George Currie Clark (1851 - 1919)

Born 4 Jun 1851 in Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Jessie Janet Stewart (Coutts) Clark — married 30 Dec 1870 in Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 4 Apr 1919 at age 67 in Issaquah, King, Washington, USA

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Biography

Early Life

Few traces of George Currie Clark’s early life can be found in historical Scottish records. Later records pinpoint his birthdate and location as June 4, 1851, in Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland, but I have yet to locate corresponding church or civil documents. The earliest record is a debatable 1861 Scotland Census entry showing an 11-year-old child miner named "George Carwell" born in Braidwood (a small village near Carluke) living with his 42-year-old mother, Grace Currie, at 139 Cambusnethan Street in Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire. Later records are clearer and more consistent: George Clark married (Jessie) Janet (Stewart) Coutts on December 30, 1870, in Cambusnethan and the 1871 Scotland Census shows a 19-year-old collier (or coal miner) George Clark and 18-year-old Janet Clark living at 94 Morningside Square in Cambusnethan (now part of the nearby town of Wishaw).

Family Life & Emigration

The Clark family grew quickly, welcoming 4 children over the next 8 years. During 1879 (according to immigration information on later U.S. Censuses), George and Jessie emigrated to North America. The passenger list for a ship, the Anchoria, set sail from Glasgow, Scotland, and arrived in New York City on May 20, 1879 with only a 27-year old Scottish miner named George Clark on board. It is possible that (1) the entire family emigrated at once and these records are not accessible, or (2) this record is of George Currie Clark, who immigrated first so that he could earn enough money to purchase fare for the rest of his family. Regardless, the 1880 U.S. Federal Census (taken in June that year) found George Clark and his family living in Hickory Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where George worked as a coal miner.

The Clark family followed coal mining jobs west over the next 10 years, moving from near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Portage County and Stark County, Ohio (where 3 children were born), and eventually to Washington state by 1891 (where 2 more sons were born). The 1900 U.S. Federal Census listed Jessie Clark as head of household in Gilman, King County, living with daughter Elspith (age 14) and sons George (age 21), James (age 19), Charles (age 9), and David (age 5). George Currie Clark does not appear on any 1900 Census records, although he was listed in the 1910 Census living with Jessie in Issaquah, Washington. Given his decades of mining experience, the 1896 discovery of gold near the Klondike River in the Yukon Territory, and Washington state’s proximity to gold-mining regions, one possibility is that George may have headed to Alaska to mine for gold, where it would have been difficult for a U.S. Census taker to find him. His son-in-law, Tom Dobson, prospected for Alaskan gold at about the same time, so this may be a reasonable explanation.

Later Years

By 1910, George C. Clark had opened a saloon on the east side of Front Street, in Issaquah (see a 1912 photo from the Issaquah Catalog Access[1]). George died at age 65 on April 4, 1919 (see newspaper account from The Seattle Times, April 12, 1919, page 14) in Issaquah and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Renton, Washington, near Jessie and his children.

In 1951, Issaquah opened a primary school named George Clark Elementary School. Later renamed [Clark Elementary], it was rebuilt in 2016 and is located at 335 1st Avenue SE in Issaquah.

George Currie Clark's Father

George's death certificate states that his father was a man named Robert C. Clark, whereas Find-a-Grave and all three of Grace Currie's sons' marriage records list their father as a Lanark shoemaker named Ebenezer Clark. Of the two options, Ebenezer Clark seems more likely to be accurate. There were no historical indications of extended contact between George, brothers James and Robert, or their mother Grace Currie with anyone named Robert C. Clark. In contrast, the 1841 Scottish Census showed a 2-year old James Clark living with 50-year old Christina Clark and her 20-year old son Ebenezer, and the 1851 Scottish Census listed 29-year old Ebenezer Clark living at his nephew's house alongside a 9-year old Robert Clark, whose relationship to the nephew was designated as "cousin." Likewise, both James and Robert Currie named their first-born sons, "Ebenezer."

It does not appear that Ebenezer Clark and Grace Currie ever married. Ebenezer did marry another woman, a cotton spinner named Elizabeth Campbell, in 1851. The couple had 8 children although nearly all of them died in childhood.

Sources

• "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTYH-29M : 11 February 2020), George Clark, 1870.
• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQXB-KQT : 12 February 2020), George Clark in entry for Robert Currie Coutts Clark, 1871.
• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQ83-QWG : 12 February 2020), George Clark in entry for Helen Dickson Clark, 1874.
• New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, Year: 1879; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 417; Line: 35; List Number: 491, Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2010.
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWNN-WQG : 29 December 2021), George Clark, Hickory Township, Mercer, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
• "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X63G-36Y : 8 March 2021), George Clark in entry for James Clark, 1881.
• "Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X665-3ZJ : 8 March 2021), George Clark in entry for Elizabeth A. M. Clark, 1885.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGJN-J9Y : accessed 2 January 2022), George Clark, Issaquah, King, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 37, sheet 6A, family 120, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1657; FHL microfilm 1,375,670.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3G7-HFY : 10 March 2018), George C. Clark, 04 Apr 1919; citing Issaquah, King, Washington, reference 257, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 1,992,539.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3GJ-DSN : 10 March 2018), Geo C. in entry for Jessie S. Clark, 19 Nov 1923; citing Issaquah, King, Washington, reference 616, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 1,992,971.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N35B-RRC : 10 March 2018), Geo Clark in entry for Charles M Clark, 05 Jan 1937; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference 80, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,023,445.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQMR-PV7 : 10 March 2018), George Clark in entry for James Clark, 11 Feb 1948; citing Renton, King, Washington, reference , Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,032,682.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3YY-S9P : 10 March 2018), George Clark in entry for Jessie Stewart Coutts Webster, 10 Jun 1950; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference 10113, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,032,910.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N31W-46R : 10 March 2018), George Clark in entry for George C. Clark, 25 Sep 1956; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference 18357, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,033,654.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N31X-95L : 10 March 2018), George Clark in entry for Elspith Dorst, 12 Jun 1958; citing Issaquah, King, Washington, reference 11621, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,033,778.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5MZ-BJ49 : 18 July 2020), George Clark in entry for Mrs Grace Clark Dobson, 1958.
• "Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N31R-PJF : 10 March 2018), George C. Clark in entry for Helen Dickson Jones, 26 Feb 1960; citing Seattle, King, Washington, reference 4860, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Olympia; FHL microfilm 2,034,029.
• U.S. Find a Grave 1600-Current, Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2012, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5206593
• Washington Death Certificate (https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/AAB19FE50C11CA024D945CED435AE154) "Department of Health, Death Certificates, July 1, 1907-1998 - George C. - Jessie Clark - Robert C. Clark - Et Al. "