CHARLES EDWARD CLARK, a well
educated and progressive citizen of Northampton, who has
a fine farm in the Seventh Ward, near Leeds, was born on
the farm where he resides in 1857, son of Edward L. and
Artemesia (Whitney) Clark. He represents the fourth
generation of his family born in Northampton, and the
third born on this farm.
His great-grandfather, Calvin
Clark, who was born on Elm Street, February 21, 1770,
was one of the first settlers of this part of the town,
taking a tract of timber land about the year 1792, when
the district was sparsely inhabited and was mostly
primitive forest land. There he established
a homestead, which is still in possession of the family.
Deacon Enos and Deacon Luther Clark, prominent citizens
in the early days of Northampton, were his brothers. On
February 9, 1792, Calvin Clark was united in marriage
with Lucy Parsons; and their eldest child was Justin,
born June 7, 1794, the grandfather of Charles Edward
Clark. The other children were as follows: Dexter, born
July 15, 1795, a mason residing in Northampton, who died
about 1882; Lewis and Lucy, twins, born in 1798, the
former of whom died in infancy, and the latter became
the wife of Arby Stacey, of Belchertown, and died in
1834; Calvin, born in 1802, who died in 1880; Fanny,
born in 1804, who died at the age of sixteen; Laura,
born in 1808, who died in 1879. Justin Clark, the
grandfather of our subject, spent his life on the farm
cleared by his father, dying May 17, 1880, in his
eighty-sixth year. In 1822 he married Fanny Parsons,
sister of the octogenarian, Josiah Parsons, who lives on
Bridge Street, Northampton. She died in January, 1881,
well advanced in her eighty-sixth year; and her husband
followed her to their last home on the 19th of the next
May. Two children
brightened their home: Edward L., born in October, 1823,
the father of Charles Edward; and Elijah P., born in
1827, who died in his twenty-third year,
unmarried.
Edward L. Clark, like his father,
spent his life on the home farm, winning a good
livelihood from the generous soil, and finding ample
food for his mind within the limits of Northampton. He
was married in October, 1852, to Artemesia Whitney, of
Ohio, daughter of Josiah and Almira (Ellsworth) Whitney,
who was born in 1828. Her father was a native of
Connecticut, her mother of Ohio; and they were married
in the latter State. They were both over eighty at the
time of their death.
Mrs. Clark is the fifth of seven
children, five sons and two daughters, and is the oldest
of the three living, Charles M. and Mary D.
being the other two. Her family furnished its
quota in defense of the Union, one brother, a soldier in
the Thirty-seventh Illinois Regiment, dying of disease
contracted in the army, and Charles M., who was in the
One Hundred and Seventh Ohio
Regiment, serving over
and Seventh Ohio Regiment, serving over three years and
receiving a serious wound.
He is now living in Ohio. F. J. Whitney, a
leading farmer in Rock Island County, Illinois, was a
prominent man in his district, serving as Justice of the
Peace, Postmaster, and in other official capacities. He
died in 1882, at the age of sixty-six. Mrs. Clark is
living at the old home with her son, very active in mind
and body, though not very strong. She reared two
children: Charles Edward, the subject of this sketch;
and Mary A., wife of John Phinney, of
Haydenville.
Charles Edward Clark attended the
district schools, acquiring there a fair amount of book
knowledge, at the same time acquiring that knowledge of
nature and natural laws that a country boy absorbs as
a sponge does
water. Being the only son,
he became master of the homestead at his father's death,
and for some years. has been engaged in general farming,
making a specialty of dairying and sending milk to the
creamery. He keeps from twenty to twenty-five cows, and
has a large well-equipped barn, which was built in 1882.
The house in which he resides was erected by his father
over forty years ago, and the boards in the dining-room
floor have been in use over one hundred years, having
done service in the floor of the east room in the old
house of the great-grandfather.
Mr. Clark was married January 1,
1890, to Nancy Belle, daughter of Albert E. and Mary A.
(Parks) Wright. The latter died in 1894, leaving besides
Mrs. Clark one other daughter and a son: Sarah, wife of
E. B. Gibbs, of North
Blandford, Mass. ; and Lyman E., who lives in Chester on
the farm with his father. Mrs. Clark is a refined and
well-educated lady, a graduate of Leicester Academy, and
was a teacher for some time before her marriage. Mr. and
Mrs. Clark had one son, who died in infancy. Mr. Clark
is an independent voter. He served on the Board of
Aldermen in 1890. He has some advanced ideas respecting
city government. Mrs. Clark is a member of the
Congregational church at Williamsburg. They have an
ideal home, roomy and well-kept, and may be regarded as
representative types of Northampton's best
citizens.
CAPTAIN EDWIN C. CLARK, a much
esteemed citizen of Northampton, Mass., was born here
October 23, 1826, son of Allen and Sophia (Cook) Clark.
The Clark family trace their lineage back to William
Clark, who was born in England in the year 1609, and
came to Massachusetts among the early colonists, being
known to have been living in Dorchester in 1638, and to
have removed to Northampton about twenty years
after.
