Sarah (Unknown) Clarke (abt. 1617 - abt. 1675)

Born about 1617 in England

Descendants

Died about 25 Sep 1675 at about age 58 in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Sarah (Unknown) Clarke migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Origins

(See this discussion. )

The maiden name of Sarah, wife of Lt. William Clarke, isn't shown in any known records and many people have "added" her to several different families.^[1] None of the information on her family name is of sufficient strength to conclude which is correct, in order to avoid errors we have opted to call her UNKNOWN until such time as her true name is found.

The oldest and most plausible supposition for the maiden name of Sarah Clark is Holton: "His [William's] wife, Sarah, is listed as Sarah Holton in 'The Parson Family' by Henry Parsons, 1920 (p. 58). William Holton of Hartford and Northampton was probably baptized 20 Oct. 1610, Nayland Church, Parish of Holton St. Marys, County Suffolk, England. He came to New England in 'The Francis,' sailing from Ipswich, England in April 1634, when he was 23 years old. A descendant from Iowa discovered that Holton had a sister Sarah baptized in Nayland but it is not known what happened to her. William Holton is buried next to the Clarks at Bridge St. Cemetery, Northampton."^[2]

Unlike the proposed Holton association, there is no known scrap of evidence or inference to suggest that Strong was the maiden name of William Clarke's wife Sarah. However, this groundless assumption is widespread on the internet.

A Sarah Strong was born 1613 in Chardstock, Dorsetshire, England but whether she ever immigrated or who she married is unknown. Her parents were Thomas STRONG and Joanna BAGGE. Thomas was a brother of John Strong of Chard, Dorset who was father of Elder John Strong, the father-in-law of two of William and Sarah Clarke's sons. This casts further serious doubts on Sarah's last name being Strong, because John Strong was a Puritan elder and the Puritans forbade marriage between first cousins and discouraged marriage between second cousins.^[3]

Biography

Sarah arrived about 1637 in New England.

Sarah ________ was the wife of William Clarke of Dorchester and Northampton.^[4] They married by about 1636 possibly in Dorchester, Massachusetts where their children were born. These are their known children: Children of William and Sarah (?) Clarke (all born at Dorchester, Massachusetts):

1. Sarah Clarke, born 21 Apr 1638; died 21 Jun 1638 at Dorchester.
2. Jonathan Clarke, born 1 Aug 1639; died 1 Oct 1639 at Dorchester.
3. Nathaniel Clarke, born 27 Jan 1642; died 30 Mar 1669 at Northampton, Massachusetts. Married Mary Meekins, born 8 May 1663 at Hatfield, Massachusetts.
4. Experience Clarke, born 30 Mar 1643; died young at Dorchester.
5. Increase Clarke, born 1 Mar 1646; died 24 Apr 1662 at Northampton.
6. Rebecca Clarke, born 1 Mar 1648/49; married Israel Rust of Hingham, Massachusetts on 9 Dec 1669; died 8 Feb 1733 at Northampton.
7. Deacon John Clarke, born 1 May 1651; died 3 Sept 1704 at Northampton. Married (1) Rebecca Cooper (daughter of Sarah Slye Cooper), born 15 May 1657; died 8 May 1678. Married (2) Mary Strong, born 26 Mar 1654 at Northampton; died 8 Dec 1738 at Northampton.
8. Samuel Clarke, born 16 Oct 1653; married Elizabeth Edwards 1 Mar 1682 at Northampton; died 5 Aug 1729 at Northampton.
9. Capt. William Clarke, born 3 Jul 1656; died 9 May 1725 at Lebanon, Connecticut. Married 15 Jul 1680 (1) Hannah Stronge, born 30 May 1659; died 31 Jan 1693/1694 at Northampton. Married (2) Mary Smith, born 14 Mar 1662 at Milford Connecticut; died 23 Apr 1748 at Lebanon, Connecticut.
10. Sarah Clarke, born 19 Mar 1659; married Captain John Parsons 23 Dec 1675 at Northampton; died 15 Apr 1728 at Northampton.

Sarah passed away on 25 September 1675, at the age of 68 . She is buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton Massachusetts.

William CLARKE Lt. was born in Dorsetshire, England 1609. He died 19 Jul 1690 Northampton, Hampshire, Ma, at 81 years of age. His body was interred Jul 1690 Bridge St. Cemetery, Northampton, Ma. He married twice; first, Sarah (?), in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA, about 1635/36. (Sarah was born in England about 1611/13, and died 6 Sep 1675 Northampton, Hampshire, Ma, at 63 years of age. Her body was interred Sep 1675 Bridge St. Cemetery, Northampton, Ma. Little is known about Sarah, not even her surname, or exact date & place of birth. Since her husband, William Clarke, is first noted in the town of Dorchester in 1635, and apparently arrived there from England unmarried, virtually every unmarried Sarah in Dorchester at that time, has been suggested. I have seen Strong, Holton, Bolton, Lambert, Lumbert, Smith and too many more to mention. What I haven't seen is any positive proof for any of these. At present, all that is known of Sarah, is that she & William were admitted as Church members in Dorchester in 1636, resigned from that church to be admitted to the new church in Northampton, in 1666, that all of her children were born in Dorchester, and that she was a good and loving wife to William.^[5]

Death

Died 16 September 1675. Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts. ^[6][7][8]

Buried September 1675. Bridge St. Cemetery, Northampton MA. ^[9]

Research Notes

Merging note: Sarah's year of birth has varied from 1609 to 1620 on the various profiles merged. RES 7/21/14

Sources

1. ↑ This family tree suggests that Sarah may have any of the following last names: Allen (daughter of Thomas Allen?), Strong, Holton, Bolton, Lambert, Lumbert, Smith
2. ↑ Edith (Clark) Nyman, Lt. William Clark of Northampton and his Descendants, p. 7.
3. ↑ Sue Roe, The Puritans.
4. ↑ About William Clark (Clarke) There are about 8 different William Clarkes in New England in this period (see "Genealogical Dictionary of New England" by James Savage
5. ↑ Dave Clarkes web site
6. ↑ James Savage Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England
7. ↑ New England Families Genealogical and Memorial, Vol. I William Richard Cutter 1652 16 Sept 1675
8. ↑ Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, Vol. II William Richard Cutter p 652
9. ↑ Clark, Dave- CLARKE of Northampton web pages Dave Clark Publication: A very good treatment of this family