JOHN MCCAWLEY IN 1810 MADE THE FIRST SETTLEMENT ON THE LITTLE WABASH RIVER ABOUT A MILE EAST OF WHERE CLAY CITY IS NOW LOCATED IN WHAT WOULD BECOME CLAY COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

IN 1816 TWO OR THREE OTHER FAMILIES BUILT THEIR CABINS NEAR MCCAWLEYS AND THEY NAMED THE NEW TOWN HUBBARDSVILLE.

ILLINOIS BECAME A STATE IN 1818 AND CLAY COUNTY WAS CREATED BY AN ACT OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE DECEMBER 23, 1824, FOURTEEN YEARS AFTER THIS FIRST SETTLEMENT WAS MADE BY MCCAWLEY.

JOHN MCCAWLEY WAS A LONG HUNTER. TRAVELING INTO NEW TERRITORY AND EXPLORING THE PROSPECTS OF THE NEW ILLINOIS COUNTRY, THEN RETURNING LATER WITH HIS FAMILY TO CLAIM LAND FOR HIMSELF.

THE DEATH OF A HORSE CAUSED THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. JOHN MCCAWLEY WAS ON HIS WAY TOWARD ST. LOUIS. WHEN HE REACHED THE LITTLE WABASH RIVER ONE OF HIS HORSES DIED AND HE SENT BACK TO VINCENNES TO GET ANOTHER. WHILE WAITING BY THE RIVER HE DECIDED TO STAY. IT IS SAID THAT IN 1799 A HUNTER HAD STOPPED LONG ENOUGH AT THIS SAME PLACE AND HAD KILLED AND DRIED ENOUGH BUFFALO TO LAST HIM A YEAR.

IN 1818 A MAN NAMED DANIEL MAY CAME TO HUBBARDSVILLE AND BOUGHT OR ENTERED 40 ACRES OF LAND ABOUT A MILE WEST OF HUBBARDSVILLE AND ABOUT FIVE MILES SOUTH OF CLAY CITY. HE DIVIDED IT INT0 164 LOTS AND MR. MAY PROCEEDED HOW TO COMPLETE HIS REAL ESTATE DEAL.

HE PROPOSED TO THE COUNTY OFFICIALS MEETING AT JOHN MCCAWLEY'S THAT IF THEY WOULD MOVE THE COUNTY SEAT TO HIS LOCATION, HE WOULD GIVE THE COUNTY 20 ACRES OF LAND. WILLIAM LEWIS WAS A COMMISSIONER AND AT ONCE WAS IN FAVOR OF THIS PROPOSITION. THE MOTION CARRIED AND MAYSVILLE BECAME THE SECOND COUNTY SEAT. WINNING FOR LEWIS THE ENMITY OF JOHN MCCAWLEY.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) feature ID for the cemetery is 1821632 (McCawley Cemetery).