This progenitor, who, like his
contemporaries, was engaged in agricultural pursuits,
bore the title of Lieutenant and was a very able and
public spirited man. He served as Trial Justice and was
often one of the Selectmen of Northampton. Captain Clark
has a souvenir of the olden times in the shape of a
photographic copy of the autographs of the five
Selectmen of 1666, one of whom was Lieutenant Clark. He
was also a consistent church member and served as Deacon
for many years. He died in
Northampton in 1691. In 1880, in place of the simple
headstone that had marked his grave, a monument of
Ouincy granite, costing five hundred dollars, was
erected to his memory by his descendants, some ten of
whom, including Captain Edwin C.
Clark, were active in tracing the genealogy of
the family.
His son, John Clark, who was born
in Dorchester, as appears from the history of that town,
also devoted much time and attention to public affairs;
and in addition to the other positions of public trust
which he filled he served as a Representative in the
General Court during fourteen sessions. He was the
father of ten children, by whom he had over eighty
grandchildren; and, like his father, he held the office
of Deacon in the church of which he was a member. His
son, Increase Clark, was born in Northampton in 1684;
and directly after him the lineal representatives are
Daniel, born in Northampton in 1712, and Daniel's son,
Deacon Solomon, who was also a native of Northampton,
born in 1744, and who became a well-to-do farmer. He
died in 1821, leaving a family of seven children, three
sons and four daughters. A brother Daniel was one of the
pioneer settlers of Ohio, near Cleveland, where he
reared a family of ten children.
Allen Clark, son of Deacon Solomon,
was born in 1789, was reared to the vocation of a
farmer, and later became the owner of the old homestead,
where his life was successfully spent as an
agriculturist. He died in August, 1849 His wife, Sophia
Cook Clark, was a daughter of William and Annie (Gorman)
Cook, both of whom were natives of Hadley, Mass. Their
marriage was solemnized in Northampton in 1814; and they
reared a family of seven children, four sons and three
daughters, of whom Edwin C. was the sixth child and
third son. The only survivors are Edwin C. and his
sister Pamelia, the widow of Heman Smith, of
Springfield, Mass. Edwin C. Clark
received a good common-school education, and remained on
his father's farm until in his twenty-third year, when
he was aroused by the reports of discovery of gold in
California, and went thither by way of the Isthmus. He
was engaged for a time as a placer miner on the American
River, but a year later he came home; and in the fall of
1850 he secured a position in New York City as salesman
and shipper for the firm of Beebe & Co., hatters,
remaining with them four years. In 1854, returning to
Hampshire County, he became associated with William
Clark, under the firm name of E. C. Clark & Co., in
the manufacture of lumber, which they carried on at
Southampton, Mass., for five years, conducting a steam
sawmill, and during that time sold nine thousand cords
of wood. He subsequently engaged in the livery business
with his brother in Northampton, and later conducted it
alone and on quite an extensive scale, having two
stables with thirty to fifty horses. In 1877 he became
superintendent of the Northampton Street Railway; and he
also served as Treasurer from that time until 1893,
rendering very efficient service in both offices. He has
since lived retired from active business.
In 1861 Mr. Clark enlisted as
Second Lieutenant in the Twenty-seventh Massachusetts
Volunteer Infantry, and served in the Burnside
expedition, taking part in the battles of Roanoke and
Newbern. In 1862 he
reenlisted in the Fifty-second Massachusetts Infantry as
First Lieutenant of Company C, and later received a
commission as Quartermaster. He went to Louisiana under
the command of General Banks, was present at the capture
of Baton Rouge; he also served at Port Hudson, and was
with his regiment when it ascended the Mississippi
River. He was mustered out of service in the fall of
1863, at Greenfield, Mass.
On November 20, 1850, Mr. Clark was united in
marriage with Miss Emily L. Hines, of Lee, Mass., a
daughter of William and Hannah (Putnam) Hines. She was
the eighth in a family of ten children, five sons and
five daughters, of whom but three are living: Mrs.
Clark; Sarah, the wife of John Williams, of
Williamsburg, Mass. ; and Marshall Hines, of Coltsville,
Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Clark are the parents of two sons and
two daughters, namely: Ida Beebe, the wife of Joseph
Carhart, President of the State Normal School at St.
Cloud, Minn. ; Edwin C, who succeeded his father as
superintendent of the street railway company;
Mary A., the wife of
E. V. Mitchell, of Hartford, Conn. ; and William Clark,
a coal dealer, residing in Lansingburg, N.Y. Mr. and
Mrs. Clark began married
life forty-five years ago; and the only death that has
been in the family, which now numbers twenty-six, is
that of a grand-daughter, Ida Clark, at eight years of
age. In political
affiliation Mr. Clark is a Republican, and, though never
a man who sought public office, has served acceptably as
Alderman. For twenty-five years he was an active fireman
and was the engineer many years. Mr.
Clark is a Master Mason of thirty-four years
standing, and has a wide circle of friends and
acquaintances. He and his family reside at 94 Crescent
Street, in their fine dwelling which was completed in
November, 1892.
EDWIN COOK CLARK, Jr.,
superintendent of the Northampton Street Railway Company
and a highly respected citizen of Northampton, was born
in Southampton in 1856, son of Captain Edwin Cook and
Emily L. (Hines) Clark, the former of whom is a native
of Northampton.
