Biographical Sketch

Frank WIlliams Claybourn was born 3 July 1888 in Texico, Illinois. He worked for the Mt. Vernon Car Manufacturing Co. for 49 years, along with other relatives and Claybourn men. He lived in Texico and Mt .Vernon. On 20 October 1908 he married Maud Jane Beal (born 4 March 1890 in Mt. Vernon, Ill.). Frank died on 30 September 1957 and is buried at Pleasant Hill, south of Dix, Illinois. Following Frank's death, Maud made her home at Kell, Illinois. Frank and Maud had eight children, all listed below.

Pedigree Chart

						Ephraim Claybourn 1788 - 1850
				William Divine Claybourn 1819 - 1896
						Mary "Polly" Browning 1792 - 1874
		Charles Frank Claybourn 1865 - 1939
						Reuben Hawker b. 1794
				Frances Alla Hawker 1820 - 1863
						Nancy Hawker b. 1796
Frank Williams Claybourn 1888 - 1957
				Rev. James Jackson Williams
		LaVada Jane Williams 1867 - 1918
				Sophronia Jane Bryant

Descendants

1. Clinton Moore Claybourn was born 18 May 1910 in Texico, Illinois. He lived at LaGrange, Illinois and shipped the starting gates for horse racing to race tracks all over the world. In 1934 he married Elmo Louise Klarr of Lincoln, Illinois (born 27 September 1912). They had no children. Clinton died in March of 1965.

2. Charles Divine Claybourn was born 26 September 1912 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. On the 10th of June in 1939 he married Dorothy March (born 30 June 1917 in Arkansas, died on 19 April 1999). Dorothy was the daughter of James Edcar and Gertrude Pearl Morton March. Charles and Dorothy lived at Dix, Illinois, but Charles worked as an electric welder in the C.B.&Q. Railroad shops at Centralia, Illinois. They had eight children:

   1. Charles Franklin Claybourn was born on 11 March 1941 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. He served in the Marine Corps and on 6 August 1959 he married Jerry Ann Barkley (born 8 December 1942). Charles worked as a Marion County deputy. Charles died on 8 November 2004 and his wife Jerry Ann followed on 15 January 2008. They had two children:
      1. Mark Allen Claybourn was born 22 July 1961 in Salem, Illinois. He married Joy M. Osborne on 17 December 1981 and the two lived in Salem, Illinois, but they eventually divorced.
      2. Michael Dean Claybourn was born on 22 April 1965 in McKenzie, Tennessee. On 27 November 1989 he married Beth Ann Roper and they had one child, Mary Elizabeth Claybourn, born on 24 September 1990.

   2. James Robert Claybourn was born on 10 November 1942 and attended high school in Centralia, Illinois. He married Donna Nugent (born 12 March 1944) and they lived in Texas. Together they had three children:
      1. Jody Robert Claybourn, born 19 August 1969.
      2. Casey Don Claybourn, born 18 August 1972.
      3. Jami Christi Claybourn, born 24 July 1978.

   3. Anna Darlene Claybourn was born on 10 September 1944. She worked as a teacher in Illinois and married Brian Edward Bremmer on 10 June 1967. They had two children:
      1. Daniel Edward Bremmer, born 11 April 1972.
      2. Rebecca Dawn Bremmer, born 24 July 1973.

   4. Jackie Dean Claybourn was born on 21 December 1946. In October of 1976 he married Ruth Gilbert and had four step-children: Jerry, Russell, Kathy and Brian. They resided in northern Illinois.

   5. Edcar ("Eddie") Claybourn was born on 27 April 1949 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. On 1 December 1972 he married Martha Thompson (born 27 July 1946). They had one child, Ragan Lynn Claybourn, born on 24 May 1978, and four step-children: Gene, Chris, Brian and Kurt.

   6. Helen Louise Claybourn was born on 2 June 1950, but died just three days later.

   7. Aletha Jane Claybourn was born on 24 September 1953 in Centralia, Illinois. She had one son, Shawn David Claybourn, born on 11 March 1972. Shawn married Maria Dometella Elmendorf and together they had one child, Jennifer Ranae Claybourn, born in July of 1991. They lived in Illinois.

   8. Billie John Claybourn was born on 26 June 1958 in Centralia, Illinois. On 6 October 1979 he married Peggy Ann Qualls (born 12 Oct. 1950). Billie died on 21 December 2002. Billie and Peggy had two sons:
      1. Justin Eric Claybourn, born 19 October 1980.
      2. Brandon James Claybourn, born 24 November 1982.

