WIFE

Elizabeth White

CHILDREN

1. Nathaniel Clark b. 18 Apr 1676

2. John Clark b. 14 Jun 1677

3. Daniel Clark b. 30 Aug 1680

4. Elizabeth Clark b. 03 Apr 1685

5. Mary Clark b. 03 Apr 1691

6. Sarah Clark b. 08 Sep 1692

7. White Clark b. 04 Nov 1693

8. Mary Clark b. 04 May 1695

From Salter S. Clark, "A Few Genealogical Items Connected with the Family Descended from William Clark, One of the Original Settlers of Haddam, Conn." [as reported by Jane Devlin]:
John, the son of William, went to Middletown, Conn., probably between 1675 and 1680, and married Elizabeth, the daughter of Captain Nathaniel WHITE, of Middletown. Among the early records of Middletown is one as follows: "March 21, 1680. Land of John CLARKE of Middletown in the county of Hartford & Collony of Conoctocutt Recorded to him & two his heirs forever .. [among other parcels] One parcell of meadow land which he bought of Townehashquesuncksqua lying on the east side of the Great River at Wongonk" [now Portland].
This John Clark probably lived in Middletown until his death, which occurred July 26, 1731. He was called "Sergeant", more often "Senior," and appears to have been a man of standing and property, his name occurring often in the land records.
++++
Elizabeth, the mother, died Dec 25, 1711, aged 56. Elizabeth, the daughter, married Ebenezer SELDEN, of Hadley. About 1720 "Sergeant" John gave a homestead to each of his three sons, the one given to his son John being the ""homestead whereon the said father and said son John now dwelleth ... containing 13 acres, "which was in the "North Parish" of the town, on the west side of the Connecticut River. A year prior to his death he had also conveyed to his son John 161 acres of land at Haddam. This land had been conveyed to the father, John, by his brother Thomas, and in the deed their "honored father, William CLARK of Hadam, deceased," is spoken of.
Sergeant John and Lieutenant Thomas both sign their deeds with a mark.
Nathaniel, John, & Daniel, the sons of Sergeant John, married and had children at Middletown.
---------
Great Migration begins
ORIGIN: Unknown
MIGRATION: 1633
FIRST RESIDENCE: Cambridge
REMOVES: Hartford 1636
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admission to Cambridge church prior to 6 May 1635 implied by freemanship.
FREEMAN: 6 May 1635 [MBCR 1:370].
OFFICES: Hogreeve, Cambridge, 5 December 1636 [CaTR 24].
Connecticut jury, 2 September 1641, 14 October 1642 [CCCR 1:66; RPCC 15, 17].
Served in the Pequot War (implied by his grant of land in the Soldier's Field in Hartford).
ESTATE: Granted one rood for a cowyard in Cambridge, 5 August 1633 [CaTR 5]; granted two acres in Westend, 4 August 1634 [CaTR 9]. In the 8 February 1635/6 list of those in Cambridge with houses, John Clark had one in the Westend [CaTR 18].
In the Cambridge Book of Possessions, on [5] September 1635, "John Clarke" held five parcels: [worn] acres in West End; one [worn] in Cowyard Lane; one acre [and] one rood in Old Field; three acres on Small Lot Hill; and [worn] acres in the Great Marsh [CaBOP 17-18]. In 1639 Edward Winship held "one house with two acres of land upon the Cow Common" which he had purchased of John Clark [CaBOP 56].
In the Hartford land inventory of February 1639 "John Clerke" held twelve parcels: four acres "on which his dwelling house now standeth with yards or gardens therein"; one rood and twenty perches in the Little Meadow; one rood in the Soldier's Field; one acre and eight perches on the east side of the Great River; two roods and twenty-five perches in the North Meadow; five acres, three roods and thirty-nine perches of meadow and swamp in the North Meadow; three acres of swamp on the east side of the Great River; fourteen acres in the Little Oxpasture; six acres in the Cowpasture; two acres, two roods and twelve perches in the neck of land part of which he received from Nathaniel Ely by exchange; two acres on the east side of the Great River; and eleven acres, three roods and twelve perches in the Cowpasture [HaBOP 197-99].
BIRTH: By about 1612 based on grant of land in Cambridge.
DEATH: After 1642.
MARRIAGE: None recorded.
CHILDREN: None recorded.


COMMENTS: Much has been written on this John Clark, and many genealogists have concluded that he resided in succession in Cambridge, Hartford, Saybrook and Milford (with a possible brief stay in Norwich between Saybrook and Milford). The three most important summaries of his life are those by Louis Effingham DeForest [Moore Anc 187-95], Mary Walton Ferris [Dawes-Gates 2:201-05] and Donald Lines Jacobus [Granberry 194-96].
Although there is no record which explicitly states that the John Clark of Cambridge is the same as the John Clark of Hartford, there is no record of the man in Cambridge after the spring of 1636, and almost the entire population of Cambridge moved to Hartford in 1635 and 1636. The John Clark of Saybrook is determined to be the John Clark of Milford since the latter mentions extensive land in Saybrook in his will.
The problem comes with the connection between Hartford and Saybrook. John Clark appears in Saybrook at about the time that records for John Clark in Hartford cease, and William Pratt, son-in-law of John Clark of Saybrook-Milford, had resided in Hartford before moving to Saybrook. There is no direct evidence making the connection, and a number of circumstances causing doubt.
The John Clark who resided in Cambridge and Hartford served once as a hogreeve and twice as a juror. The John Clark of Saybrook and Milford served repeatedly as deputy to the Connecticut court and held other high offices. None of the records for the John Clark of Cambridge and Hartford indicates that he had a wife or children.
This position may be excessively cautious, and it may be that these records do all apply to one man, in which case the sources cited above should be consulted (although there are differences between them). For the moment we recommend further research and analysis directed toward resolving the problem one way or another.