Allen Clark, the grandfather of
Edwin Cook Clark, Jr., who was born in 1787, was
likewise a native and lifelong resident of
Northampton. During the active
period of his life he was successfully engaged in
agriculture on his farm, which was located in the
section through which Harrison Avenue now runs. He died
in 1849, at the age of sixty-two years. He married Miss
Sophia Cook, and their union was blessed by the birth of
four sons and four daughters, all of whom grew to
maturity. Two are now living,
namely: Captain Edwin Cook Clark, and his sister,
Pamelia, widow of Heman Smith, who resides in
Springfield, Mass. Mrs. Clark died seventy-four years of
age.
Captain Edwin Cook Clark, who has now retired
from active business life, is well known in Northampton
and vicinity. He assisted his father in carrying on the
farm. After four or five years spent in California and
in New York City, he helped in establishing the firm of
E. C. Clark & Co., in which for several years he
successfully engaged in the manufacture of lumber. He was
also superintendent of the Street Railway Company, in
which capacity he rendered most acceptable service from
1877 up to 1888, when he was succeeded by his son. His wife,
Emily L. (Hines) Clark, a
native of Becket, Mass., has borne him two sons and two
daughters: Ida Beebe, wife of Joseph Carhart, President
of the State Normal School of St. Cloud, Minn. ; Edwin
C, Jr. ; Mary, who married E. V. Mitchell, a grain
merchant of Hartford, Conn. ; and William
Clark, a coal dealer in Lansingburg,
N.Y.
Edwin C. Clark, Jr., received his
early education in the public schools of Northampton,
and completed his studies at the Mount Pleasant Private
School of Amherst. He then engaged in the livery
business with his father until 1882, when he secured a
position as conductor on the street railway. Since then
he has been in the employ of that company in different
capacities, from trackman up to his present position as
superintendent, which he has filled since 1888. In this
office he has the supervision of from one hundred and
fifty to two hundred men, and the charge of seventeen
miles of street tracks.
On December 5, 1877, Mr. Clark was
united in marriage with Miss Mona Vogel, of Northampton,
a daughter of John Vogel. They had three children, as
follows: Ida Mary, who died in 1887, eight years of age;
Annette Isabel, aged fourteen years, who is attending
school; and Edwin Cook Clark, a lad of six years. In
politics Mr. Clark is a Republican.
He is esteemed for his business ability and manly
characteristics.
HORACE CLARK, one of the town
fathers of Greenwich, Mass., a village resident actively
engaged in general farming and cattle dealing, was born
in Wells, Me., January 29, 1820, son of
Moses and Abigail (Hobbs) Clark, both natives of
Wells. Mr. Clark's
great-grandfather, Jonathan Clark, who was born in the
north of Ireland, was one of the first settlers of
Wells, a sturdy pioneer who died on the land which he
cleared. His son Nathan,
who also was a farmer, was a well-read man for his day,
and held a leading position among the citizens of Wells,
both on account of his intelligence and his success in
business matters. In politics a Whig,
he was elected to all the important offices of the town,
serving as Town Clerk for many years and as Selectman
for a number of terms. He attended the
Baptist church, though not a member, and lived an
exemplary life. He died in his
native town when seventy-nine years of age.
Moses Clark, son of Nathan and the
father of Horace Clark, was born in 1798. He followed
the profession of teaching from early manhood up to the
time of his death, spending the greater part of his life
in his native town. He lived but forty-six years, being
killed in a steamboat explosion on the Ohio River in
1844. His wife, who
was born in 1797, died in 1857.
In politics Moses
Clark was a Democrat. He and
his wife attended the Baptist church. They had a
family of seven children, all of whom reached maturity,
but four are now dead; namely, James, Sylvia, Charles,
and Erastus. James was
killed by the Indians while on his way home from
California. Erastus was
Captain of Company C, Twelfth Massachusetts Regiment,
and served during the whole of the late war. The living
children of Moses Clark are: Horace, above named; Jane,
wife of Darius Barry, of Lynn, Mass.; and Nathan, who
resides in Lynn, and is prominent in the Democratic
politics of that city.
Horace Clark grew to manhood on the
home farm, receiving the rudiments of his education in
the schools of his native town. But he was not
satisfied with the knowledge thus acquired, and, going
to work in a store in Boston at the age of sixteen,
saved his earnings in order to complete his education.
He worked two years: and his father allowed him fifty
dollars of the money he saved, taking which he went to
Hanover, and there prepared himself for college. He attended the
college one year, eking out his tuition fee by doing
various things and teaching during the vacations of
1839; but in 1841, owing to
ill health, he gave up his studies, and the following
year enlisted in the United States Army, and served in
the Mexican War. Mr. Clark was
not at the time aware that he was enlisting, thinking,
when he signed his papers, that he was securing a
position as surveyor for the government; but, finding
himself entrapped, he made the best of the situation,
and served five years with credit. He was
promoted to the rank of Corporal, and was at the Carlile
Barracks thirteen months, being then assigned to Company
C, attached to the Second Regiment of Dragoons.
