Lt. William CLARKE (1610 – 1690) was Alex’s 9th Great Grandfather; one of 1,024 in this generation of the Miller line.
We have more unrelated Clark families in our tree than any other surname. In addition to Lt. William ClARKE, our Clark family founders are: John CLARK (Plymouth) (1575 – 1623), John CLARK (Hingham) (1560 – 1615), and Arthur CLARK (Boston) (1620 – 1665)
Lt. William Clarke was born in 22 Jul 1610 in Dorsetshire, England. His parents may haven been Thomas CLARKE (1578/83 – 1623/27) and Rose KEREDGE (1587 – ). He married Sarah STRONG around 1636 in Dorchester, Mass. He moved to Northampton, Mass in 1659. His Northampton homestead is now the Northern half of Smith College.
In 1653 William Clarke was granted 12 acres on the West side of what is now Elm Street, bordering on Mill river, and comprising today the North half of the campus of Smith College. Paradise Pond, here framed by apple blossoms, is a focus of the Smith College landscape as well as an educational, historical, and environmental asset. The Pond is part of the Mill River, which in the 1800s was one of the most heavily industrialized rivers of its size in the world.
After Sarah died, he married Sarah Slye Cooper on 15 Nov 1676 in Northampton, Mass. William died 19 Jul 1690 in Northampton, Mass and is buried in the Bridget Street Cemetery in Northampton.
William Clarke – Headstone Bridge Street Cemetery Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Note: the headstone is not original
There are three versions on the arrival of William Clarke in the New World:
Version 1 – He departed Plymouth, England on March 30, 1630 aboard the ship ‘Mary and John’ arriving in Nautucket (now called Hull) on May 30, 1630. He would have been 21 at that time. This is the version that appears in most family records.
Version 2 – William Clarke emigrated in 1630 aboard the ship ‘William and Mary’ in the company of Rev. Mister Warham of Plymouth, Dorsetshire, England. He settled first in Dorchester, Suffolk, Ma. prior to 1635, where he officiated as Townsman or Selectman from 1646 to 1653, removing to Northampton in 1659.
Version 3 – William Clarke left England on the ship ‘Mary and Jane’, which sailed from London on March 24, 1633, arriving in New England in June of that year. This last version seems the most likely, even though it does not agree with ‘old family tradition’. The port of embarkation also differs.
Sarah Strong was born 1613 in Chardstock, Dorsetshire, England Her parents were Thomas STRONG and Joanna BAGGE. Thomas was the brother of Richard Strong who was their daughter-in-law Hannah’s father. That makes Sarah’s grandfather, George STRONG (1556 – 1636) a double ancestor. Sarah died on 6 Sep 1675 in Northampton Mass and is also buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton.
Little is known for sure about Sarah, not even her surname, or exact date and 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 has been proven of Sarah, is that she and 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. There are several theories about William’s first wife Sarah:
Mark Tyree believes Sarah Strong And Eleanor Strong (both born 1613 of Richard John STRONG) are the same person and that she arrived in America with her mother Eleanor and her stepfather William Cogan sometime before 1636.
Robin Mitchell says Elder John Stronge is the son of John (Richard) Stronge and Eleanor Deane. John (Richard) Stronge died before the birth of his youngest child in 1613. This is well documented in his will.
After John (Richard) Stronge’s death, his wife, Eleanor Deane, daughter of a tanner, married William Cogan (a tanner by trade) before the birth of John (Richard) Stronge’s offspring by Eleanor in 1613. Following a west country tradition, the daughter is christened “Eleanor,” after her mother. Though she is a “Stronge” by blood, William Cogan refers to her as “my daughter,” and raises her as such with the name Eleanor Cogan.
Young (Elder) John Stronge learns the tanning trade from William Cogan and Eleanor Deane’s father, Walter Deane. Sarah Stronge, the future wife of Lt. William Clarke, was born in 1613 to Thomas Stronge, the brother of Elder John Stronge’s father. This makes Sarah Stronge the cousin of Elder John Stronge.
An Ancestry.com user named hourglasssrs adds “It appears from reviewing all the data that Sarah was born Strong; then her mother remarried a man named Holton (or Houlton) – thus she ended up being known by both names.”
Some say Some genealogists say that he married Sarah Strong earlier and he married Sarah Lumbert in 1636. (See discussion below)
Here’s what I’ve found about the Holtons in Northampton
William Holton (1610 – 1691 ) of Hartford & Northampton came to New England in “The Francis”, sailing from Ipswich in 1634. He had a sister, Sarah, who was baptized in Nayland, Suffolk, England, Parish of Holton St. Marys, but nothing more is known about her.”
Deacon William Holton was one of the first settlers of Hartford, CT, and one of the eight original petitioners for liberty to plant and settle at Nonotuck (Northampton), Massachusetts, whither he went in 1653. When the first board of magistrates was appointed in 1665 by the General court, it consisted of William Holton, Thomas Bascom and Edward Elmore. he was the first deacon of the church of Northampton (ordained June 13, 1663), and a representative to the General court (1667-69). He died Aug. 12, 1691, at age about 80. His widow Mary died Nov 16, 1691.
