I wouldn't ammend the soil for ANY tree...no one should be able to argue that point. I can understand ammending for certain shrubs and perrenials...even then many would highly advise against doing so.

By the way there are certain maples, oaks and dogwood that do ok in water logged clay soils. For example, Freeman Maples and Swamp White Oak.

Best to select trees that adapt to the conditions. Most your choices are fairly well adapted to clay soils. The JM and Redbud will require a well draining soil...even the crabapple to a point. I'd recommend a raised for the redbud, crabapple and JM.

do you mean a raised bed for planting them, or raising them in the plating hole?

The soil doesnt always stay water-logged, espescially in the summer heat, i have to water everything almost daily, not sure if that matters or not..

The more OM in the planting hole, the greater chance of differential settling.

But planting proud is almost never a bad idea.

Dan

But be sure to mulch them well with organic mulch (shredded bark, pine straw) - that will help protect them, keep them a little more moist and feed the soil over time.

Have a look at this PDF.

Here is a link that might be useful: Horticultural techniques for successful plant establishment

Clay soil here as well. Plant on a mound. I ended up planting our trees probable 8" above grade for safety, with a min 4' diameter mound sloped off to existing grade with NO amendments. I planted mostly #10 containerized trees, with a few #7 and a #15 thrown in. If you plant larger trees, you will need to adjust the mound accordingly. Our trees are doing very well, including dogwood. Note however, the mound won't help anything if you have water still stands after rain. Most trees/plants that prefer "moist well drained soil" will do just fine on clay soil if planted and handled properly. Kinda like I would love to be able to afford a million dollar property will hundreds of acres, but I'm pretty happy with what I have.

Arktrees

Yes, as per previous comment crab apples are often quite damp tolerant but where drainage is an issue Japanese maples and red buds are not safe choices. Most kinds of plants, in fact must have quite good drainage - the kinds that populate poorly drained land are very much the minority of species (in cold climates). Poorly drained soils are one of the main reasons extensive areas may be occupied by the same small number of species, with high numbers of species being concentrated in certain, much smaller chunks of territory.

There is a huge number of kinds of trees that grow well in clay, in fact it may be much more generally favorable to growth than sand. The main limitation you may have is if your planting sites do not drain very well.

Some trees that do well on damp ground are

Alder
Serviceberry
Black birch
Sweetbay magnolia
Medlar
Poplar
Wingnut
Pear
Pin oak
Willow

Not saying all these will be good for your pH, climate or gardening interests, but some might.

All of those trees grow fine in clay soil.
Plant a little above grade but don't ammend. You know that example you gave about filling a 1x1 area with water? Well, that's exactly what's going to happen in your planting hole if you ammend.

Dig nice wide planting holes. Don't overwater. Daily watering shouldn't be needed with clay soil.

I will also point out that the trees you are interested in, with the exception of the crabapple, do best in part shade.

by above grade, do you mean digging a shallow hole and building up the soil around the top of the roots that are above the hole?

That's exactly the meaning. That is exactly what I was saying about planting on a mound.

Arktrees

Im not so sure that was the meaning.
First clear away any soil that covers up the root flare. Don't be surprised if you find this severely buried under several inches of soil when you get the tree. That is common. Then once you have found the root flare, where the trunk flares out where it meets the beginning of the roots, this is what you want a little above the level of surrounding ground to compensate for settling. The important thing is that the root flare is exposed. If you're starting with a b&b tree, put it in the planting hole so that approximately 10% is sticking out above the surrounding ground, then remove any soil covering the root flare. Adjust the depth of the planting hole if necessary.
If you are planting a containerized tree, it is easy enough to expose the root flare prior to planting. Set it so that it's a couple inches above the ground.

I don't think I mentioned this before but dig a wide planting hole, preferably 3 times the width of the tree container or soil ball. It doesn't have to be deep but it should be wide. This will loosen up the soil for more rapid establishment and is preferred over amendments.

what I've found best with our clay, when digging, picture a "saucer" rather than a "hole"

some of our lot required a pic axe to break up the clay, i got in a hurry, didn't take the time to break up the original material, let it settle, etc., before planting. instead i just used amended soil. the four trees there sank about 4" in a year and had to be dug up and "replanted" above grade.