Dessie Mae Clayton, [Isaac, Alexander, John, Thomas, Thomas, Zebulon, John, Edmund, Henry] was born 15 July 1865 in Bartlett, Wesley Township, Washington County Ohio. She was the daughter of Isaac Calvin Clayton and Anna Jane Graham.

Her parents moved to Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio shortly after 1880. In August 1885 she was received as a member of the Bigelow United Methodist Church on 5^th and Washington Street in Portsmouth. The church with its pretty steeple is still standing at this writing.

Dessie met Edward Leopold Feyler after his arrival in Portsmouth. Edward gave his birth place as Budapest, Hungary and had moved to Portsmouth from Indianapolis, Indiana. He was a jeweler by trade and in December 1887 Edward gave Dessie a beautiful blue garnet ring with a flower in the center that is now in possession of this compiler. Dessie married Edward Leopold Feyler (Feiler) 15 February 1890 in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio.

Several of her photographs, after her marriage, show her in stylish hats of the times. In 1891 she had an engraved sterling silver calling card case which was the proper social item to carry when visiting. Several hand done calling cards still exist from her collection. The calling card case has also been preserved and in the possession of this compiler. In June 1892 she was noted on the social page when she made a trip to Plymouth [Washington County] to visit family. She also had a Victorian blue velvet photograph album with many Clayton relatives as far away as Iowa. The photographs have been preserved but the album sadly disintegrated in the 1980's. She also maintained an elaborate bible with entries beginning after her marriage. Dessie recorded her birth and information on her family in the bible as well.

Dessie and Edward appeared to have a very active social life during this period. Edward had joined the Aurora Lodge of the Knights of Pythias in 1892 and enjoyed amateur photogrpahy. They had their only child, Howard Clayton Feyler, 10 September 1893. The family resided at 719 Second Street in Portsmouth and ads for her husbands jewelry store appeared regularly in the Portsmouth Times. In March 1895 her husband purchased lot 4 of the David Murray Addition at a sheriff’s sale for $460.00. In 1899 they purchased one half lot 115 in the City Addition. Their residence in the 1899 City Directory is 81 West Second Street.

Dessie’s life changed dramatically in 1900. Her husband was ill and on June 21^st deeds were filed with Edward giving Dessie ownership to both the David Murray Addition property and the City Addition lot. Edward died four days later from cancer. The service was handled by the Massie Lodge, Knights of Phythias. As part of his membership Dessie would have received insurance benefits.

Left alone with a small child to raise, sister Eva resided with her in 1900. Dessie sold the David Murray Addition property in January 1901. Eva married in 1906. By 1910 her brother William Clayton, unmarried, moved in with Dessie and Howard. William was an executive with Irving Drew Company and had invested in several small oil companies as indicated in a 1929 letter Dessie wrote to Bernice Graham in Marietta, Ohio. She was writing concerning the Graham Family Reunion that is still held the 2^nd week of August each year. She said that it was "...impossible for us to attend the Reunion...Will has a deal...selling...oil company... I returned home from Michigan yesterday... had a nice visit with Eva...she and I filled out the form." Eva was Dessie and William’s youngest sister. The form was a questionnaire concerning family history. Bernice Graham would keep Dessie and other family members correspondence in organized boxes in her basement. In the early 1990's before Bernice died this compiler was privileged to copy Dessie’s letters, returning the originals. After Bernice Graham’s death the material was to be kept with the Graham family but Klaiber was told her genealogy was taken to a genealogy meeting and given to whom ever wanted it. We no longer know what happened to the original letters concerning our branch of the family.

Both Dessie’s grand daughters, Betty [Feyler Cavanagh] and Mary Helen [Feyler Martin], remember visits with their grandmother noting that as a widow she was frugal saving jelly jars in her cellar and sewing smocked dresses to present to them. Dessie made several trips with family members to Michigan for visits and vacationed with son Howard and his family at Lake George near Lake James in Indiana. The family has early black and white film clips of that trip.