Subsequently he was made First Sergeant of
Company C. At the end of
his term of enlistment he went to Lynn to learn the
morocco dresser's trade, which he followed for some
time, acting as foreman in a morocco factory for over
three years. He then established a factory of his own,
and for twenty-eight years was successfully engaged in
the morocco business in Lynn, part of the time
associated with his brother under the firm name of H.
& N. Clark, part of the time alone. Mr. Clark
eventually disposed of his manufacturing interests,
and in September, 1878,
moved to Greenwich, purchasing the
estate on which he now resides. This farm,
which covers two hundred acres, is one of the best in
the town. He carries on
general farming,, and makes a specialty of fattening
veal for the Boston market, keeping from ten to twelve
milk cows to aid in feeding the calves which he
buys. The
dwelling-house which Mr. Clark occupies is one of the
oldest in the town, having been erected in 1766, and is
widely known as the old Hines Tavern. It is in a fine
state of preservation, and is a monument to the good
workmanship of the builders of the last century. On this
farm, too, is a grand old elm tree, supposed to be the
oldest tree in the county.
Mr. Clark's first wife, Sarah L.
Newcomb, to whom he was united in 1848, died in 1855;
and his second wife, Rachel Stimson, whom ; he married
two years later, died in 1858. In 1888 he married his
third wife, Naomi E. Dutton, a native of
Sackville, N.B. Mr.
Clark has two
children living. His son Charles
K. died at the age of forty-two; William H. resides in
Lynn; and Lillian B. is the wife of Frank Galloup, also
a resident of that city.
In politics Mr. Clark is
independent. He has held nearly all the public offices
of the town of Greenwich, serving as Selectman, Overseer
of the Poor, and in other capacities; and in educational
matters he is a moving spirit, his great desire now
being to see a high school established in Greenwich. On
religious matters he holds liberal views. He is a man
who believes in doing everything well, and his farm
to-day is one of the best kept farms in Greenwich.
HORACE L. CLARK, secretary of the
Williston & Knight Company of Easthampton, was born
in West Springfield, October 2, 1837, and is the son of
Anson Kingsley and Laura (Brown) Clark.
He is a son of one of the oldest and most honored
families in New England, tracing his lineage to
Lieutenant William Clark, who came from England in 1630
with the first settlers of Dorchester.
Lieutenant Clark lived in
Dorchester until 1659, when he removed to Northampton,
and there established a homestead on a site that is now
included in the grounds of Smith College. He was a man
of sterling parts, and held among other public offices
that of Judge of the District Court. His son John, who
was occupied much as his father had been, first married
in 1677 Sarah Cooper, who bore him a daughter, Sarah,
afterward wife of Zachariah Field. He married again
March 20, 1679, Mary Strong, daughter of Elder John
Strong. His son, John Clark, Jr., married October 31,
1704, Elizabeth Cook, daughter of Noah Cook and
grand-daughter of Major Aaron Cook, and reared five sons
and six daughters, nearly all of whom had families. The
youngest son, Josiah, lived to be ninety-two; and at the
time of his death there were living nine hundred and
twenty-eight descendants of his grandfather, of whom at
one time there were eleven hundred and fifty-eight.
Eliakim, son of John Clark, Jr., was the
great-great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch.
He removed from Northampton to what is now Easthampton,
where he was one of the early settlers and a large
land-holder, and gave the land for the East Street
Cemetery. He married December 10, 1730, Esther Wright,
daughter of Ebenezer Wright and grand-daughter of Samuel
Wright, Jr., who was killed by Indians at Northfield,
September 22, 1675. His son Asahel, our subject's
great-grandfather, was a soldier in the French and
Indian wars, in active service at Lake George in 1755,
and at Ticonderoga in 1758. He also served in the
Revolutionary army, being promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant. He married October 31, 1761, Submit Clapp,
daughter of Major Jonathan Clapp.
His son Eliakim, Horace L. Clark's grand-father,
enlisted as a minuteman in 1777, and fought in the ranks
of the Revolutionary army when a youth of eighteen. He first went
to the war, on alarm to Ticonderoga, at the age of
fifteen, with his grandfather, Major Jonathan Clapp, a
member of one of the most distinguished families of
Northampton, of whom an extended account is given on
another page. Eliakim Clark died in
1828, at the age of sixty-one. He was three times
married, and had several children by each wife. He was
the father of the twin brothers, Willis Gaylord Clark,
editor of the Philadelphia Gazette and a poet of some
note, and Lewis Gaylord Clark, of the Knickerbocker
Magazine. The mother of Horace L. Clark's father was
Lydia, daughter of Jonathan and Lydia (Lyman)
Kingsley. Anson Kingsley Clark
was born in 1790, and was the oldest of his father's
children. He also was a
soldier, served in the War of 1812, and died in 1864. In
1815 he was united in marriage with Laura, daughter of
Eli and Sarah (Lyman) Brown, of Easthampton, who also
was of Revolutionary stock, both of her grandfathers,
Captain Silas Brown and Captain David Lyman, having a
record of service as Lieutenants in the Second Hampshire
County Regiment. She died in 1879, and her remains rest
with those of her husband in the West Springfield
Cemetery. Of their children the following reached adult
life: Harriet, wife of Harrison Bennett, now deceased;
Mary Ann, deceased, wife of Oliver F. Pinney, of
Springfield; Edson and Julia W. Clark, in West
Springfield; and Horace Lyman, whose name heads this
article.
