Claborn / Clayburn / Claiborn / Claiborine / Claibourne / Clayborn / Cleborn

My uncle Bud sent an email when I first asked his help in reviewing this site:

I question the spelling on Papa Hill's middle name.  I thought it had a Y or an I in Cla_born?  Clayborn, I think, and a great name for a professional farmer.  

He’s right.  Different people seem to spell it different ways.  This is a problem common to pre-19th century genealogy research.  The 1999 Hill Family Reunion Booklet written by Janice  & Aimee Watson consistently uses “Claborn” throughout, so that’s why I’ve gone with that spelling on this site. 

I’d love to hear from Papa Hill’s other grandchildren which spelling is preferred… and why.  Most records I’ve seen have “William C.” or “W. C.”  I’ll probably run across some more documents that include the spelling of Papa Hill’s middle name, but for now, here’s what I have at my fingertips. 

Amazon.com has an image of the WWI Draft Registration Card for "William Claborn Hill":  

(You may click on the photos to enlarge them, save them to your computer, or print them.  If you have trouble with the process, click and drag the image to your desktop.)

Alfred L. “Fritz” Hill provided a copy of “Early History of the Andrew Jackson Hill Family,” by Eva Mae Cole, June 1, 1956.  She uses the “William Claborn Hill” spelling.

The Hill Family Tree Fritz sent reads:  “William Claborn.”

The Texas Death Index, 1903-2000 Record image is also at Ancestry.com and shows “William Clayburn Hill”:

Papa Hill’s obituary from the 7 Aug 1953 The Merkel Mail has “William Claborn Hill.” 

I have a copy of my grandmother Elsie’s handwritten family tree where she has written “William Cleborn Hill.”  It appears that something was erased and the “e” written over it. 

This middle name came from the OXFORD family; Papa Hill’s maternal grandfather’s name was “William Claborn H. Oxford,” b. 6 Aug 1898 in Buncombe Co, NC, d. 20 Feb 1864 in Morgan Mill, Erath Co, TX.  

The 1850 U. S. Census Record for Hopkins Co, TX shows another variant of the spelling, “Claiborine” or “Claibourne”: 

The 1860 U. S. Census Record for Erath Co, TX shows another spelling, “Clayborn”:

A record from Texas Land Title Abstracts, 1700-2008 shows “Claiborn Oxford”:

Here we see it in a rather definitive way from Ken Jones, a volunteer for “Find A Grave”:

(You may click on the following link to go to the web site, which will open in a new window.)

Find A Grave- Claborn H. Oxford Sr.

Ken Jones notes: “Marker has been re-engraved; original inscription is on other end of slab.”  I wish I could see the original engraving; maybe one of you has visited the site. 

Orvel Sr. and Edna named their son “David Clayborn Hill,” according to the Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997:

Janice & Aimee Watson’s 1999 Hill Family Reunion Booklet reads, “David Claborn Hill.”  Some online white pages searches yield a “David Claborn Hill” associated with Orvel Hill. 

I have a copy of Elsie’s typed list of family birthdays and anniversaries, where she has written, “David Cleborn” for Orvel and Edna’s son. 

Hence some confusion for those of us “not in the know!”