3. LaVada Belle Claybourn was born 4 November 1914 in Texico, Illinois. She married on the 5th of October in 1931 to Henry Eckhardt (born in Rochelle, Illinois). They lived on Route 2 in Amboy, Illinois and had two children:

   1. Reginald Lee Eckhardt was orn on 20 June 1934 in Lee Center, Illinois. He was in the service for four years and served in the Korean War. He married Patricia Webb and the couple had two children:
      1. Reginald Lee Eckhardt, Jr., born 1957
      2. Michael Eckhardt, born 1958

   2. Pat Eckhardt, married Ronnie Schaffer

4. Harley Joe Claybourn ("Joe") was born on 26 March 1918 in Texico, Illinois. He served four years in the U.S. Navy and 3.5 years of it overseas. He attained the rank of Seaman First Class. After the war he worked as a machinist and lived on Route 3 in Amboy, Illinois. He married on 1 May 1937 to Mildred Meadows and and died in July of 1985. Harley and Mildred had five children:

   1. Joann Claybourn was born 20 October 1938 in Ashley, Illinois. She never married and worked as a nurse's aid in a Franlin Groce nursing home.

   2. Delbert Wayne Claybour, Seaman First Class in the U.S. Navy
   3. Judy Claybourn, born 1953 in Amboy, Illinois

   4. Janice Claybourn, born 1955 in Amboy, Illinois

   5. Craig Claybourn, born 1958 in Amboy, Illinois

   Harley is also believed to have married an Evelyn Claybourn ("Ev"), but it is not clear if his first wife Mildred died or if Joe and Mildred divorced. Joe died of cancer on 14 July 1985 peacefully at his home with his wife and best friend at his bedside. His ashes were scattered over his favorite fishing spot.

5. Frank Williams Claybourn, Jr. (a twin) was born on 28 April 1921 in Texico, Illinois. He served in the military for four years, including a tenure during World War II, with three of it overseas. He was a Private First Class in the Third Division of the Marines. He met his brother Bob on Iwo Jima in 1944. Later in life was was a pastor of the First Baptist Church in St. Elmo, Illinois, and later in 1970 at Calvary Baptist Church in Pittfield, Illinois. He married on 12 December 1942 to Ruth Kell (born 5 April 1925 in Kell, Illinois). They had one child:

   1. Shelly Ann Claybourn was born on 7 February 1946 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. She married William Spitler and together they had at least two daughters:
      1. Ann Spitler
      2. Lynn Spitler, born 1962

6. William Burrell Claybourn (called "Billy") was born as a twin on 4 June 1924 in Centralia, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Navy from June of 1942 until the end of World War II. He was a ship's cook, Third Class. After the war he spent two more years in the Navy and then proceeded to make the Army a career. Eventually he attained the rank of Sgt. First Class, stationed at Seattle, Washington, and married Hazel May McGowan. Hazel had a child, called "Bunny", born in New Jersey.

7. Robert Earl Claybourn (called "Bobby") was born a twin to Billy on 4 June 1924 in Centralia, Illinois. He served in the 4th Div. Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific theater for two years. Later he was a co-owner of a barber shop in Mt. Vernon, Illinois and lived at 2208 Cherry Street. He married on 23 September 1942 to Mary Louise Perry of Salem, Illinois (20 September 1925 - 25 January 2003) in Charleston, Missouri. Mary passed away on 25 January 2003 and is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Jefferson County, Illinois. The couple had three children:

   1. Bobby Early Claybourn, Jr. was born 2 May 1944 in Salem, Illinois. He attended Mt. Vernon High School and married Mary Katherine. They lived in Cochran, Georgia.

   2. Debra Kay Claybourn was born 6 September 1956 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. She married Jeffrey VanScoyk and resided in Aurora, Colorado. They had two children:
      1. Ryan Carter VanScoyk
      2. Kristin Page VanScoyk

   3. Donna Marie Claybourn, born 11 February 1958 and died two days later on 13 February 1958

8. Lorena Jane Claybourn was born 21 February 1927 and graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1945. She married (1st) on 5 January 1946 to Laddie Cerny of Chicago, Illinois. He was a Private First Class in the Air Force and graduated from the Chicago Conservatory of Music. They divorced and Lorena married (2nd) Dr. Arthur Richard Lane (Medical Doctor) and the two lived in Chicago, Illinois.