Horace L. Clark finished his
education at the Chicopee High School in 1853. He first
worked as a salesman in a store of South Hadley, and
from 1856 to 1860 was in Darien and Savannah, Ga. In
1862 he entered the employ of the Williston & Knight
Company, and for the past twelve years has been
secretary and superintendent of these large mills - a
responsible position, which only a man of business
ability and mental acumen could fill successfully. He is
a Director of Easthampton Public Library Association and
of the Easthampton Gas Company, as well as of the
Williston & Knight Company.
On May 18, 1869, he was married to
Sarah Webster, of Owego, N.Y., daughter of Moses L.
Webster, of Vermont, and they have an interesting family
of three daughters: Mary Webster Clark, a graduate of
Smith College in the class of 1895; ; and Alice and
Edith, young ladies in the class of 1898 in the same
college. Mr. Clark votes in the ranks of the Republican
party, and is interested in public matters, although not
an active politician.
He is a Knight
Templar, being Past Master of Ionic Lodge. For some
years he has been Deacon and Treasurer of the Payson
Congregational Church, of which his wife and family are
also members. He has a pleasant home on Park Street,
which he erected in 1870.
JAIRUS E. CLARK, Sheriff of
Hampshire County, was born at Southampton, May 8, 1835.
His father, Strong Clark, was born in the same town in
1801 ; and his grandfather, Noah Clark, a native of
either Southampton or Northampton, was born December 1,
1762. He was an extensive and successful farmer, owning
a farm of over four hundred acres of land situated at
the foot of Montgomery Mountain. On February 5, 1786, he
married Eunice Strong, whose birth occurred in 1764.
They reared a family of nine children, one daughter
having died young. Those who grew to maturity became
heads of families, most of them settling in New England.
Noah Clark died in 1844, at the age of eighty-two, and
his wife in 1853, aged eighty-nine years.
Sheriff Clark's father was also a
very prosperous farmer and a prominent man in public
affairs, being a Selectman for several years and a
Representative to the General Court during the sessions
of 1846 and 1847. He was known as an industrious and
prudent man, but exceedingly benevolent, bestowing
generously the fruits of his labor upon the needy and
unfortunate. A sincere Christian, gifted in prayer, he
was a consistent member of the Congregational church.
His wife, Roena Searle, of Chester, whom he married in
the month of December, 1823, became the mother of two
sons, Joseph S. and Jairus E. The former was a merchant
of Westfield, where he died at the age of seventy-one
years, leaving a widow and one son. Mr. Clark's mother
still survives at the age of ninety-two years, bright
and active mentally, though suffering from lameness
which is the result of an accident.
She resides at Southampton, where her sister,
Mrs. Rachel Edwards, died at the advanced age of
ninety-six. Mrs. Roena Searle Clark is the youngest of
eight children born to her parents, Zenas and Rachel
(Bates) Searle, four of whom died in the short space of
four days, of scarlet fever. Two sons and two daughters
lived to reach maturity, and Mrs. Clark is now the only
survivor.
Jairus E. Clark received a good
education in the public schools of his native town and
at the Sheldon Academy. He continued to reside at home,
assisting his father upon the farm and also conducting a
profitable lumber business until 1868, when he engaged
in the meat business at Easthampton, which he carried on
with satisfactory results for a period of seven years.
He next became station agent of the New Haven Railroad,
a position which he held for twelve years; and during
that time he was elected High Sheriff of Hampshire
County, having previously served as a Deputy.
He is now (November, 1895) serving his twelfth
year in office, and has recently been re-elected by the
vote of both the Republican and Democratic parties, to
serve a fifth term of three years, a fact showing the
public appreciation of the ability and faithfulness with
which he has discharged his trusts.
On October 1, 1856, Mr. Clark was united in
marriage with Miss Almanza M. Hubbard, of Southampton,
who had been a school-teacher. Mrs. Clark's father,
David C. Hubbard, died early in life; and her mother
became the wife of Seth Bartlett. Mr. and Mrs.
Clark became the parents of three children, but
have been called to part with two of them Myron W., who
died at the age of twenty-one months; and Eugene B., at
the age of five years. Their only
surviving child, Gertrude A. Clark, is a bright and
promising student at Lasell Seminary, Auburndale, Mass.
Mr. Clark is well advanced in Masonry, being a member of
the Mystic Shrine, and, although a Republican in
politics, owes his election, as before mentioned, to
both the great parties, which united in his
support. He has
also served as a Selectman at
Southampton, as Chief of the fire department, and
chairman of the Town Hall Committee at
Easthampton, and is a Director of the Hampshire County
National Bank of Northampton and a Trustee of the old
savings bank at Easthampton.
LEWIS A. CLARK, a widely
known farmer of Huntington, was born in Southampton,
Mass., January 8, 1839, son of Elisha and Minerva
(Stearns) Clark. Mr. Clark's father was a native of
Massachusetts, and followed at different times the
occupations of farmer and cooper. He moved to Huntington
in 1865, where he was engaged in agriculture until his
death, which occurred February 10, 1869. He was a Whig
in politics, but beyond casting his vote he took no
active interest in public affairs. Elisha Clark's wife,
who was born in Hinesburg, Vt., became the mother of six
children, as follows: Mary, wife of Dexter Lyman, a
resident of Huntington; Martha, deceased, who married
for her first husband Thomas Wright and for her second
Joshua Bemis; Sophronia, deceased, who married W.