His daughter Sarah married Nov 18, 1656, Capt. John King of Northampton, whose grand-daughter, Experience King (daughter of Lt. John King, Jr., of Northampton, and Mehitable Pomeroy) married Col. Timothy Dwight of Northampton, grandfather of President Timothy Dwight of Yale College. His second daughter Mary married Nov 18, 1656, David Burt, whose daughter, Mary Burt, married Dr. Thomas Hastings of Hadley, Mass., the ancestor of Thomas Hastings, Esq., Musical Doctor and Composer in New York. His remaining daughter Ruth married Feb 5, 1663, Joseph Baker and afterwards to 2nd husband Thomas Lyman (son of Richard Lyman the settler). They were the parents of Noah Lyman father of the celebrated Gen. Phineas Lyman of Suffield, CT)
Some genealogists say that he married Sarah Strong earlier and he married Sarah Lumbert in 1636. Supposedly, this Sarah was the sister of Thomas LUMBERT and Bernard Lumbert. While the Lumberts were also from Dorsetshire, they immigrated to Barnstable on Cape Cod.
My revised guess is that William Clarke’s daughter Sarah died young and Joseph BENJAMIN‘s wife Sarah was the daughter of Arthur CLARK and Sarah THAYER.
William’s Sarah was born 21 Apr 1638 Dorchester, Suffolk, Mass. and died 21 Jun 1638 Dorchester.
Arthur’s Sarah was born 1 Aug 1639 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass. She married Joseph BENJAMIN. This Sarah died after 1716 as she was still living in New London, New London, Connecticut when her son John died. The Sarah who married Joseph Benjamin would have been 1st cousin to Jemima, 1st wife of Joseph and Daughter of Thomas LUMBERT.
Sarah Slye Cooper was baptized 29 Oct 1615 at Lapwirth, Warwickshire, England. Her parents were George Slye and [__?__]. There is evidence she was a sister of Capt. Robert Slye of Hartford,CT, later of Maryland. She first married Lt. Thomas Cooper about 1642. Sarah died 8 May 1688 in Northampton, Mass.
There is some contention about this Sarah’s heritage. Different sources say that she was the daughter of either George Slye or John Russell. Either way, this Sarah was the wife of Lt. Thomas Cooper of Springfield. After he was killed there on 5 Oct 1675 during the Indian raid, Sarah and at least one daughter fled to Northampton. Sarah and Rebecah lived with Lt. Clarke and his family (he was a widower at this time). Lt. Clarke married Sarah and his son John married Rebecah on 12 Jul 1677. The unpublished manuscript of Edith M. Clark Nyman states that Sarah was the sister of William Russell of New Haven, which would mean she was the daughter of John Russell. There is some evidence that there were TWO Thomas Cooper’s in Springfield at the time of the Indian raid-both married to a Sarah.
Thomas Cooper was born about 1617 (aged 18 in 1635). Carpenter who came to Massachusetts Bay in 1635 on the “Christian.” First settled in Windsor; moved to Springfield by 1642 when he married Sarah Slye. They had nine children: Sarah Day, Timothy, Thomas, Elizabeth, Mary Colton Stebbins, John, infant daughter, Rebecca Clark, & John. Thomas was killed 5 Oct 1675 in Springfield, Hampden, Mass.
Children of William and Sarah Strong:
| Name | Born | Married | Departed | |
| 1. | Sarah Clark? | 21 Apr 1638 Dorchester, Suffolk, Mass. or 1 Aug 1639 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass |
Joseph BENJAMIN 7 Dec 1668 Yarmouth, Mass. |
21 Jun 1638 Dorchester or after 1716 as she was still living in New London, New London, Connecticut when her son John died |
| 2. | Jonathan Clark | 1 Aug 1639 Dorchester |
1 Oct 1639 Dorchester |
|
| 3. | Nathaniel Clark | 27 Jan 1642 Dorchester |
Mary Meekins 8 May 1663 Hadley, Mass. |
30 Mar 1669 Northampton Mass |
| 4. | Experience Clark | 30 Mar 1643 Dorchester |
1662 Northampton |
|
| 5. | Increase Clark | 1 Mar 1646 Dorchester |
24 Apr 1662 Northampton |
|
| 6. | Rebecca Clark | 1 Mar 1648/49 Dorchester |
Israel Rust 9 Dec 1669 |
8 Feb 1733 Northampton |
| 7. | Deacon John Clark | 1 May 1651 Dorchester |
Rebecca Cooper (daughter of Sarah Slye Cooper) . Mary Strong (Daughter of Elder John STRONG) 20 Mar 1679 Northampton |
3 Sep 1704 or 2 Nov 1704 Windsor, CT from fatigue and cold taken in a snowstorm on his way home from Boston |
| 8. | Samuel Clark | 16 Oct 1653 Dorchester |
Elizabeth Edwards 1 Mar 1682 Northampton |
5 Aug 1729 Northampton |
| 9. | Capt. William CLARK | 3 Jul 1656 Dorchester |
Hannah STRONG 15 Jul 1680 . Mary Smith 31 Jan 1694/95 |
9 May 1725 Lebanon, CT |
| 10. | Sarah Clark | 19 Mar 1659 Dorchester |
Capt. John Parsons 23 Dec 1675 Northampton |
15 Apr 1728 Northampton |
The first fully proven record of William Clark is found in Dorchester Church Records which shows that William Clarke and wife, Sarah, were members of that church on August 23, 1636. The births of their 10 children were all recorded in Dorchester. Town records of Dorchester show that William obtained about 8 acres of land at Squantum Neck from William Hill before February 23, 1638, because he sold an acre and a quarter on that date.
