A few genealogical items connected with the family descended from William Clark, one of the original settlers of Haddam, Conn. : especially in the line of Ebenezer Clark, who from 1753 to 1800 lived in Washington, Conn

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y^ _/^z£/ genealogical items connected with the family
descended fr 0771 William Clark, one of the 0}'iginal
settle7^s of Haddam, Confi.; especially in the li7ie
of Ebenezer Clark, ivho fro77i 1753 to 1800 lived
in Washi7igto7i, Co7tni^

I.

William Clark.

William Clark, the first of this family, as far as at pres-
ent known, was one of the first settlers at Haddam, Conn.
In Field's '' Statistical Account of the County of Middle-
sex in Conn." it is stated that the first settlement there
was made in 1662, by twenty-eight young men, who
bought their land of the Indians for thirty coats. At the
beginning of the first book of Haddam records William
Clark's name is third in the list of those to whom land is
distributed. A deed to him, dated Oct. 11, 1669, speaks
of him as then " of hadam." He died at Haddam, July
22, 1 68 1, and his will, dated June 30, 1681, with the inven-
tory of his estate, is among the probate records at Hart-
ford, Conn. It is from these papers, which are quite full

* This account consists only of a few items, by no means complete, col-
lected at odd times from the old records of Haddam, Middletovvn, and Hart-
ford. The statements made, however, are not surmises, but facts resting
upon adequate evidence. Should any one desire to amplify or continue the
account of the family, of which it is believed none has heretofore been
printed, the undersigned would be happy to give all aid and information in
his power. He would also be glad to learn of other facts connected with the
family that any one may know. Salter S. Clark,

115 Broadway, New York City.

and interesting, that most -of ■ fhe information with regard
to him is obtained, and they show him to have been a man
of some means. The will begins : " I, William Clark, of
Haddam, knowing the imcerLainty of m.y life ac all times,
and at this time finding my bodil}' strength much decayed,
and being apprehensive that I have not long to live," . . .
His estate was appraised at £412 i8s., of which ;^274 5s.
was in land in and about Haddam, both large sums for
those days. Among the items of personal property were
two oxen, two horses, four cows, two two-year-old steers,
two year-olds, two calves, twenty sheep, a gun, a small
gun and sword, two canoes, and ten hives of bees. The
weapons are significant of the stern times in which he
lived. Two other facts significant of the same are that
the will, in common with very many documents of those
days, is signed with a mark, and that his books in the
inventory are valued at but five shillings. One of the
witnesses to this will, and, judging from its opening, pos-
sibly the drawer, was the Rev. Nicholas Noyes, the first
minister at Haddam, and who afterward went to Salem,
Mass., and figures in history in connection with the Salem
Witchcraft. .

At his death William Clark left surviving him :
His wife (name unknown) ;

Thomas, "1

William, I c

T u r Sons ;

John, r

Joseph, ^

A daughter who had married a Wells ;
" " " Fennoe;

" " " Spencer ;

'* Hannah ;

A son-in-law, Daniel Hubbard ;
A grand-child, Daniel Hubbard, under twenty-
one years of age, about whom the will expresses the
desire that he be taught to read and write.

5

By far the greater portion of the property is given to
the son Thomas, who is also made sole executor. The
homestead is given to the widow for her life, and then to
go to Thomas.

These facts would perhaps indicate that the other
three sons had left Haddam before their father's death
and become established elsewhere.

The son Thomas remained in Haddam, and afterwards
became " Lieutenant Thomas Clark, Senior."

The son William was at one time of Wethersfield,

Conn., married Susannah , and died about 17 14,

leaving a son Thomas.

The son John went to Middletown, Conn.

It would probably not be difficult to follow down
many of the descendants of these children. There are
several families of the name now in and around Haddam,
In those times little regard was had to spelling, and this
name appears in the four forms — Clark, Clarke, Clerk,
Clerke.

It will probably be quite difficult, if possible at all, to
trace this William Clark back of Haddam. The surname
was common, and there were then quite a number of
William Clarks in New England. Field's book (before
referred to) says that ten of the Haddam settlers came
from Hartford (Clark not among the ten), and the rest
probably from the neighboring towns of Wethersfield
and Windsor. Thus far I have been unable to find any
record of a WilHam Clark at that time in Wethersfield or
Windsor.

