John Clark (1741 - 1799)

Born 21 Jan 1741 in Stratham, Rockingham County, New Hampshire

Descendants

Died 1799 at about age 57 in Barnstead, New Hampshire

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Biography

John Clark removed to Lee, New Hampshire, with his parents early in life. The opening up of Barnstead, in 1768 (for houses to be built) after peace was declared with the Indians, brought him to this area, where he lived until he died. Barnstead historians say John Clark arrived in Barnstead as early as 1770 by following a trail marked by blazed trees. The deed of his land, the old instrument which as late as 1968 was in the possession of his great grandson, bears a date in the 10th year of the reign of George III. The writer had been unable to trace the parents of Betsey Batchelder (Batchelor), the wife of John Clark, even though Rev. Stephen Batchelder (early immigrant and head of the New Hampshire Batchelders) is also an ancestor of the writer. There were Batchelders living in Barnstead at the time John Clark and his wife Betsey were there, but whether Betsey was closely related to them is unknown. John enlisted in July 1777 as a soldier in the Revolution and was discharged 22 September 1777 with two months and one day of service. (New Hampshire Revolutionary Rolls, Volume 11, page 194). Early DAR papers call him Sergeant in Captain Wilson's Company, Colonel Stickney's Regiment; and General Starkes's Battalion. Dr. Jeremiah P. Jewett's History of Barnstead, first printed in 1872, says all Clarks of Barnstead descend from him. No record of this has been found, but Sabrina (Clark) Ham's obituary says her grandfather (called Jonathan in the obituary, but actually John Clark) was wounded in the War and later died as a result of such wounds. John was 36 when he enlisted and 58 when he died -- and early age, judging by the life span of the sons he left behind. Clark Township is a locality in the southeast part of Barnstead where the settlement was made and where the Clark family has been numerous. It was there John Clark cleared a farm on Lot 37 and passed his life. He sold his farm to his son Levi in 1794. It is likely he lived with Levi until he died. In 1983, I engaged an old friend and genealogist who shares a Ham line with me to again visit Barnstead and photo John Clark's grave. It is in Clark Town in Barnstead in the old Clark Cemetery, now located behind what is now known as Peter Yelle place. The stone on the grave is hand-hewn from a medium sized piece of common granite and bears the inscription; J.C. d. 1799. The grave is marker by D.A.R. and was decorated by a flag at the time Mr. Winston L. Hamm photographed it in 1983. According to Stuart Merrill's 2nd edition of History and Genealogy of the Barnstead early families (1979), John's wife Betsey is also buried there, but no marker has been found. Source: Cordier --- Ham and Related Families, by Mildred May Cordier, 1987, Volume 2, page 31.

CLARK, JOHN Ancestor #: A022450 Service: NEW HAMPSHIRE Rank: SERGEANT Birth: 1-21-1741 STRATHAM NEW HAMPSHIRE Death: 1799 BARNSTEAD NEW HAMPSHIRE Service Description: 1) CAPT.NATHANIEL WILSON COL.STICKNEY, 2) GEN.STARK

SpouseNumber Name

1)BETSY BATCHELDER^[1]

Sources

Footnotes

1. ↑ Entered by Dallas Riedesel.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dallas Riedesel for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Dallas and others.