[4] Two years later on 6 December 1875,[5] the county's name was shortened to "Clay" by the Arkansas General Assembly.

Some claim it was renamed for the statesman Henry Clay,[3][4] while others say John M. Clayton remained its official namesake.

The county seat was moved to Boydsville in 1877, in what was known as "Old Bradshaw Field", because people living east of the Black and Cache Rivers had difficulty getting to Corning during the flood season.

With the arrival of the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad in 1882, other towns such as Greenway, Rector and Piggott experienced growth.

In the early 20th century, Clay, Greene, and Craighead counties had sundown town policies forbidding African Americans from living in the area.

[9] On 6 April 1972, Sheriff Douglas Batey and deputies Glen Ray Archer and Troy Key were shot and killed while trying to serve a warrant on Bert Grissom.

Rice is the dominant crop, but significant amounts of cotton, soybeans, corn, hay, and milo are also grown.

Public education of elementary and secondary school students is provided by:[21] [22] Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county.

However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions").

Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications.