Eleanor Clay was born about 1786. She married Micajah Brumfield 15 February 1802 in Tazewell County, Virginia.

In 1804 her husband was involved in a suit brought against himself and William Clay by George Davidson involving property granted Clay in May 1804.

Eleanor was the mother of seven known children. By 1825 the family is residing in Giles County, Virginia where daughter Clarissa married Gordon Coburn. The next year daughter Emily married Lorenzo Dow McCormack. Daughter Lucinda married William McCormack in Giles County, Virginia in October 1830. The last known child of Eleanor, was her namesake born December 1825.

When baby Eleanor was five the family migrated to Lawrence County, Kentucky. Eleanor’s husband died in Lawrence County November 28, 1837. The family lived on the East Fork in the area of Bolts Fork. In March 1839 the county commissioners viewed the road that lead from the "Widow Brumfield’s up the fork to the Carter County line.

In October 1842 she and her sons were involved in a Circuit Court judgment involving cattle that appear to have been herded to Wabash, Illinois. The main jest of the dispute were the number of cattle owned by Eleanor and the number owned by Samuel Haney. Samuel is thought to have married Elizabeth daughter of James Brumfield who had been in the Greenup/Lawrence County area since at least 1818. The relationship of James Brumfield to Eleanor’s husband is undetermined at this time.

The county continued to view the roads in the area. William Brumfield, son of Eleanor, purchased wood, coal, limestone, iron ore and other mineral stone to build a road through the lands beginning at "old Widow Brumfield’s line in 1843. A large amount of activity took place as a furnace company by the name of Young, Foster and Co. settled near by and Sandy Furnace was developed.

Eleanor and son William were living together in 1850 along with children of her daughter Emily. In 1853 Eleanor filed for a pension for military services of her deceased husband in the Border Wars. At the time she filed she stated that she was 67 years of age. In 1872 she filed for military service stating Micajah had also served in the War of 1812. She could not give any evidence or provide any information and the application was rejected. Eleanor was then 84 years old.