A Young Lady Named Mary Clark

ELIJAH4A

[This is a continuation of ELIJAHIV.asc file written by Doug
Tucker. LSS]

John CLARK of Pasquotank

The most probable remaining candidate for Elijah Clark's
grandfather is John Clark of Pasquotank Precinct. John Clark ap
pears to have come to Carolina from VA about 1683/84, about the
same time as Thomas Clark of Yeopim was first reported in
Carolina. John Clark married Mary PALIN, daughter of Thomas Palin
of Pasquotank about 1685. They had a daughter, Mary, before John
Clark died from complications growing out of a boating accident
in the Pasquotank River in 1689. His will, written in May 1689,
mentions his wife and daughter and implies that his wife was preg-
nant at the time of his death. The will mentions property trans
fer arrangements should his wife prove to be with child and give
birth to a son.

Tradition holds that John and Mary's daughter, Mary Clark, who
was born about 1685, married John ALSTON about 1700. The Alstons
initially lived in Pasquotank Precinct but after 10 years
migrated to Chowan Precinct where the Alstons settled on
Bennett's Creek" this traditional account of Mary Clark is
accurate then, in my judgment, the unborn child mentioned in John
Clark's 1689 will became John Clark Jr and, later, the father of
Elijah Clark. Case closed!

Several problems with this traditional scenario must be addressed
up front:
"I cannot prove, directly, the parentage of Mary
Clark Alston -- only that a young lady named Mary Clark, whose
age was consistent with everything we know about the daughter of
John and Mary (Palin) Clark, married a John Alston who lived in
Pasquotank at the time of their marriage (about 1700). Contem
porary correspondence of Thomas Harvey Jr. tells us that Mary
(Clark) Alston was raised as a Quaker and it is well documented
that her mother, Mary (Palin) Clark, was a leading Quaker in
Pasquotank. Since I have found evidence of only one Clark family
unit in Pasquotank as early as 1700 (fewer than 150 families
resided in Pasquotank on that date), it seems reasonable to ac
cept the traditional holding that the Mary Clark who married John
Alston was the daughter of John and Mary (Palin) Clark.

"I am concerned that John Clark Jr., born in 1689
shortly after the death of his father, was too old to have been
the John Clark who settled along the Broad River in 1751/52 (when
he would have been 63 years old) and then relocated again to the
Pacolet River in 1758 when he would have been close to 70. Fur
thermore, as noted earlier in this report, he fathered a son in
1760 at the age of 70, albeit with a younger, second wife. Im
probable, but not impossible.

William Perry Johnson, a professional genealogist who researched
both the ALSTONs of Chowan and CLARKs of Pasquotank, reported in
1945 that he agreed with an earlier chronicler named Groves (or
Graves) that there was "no credible evidence that either Mary
Clark or the unborn child referenced in John Clark's 1689 will
survived". Much of his conclusion was based on Groves' book on
the ALSTON family published in 1901. I have not seen the Groves
book, but have reviewed the Johnson article and the basis for his
conclusions on the Clark children. To be charitable, Johnson may
not have had access to all the information that is available
today at the DAR Library and the Library of Congress. I, too,
could not find any direct evidence that the Mary Clark Alston was
the same Mary Clark mentioned in John Clark's 1689 will.

However, I am absolutely certain that Johnson and Groves were mis-
taken in the case of John Clark Jr. because there is unrefutable
property evidence that, by 1716, a John Clark had assumed owner
ship of the Flatty Creek property originally patented by Mary
(Palin) Clark in 1694. Did Mary (Palin) CLARK turn her Flatty
Creek property over to an unrelated John Clark? Get real! Addi
tionally, John Clark is mentioned as a Pasquotank freeholder in
early 1723 and again is mentioned in Flatty Creek land deeds as
late as 1727. After 1727, John Clark of Flatty Creek disappears
from Pasquotank records although another John Clark (unrelated)
appears elsewhere in the Precinct in the late 1720s.

Some may question whether a property "reference" is adequate to
prove the existence of an individual. In this particular case, I
believe it is. The original Flatty Creek land patent was issued
in the name of Mary Clark and her name is used as a descriptor in
a 1704 land patent to John Palin, Mary's brother. However, in a
December 1716 patent to Tobias Shelver, the same property at the
mouth of Flatty Creek is called John Clark's land. The same John
Palin who called the property "Mary Clark's" in 1704 calls the
property "John Clark's" land in 1727. The common argument that
names of adjacent property owners can't be relied on because the
official "plats" sometimes were not updated until the property
was sold outside the family does not hold in this case. The
original patent was in Mary's name and it had to be changed to
get it in John Clark's name. That had to happen before 1716. So,
it seems crystal clear that John Clark Jr. existed and survived
childhood.

(There is a remote possibility that John Clark Jr. could have
been the illegitimate son of Mary Clark and Henderson Walker and
may have been born as late as 1695. See the supplemental report
on John Clark of Pasquotank for details of Mary (Palin) Clark's
rumored affair with Henderson Walker.)

