Conrad was born in Pennsylvania about five years after his parents arrived in America from Germany in 1753. He would travel with his parents to various places in Pennsylvania and end up in the area now called Hedgesville, West Virginia. There is some evidence that Conrad fought in the Revolutionary War. He would have been 18 in 1776. Conrad married Maria Eva Replogle (Mary) in the early 1780's and they had four daughters and a son.

Mary and Conrad divorced on June 23, 1812 and as part of the settlement she was "to receive at any time she asked a chaff bed with a feather bed to go over it and to live with whoever she pleased as a free, unmarried woman." She would also receive $200 annually and agreed to not go to Conrad's home unless he asked for her.

They had five children. All are linked below.

Conrad's wife Mary would go on to play a significant role in the formation and development of Hedgesville West Virginia. In 1832, Josiah Hedges laid off lots and established a village along the Warm Spring Road near a limestone spring on North Mountain at a site that had been an old meeting place of Native Americans. Originally known as Skinners Gap, Hedges called the village Hedgesville. The clean, clear water and the beautiful surroundings gave Hedges the thought that the area would be a good site for a resort. Mary Claycomb owned land adjacent to lots owned by Hedges and decided, in 1836, to lay it off into lots. Most of these lots were given to her children. This addition to Hedgesville was called Mary Claycomb's Improvement to Hedgesville. On February 11, 1836, the Virginia General Assembly formally created the town of Hedgesville comprising the combined property of Josiah Hedges and Mary Claycomb.

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Conrad's will (Abridged for readability):

I Conrad Claycomb of the County of Berkeley and State of Virginia, do hereby make this my Last Will and Testament.

1st - I give to my wife Mary the sum of two hundred dollars yearly during her natural life to be paid to her by my Executors hereinafter named, one half of which sum is to be paid every six months.

2nd - After the payment of my just debts and funeral expenses, I give to my five Children: Elizabeth Green, Mary Myers, Catharine Robbins, Frederick Claycomb, and Barbara Myers, all my Estate both personal and real, with my Bank Stock to be equally divided among my children, and my remaining Estate to be divided among them according to quantity and quality, except for my set of blacksmith tools which I give to my son Frederick.

3rd - It is my wish that my Slave named John and his wife Mary should not be separated, and that if my Children should not agree who shall have the said Slaves as a part of their portion, it is my desire that John and his wife be sold, and that they be allowed the privilege of choosing their own master, if they do the same in a reasonable time, and the money arising from the sale of said Slaves be equally divided among my children.

4th - It is my desire that my Executors pay to Sarah Bear, who now lives with me, the sum of thirty dollars yearly during her natural life, or maintain her comfortably during the same. It is also my wish that all notes and receipts which I hold against any of my children shall be null and void and I herely appoint my son Frederick Claycomb and John Green to be Executors of this will.

I have affixed my seal this 2ª day of September one thousand eight hundred and thirty six.

Conrad Claycomb

Signed and sealed by Conrad Claycomb in the presence of the following witnesses: Samuel Robinson, Henry Swisher, and B Campbell.

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Biography by JCM - 2023