 Upon his father's death, Clay inherited a portion of the large estate, Ashland.To distinguish John Clay's land from the mansion and lands that went to his brother, James Brown Clay, John's holdings were called Ashland Stock Farm, Ashland Stud, or, sometimes, Ashland-on-the-Tates-Creek-Pike.In 1866 John M. Clay married his nephew's widow, who became known as Josephine Russell Clay.