Alexander Clark (1826 - 1891)

Born 25 Feb 1826 in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Catharine (Griffin) Clark — married 8 Oct 1848 in Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa, United States

Descendants

Died 3 Jun 1891 at age 65 in Monrovia, Montserrado, Liberia

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Biography

Alexander Clark is Notable.

Alexander was born in 1826 in Pennsylvania. He was the son of emancipated slaves John and Rebecca (Darnes) Clark. He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, at age 13 to live with an uncle (William Darnes), and in 1841 headed south on the Ohio River and the following year moved north to Iowa.^[1]

At the age of 22, he married Catharine Griffin, 23, on 8 Oct 1848 in Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa, United States, in the home of Mr. E. Lion.^[2][3]

1850 Muscatine, Muscatine, Iowa, United States^[4]

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace

Alex Clarke Male 25 Pennsylvania - barber - real estate worth $1200

Cath Clarke Female 26 Virginia

Rebecca J Clarke Female 1 Iowa

Charles Mathews Male 10 Iowa

Sarah Jackson Female 18 Ohio

1860 Iowa, Muscatine, Muscatine City^[5]

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace

Alexander Clark Male 35 Pa - barber - real estate worth $10,000

Catharine Clark Female 36 Va

Rebecca J Clark Female 10 Iowa

Susan V Clark Female 5 Iowa

Alexr Clark Male 3 Iowa

Clark recruited 1,153 blacks for the First Iowa Volunteers of African descent (later designated the 60th Regiment Infantry, U.S. Colored Troops)^[1]

He was active in the state Colored Conventions before and after the war. In 1865 he delivered a petition to the Iowa Assembly to allow blacks to vote. This passed in 1868.^[1]

He wanted his daughter Susan to go to a good school so in 1867 he filed a lawsuit to allow her to go to the white school. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled in his favor in 1868.^[1]

1870 Muscatine, ward 2, Muscatine, Iowa, United States^[6]

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace

Alex Clark Male 44 Pennsylvania - barber - real estate worth $15,000

Catherine Clark Female 45 Virginia

R J Clark Female 20 Iowa

S Clark Female 16 Iowa

Clark Male 13 Iowa

George Appleton Male 22 South Carolina

1880 Muscatine, Muscatine, Iowa, United States

Alexander Clark Self Male 54 Pennsylvania, United States - widowed - retied barber

Alexander Clark Son Male 23 Iowa, United States

George Appleton Son-in-law Male 32 Tennessee, United States

Rebecca Appleton Daughter Female 30 Iowa, United States

Clara Appleton Granddaughter Female 7 Iowa, United States

He bought the newspaper Chicago Conservator in July 1882.^[1]

His son Alexander was the first black man to attend the law school of the State University of Iowa, and he was the second, graduating in 1884.^[1][7]

1885 Muscatine, Muscatine, Muscatine, Iowa^[8]

President Benjamin Harrison appointed Clark as the U.S. minister to Liberia in 1890, one of the highest presidential appointments offered to a black man by this time.^[1]

He died 31 May 1891 in Monrovia, Liberia^[9][10]

He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa, USA.^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} "Clark, Alexander G." The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa by Stephen J. Frese
2. ↑ "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJXT-GRH : 6 November 2017), Alexander Clark and Catharine Griffin, 08 Oct 1848, Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa, United States; citing reference , county courthouses, Iowa; FHL microfilm 1,704,853.
3. ↑ "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJXM-P5H : 4 November 2017), Alexander Clark and Catharine Griffin, 08 Oct 1848, Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa, United States; citing reference , county courthouses, Iowa; FHL microfilm 1,704,934.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4N-43J : 19 December 2020), Alex Clarke, Muscatine, Muscatine, Iowa, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M82G-WBV : 11 November 2020), Alexander Clark, 1860.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDVG-RV2 : 2 January 2021), Alex Clark, 1870.
7. ↑ Law School History and Milestones
8. ↑ "Iowa State Census, 1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HWHC-HMM : 15 December 2020), Alexander Clark, Muscatine, Muscatine, Muscatine, Iowa; citing p. , 1885, State Historical Society, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1,020,168.
9. ↑ "Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XVQY-NTB : 16 January 2020), Alexander Clark, 1892.
10. ↑ "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WW3-3BZ : 3 June 2020), Alexander Clark, 31 May 1891; citing Death, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,323,885.
11. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 February 2021), memorial page for Alexander G. Clark (25 Feb 1826–31 May 1891), Find A Grave: Memorial #13411801, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa, USA ; Maintained by José L Bernabé Tronchoni (contributor 46500104) .

• "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRR-QT5 : 8 December 2020), William Darnes, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States; citing p. 44, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm . -- The entry for William Darnes includes 2 free colored males age 10-24, one of whome would be Alexander

• Wikipedia: Alexander Clark