He was elected Selectman in Dorchester in 1645, 1647 and 1650. He was a ‘Rater’ (assessor) in 1651, 52, 55 and 57. In 1652-1653 he was one of four men appointed to lay out land for Augustine Clement and was elected Fence Viewer in 1653, 56 and 58.
In May of 1653, Clarke was one of 24 petitioners to the Mass. General Court who desired to inhabit Northampton. All except Clarke were from Connecticut. On Oct 3, 1653, the first meeting of the proprietors of Northampton was held at either Springfield or Hartford, and William Clarke attended and signed as a proprietor. However, he didn’t move there because in 1654 he was chosen as a “Boundsman” to lay out a way to the burial grounds and to determine the bounds between Dorchester and Braintree. In 1655, between Dorchester and Dedham; and in 1658 between Dorchester and Braintree and Dorchester and Roxbury. Also in 1658, he was on a committee to lay out land for Gamaleel Beaman, and in 1659, to lay out meadow lots and to survey land for a school. The committee later appointed John Capen to replace Clarke, who had moved to Northampton.
In the Genealogical and Family History of State of CT-Vol II, c. 1911 starting on page 652 “Lt. William Clarke, immigrant ancestor, was mentioned.
He was granted 12 acres on the West side of what is now Elm Street, bordering on Mill river, and comprising today the North half of the campus of Smith College. He built a log house where he lived until 1681, when it was burned, being set on fire by a negro, Jack, a servant of Samuel Wolcott, who took a brand of fire from the hearth and swung it up and down to “find victuals”. The new house built in its place remained standing until 1826. Lt. Clarke organized in 1661 a train band of 60 men, which he commanded in King Philip’s War. He served as selectman 20 years, and was also a judge of the county court. After his death a monument was erected in 1884 to his memory by his descendants. The old gravestone is still preserved. One last item that will hopefully clear up some confusion-although Lt. William spelled his last name CLARKE, only one of his children continued to do so after his death. That was his namesake-William Jr., who left Northampton about 1698 for Lebanon, CT. Most of William Jr’s offspring continue this tradition for several generations before dropping the E. Some, to this day, never have.
William Clarke was the first citizen of Northampton to be elected deputy to the General Court, and 14 times between 1663 and 1682 was elected to that office, although not consecutively. He was Associate Justice of county court for 26 years; In 1662, he was authorized by the General Court to solemnize marriages, being the first person in that town to hold that responsible position. Frequently appointed by the Court to deal with Indians.
He was chosen Lieutenant of the first military company ever organized in Northampton, when that was the office of highest rank to which the company, on account of its small number of men was entitled, and was in active service during King Philip’s War and was at the same time a member of the military committee of the county. He supplied the commissary department to some extent during King Philip’s Indian War and the Legislature ordered the Treasurer to pay him in 1676 ‘thirty-eight pounds, eighteen shillings for “Porke and bisket” delivered to the country’s use’.
He helped to build the first grist mill and the first saw mill in the town. He was greatly interested in promoting the new settlement of Squakheag (Northfield) and is named as having served as town clerk at the second settlement of that place, although there is no evidence that he ever lived there. Several times he was chosen commissioner, with others, to determine disputed boundaries between Northampton and neighboring towns. His home lot, one of the largest, covered the north half of the Smith College property. Tradition states that here he built a block house upon this lot which was used for refuge during the Indian troubles. In 1671, he was licensed to sell “wine, cider or liquor for a year”. He had large grants of land in the meadows and elsewhere and purchased many acres in different parts of the town. All his lands, embracing nearly two hundred acres, with the exception of 7 3/4 acres, he disposed of before his death to his sons, reserving to himself an annuity of 24 pounds.
His dwelling house was burned in 1681, having been set on fire by a Negro, as he averred in search of food.
“The house of Lieut. William Clarke, situated very nearly on the ground now occupied by the main Smith College building, was burned on the night of July 14, 1681. It was built of logs, and Clarke and his wife were living in it at the time. A Negro, named Jack, set the house on fire. He confessed the deed and pretended that it was done accidentally, while he was searching for food, swinging a burning brand to light his way. Jack did not belong in town; he was a servant to Samuel Wolcott of Wethersfield; and had already been before the courts for other misdemeanors. His object undoubtedly, was robbery, and it is not probable that he went about the house searching for food even, with a lighted pine torch in his hands. Very likely after stealing whatever he could lay his hands upon, he set the house on fire to conceal the robbery, or from spite against William Clarke, who was at this time 72 years of age.