We know quite a lot about John's mother, Mary (Palin) Clark, who
was a leading Quaker in Pasquotank and who died in 1740 at the
age of 74. Mary (Palin) Clark remarried in 1710, to Joseph
Glaister who was known among local political leaders as "the
apostle of the Quakers". When Mary (Palin) Clark Glaister died in
1740, she left a will which mentioned her two Glaister step
daughters and their husbands but did not mention either Mary
(Clark) Alston or John Clark Jr. Some researchers have used this
omission to justify a position that neither Mary nor John Jr. sur-
vived. I suggest that Mary (Clark) Alston and John Clark Jr. were
not mentioned in their mother's will because their inheritance
had been dealt with many years earlier, at the time of young
Mary's marriage to John Alston about 1700, and for John Clark
Jr., in 1710 when he turned 21 and Mary (Palin) Clark remarried
and began her second family.

If I am correct, John Clark Jr. ultimately rejected his mother's
strict Quaker faith and left Pasquotank Precinct in the mid-1720s
to find a more hospitable place to settle and raise a family. I
suggest he found that place to the west along the Roanoke River
where his two cousins (Capt. John Clark, son of Thomas of Yeopim,
and Edward Clark Jr., son of Edward the sexton) both lived. John
Alston, husband of John Clark's sister, Mary, also acquired 640
acres on the south shore of the Roanoke on the north edge of Elk
Swamp in 1726.

John Clark Jr. appears to have settled before 1730 on the south
shore of the Roanoke River, opposite Occoneechee Neck, where he
met and married Mary Gibson. He was already in his 30s when he
married Mary Gibson so there is a distinct possibility that he
had an earlier wife.

Logic, but no hard proof, gives us a rationale for the choice of
the name Alston for one of John Clark's sons, possibly his oldest
son. When John Alston married Mary Clark, young John Clark Jr was
only 11 or 12 years old and fatherless--possibly reared in the
extended Palin household. John and Mary Clark Alston lived in
Pasquotank Precinct for 10 years, most likely with Mary's mother,
before picking up and moving west to settle on the upper reaches
of Bennett's Creek in Chowan Precinct in 1711. John Alston likely
served as the "father" that young John Clark Jr never knew, lead
ing John to later honor him by naming a son Alston. (I can think
of no other reason for the Alston name choice. We know for cer
tain that John Clark Jr. did not marry an Alston.)

I think I can also explain the fact that John Clark Jr's Quaker
heritage is in conflict with his known militia service and rank.
The answer, again, goes to the influence of John Alston. John
Alston was probably a Quaker when he arrived in Pasquotank
Precinct in 1694 and he married a woman with "exactly" the same
Quaker heritage as John Jr. Yet Alston left the Quaker fold and
later served as commander of the Chowan militia for many years.
(Christopher Clark did much the same in VA despite being married
to a devout Quaker.)

I also believe that John Clark Jr. settled on land on the south
side of the Roanoke acquired by his father-figure and mentor,
John Alston, in 1726 from George Powell. We know for certain that
John Alston never settled on this property but someone had to
"seat" it for him. My guess is that John Clark Jr. seated this
property for John Alston and raised his family. This land,
originally in Bertie Precinct, became part of Edgecombe Precinct
in 1732.

In sum, it is my judgment that" Clark Jr. of Pasquotank
Precinct was Elijah Clark's father and that the elusive
grandparents were John Clark Sr. and Mary Palin. I also suggest
that John Clark Sr. may have been another of the "Clark brothers
of Barbados". (I am reasonably certain that he was not the son of
Humphrey Clark of Isle of Wight Co. which is the traditional
heritage offered for John Clark Sr. For more on this topic, see
the separate, more detailed report on John Clark Sr. of
Pasquotank.)

Discarded Candidates

There are several other candidates for Elijah Clark's grandfather
who I have discarded but who should be identified for the record.

Capt. John Clark of Perquimans Precinct died in late 1716 or
1717. His will identified a wife, Ann, and two minor sons named
John and Thomas. Capt. Clark does not appear to have been a land
owner and there is no further record in Perquimans of wife Ann or
sons John or Thomas. If John was born before 1708 he might demand
more attention.

John Clark, husband of Frances Clark, died in Hyde Precinct in
1715. His wife remained on their 660-acres Pamlico River property
for many years, but there was no son named John.

Capt. John Clark, a mariner of Bath Co. emigrated to NC from
England in 1709. He married first Mary Wilkinson by whom he had
three sons, and second a widow Vines by whom he had no children.
His sons were named Major, John Jr. and Henry. Major Clark
(1727-1786) was an Ocrocoke Inlet Pilot who settled on Bath Towne
Creek with wife Mary. They had four sons -- Overton, William,
Henry and Samuel, and three daughters, Ann (Clark) Archbell,
Elizabeth (Clark) Satchwell and Mary (Clark) Barrow. John Clark
Jr. also of Bath Towne, married Ann and had two daughters and a
son named David. Henry Clark married Hannah and they had sons
George and William. On the 1755 Beaufort Co. tax list, both Major
and John Clark were listed as living aboard the sloop
"Britannica".

