John (Clarke) Clark Sr. (abt. 1610 - bef. 1648)

Born about 1610 in England

Descendants

Died before 13 May 1648 before about age 38 in New Haven, New Haven Colony

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John (Clarke) Clark Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 67) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

"John Clarke came from England to America, at age 22, on the ship Elizabeth, in the year of 1634. (See History of New Haven, Connecticut, by Atwater, page 712) . He is said to have lived in the Massachsetts Colony for a short time before going "west" to and through the Connecticut country". Historian Donald Lines Jacobus says. "This John Clark was undoubtedly one of the founders of Wethersfield, Connecticut. He sold his holding there in 1638. It is known that a number of planters from Connecticut Colony joined the New Haven company from the start, and the Wethersfield John Clark was undoubtedly one of these. His knowledge of the Indian tongue, and the fact that he was very early appointed an officer of the New Haven Train Band and saw service in the Pequot Indian War". "That John Clarke's education was above the average for his time is shown by two circumstances,... He was one of the first Secretaries of the New Haven Colony and the fact that he was able to compete with older men for an office of such importance proves that he had an excellent education and that he was highly respected by the Colonial authorities". "This John Clarke served the New Haven Colony as its Interpreter when the Colony purchased a large area of land for its use in the earliest days. His signature and those of two Indian Chiefs are the only ones that appear on this important document". "He held several important and influential offices in the early Colony. He and his wife died rather early in life in the year of 1648, leaving four children who were reared by friends in the Colony". The John and Mary Clarke home stood on what was later Meadow Street in New Haven"^[1]

John of New Haven, Connecticut, d 1648; a sargent in the train band; his wife Mary also died in 1648^[2]

An inventory of their estate was taken 13 May 1648, indicating that their deaths were in 1648, rather than 1649 as stated by Jacobus. The estate was valued at £144:08:03^[3]

Children:

• John b. 1637 bap. 1640; d 22 Mar 1718/9 or perhaps the 23 m. Sarah b. 1642 d. 25 July 1674 da. George and Sarah Smith^[2]
• Samuel b. 1639 bap 1640, d s. p. before 1672^[2]
• Abigail m. Samuel Beardsley.
• Hester bap. 1 Mar 1645 m. 15 Aug 1672 Isaac Nichols^[2]

Distribution of the estate of John Clarke and wife

"AT A COURT HELD AT NEWHAVEN THE 5TH OF MARCH 1649 An Inventory of the Estate of John Clarke deceased was prsented in Court, Amount to made the 13th of May 1648: prissed by Mathew Gilbert, John Wakeman, Jn: Moss and Samuel Whithead, vpon oath for ye vallew of ye Goods: they also as persons intrusted to looke after the said Estate, tooke oath, that the whole Estate of Jn Clarke is to the best of ther light and knowledge conteyned in ye parcells and particulates mentioned in the said Inventory.^[4]

"AT A MEETING OF YE COURT, AT YE GOUERNOURS, JAN. I0, 1658 Mr Gilbert, Mr Wakeman, Samuell Whitehead, John Moss, who were by ye Court, March 5th, 1649, appoynted as ouerseers of the children & estate of John Clarke, deceased, prsented an acct to ye Court, wch being not fully prpared was respitted till another time. John Clarke, ye eldest sonne, being at ye age of 21 yeares, was now to receive his portion. Samuell Clarke & Abigaile his sister being either of them aboue 14 yeeres of age, wth ye consent of the Court chose their guardians; Samuell chose Abraham Dowlittle; Abigaile chose Samuell Whitehead; both whom accepted of it. Hester Clarke made choyce of Nicho. Elsy, but she being not 14 yeares of age till March next, it was respitted till then; but the accounts being not issued it was referred to another time, at wch time ye children wth their guardians were desired to be prsent & to propound, as they shall see cause, for their sattisfaction about the account."^[4]

"AT A MEETINGE OF YE COURT AT YE GOUERNORS, JAN. 12, 1658 After sundry questions had beene propounded & answered concerning ye estate belonging to the children of John Clarke, it was found to amount to ye somme of 171L, 14s, 11d, out of wch there was to be deducted 78L, 5s, 5d, by expences vpon the children, loss in cattell, &c., wch was cleared in ye particulers of it to ye satisfaction of ye Court, so there remained 93L, 9s, 6d, wch being devided into 5 parts is, 18L, 13s, 11d, each part; of wch John the eldest sonne is to have 2 fift parts, wch is 37L, 7s, 10d, ye full issue of wch busines was referred to ye next Court.^[4]

Feb 1658/9. "The estate belonging to the children of John Clarke, amounting to the some of 93L, 9s, 6d, was ordered thus to be devided : vnto John, ye eldest sonne, 37L, 7s, 10d, wch he is now to receive; to Samuell Clarke 18L, 13s, 11d, wch is to be delivered to Abraham Dowlitle, his gardian; vnto Abigaile, 18L, 13s, 11d, wch is to remaine wth Samuell Whitehead, her guardian; to Hester, 18L, I3s, 11 d. Wch was comitted to Nicholas Elsy, whom she nominated for her guardian. The perticulers of this estate of 93L, 9s, 6d, are to be found in ye booke of wills & inventoryes."^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.belizebreeze.com/bushongunited/pdfs/Descendants_of_John_Clark_of_New_Haven_Connecticut_who_came_on_the_ship_Elizabeth_in_1634_from_Ipswich_County_Suffolk_England.pdf
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Jacobus, Donald Lines (compiler). Families of Ancient New Haven, Vol I-VIII. and Index Vol IX New Haven: 1931. Reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1974, 1981, 1997. Originally published as New Haven Genealogical Magazine, Volumes I-VIII. Rome, NY and New Haven, CT 1922-1932. p 408.
3. ↑ "Abstracts of the Early Probate Records of New Haven, Book I, Part I, 1647-1687." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 81:121. Boston: NEHGS, 1927. p 123
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Dexter, Franklin Bowditch (editor) Ancient Town Records Vol 1. New Haven Town Records 1649-1662. New Haven: New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1917. pp. 15, 378, 379, 385

• Families of Ancient New Haven, 1922, Pg. 408, Jacobus.

See also

• Descendants of John Clarke of New Haven Connecticut, 1990, pg. 2.
• TAG Vol. 10 Page 51.