Jack was arrested in Brookfield or Springfield, and was brought before the court in Boston, where he plead not guilty. When his confession was read to him, however, he acknowledged it, and the jury brought in a verdict of guilty. The court believed his confession as to setting the house on fire, but did not credit his statement that it was done carelessly. He was sentenced to be “hanged by the neck till he be dead and then taken down and burnt to ashes in the fire with Maria, the Negro”. Maria was under sentence of death for burning the houses of Thomas Swan, and of her master, Joshua Lamb, in Roxbury. She was burned alive. Both of these Negroes were slaves. Why the body of Jack was burned is not known.
note 1: Many slaves were burned alive in New York and New Jersey, and in the southern colonies, but few in Massachusetts. note 2: Tradition has handed down the following items concerning the burning of Clarke’s house: The Negro fastened the door on the outside so that no one could escape, and set the fire on the outside. William Clarke injured his hands considerably (pounded them, it is said) in his endeavor to escape, and his wife was somewhat burned. John Clarke, grandson of William, a little more than a year old, was brought out of the house and laid beside the fence. There was powder in one of the chambers, and when it exploded the ridge pole was blown across the road, and one end forced into the ground. The Negro had taken offense at something William Clarke had done in his official capacity, and set the fire in a spirit of revenge. He was discovered either at Brookfield, Springfield, or near New Haven, and identified by means of a jack-knife in his possession that belonged to the Clarke’s.” History of Northampton Massachusetts From Its Settlement in 1654 (James Russell Trumbull – Printed in Northampton in 1898)
Children:
1. Sarah CLARKE? (See Joseph BENJAMIN‘s page)
My revised guess is that William Clarke’s daughter Sarah died young and Joseph’s wife Sarah was the daughter of Arthur CLARK and Sarah THAYER.
William’s Sarah was born 21 Apr 1638 Dorchester, Suffolk, Mass. and died 21 Jun 1638 Dorchester.
Arthur’s Sarah was born 1 Aug 1639 Yarmouth, Barnstable, Mass. She married Joseph BENJAMIN. This Sarah died after 1716 as she was still living in New London, New London, Connecticut when her son John died. The Sarah who married Joseph Benjamin would have been 1st cousin to Jemima, 1st wife of Joseph and Daughter of Thomas LUMBERT.
By the way, Thomas LUMBERT’s son Bernard Lumbert (1608-1663) married as his second wife Mary Clarke (1611 in Great Bromley, Essex, England – 1683 in Barnstable, Mass.) Her parents were William Clarke (1576 in Great Bromley, Essex, England – 12 Jul 1632 in Great Bromley) and Margaret Hadlock. She had a brother William Clarke who was born on 6 Feb 1611 in Great Bromley, Essex, England. He married Katherine Bunce. This William and Katherine immigrated before 1631 to New England. They He died on 15 Mar 1682 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts.
Spouse: Katherine BUNCE.
3. Nathaniel Clark
Nathaniel’s wife Mary Meekins was born 8 Jun 1645 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Mass. Her parents were Thomas Meakins and Sarah Catherine Beardsley. Mary died 10 Apr 1705 in Northampton, Hampshire, Mass.
6. Rebecca Clark
Rebecca’s husband Israel Rust was born 12 Nov 1643 in Hingham, Plymouth, Mass. His parents were Henry Rust and Hannah [__?__]. Israel died 11 Nov 1712 in Northampton, Hampshire, Mass.
7. Deacon John Clark
John’s first wife Rebecca Cooper was born 15 May 1657 in Springfield, Hampden, Mass. They were married on 12 Jul 1677 and she died during childbirth when their only child Sarah was born on 28 April 1678. Rebecca was the daughter of Captain Thomas Cooper and Sarah Slye and her father-in-law’s step-daughter due to a double marriage.
John’s second wife Mary Strong was born on 26 Oct 1654 at Windsor, Hartford, CT. Her parents were [our ancestors] Elder John STRONG and Abigail FORD. Mary died on 8 Dec 1738 at Northampton, Mass.
“It is not known where John lived and brought up his family but, probably in the house later known as the Upham House, half way between Pres. Seelyes’ and Mr. Maltby’s. He inherited the southern six acres of Lt. William’s home lot but, at that time, he was already the father of eight children. Sometimes referred to as “Sgt. John”, but more usually as “Dea. John”, he was a much respected and useful man in both town and church affairs. He was first elected selectman in 1689 and served in that office in 1692, 93, 96, 98 and from 1700 until his death. He also served on numerous committees and was a Deputy to the General Court from 1699 to 1703. In 1691, he was the sixth man chosen as Deacon of the First Church and served 14 years until his death. Deacon John died at Windsor, Ct. Sept. 3, 1704 from fatigue and cold taken in a snowstorm on his way home from Boston. At that time, a trip to Boston on horseback was about a week’s journey.
Most sources indicate he died Sept 3, but I have also seen Nov 2 as a death date, which would make much more sense if the cause of his death was a snowstorm.
On 12 Oct 1704, his widow and sons, John and Nathaniel, filed an inventory of his estate which included 13 parcels of land valued at £488.10s. This included his house and homestead, the Joshua Carter lot willed to him by his father and land in Lebanon, Ct. His personal estate valued at £161.9s included 2 oxen, 4 cows, 10 steers, 3 heifers, 3 horses, a mare, colt, sheep and a long list of household goods and furniture. The estate was owed £24-07-05 and owed debts which totaled £43-19-07. The net estate value was £630-06-05.”
