feb. 17 following (1788) he was admitted to the order of presbyters. He became successively rector of St. James's Church, Perkiomern; of St. Peter's, Great Valley; and of St. David's, Radnor, all in Pennsylvania; and also assistant minister of Christ Church, in Upper Merion. In July, 1799, he removed to Perkiomen, near Norristown, and gave a part of his time to St. Thomas's Church in Whitemarsh. He died in Perkiomen, Sept. 25, 1821. Mr. Clay. was a man of fervent piety. In the pulpit his manner was earnest and impressive. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, v, 355.