Graves; John E., who married Julia Freeman, and is now a
farmer in Easthampton, Mass. ; Ellen E., widow of Isaac
Avery; and Lewis A. the subject of this sketch. The
mother died April 6, 1891.
Lewis A. Clark resided at
home until his fourteenth year, when he began to support
himself. At the age of seventeen he commenced to learn
the trade of a mason, and after working at that calling
in Southampton and the West for five years he went to
Easthampton, where he labored as a journeyman for
another five years. From Easthampton he went to
Springfield, Mass., where he was employed at his trade
for one year; and in 1869, when his father died, he went
to Huntington to take charge of the home farm. He has
since successfully carried on the farm, while continuing
to work at his trade. He is independent in politics, and
has served as a Selectman for eight consecutive
years.
On December 20, 1866, Mr.
Clark was united in marriage to Hattie R. Howes,
daughter of Charles and Mary Howes. Mrs. Clark is a
member of the Congregational church. They have one
adopted son.
RODOLPHUS C CLARK, a well-known
farmer of Prescott, was born Rutland, Vt., December 18,
1832, son of Elijah and Zeviah (Weston) Clark. Mr. Clark's
grandfather, Asahel Clark, was one of the first settlers
in Belchertown. He owned a large tract of land, upon
which he followed agriculture successfully, and was a
prominent man. He died in Belchertown at the age of
ninety years. His family consisted of twelve children,
eleven of whom, five sons and six daughters, reached
maturity. Of these, Elijah, Mr. Clark's father, was the
youngest.
Elijah Clark was born in
Belchertown and reared to an agricultural life, in which
he continued for the active period of his life. He owned
several farms. The greater portion of his life was
passed in Belchertown, and he died at the age of eighty
years. In religion he was a Baptist, while he was a
Democrat in politics. His wife,
Zeviah (Weston) Clark, who was born in Willington,
Tolland County, Conn., became the mother of ten
children. Five of these are
living, namely: Rodolphus C., the subject of this
sketch; John, a resident of Springfield; Elmina, wife of
Rodolphus Cooley, of Springfield; Maria, widow of
Rodolphus Converse, of Springfield; and
Sophia King, widow of Captain King, now residing in
San Francisco, Cal. Those deceased
were: Weston E. and Orlando M., both of whom died in the
Civil War; Elbridge, who died in Boston; Zeviah; and
Mary Ann. The mother died comparatively
young.
Rodolphus C. Clark passed his
boyhood and youth in Ludlow and neighboring towns. At
the age of eight years he went to live with Dr.
W. Alden in Ludlow, with whom he remained eight
years. He then engaged in peddling tin ware and stoves,
an occupation which he followed for ten years. He next
busied himself in various pursuits, and during the Civil
War became a government contractor, in which capacity he
furnished the War Department with twenty-five hundred
horses. He then turned his attention to lumbering, and
while in that business contracted to furnish the Boston
& Albany Railroad Company with a large amount of
material. He has been an exceedingly active and busy
man, and his various enterprises have all terminated
successfully. In 1882 he purchased the farm where he now
resides, which consists of one hundred and twenty acres,
on which he is engaged in general farming, making a
specialty of raising hay, grain, and fruits. His
substantial residence, which is pleasantly situated, was
erected by him ; and he also owns real estate in other
towns. He is a Democrat in politics and liberal in his
views of religious differences.
On June 28, 1860, Mr.
Clark was united in marriage to Lorinda P. Hubbard, who
was born in Ludlow, December 11, 1837, daughter of John
P. and Harriet M. (Parsons) Hubbard, neither of whom is
now living. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have three
children, as follows: Minnie L., who resides at home;
Mattie Howry, a resident of Prescott; and Mabel H., wife
of Fred B. Purdy, of Belchertown.
THOMAS F.
CLARK, senior member of the
firm of Thomas F. Clark & Sons, and a highly
esteemed business man of Ware, was born in County Cavan,
Ireland, in April, 1832, son of Michael and Mary
(Farley) Clark.
His father was a weaver by trade
and for many years was successfully engaged in that
business for himself, using hand looms and employing
four or five men in the work. He manufactured coarse and
fine Irish linens, blankets, frieze jacket cloths, and
similar fabrics. He died in Ireland in 1840, when about
sixty years of age. His wife, Mary Farley, reared him
four sons and two daughters. Of these, Ann became the
wife of James Reilly, by whom she had two children.
During a fever epidemic in Dublin she, her husband, and
children all died in a hospital there. The rest
are: Margaret, who
came to America when a young woman, and died in Globe
Village, Mass., thirty-five years of age; Patrick, who
came to this country about 1850; James, residing in
Ware, where he is employed by the Otis Company, is
married, and has a family of children;
Thomas F.; and Thaddeus, a weaver,
who is also married and has a family.