Children with Mary: John, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Increase, Mary, Rebecca, Experience, Abigail, Noah, Thankful, and Josiah. Eleven of his children lived to marry and have families.
8. Samuel Clark
Samuel’s wife Elizabeth Edwards was born 22 Feb 1660 in Northampton, Hampshire, Mass. Her parents were Alexander Edwards and Sarah Baldwin Searle of Springfield. Elizabeth died 4 Sep 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, Mass
Children who lived to adulthood: Elizabeth, Sarah. Samuel, Joanna, and Miriam.
Samuel Clark Headstone “Mr Saml Clark dyed on Augst ye 5 1729 aged ner 76 year who buryd 4 sons and 5 daughtr” Bridge Street Cemetery Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
9. Capt. William CLARK (See his page)
10. Sarah Clark
Sarah’s husband John Parsons was born 14 Aug 1650 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. His parents were Joseph Parsons (1620 – 1683) and
Mary Bliss (1628 – 1712). John died 15 Apr 1728 in Northampton, Hampshire, Mass.
Capt. John Parsons Gravestone –Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts,.
Inscription:
“Capt John Persons dyed on Apr ye 19 annod 1728 aged 79 years”.
Children: Sarah, Mary, Samuel, William, Experience, and Joseph. Samuel and Joseph were killed by Indians in 1708.
Sarah Clark Parsons Bridge Street Cemetery Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts
Sources:
http://www.familytreesite.org/clarke.htm
http://www.theharmons.us/harmon_t/names17.htm
http://trees.ancestry.com/owt/person.aspx?pid=172497&st=1
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Thanks for sharing this – Our line comes dow from Captain William Clark and Hannah Strong – I will be going to Northhampton for the first time next weekend and will be anxiously going to visit the graves
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I need to see some facts that Thomas CLARKE (1583 – ) and Rose KEREDGE (1587 – ) was Lt. William Clark’s parents from England….
Hi,
I haven’t seen any documentary proof that Thomas and Rose were Lt. William’s parents so I have changed “were” to “may have been”
Different versions of their history usually say they lived in Suffolk, but sometimes Norfolk, Kent or Bedfordshire with various dates. The most complete version shows:
Rose Kerrich b. 13 Apr 1572 in Saxted Suffolk; d 19 Sep 1627 in Westhorpe, Suffolk
Thomas Clarke b. 16 AUG 1578 in Finningham, Suffolk; d. 29 Jul 1627 in Westhorpe, Suffolk
His father Thomas Clarke b. 4 Jan 1543 in Finningham, Suffolk; d. May 1588 in Westhorpe, Suffolk,
His mother Dorothy Foxe b. 1545 in Finningham, Suffolk; d. 1576 in Suffolk
His grandfather John Clarke b. 1503 in Suffolk; d. 3 May 1559 in Finningham, Suffolk,
I have researched my ancestor William Clarke and this conforms to what I have read. I believe he arrived in 1633, and he was born in Beamminster, a town in Devonshire.
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Marlene Wilkinson says: [In About]
July 4, 2012 at 8:14 am (Edit)
What is your reference for the first wife of Lt. William Clarke being a Strong?
I am most impressed with your website.
Hi Marlene,
Little is known for sure about Sarah, not even her surname, or exact date and 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 has been proven of Sarah, is that she and 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. There are several theories about William’s first wife Sarah:
Mark Tyree believes Sarah Strong And Eleanor Strong (both born 1613 of Richard John STRONG) are the same person and that she arrived in America with her mother Eleanor and her stepfather William Cogan sometime before 1636.
Robin Mitchell says Elder John Stronge is the son of John (Richard) Stronge and Eleanor Deane. John (Richard) Stronge died before the birth of his youngest child in 1613. This is well documented in his will.
After John (Richard) Stronge’s death, his wife, Eleanor Deane, daughter of a tanner, married William Cogan (a tanner by trade) before the birth of John (Richard) Stronge’s offspring by Eleanor in 1613. Following a west country tradition, the daughter is christened “Eleanor,” after her mother. Though she is a “Stronge” by blood, William Cogan refers to her as “my daughter,” and raises her as such with the name Eleanor Cogan.
Young (Elder) John Stronge learns the tanning trade from William Cogan and Eleanor Deane’s father, Walter Deane. Sarah Stronge, the future wife of Lt. William Clarke, was born in 1613 to Thomas Stronge, the brother of Elder John Stronge’s father. This makes Sarah Stronge the cousin of Elder John Stronge.
