The ancestry and the writings of the Rev. Dorus Clarke, DD

26 Pages·2007·0.55 MB·English

The Ancestry and the Writings

OF THE
REV. DORUS CLARKE, D.D.
1876.
\WO copies printed but not published.]
19525
Boston:
Prkss of David Clapp & Sox,

C64 "Washington Street.
ANCESTRY AM) WRITINGS.
—
I. fgte Eiuesttß­
—
—
1. His Ancestry on his Father's side.
—
2. His Ancestry on his Mother's side.
3. His Ancestry on the side of his Paternal Grand­
—
mother.
4. His Ancestry on the side ofhis Maternal Grand­
mother.
Their General Characteristics.
Allhis earliest American ancestors were of Eng­
lish descent. They fled from the land of their fathers
to escape the indignities, the ostracism, the fines, the
imprisonments and the executions, to which the Puri­
tans were subjected by the Established Church of
England. They came to this then inhospitable wilder­
ness, filled with savages, "for freedom to worship
God." They came here to enjoy the rights of con­
science. They came Here to establish ?t a Church
without a bishop, and a State without a king." In
England, they were all Non-Conformists ; in this
country, they have allbeen Congregationalists. They
were a part of the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay,
and not of the Pilgrims of Plymouth. They arrived
here about the same time, or between the years 1630
and 1636, and, after brief residences inBoston, Dor­
2
6 ANCESTRY AND WRITINGS
Chester, Charlestown and elsewhere, they —cl ustered
—
together inNorthampton, Mass. That town perhaps
the most beautiful town inNew England was the first
real home in America of the Clarks, the Lymans, the
Strongs and the Kingsleys. There they intermarried,
and, though there have been large expansions else­
where from that original stock and that ancestral
home, the several lines have maintained —a singularly
close affinity down to the present day a period of
nearly two hundred and fiftyyears. Most ifnot all
of the earliest settlers, and ofseveral generations of
their descendants, were members of the, Church, and
very many of them were eminent for their piety.
Their piety was not of that merely formal character
which is heartless and therefore worse than useless,
but it was cordial, si"n cere and saving. In a very
eminent sense, they walked with God," and their
memories are fragrant with the aroma of heaven.
Fifty years ago there were more than ninety members
inthe Congregational Church at Northampton by the
name ofClark. From the time of Stoddard down to
this present writing, with but two short intervals, there
has always been one deacon in that church by the
name of Clark ;and sometimes there have been two,
and sometimes three, simultaneously, by that name.
The following is a tabular view of their names, the
dates of their election and of their* deaths, and their
ages:
- - - - - - - -
Names. - - - A-ppointed. - - - Died. - - - Age.
John Clark about 1691 1704 53
- - - - - -
John Clark ... 1730 1768 89
- - - - - -
Josiah Clark .- .- .- 1774 - - - 1808 - - - 92
Elijah Clark 1785 1791 60,
- - - - - - - -
Iskakl Clark - - 1804 - 1851 86
Luther Clark - - -- 1805 1855 88
Enos Clark ,. 1818 went to the Edtfards Church.
Jaued Clark 1839 stillinoffice.
OP REV. DORUS CLARKE. 7
All the families of his ancestors have been the
decided friends of education, of social order and of
liberty regulated by law. They have been loyal to
—
their country, and patriotic inits defence. They have
—
generally belonged to the middle class ofsociety the
most substantial and the most reliable class and as
DeFoe said of the Scotch, they have been
"
Rich compared topoor, and poor compared to rich."
Their names may not appear in the registers of
heralds j they" were only anxious that they may be
found inthe Boo"k of Life." They were of more
noble blood than all the blood ofall the Howards,"
for their "patents ofnobility" date long before the
Conquest, and their "coats of arms" are emblematic
of whole generations that have "fought a good fight
and have finished their course."
"
Myboast is not thatIdeduce my birth—
From loins enthroned, and rulers ofthe earth;
But higher far my proud pretensions rise
The son ofparents passed into the skies."
—
1. His Ancestry on his Father's side.
His first American ancestor by the name ofClark
was Lieut."WilliamClark. He, and his wife Sarah,
were members of the "church inDorchester, Mass., as
early as the year 1687.- In1659, five years after the
settlement of Northampton, Mass., they removed to
that town. He died July 18 (tf.S.), 1690, aged 81
years. She died Sept. 6, 1675, and he married forhis
second wife, Sarah Cooper, ofSpringfield, Mass.
8 ANCESTBY AND WRITINGS
First Generation.
Lieut. William Clakk and, first, Sarah
second, Sarah Cooper.
Their children:

i.Sarah, born June 21, 1638, and died young,

ii.Jonathan, born Oct. 1, 1639.

iii.Nathaniel, bom Jan. 27, 1642.