Their mother died in Ireland in 1878, nearly one
hundred years of age. She was a
woman of more than ordinary ability, and retained a good
degree of bodily health until her last days. Her
aunt, whose
maiden name was Dunn,
lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and twenty
years.
Thomas P. Clark began as a mere
child to have some part in his father's weaving
establishment. He was able to weave at an early age.
When eighteen he came with his elder brother Patrick to
America, making the voyage in thirty-four days. On his
arrival the first work he secured was on a farm in
Southbridge, Mass. After a
few weeks spent there he obtained a position in the
print works in Ware, which has since been his home. He
began in one of the mills of the Otis Company. Here he
soon proved himself a skilled weaver; but, though he
operated three looms, he received only eighteen dollars
per month. Board, however, was
proportionately cheap at this time, it costing but six
dollars per month. Within two years he
was able to earn one dollar per day; and gradually
advancing he became in turn overseer of the different
departments from beaming to weaving, and
finally of the finishing-room, where for some time he
made as high as two dollars
and seventy-five cents per day. He gave
complete satisfaction during the thirty-five years that
he was connected with the company. The
company now employs two of his sons in positions of
importance. The firm of Thomas K. Clark & Sons was
organized in 1882, and is composed of Thomas F., and his
sons, James and Henry M. They have stores in Ware,
Warren, and, until it was destroyed by fire July 4,
1895, in Hudson, Mass. They do an extensive and
profitable business.
Mr. Clark was married when about twenty-one
years of age to Miss Ann Dailey, whose birth occurred in
Ireland in the town where he was also born, and where
they played together as children. Their
union has been blessed by the birth of six children,
four sons and two daughters, all of whom are
living. They are
as follows: John Clark, superintendent
of finishing in the cloth-room of the Otis Company, who
is married and has five sons and two daughters; James
Clark, also a superintendent in one of the departments
of the Otis Company, who is married and has two sons and
three daughters; Thomas F. Clark,
Jr., in charge of the store at Warren, who is
married and has one son; Henry M. Clark, manager of the
stores in Ware and West Warren; Mary Clark, residing at
home, a saleslady in Ware; and Katie Clark, who has been
her father's housekeeper since her mother's death. The
mother died in October, 1882, when she was fifty years
of age. The family are members of All Saints Catholic
Church. Mr. Clark has occupied his present residence on
North Street, nearly opposite the church, for the past
twenty-five years.
WALTER A. CLARK, M.D., a successful physician
of Prescott, was born in Petersham, Mass., May 8, 1857,
son of Almond and Mary (Pattee) Clark. Dr. Clark's
great-grandparents were Edward and Anna (Jenerson)
Clark, the former of whom was born June 25, 1738, and
the latter July 4, 1739. His grandfather, Samuel Clark,
was born March 30, 1765; and his grandmother, whose
maiden name was Mehitable Ingersoll, was born March 20,
1769.
Almond Clark, Dr. Clark's father, was born in
Hardwick, Mass., February 10, 1809. He settled in
Petersham, where he passed the greater part of his life.
He engaged in farming, an occupation which he followed
for a time; and later he entered into trade. He finally
returned to agriculture, and cultivated a farm with
success for the remainder of his life. He was an
industrious man, possessed a high order of intelligence,
and was especially well informed upon legal subjects. In
politics he was a stanch Republican, and he entertained
broad and liberal views upon religious matters. Mr.
Clark, Sr., died at the old homestead in Petersham in
July, 1869. His wife became the
mother of six children, as follows: John W., who
enlisted in the Twenty-first Regiment, Massachusetts
Volunteers, and was killed in the Civil War at the age
of twenty-one; Asa Wilbur, who died at the age of
thirty; Philena, who is the wife of William Tolman, and
resides in Barre, Mass.; Harriet, wife of Horace Hager,
of Athol, Mass.; Lura, who married Charles H.
Burroughs, and resides in Chicago, 111.; and
Walter A., the subject of this sketch, who is the
youngest. The mother, who still survives, is residing
with her daughter in Barre.
Walter A. Clark commenced his education in
the district schools of his native town, and completed
his studies at the grammar schools in Barre. He went to
Chicago in 1874, arriving in that city on October 14 of
that year, and entered the shops of the F. C. Wells
Engine Works for the purpose of learning the trade of a
machinist and engineer. He served
an apprenticeship of three years, during which time he
acted as an engineer in the machinery department of the
Chicago International Exhibition in 1875.
On August 16, 1877, having acquired
his trade, he was united in marriage to Verena Gloor, a
native of Switzerland, and returned with her to
Massachusetts, making his home in Athol until 1880. He
again went to Chicago; and on December 31, 1880, he
secured a position in Delts Pharmacy as prescription
clerk. On March 12, 1882, he started East on a visit,
remaining until the autumn of that year. Upon his return
to the Western metropolis he entered the Rush Medical
College (September 4, 1882), pursued a thorough course
of medical study, and graduated February 17, 1885. On
April 1 of that year he located on Madison Street,
Chicago, where he conducted a good practice for two
years, at the expiration of which time he returned to
his native State. Settling in Prescott, February 27,
1888, he has since practiced his profession in this and
adjoining towns.
