John was born in Philadelphia, PA about 1881.[1] son of James Clark and Alice Hannigan.
In 1886 through 1892, the Clark family lived at 2543 Fisher St.[2] A brother died in 1889, followed by his mother in 1891, then 2 months later, another brother. All three were buried in St. Anne's Catholic Cemetery in Philadelphia. The cemetery is attached to St. Anne's Church, an Irish Roman Catholic Parish in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philly.
Fisher Street was in an Irish neighborhood located two blocks from the the Delaware River and the Pennsylvania Railroad Coal Wharves. Here's a link to an 1876 map of Philadelphia which shows Fisher Street. Look north of Petty's Island, where the Delaware takes a right-hand turn. More than two dozen railroad tracks converged at the coal wharves just a block or two from their house. The air must have been filled with coal dust and smoke from locomotives and steamships. It had to have been a gritty, noisy neighborhood, but probably handy to his father's work.
His family later moved to 2521 Emerald St., where his father died in 1898. His father is buried in the same grave as his brothers and mother in St. Anne's.
In 1900 John lived in Philadelphia with his married sister Kate Gaynor and her family. Following in his father's footsteps, he was working as an Apprentice Boilermaker, probably apprenticed to his brother-in-law, John Gaynor, who was also a Boilermaker. Apprenticeships generally last 4 years.
In 1903 he applied for a marriage license in Orphan's Court, Philadelphia, PA with his fiance' Nellie [Helen] C. Tierney (1884-?). Dtr of Edward J. and Ellen C. Tierney.[3][4] Future census questions about their marriage places their wedding in 1904.
It looks like John lived in Philadelphia, PA his entire life. (Or at least as long as 1942, the last available record found.) In 1910 they were in a rented a house at 1103 State St. Census says Nellie had born no children. John was a Fireman for the Railroad (the guy that stokes the fire in the engine). John's sister, Sallie Lynch [nee Clark], was living with them. She was married (although her husband wasn't with her) and had recently lost her only surviving child. (See her biography.) Sallie worked as an Operator at a Shirtwaist business. (3 years earlier she lived next door at 1102.)
In a 1915 city directory, John H. Clark lived at 5104 Westminster Ave. Occupation, [railroad] Engr. According to his WWI draft card, in 1918 John still lived at 5104 Westminster Ave., working as a Locomotive Engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad, a job he would keep through at least 1942.
In 1920 John & Nellie rented a house on 578 Paxon St. Nellie's mother, Ellen [aka Helen] Tierney & their 14 year old daughter, Anna, lived with them (but 10 years earlier, Nellie said she'd never had any kids.) Sometime before 1930, they bought a house at 1672 N 56th St.[5] It was valued at $6,000 & they owned a radio set. They lived here through at least 1940 at which time he valued it at $3,400. He worked 56 hours during the week of March 24-30, 1940; and worked 50 weeks & earned $2,784 in 1939. Their daughter had moved on (perhaps married) by 1930, but his mother-in-law continued to live with them through at least 1940.
John also registered for the draft (WWII) in 1942 at age 61, in what was called the "Old Man's Draft", but he wasn't called to serve in either war. His WWII draft card described him as white, 5'10", 180 lbs. blue eyes, gray hair, light complexion, scar on upper lip (not there in 1918).[6][7] His phone number in 1942 was TRI-7110.
John's name is such a common one, it's difficult to tell which other records might be his. Date & place of death unknown.
US Censuses
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John is 35 degrees from Herbert Adair, 30 degrees from Richard Adams, 31 degrees from Mel Blanc, 32 degrees from Dick Bruna, 32 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 42 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 32 degrees from Sam Edwards, 29 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 29 degrees from Marty Krofft, 27 degrees from Junius Matthews, 26 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 24 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
I'm a data doctor working error 631. FYI: putting 'unknown' in the death location confuses searches; that's why it produces an error. (We're supposed to just use the 'unknown' status.)
I think I found the death certificate. I'll summarize the evidence below, but note that the John Clark in the death certificate has the same parents but a different spouse. Did he remarry?
Division of Vital Statistics, Pennsylvania, death certificate, no. 45688 (7 May 1957), John Clark; image copy, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/278908?token=05335a91d50a4644361c765cb71274fba46fa12fe549b8cdb3ea25308edf466e : accessed 6 November 2022).
edited by Harry Ide