iv.Experience, born March 30, 1646.
.
v. Rebecca, born about 1649 ;married Israel Rust.
vi.Dea.JOHN,bornin1651;marriedMARYSTRONG, daugh­
ter ofElder John Strong.
vii. Samuel, baptized Oct. 23, 1653.
viii. Capt. William, born July 3, 1656; married Hannah Strong,
daughter of Elder John Strong.
ix. Sarah, born March 19, 1659; married John Parsons.
Second Generation.
Dea. John Clark and MaryStrong
They were married March 20, 1679. He died in
1704.
Their children:
i.Dea. John, 2 born Dec. 28, 1679 ; married Elizabeth Cook, of
Hartford, Ct., Oct. 31, 1704, anti died Aug. 3, 1768, aged 89.
ii.NATHANIEL,born May 13, 1681; married HANNAH
SHELDON, Oct. 26, 1705, and died Nov. 23, 1767, aged
86. She died Feb. 13, 1764, aged 80.
iii.Ebenezer, born Oct. 18, 1682; married Abigail Parsons, his
cousin, ofNorthampton. She died Aug. 17, 1763, aged 73,
and he died Feb. 27, 1781, aged 98.
iv. Increase, born April8, 1684; married Mary Sheldon, Feb. 2,
1710, and he died Aug. 27, 1775, aged 91.
v. Mary, born Oct. 27, 1685; married Benjamin Edwards.
vi. Rebecca, born Nov. 22, 1687; married John Baker.

vii.Experience, born Oct. 30, 1689; married Daniel Nash,

viii. Abigail, born March, 1692; married Dea. Noah Cook, Jr.
ix.Noah, born March 28, 1694. Several of his descendants set­
tled in Southampton.
x. Thankful, born Feb. 13, 1696, and died unmarried.
xi. Dea. Josiah, born June 11, 1697 ;died April7, 1789, aged 92.
OF REV. DORUS CLARKE. 9
Of the six son—s and five daughters of this very re­
—
rnarkahle family remarkable alike for their longevity,
their piety and their numerous offspring four of them
lived to be more than 90 years of age; three others
were more than 80, and three others were more than
70. Allthe sons were married, and all the daughters
except one. Allthe sons lived with their wives more
than 5"0 years, and could therefore have celebrated
their Golden Weddings," ifthat had been the cus­
tom of those times. Allthe sons outlived their wives,
and all the daughters outlived their husbands. There
were two deacons in the family, and the tradition is
that these six brothers and their sisters were accus­
tomed, for many years, to meet every week in their
own houses, by rotation, for special and earnest prayer
that "their children and their children's children,
down to the latest generation, might be converted and
saved." The influence of their humble and believing
supplications to a covenant-keeping God is doubtless
felt inthe families of their numerous descendants to­
day, and willbe through all time. Ithas long been a
tradition in Northampton and its vicinity, that XIn­
crease Clark, with his .Mnds tied behind him, would
out-pray Mr. Edwards."
Third Generation.
Nathaniel Clabk and Hannah Sheldon.
They were married Oct. 26, 1705. He was a far­
mer in Northampton, where he died Nov. 23, 1767,
aged 86. She died Feb. 13, 1764, aged 80.
Their children:
i.Lieut. Nathaniel, born Oct. 11, 1706.
10 ANCESTRY AND WRITINGS
ii.Hannah, born Feb. 21, 1709;married, in1736, John Parsons,
iii.Joseph, born July 23, 1711; a farmer inSouthampton, Mass,
iv. JONATHAN, bom Oct. 11, 1713; married THANKFUL
EDWARDS.
v. Selah, born March 30, 1716.
vi. Gideon, born Sept. 24, 1722.
Fourth Generation.
Jonathan Clark and Thankful Edwards.
They were married July 25, 1734. Thankful Ed­
wards was daughter of Benjamin Edwards and Mary
Clark, of Northampton. She was born March 21,
1712. Jonathan Clark was a farmer in Southampton,
Mass. He died June 7, 1789, aged 76.
Their children:
i.Elkanor, born July 24, 1735, and died in infancy,
ii.Jonathan, born in 1736, and died in infancy,
iii.Fkeedom, born March 8, 1739; married Jonathan Bascom.
iv. JONATHAN, born January 27, 1741-2; married SARAH
STRONG, daughter of Aaron Strong, formerly of Coventry,
Conn., afterward of Southampton, Mass.
v. Thankful, born Nov. 8, 1743; married John Strong, brother
of Sarah Strong. They removed to Westhampton, Mass.,
Jan. 26, 1778-9.
vi.Peggy, bornin1745; married Asher Loomisin1778.
vii. Paul, born Jan. 24, 1747, and died soon.
viii.Eleanor, bornin1749;married AbishaiLoomis in1772.
ix.Abner, baptized Aug. 12, 1750.
x. Silence, baptized Dec. 24, 1752; married Timothy Hannum
in1772.
xi. Giles, born Feb. 1, 1756.
Fifth Generation.
Jonathan Clark, Jr. and Sarah Strong.
They were married in177-. He died inWesthamp­
ton, Mass., Feb. 4, 1804, aged 63; and she died there
Feb. 26, 1814, aged 76. They were the grandparents
ofDorus Clarke, and both died withinhis recollection.