As a medical practitioner he is energetic and
skilful, and is a pleasant gentleman to meet. He possesses a
disposition and character well calculated to inspire
confidence. As an illustration of the esteem he has won
it may be mentioned that, while yet a student, he was
summoned East for the purpose of examining a patient and
rendering an opinion in regard to the case. Since coming to
Prescott he has purchased the property formerly known as
the Atkinson Tavern, where he now resides. It is an
old landmark in the town, and was built by John Atkinson
in 1820. It was for many years used as a public house,
and is still in a good state of preservation, its
huge chimneys
and broad, open
fireplaces giving the interior a cheerful and
comfortable
appearance. Dr.
Clark is liberal in his religious and political
views and a lover of the fine arts.
WILLIAM S. CLARK, one of
the foremost citizens of Granby, active in his
profession, in business, and in social circles, is a
worthy representative of the native residents of the
town. Less than thirty years of age, the date of his
birth being April 25, 1867, he is one of the younger
generation of men in public office. His father, the late
Spencer Clark, was for many years one of the leading
farmers of this locality. serving as
Selectman in 1879 and 1880, besides holding other
offices. He married Arvilla Davis, a native of
Royalston, Worcester County, Mass. Mrs. Davis is now
living with her son, of whom we write, her husband
having passed from earth in 1883.
William S. Clark was the only
child born to his parents. He acquired his elementary
education in the public schools, this being supplemented
by a two years' attendance at Williston Seminary, from
which he received his diploma in 1884. Subsequently
entering Yale College, he was graduated from there in
1888, and the following year was engaged in agriculture.
In 18S9 Mr. Clark began reading law in the office of
William H. Brooks, of Holyoke, remaining with him a few
months after his admission to the bar, which was on
December 21, 1891. Returning then to Granby, he has
since been conspicuously identified with the best
interests of the town, and, while
attending to his
professional duties, has also carried on farming to a
considerable extent. He is the owner of a valuable farm
of three hundred acres that he rents, in addition to the
one on which he lives. In him the Democratic party finds
one of its strongest supporters, and his towns-people
one of their most valued officials. Mr. Clark has been a
member of the School Committee here ever since his first
election, in 1889; and since 1893 he has been a member
of the Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Clark has always been an
active worker in Masonic circles, and has done much to
promote the prosperity of the order in this State. He
belongs to Vernon Lodge of Belchertown, and was Master
of it in 1891, 1892, and 1893. He has also a membership
in the Mount Holyoke Council, Royal and Select Masons,
in the Springfield Commandery, Knights Templars, and in
1895 was appointed District Deputy Grand Master of the
Seventeenth Masonic District. He joined the Evening Star
Lodge of Perfection in Springfield, and is likewise a
member of the Massasoit Council, Princes of Jerusalem,
of Springfield, of the Rose Croix Chapter, and of the
Massachusetts Consistory, of Boston, having taken the
thirty-second degree in that Lodge. Mr. Clark is also
connected with the Granby Grange, which he joined in
1889, and was Master of it in 1893 and 1894. He takes a
deep interest in the advancement of the cause of
temperance, and is an active member of the Lodge of Good
Templars.
On the 1st of October, 1891,
Mr. Clark was united in marriage with Miss Maude I.
Davis, who was born September 27, 1871, in Somers,
Conn., daughter of O. L. and Ellen S. (Washburn) Davis.
Two children have been born of this union: Ruth, on May
29, 1893; and Donald Spencer, July 22,
1895.
The Granby Co-operative
Creamery Association was chartered in January, 1889, and
commenced the business of manufacturing butter on the
1st of March. William S. Clark was
elected its first clerk and treasurer; and its first
Board of Directors consisted of Clinton W. Stebbins,
Monroe Keith, C. W. Ferry, S. A.
Taylor, and J. H. Barton. It was due chiefly to the
enterprise and energy of these six men that the
corporation was formed. They believed that it would be
not only a boon to the tired housewife, but a financial
success also; and the history of the association shows
that they were right. Many of the farmers were slow to
appreciate its advantages; but they have gradually
joined the association until, from a beginning with only
fifteen patrons, the factory now receives cream from
fifty-eight farmers. During the six
years ending March 1, 1895, the association has received
three million, three hundred and eighty-five thousand,
nine hundred and three spaces of cream, for which it has
paid to its patrons one hundred and twenty thousand,
seven hundred and sixty-seven dollars and seventy-six
cents. From this cream there have been sold directly
five hundred and fifty-six gallons of cream; and there
have been made and sold five hundred and twenty-nine
thousand, nine hundred and one pounds of butter and two
hundred and twenty thousand, two hundred and sixty-eight
gallons of buttermilk, for which the association has
received one hundred and forty-five thousand, six
hundred and three dollars and seventy-two cents. The
expenses of the association for the six years, including
dividends on its capital stock of
thirty-five hundred dollars and a reserve for
depreciation, have been twenty-four thousand, eight
hundred and thirty-five dollars and ninety-six cents.
Mr. Clark
is still the clerk and treasurer, and the present Board
of Directors consists of George L. Witt, president;
Monroe
Keith,
H. S.
Taylor, Charles E. Preston, of South Hadley, and
A. L. Bennett, of Ludlow.
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