An Ancestry.com user named hourglasssrs adds ”It appears from reviewing all the data that Sarah was born Strong; then her mother remarried a man named Holton (or Houlton) – thus she ended up being known by both names.” (I’ve updated William Clarke’s page with the story of the Holtons in Northampton)
Some say that William married Sarah Strong earlier and he married Sarah Lumbert in 1636. (I think the Lumberts married different Clarkes, see William’s page for details)
This is wonderful information. Im direct descendant of William Clark son of Thomas Clark and Rose Kerrich.WILLIAM (Poss. “I”) CLARKE
Your 9th great grandfather
Birth 06 FEB 1611 in Westhorpe, Suffolk, England
Death Living
Death 22 JUL 1681 in Haddam, Middlesex, Connecticut
All I know is that my Grandmother was born in 1890, her grandfather born in Northampton,MA in 1820. His descendant was most likely a judge and selectman named Lt. Wm Clarke, born most likely in Beamminster, Dorchestershire in 1609. Pretty much everything is a guess.
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I was interested to see that Lt. William Clarke has a coat of arms. Are you able to share documentation provided by the College of Arms? I am very interested in this because I and a number of my cousins are direct descendants of Lt. William Clarke and all his descendants named William Clark.
I am trying to connect Wm Clark Sr & Jr to my Clark family in Canada. You state in this website that Capt. Wm Clark Jr had a son Benoni b: 1730 in Lebanon and he married Ruth Carpenter. There is another Benoni I am trying to confirm in my family which is Benoni b: 1737 to Daniel Clark & Esther Bridges. Can you confirm to me where and what records you found to have your Benoni married to Ruth Carpenter?
Hi Jim,
It was actually Capt Wm. Clark Jr.’s great – grandson Benoni who married Ruth Carpenter. His father was also Benoni. Benoni was named for Benoni Jones who was indentured to his grandfather. Lt William Clark (the one on this page) until he came of age. It was stipulated that Clarke should “learn him to read and write and give him five pounds at the end of his term with sufficient clothing such as servants usually have and at the end of his time two suits of apparel”.
See William’s son’s page https://minerdescent.com/2010/07/09/william-clark-sr/ (Sorry about my naming strategies in the line. I’m descended from three William Clarks in a row, which I didn’t know when I started naming the pages.
Benoni is a rare name today, but I’ve seen it before in doing genealogy, so its probable yours is separate.
This 1913 book “Some Descendants of Daniel Clark, of Windsor, Connecticut, 1639-1913” seens to have your line. Your Benoni is listed as follows: I don’t see further info on his family.
109 iii Benoni, born Oct. 15, 1737.
(Hines’ Early Lebanon.)
http://archive.org/stream/clarkgenealogyso00walt/clarkgenealogyso00walt_djvu.txt
My Clarks moved from Northampton, Mass to Connecticut, after a few generations, it appears yours immigrated directly to Windsor from England.
I only have one Daniel Clark is this line, This William Clark’s great grandson – Daniel Smalley Clark b. 1721 Lebanon, New London, CT (Jonathan, William, William)
I Believe I got the information about from ancestry.com, but my subscription is currently inactive; If you had a subscription, you can check my link on Benoni’s three children.
Rgds, Mark
Mark, I posted an inquiry on 27 Nov 2013 (still there, unanswered) about the documentation of the coat of arms shown for Lt. William Clarke. Has this coat of arms been confirmed by the College of Arms in England? Have you any good evidence that it is in fact the coat of arms for Lt. William Clarke (1609-1690) who emigrated from England to Massachusetts about 1634? Please let all of us descendants know your basis for showing that particular coat of arms as being that of Lt. William Clarke.
Hi Willard,
I’ve changed the caption to “Clarke Coat of Arms” (Taking out the William part) Out of my 400+ immigrant families only a very small handful were gentry who qualified for arms at the time. We Americans come from yeomen stock by and large..
Rgds, Mark
Thank you, Mark. There are a number of different Clarke coats of arms, each having been granted to particular individuals not necessarily related to each other. Perhaps it would be helpful to people who visit this web site for you to note that the example shown is not known to be that of Lt. William Clarke or any of his descendants. Without that disclaimer, we readers are led to infer that there is some connection between that coat of arms and our ancestor. From what you say, I now gather that Lt. William Clarke is not known to have been granted any coat of arms. I was surprised to learn in my own research that coats of arms are granted only to individuals, not to whole families. I think most of us unseasoned family researchers don’t realize this.
There is a long biography about Lieutenant William Clarke. His army title came from when he fought alongside my other ancestor John King at the Battle Of Turner Falls. He also had an incident with a slave named Jack. It is a common name and one was born in Beamminster, a small town in Dorset.
Hello I have a long story, but keep it short. I have just found out I have two birth entries my first one shows my dad was Clark. I did the dna and two dna cousins who match me have the same family connections with William clark and Sarah strong. So somewhere I must match with the clark family. Has anyone done the DNA?? so we can do a few checks.
Hi, Penny. I descend from William Clarke, my immigrant ancestor from England in 18th century, and i have had an ethnicity DNA test done by AncestryDNA, which is public, likr my family tree. As my tree shows, I descend through all the William Clarks who descend from our English ancestor down to William Clark V, a leader in forming the colony of Naples, New York. One of his sons was Lorenzo Clark, who had a son named Bela Clark, who pioneered with several brothers and sisters in Kankakee County, Illinois. I am the grandson of his last-born daughter, Mildred Augusta Clark. Her daughter Yuri Alberta Clark, my mother, was the last of my ancestors to be born in Kankakee County. I believe my DNA result can be viewed, along with my family tree, which is public. Contact information below.
