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Baptized 23 September, 1808.[1]
George Clark was a tailor.
Married Mary Unwin 30 April 1835 at St John, Carlton in Lindrick, Nottinghamshire. Witnesses Jeremiah Unwin and Rebecca Unwin.[2] George's parish noted as St Martins, Liverpool Lancashire, at this time.
Married on the Monday before Easter 30 April 1835 ... her two sisters bridesmaids - witnessing, then soon after breakfast left by coach for Sheffield where we stayed for the first night. Next day took rails to Manchester, then to Liverpool[3].
In Liverpool they established themselves and began their family together.
They had nine children [3]
George Cotton Clark - Engineer
John James Clark - Architect
Maria Morton (Clark) Panter - Landlord and money lender
William Allison Clark -Mathematical instrument maker
Elizabeth Cotton Clark -Photographic Artist
Georgina (Clark) Lowe - Farmer
between the last two they lost three children,, Robert Cornelius at 16 days, Maryanne in infancy, and Mary Ellen at 8 months.
1841 Census: Waterloo Road, Liverpool, Lancashire. George Clerk 30, Mary Clerk 30, Geo Cotton 5 (Lancashire), John Jones 3 (Lancashire), Maria North 1 (Lancashire), Eliza Waring 40 (Ireland).[4]
1851 Census: Great Howard Street, Liverpool, Lancashire. George Clark 42 (Newark, Nottinghamshire) tailor, Mary Clark 41 (Carlton Linerech, Nottinghamshire).[5] Their children staying with their Grandmother, Marys mother, Frances.[6]
Their children on this day were with Mary's mother.
George, Mary and six children arrived at Melbourne as unassisted migrants on the 'Martin Luther' on 7 March 1852. A nephew of Mary, Henry Jabez Unwin, 19yrs accompanied them on this voyage.
George wrote an autobiography[3] of two parts. The first - 'Incidence and Circumstances that, I, George Clark can remember from childhood and on through life'. The second - 'I, G.C's account of my circumstances & procedure after arriving in Victoria, Australia, on the 4th of March 1852, with my family by the ship 'Martin Luther'. Captain Rennie, Commander'.
He had grown tired of his profession and the lure of gold and prosperity must have been an irresistible drive to uproot his family with the news of Victorian gold discoveries reaching England only a few months before. The loss of three young infants over the previous few years must have also had a profound effect on the families urge to start afresh.
George had brought with him five hundred pounds cash and one hundred and fifty pounds of goods to sell in the colony, but this would have provided little comfort in the hyper-inflationary conditions of Melbourne in 1852. Luckily his second son, John James, managed to get employment by the end of April, as a draughtsman with the Colonial Architects Office. Then an unsuccessful gold prospecting expedition of several weeks with his eldest son, George Cotton and two fellow passengers from the 'Martin Luther', William Parsons and William Moore, resulted in alternative options to keep the family afloat. Renting out rooms and storage space, buying and selling anything and everything at a profit, a stint with a grocery store, and some speculative land deals helped, as did the quick employment of his son, John James[3].
All his children appear to have had significant educational opportunities and prospered in their various endeavours.[3]
They initially rented in Stephen St, Yarraville, then at end of 1852 moved to something bigger in Latrobe St, Footscray. Soon after bought land in Brighton, later sold, land in Collingwood and built two cottages rented out, also land in Johnson St Collingwood, bought further land at Brighton in Gypsy Village, land at Clifton Hill near Little Eltham, land at South Braybrook. Then built at Johnson St, plans for two shops but only built one, and started a grocery store for a few years. Finally bought land in Drummond St, Carlton and built a home, moving in in July 1857. Later moved to Richmond, then to Williamstown and then back to Carlton (?Drummond St) for eleven years up until the death of Mary[3].
The Argus, Melbourne, 22 May 1866, page 8,
Advertising.
Publicans' Licences. I GEORGE COTTON CLARK, the holder of a publican's licence for the house and premises known as the Court-house Hotel, situate in Johnston street, East Collingwood, do hereby give notice that it is my intention to apply to the justices sitting at the Court of Petty Sessions, at East Collingwood, on Tuesday May 20, 1866, to TRANSFER the said LICENCE to George Clark, gentleman, of Carlton. Given under my hand this 11th day of May, 1866. GEORGE COTTON CLARK.[7]
Mary died 74 years, on 4 January 1884 [8]
George moved to Sydney from May 1884 to Dec 1886, presumably living with or near his sonGeorge Cotton Clark, then returned back to Carlton, Melbourne, for an unknown length of time, and finally went to Williamstown, presumably living with his daughter. Maria Morton Panter [3].
George died at his daughter, Maria's house, 82 Douglas Parade, Williamstown, Victoria on 13 March 1891 aged 82, [9]
Leader (Melbourne, Vic.) Sat 21 Mar 1891 Page 44
Family Notices.
CLARK.— On the 13th March, at the residence of
son-in-law, George Henry Panter, Douglas-parade, North
Williamstown, George Clark, late of Carlton, in his 83rd
year. Colonist of 39 years' standing.
John James Clark and Elizabeth Cotton Clark appointed executers of his estate.[10]
Sources
- ↑ https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5818802fe93790eca33a23a5/george-clark-baptism-nottinghamshire-newark-1808-09-23?locale=en
- ↑ https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/64d90080f493fdfed4532e6d/mary-unwin-george-clark-marriage-nottinghamshire-carlton-in-lindrick-1835-04-30?locale=en
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Margaret L Clark, 'The (Unwin) Clark Colonials',
Chapter 1 Autobiography of George Clark
Chapter 2 Clark Ancestors - England
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1327894 - ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQ2T-2Q3 : 22 May 2019), George Clerk, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom; from "1841 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
- ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGYZ-9TF : 12 September 2019), George Clark, Liverpool, Lancashire, England; citing Liverpool, Lancashire, England, p. 30, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
- ↑ 1851 England & Wales Census
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10151-69706142/henry-union-in-1851-england-wales-census - ↑ 22 May 1866 - Advertising - Trove (nla.gov.au)
- ↑ Vic BDM. Deaths, Carlton, aged 74, Tuberculosis of the Heart Farther Jeramiah Unwin, Mother Maria Morton 468/1884.
- ↑ Vic BDM. Deaths, Williamstown, aged 82, Cardiac disease - embolism Father George Clark (incorrect details), Mother Mary Cotton (incorrect details) 4414/1891.
- ↑ The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Sat 23 May 1891 Page 4 Advertising https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241555266