Thomas Clark (1678-1728) of the Meherrin River in Bertie Precinct
whose wife was Susannah. Thomas, who died in 1728, was the son of
Thomas Clark and Elizabeth SAMPSON of Isle of Wight Co., VA. His
will, probated in Bertie Precinct in 1728, mentions a son John
who later appears to marry a daughter of Daniel Turner of Isle of
Wight Co. John appears to have been living on Turner property in
Isle of Wight Co. in 1734 when John Clark witnessed Daniel
Turner's will. I believe this John Clark later appears in
Edgecombe Precinct in 1742 when he acquires property along Fish-
ing Creek from his long-time friend, Wallis Jones (who later
served as sheriff of Edgecombe Co.). Based on a number of
Edgecombe deeds in the 1740s and 1750s on which John Clark and
Wallis Jones both appear as witnesses, I do not think this John
Clark could have been the John Clark who settled in Anson Co. He
also appears to have been too young (probably born about 1712) to
have been Elijah Clark's father.

"Unknown" Clark, probably Francis, of Somerton VA who appears to
have had several sons, one of whom was named Andrew. Andrew Clark
was identified a "planter" in Bertie Precinct as early as 1720
and was involved in a court case in 1724 for harboring a runaway
servant boy named William Clark in 1724. (William was not
Andrew's son but was clearly related to Andrew, probably an or
phaned nephew.) Andrew Clark left Bertie Precinct in the late
1720s and settled in what was then New Hanover Precinct of Bath
County, but later became Onslow Precinct. Andrew Clark's property
was on Holsten's Creek near the mouth of New River. He had sons
named Francis, Michael and John and daughters Sarah and Judith.
Francis, who appears to have been the oldest son, was witness to
several Bertie Precinct land transfers in 1726 and 1727, which
suggests that he was born about 1710. Michael Clark, acquired 400
acres on the west side of the New River in 1734, suggesting that
he was born before 1713. He worked as a surveyor and his name is
noted on many Carolina land surveys from 1734 through the mid
1740s. (I think Andrew's father, who lived near Somerton VA may
have been another of the Clark brothers of Barbadoes.)

William Clark, the runaway servant who sought refuge with Andrew
Clark in 1724, later married Margaret Beverly, daughter of Henry,
and settled in Orange Co. NC. He appears to have had a younger
brother named John Clark who learned the carpentry trade. John,
who was born about 1712, was "gifted" 150 acres from his car
pentry mentor and probable father-in-law, Henry Vise, on Horse
Swamp in Bertie Precinct in 1734/35 and seems to have lived in
Bertie Co. throughout his adult life. He had sons named Francis,
John Jr., and William. Francis appears in Bertie Co. records once
or twice in the early 1750s before disappearing from the scene.
John Jr. lived in Bertie Co. until at least 1778. William Clark
married Juliann Goodwin, daughter of William, and was last re
corded in Bertie Co. in 1757.

George Clark, a glover of Perquimans Precinct, and his wife
Elizabeth acquired 1,100 acres from Luke Mizell on the north side
of the Roanoke River on Rocquist Creek. This was inland, but rela-
tively close to where Capt. John Clark, (son of Thomas of Yeopim)
lived. I long thought George and John might have been distantly
related, but never found a link. George died childless in
February 1723/24. He left his personal effects to the sons of
close friends (Taylor and Swann) back in Perquimans Precinct. His
estate administrators sold much of his real property to Jacob Col-
son, an Indian trader who had previously lived adjacent to Arthur
Kavanaugh (the administrator of Edward Clark Sr.'s estate back in
1713) on the Meherrin River near the Sapponie Indian village.
Jacob Colson later moved west to Occoneechee Neck. One of his
sons, John Colson, accompanied John Clark, Elijah's father, to
the Pee Dee River in 1743. John Colson married twice. His second
wife, who he married in 1753, was widow Mary Whitmell Arrington
whose first husband, John Arrington, was Hannah Arrington's
uncle. (See how tight a fraternity we have in this story -- all
having close ties to Occoneechee Neck on the Roanoke River!)
Another companion who went south to the Pee Dee with John Clark
and John Colson in 1743 was James Bentley. James Bentley's
grandparents, John and Jane Bentley, were immediate neighbors of
Thomas Clark on the Yeopim and sold Thomas the Roanoke River
property in Cashie Neck in 1710 -- the property where Capt. John
Clark later settled. As I suggested earlier, John Clark Jr., of
Pasquotank (Elijah Clark's father) Capt. John Clark of Cashie
Neck and Edward Clark Jr. of Occoneechee Neck probably were first
cousins. Although it is confusing, it should come as no surprise
that the prime characters in this report appear to have had
relationships with all three Clark cousins.
End

[This is just a taste of what's to come this summer; I'll get
these other reports typed as quickly as I can. LSS]