In my post above, I incorrectly referred to my English immigrant ancestor William Clarke as having come to America in the 18th century. It was the 17th century. Willard “Bill” Morris
This Clarke coat of arms is copyright of http://www.4crests.com. Please remove it, or at least add a link to our website and remove any advertising to outside companies, such as Ancestry.com…. This amounts to you using my images to collect ad dollars for yourself. Please cease and desist. You have quite a huge number of my graphics on your site at minerdescent.com
Sincerely;
Mike Kennaugh
Owner
http://www.4crests.com
Coat of Arms removed. In reality, William Clarke was not part of the gentry and did not have a coat of arms.
Looking at this history I thought I would add my heritage. My linage goes back to William Clark, his son John, his son John, his son John, his son Adam, his son Robert Wilson, his son George Levi, his son Robert Wilson, his son Phillips Axtell, and then me, David Robert Clark. I cannot find where Adam Clark or his wife Jane ended up. Or his son, Robert Wilson Clark is. Also, I don’t know where “Wilson” came from in the two Robert Wilson’s. If anyone has any information, I would surely appreciate it. If I can be of any help in anyone else searching for information, please let me know.
You are mistaken in your post about William and Katherine Clark (Bunce). William, son of William and Margaret Clark (Hadlock) may have originally been William Clerke (b. 1611), who settled in Watertown in 1640. I am a direct descendant of William (b1608) and Katherine, who were actually part of the Original Settlement group of Haddam, Connecticut (1662). We believe that this is the William who immigrated on the ‘Plane Joan’ in 1635, as the records indicate he was 27 at the time.
Hi, thank you for your reply. I’m a little confused by your answer. This is the William Clarke I am referring to: . Lt. William Clarke was born in 22 Jul 1610 in Dorsetshire, England. His parents may haven been Thomas CLARKE (1578/83 – 1623/27) and Rose KEREDGE (1587 – ). He married Sarah STRONG around 1636 in Dorchester, Mass. He moved to Northampton, Mass in 1659. His Northampton homestead is now the Northern half of Smith College. I hope this helps.
David Robert Clark
Hello Robert, I’m trying (but getting confused) to sort my ancestral Clarke / Clerke line. I think it might for some part at least coincide with yours. In summary: William (b.ca.1610), son of William (b.ca.1570) & Margaret Hadlock (b.ca.1575), married Margery (unknown – possibly Bunce..?).They had a daughter Hannah (b.ca.1646) who became the widow of William Frizzel, and then married (George) “Peter” Talbot. My line then continues on with their children. Does the Clarke side match with your line Robert..? If so, do you see William (b.ca.1570)’s parents to be James Clarke & Mary Saxby..? [b.ca = born circa]. Please let me know or set me straight if you can. Thx in anticipation.
Hi Kevin, Pretty much all you’ve listed in your ancestry line does not coincide with my linage. My 7th Great Grandfather, Judge Lieutenant William Clarke was born in 1609 in Dorset, England. His parents were Thomas and Rose (Kerich) Clarke. William’s 1st wife was Sarah Strong. His second wife was Sarah Slye Cooper. William came to this country on the ship William & Mary in 1633 landing in Hull, Massachusetts. He was a founder of Northampton, Massachusetts. His brother, Dr. Rev. John Clarke was co-founder of Rhode Island. The William Clarke family stayed in the Northampton/Pelham Massachusetts area until about 1800 when they migrated east.
I hope this helps you. Ancestry is very frustrating to say the least. One version turns into another, and you have to decipher what is fact. My Grandmother/Grandfather, Robert Wilson and Mary Skinner Clark left a good start for me in the family bible. I was able to trace back from there knowing there was an Adam Clark followed by 3 John Clark(e) ‘s and that led me to William. This assured me I had the right William. and was then able to follow the Clark, Clarke, Clerke, Clarque linage back to the 1300’s in England. Clark, I found out came from Clarque, which was a religious leader. Looking back, many of my ancestors were ministers. Even one of my cousins and myself are ordained Elders in the Presbyterian church.
If you have any other questions or would like to discuss anything further, please let me know.
David Robert Clark
Hello David, thank you for taking the time to provide such a full and considered reply. I very much appreciate it. It does indeed seem clear that our genealogy lines do not overlap, hence we appear not to be distant cousins. I would however appreciate any advice you might be able to offer in helping me to make some progress with my research. I am not an expert with this, and seem to be becoming more confused as each day goes by.
I have been coming at it from the bottom up, and I’ve reached a point where I think I’m certain that the daughter Hannah Clark (b.ca.1646) who would become the widow of William Frizzell, went on to marry (George) “Peter” Talbot. I’m reasonably certain regarding this last chap. He was christened as George, but from the time he set foot in North America, was known as Peter. It is claimed that he had been press-ganged into service aboard a man-o-war and then took the opportunity to desert when it arose. Changing his name would have helped to preserve his anonymity. Anyway, he married a woman named Hannah Fizzell (nee Clark), and it is her family that I’m attempting to research. I’ve taken a look at “The Great Migration Begins” by Robert Charles Anderson, but it doesn’t shed much light on this particular person. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might best look next David..?
