John Clark Jr. (abt. 1625 - 1677)

Born about 1625 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Rebecca (Porter) Spencer — married 16 Oct 1650 in Saybrook, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 21 Sep 1677 at about age 52 in Saybrook, New London, Connecticut Colony

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John Clark Jr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

This profile now represents the "English" John Clark who married Rebecca Porter in 1650 at Saybrook, Connecticut; not the Irish man who married Anne Horseman.

Uncertain Origins

Savage says that this John was "perhaps" the son of John Clark of Milford but freely admits that it will be difficult to properly identify all the John Clarks of the area (and also mis-states his wife as "Parker" instead of "Porter", a mistake noted and corrected by Anderson).^[1] Given that John of Milford's will of 1672 listed his son as "John Clark of Saybrook"^[2] it seems likely they WERE father and son. However, as Anderson said, there was a "welter" of John Clarks amongst early immigrants so Savage was probably right to be cautious.

Anderson in "Great Migration"^[3] states that while John Clark of Cambridge and Hartford are likely the same man, and John Clark of Saybrook and Milford are almost certainly the same man, there is no proof that these John Clark(s) were actually the same man i.e. these may have been two different John Clarks. None of the records of John Clark of Cambridge and Hartford indicate that he had a wife and children.

Donald Lines Jacobus in "Hale, House, and related families..."^[2] says that these two John Clarks (the father of this profile) ARE one and the same. He traces the father from arrival at Cambridge through his death in Milford and fully reproduces the 1672 will listing son John "of Saybrook" and his daughters Elizabeth (Pratt) and Sarah (Huntington) who married into those families of Hartford. This at least proves a connection between father John of Milford and son John of Saybrook and daughters who married into Hartford families. Jacobus further notes that John (the father) was NOT the brother of George Clark of Milford; George's brother John (named in George's will) stayed in England.

In summary it fairly well proven that John of Milford who wrote a 1672 will was the father of John of Saybrook and had daughters who married into Hartford families. Was John of Milford also John of the 1632 "Lyon" voyage who moved to Cambridge and then Hartford with Hooker? That seems to be the main point of uncertainty but nothing has been uncovered that disproves or prevents this relationship holding true.

Birth & Baptism

About 1625 (based apparently on standard assumption that he was age 25 at birth), possibly Great Munden, Hertfordshire but without specific sources identified yet. He is shown as son of John Clark early immigrant to Milford, CT but the proof is indirect (see uncertain origins). It must be noted that his father's origins (assuming this is the correct father) are unknown and the name is so common that unless more information is found, an origin in Hertfordshire cannot be assumed.

Immigration

Unknown but before his 1650 marriage. His supposed father is identified as the man who immigrated before 6 May 1635 when he (the father) was listed as a freeman of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Given that his father would have been a member of church and established in the town it's likely that the family arrived at least one year prior, so probably early 1634 or prior.^[3]

Jacobus makes no claim of immigration; the "Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford" website (https://www.foundersofhartford.org/the-founders/john-clarke/) claims arrival on the "Lyon", arriving in Boston 16 September 1632 without stating a source. Anderson does seem to agree that the John Clark of the 1632 "Lyon" journey was part of the company of Thomas Hooker who came to Cambridge, joined the church at Watertown (as the Cambridge church was not yet organized and then and removed with Hooker to Hartford.^[3] (p. 370 of this source). Again, this text refers to John Clark "Sr", father of this profile who would have been only about 8 years old in 1633.

Marriage & Children

John Clarke married Rebecca Porter October 16, 1650 at Saybrook, Connecticut.^[4]

Jacobus gives the couple 6 children^[5]:

1. Rebecca born 26 Jan 1652/53 at Saybrook, d. 14 Oct 1704, m. Abraham Watrous
2. John b. 17 Nov 1655, d. 16 Feb 1735/36 at Saybrook, m. Rebecca Beamon
3. James b. 29 Sep 1657, d. Aug. 1659
4. Joseph d. without issue by 1692
5. Sarah b. say 1662, m. Samuel Willard, m(2) Nathaniel Pratt
6. Samuel b. 25 Apr 1675 (note: a 13 year gap seems strange), d. between 12 Sep 1750 (Date of will) and 10 Aug 1752 (probate), m. Mary Kirtland

Death & Estate

John Clark died September 21, 1677, when a cart overturned on him, at Saybrook, Connecticut.^[6]

After his death, Rebecca married Jared (or Gerard) Spencer per Torrey:

Spencer, Jared/(Gerard) (1614-1685) & 2/wf Rebecca (Porter) (Clark), w John; aft 1677; Haddam, CT.^[7]

Research Notes

This profile was originally a mixture of 2 different men named John Clark. One of them "Irish" John Clark married Anne Horseman; information such as children belonging to that man will be split from this profile.

Sources

1. ↑ A genealogical dictionary of the first settlers of New England, showing three generations of those who came before May, 1692, on the basis of Farmer's Register ..by Savage, James, 1784-1873; Farmer, John, 1789-1838; Dexter, O. P. (Orrando Perry), 1854-1903 Publication date 1860 Vol. 1 p. 396
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Hale, House, and related families : mainly of the Connecticut River Valley by Jacobus, Donald Lines, 1887-1970 Publication date 1952 p.492
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010), (Originally Published as: New England Historic Genealogical Society. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., 1995). Vol 1-3 p. 372 $subscription
4. ↑ Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700, (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Reference Volume 1, page 322 $subscription (with Ancestry.com)
5. ↑ Hale, House, and related families : mainly of the Connecticut River Valley by Jacobus, Donald Lines, 1887-1970 Publication date 1952 p.496
6. ↑ The New England historical and genealogical register by New England Historic Genealogical Society Publication date 1874 [https://archive.org/details/newenglandhisto38unkngoog/page/n26/mode/2up Volume 4, page 22
7. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. Vol 2. p. 1420 $subscription (with Ancestry.com)

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