Hi Kevin, It looks like you’ve made some progress with your search. It’s a tough question where you should go from here. For me it’s been a lot of hit and miss. Ancestry did a lot of the work once i started with what i knew. I would get a leaf on one of my ancestors in my tree, and follow their link to see suggestions for more relatives. Following best I could with their information seeing if it coincided with my information. Usually it did. And i also figure their sources are much more reliable than anything i could research. Also, I have some information I’ve entered into the Mormon site, Family Search, and get suggestions from them. but I haven’t used them anywhere as much as i should. It gets time consuming and addicting, and have to back off for awhile before getting back into it again. Looking back, they were very prolific in the 1600’s and 1700’s, with sometimes 10, 12 or more children. It’s hard if not impossible to follow all those lineages. After my researching, I see someone with the name Clark, and wonder if we are related in some way. It is possible that we are related somewhere along the line. But it would probably take a lot of following trees and lineages to actually find out.
My wife got me a DNA test through CRI Genetics. It came back with their research going back thousands of years, that I have DNA from all over the world. Mostly, 88.4% from Europe. But also 8.5% Toscani Italian, 2.5% Gujarti Indian, 1.1% Sri Lankan, 1.8% from Peru, 0.5% Mexican, 0.5% Japanese, 0.2% Chinese. It’s even mentioned how 10,000 years ago the ice sheet receded, and the human race started migrating. Also how the the Vikings raping and pillaging spread their DNA around. They also provided some famous people I’m related to on both sides. But on the Clark side, listed were: Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), who carried out the 2nd circumnavigation of the world, Somerled of Argyll (1100-1164) who was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles, Mikolaj “the Red” Radziwill (1512-1584) who was Count Palatine of Vilnious and Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, David Hume (1711-1776, who was a Scottish philosopher, historian and economist, and was one of the fathers of the Scottish Enlightenment. Swedish actor Max von Sydow (1929-) who was in hundreds of films including Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister (1949-) who they list as a strong match. Tom Hanks who they also list as a strong match, King William-Alexander (1967-) of the Netherlands also listed as a strong match. And TV personality Anderson Cooper (1967-) again listed as a strong match. So you can see how our linage can go every which way. How these people are related is a mystery, but somehow we share DNA through my father’s side.
Please feel free to contact me with any other questions. Good luck with your searches.
David Clark
Hello David, it’s me again. In continuing my search, I’ve come across another Clarke in a different line. This one (I don’t know his first name) apparently married a Bridgett Dignan sometime in the early seventeenth century. Amongst their children, they had a daughter named Cicely, who went on to marry a Thomas Hunt. Have you by chance come across these folks in your search history..? Please let me know.
Hi Kevin, The name Bridgett Dignan is a name I think was in my Clarke line, but can’t find it right off. Will have to research further. BTW, I’ll be away enjoying some warmer weather for the month of February, so won’t be available to check my files. But feel free to ask anything, just won’t be able to get to it until I get back .
Dave
Hello again David, I hope you’ve had the warmer weather you’d been hoping for. I’m also hoping that you’re now back and have some time to further investigate Bridgett Dignan..? Please let me know what you find when you get a moment. Thx in anticipation.
Robert, Please contact me raytclark at netzero dot net
We are descended from the same Wm Clark and Katherine Bunce. I have found several cousins that are at FTDNA and our matches are convincing.
Robert please send me an email raytclark at netzero dot net
We are descended from the same “founders of Haddam” 1600s William Clark and Katherine Bunce. I have connected with 6 other cousins thru yDNA testing and I need your expertise to fill in a few blanks. -Ray
Hi Ray, I’m sorry! Tried to reply through the site, and that didn’t work. Then neglected to try again. Then realized I could just reply to the email.
What can I try to answer for you?
David Clark
Sent from my iPhone
>
Thank you again David – I appreciate the advice. Even though it is evidently a different line, I will continue to follow your blog, as I find it very interesting.
Regards,
Kevin
Most likely I am descended from a William Clarke from somewhere near Nayland, where the majority of early settlers came from. I guess the area is “East Anglia” north and east of London. Clarke is such a common name. Most likely arrived in Massachusetts in early 1634, became a prominent judge, settled in Northhampton around 1658. Married into John King Family of Greater Stukely, England (Reverend Edward King became an Anglican Bishop who settled in Roscommon, Ireland). Grandmother’s Grandmother’s Grandfather, Ben Clark, was a teen soldier in the Revolutionary War. William Clarke got the Lieutenant from The Battle Of Turner Falls in 1672 when King Phillip (Massanoit Chief who went to England, became a gentleman there, and it still did not save his people) was killed. Bizarre story about a slave that did not get along with Clarke for some reason or other and Clarke accused of starting a fire in his house and almost killing he and his family. Died in 1690. Part of land was donated to Smith College.
Sorry. Clarke accused the slave of starting a fire in the kitchen and then the slave locked the door and they almost perished. The slave claims he was surprised in their kitchen, the fire was accidental, and he did not lock the door behind him. Slave still executed. Slave came from a neighboring town, but did not like Clarke because he sat in on some of his court sessions and did not like his rulings.