In Hartford there was from 1640 to 1660 a William
Clark, who was a servant of Mr. John Crow, and who in
1639 was fined by the court " for drinking," and also in
1659 again fined "for trading liquors contrary to law ;" in
1661 the court ''considered the low estate of his familv"
and remitted part of his fine.

Savage's Genealogical Dictionary identifies this man
with the Haddam settler, on what ground it does not
appear, though probably because Haddam was settled
mainly from Hartford.

It seems quite improbable that a servant who from
1639 to 1661 was a drunkard or a liquor-dealer should in
1662 have emigrated with a family into the wilderness,
become a farmer and proprietor, and at his death, in 1681,
left property worth ^412. Upon such a point Savage's
work cannot from its nature be wholly reliable.

Hinman, in his " Connecticut Settlers," refuses to iden-
tify the Hartford liquor dealer and the Haddam settler,
and intimates also that there may have been another Will-
iam Clark at Hartford, who might have been the one who
went to Haddam. In the records of Ipswich, Mass., there
is a list of those who were householders there in 1648, and
a William Clark appears in the list. There is nothing to
indicate that he remained at Ipswich or left a family
there ; but I find no intimation where he went if he did
remove, except that the names John Wiate and Thomas
Smith also occur in that list, and a John Wiate and
Thomas Smith were also among the first settlers at Had-
dam. The name Wells was also at Ipswich in 1648 and
Haddam in 1662.

II.

John Clark (i).-

John, the son of William, went to Middletown, Conn.,
probably between 1675 and 1680, and married Elizabeth,
the daughter of Captain Nathaniel White, of Middletown.

* There is a tradition in the family that the first ancestor in this country
was a John Clark who came from England soon after 1620, and that from
him came three successive Johns in the direct line, the last one of whom was
the father of Ebenezer (l) {vide post). But that tradition is undoubtedly incor-
rect.

7

Among the early records of Middletown is one as follows :
" March 21. 1680. Land of John Clarke in Middleton in
the county of Hartford & Collony of Conoctociitt
Recorded to him & two his heirs forever . . . [among
other parcels] One parcell of meadow land which he
bought of Townehashquesuncksqua lying on the east side
the Great River at Wongonk" [now Portland].

This John Clark probably lived in Middletown until
his death, which occurred July 26, 1731. He was called
'' Sergeant," more often " Senior," and appears to have
been a man of standing and property, his name occurring
often in the land records.

The children of Sergeant John and Elizabeth, his wife,
were :

Nathaniel, born April 18, 1676.

June 14, 1678.

Aug. 30, 1680.

April 3, 1685.

April 3, 1 69 1 (died young).

Sept. 8, 1692.

Nov. 4, 1693.

May 4, 1695.

Elizabeth, the mother, died Dec. 25, 171 1, aged 56.
Elizabeth, the daughter, married Ebenezer Selden, of
Hadley.

About 1720 "Sergeant" John gave a homestead to
each of his three sons, the one given to his son John being
the " homestead whereon the said father and said son John
now dwelleth .... containing 13 acres," which
was in the " North Parish" of the town, on the west side
of the Connecticut River. A year prior to his death he
also conveyed to his son John 161 acres of land at Had-
dam. This land had been conveyed to the father, John,
by his brother Thomas, and in the deed their " Honored
Father, William Clark of Haddam, deceased," is spoken of.

John,

Daniel,

Elizabeth,

Mary,

Sarah,

White,

Mary,

8

Sergeant John and Lieutenant Thomas both sign their
deeds with a mark.

Nathaniel, John, and Daniel, the sons of Sergeant
John, married and had children at Middletown (see M.
Family Records).

III.

John Clark (2).

This John, the son of Sergeant John, married. May 9,
1 7 10, Sarah Goodwin, of Hartford, a great-grandchild of
Ozias Goodwin, who was one of the first settlers of Hart-
ford and a prominent man among them.

The children of John and Sarah were:

Ebenezer, born July 12, 171 1.

William,

" Aug. 31, 1713.

John,

" Dec. 9, 1715.

Moses,

" March 25, 1718.

Aaron,

" March 2, 1720-21

Sarah,

" Aug. 4, 1723.

On April i, 1735, the father, John, sells for ;^620 (with a
small piece of meadow) his homestead, being the thirteen
acres which he had received from his father. Sergeant
John, in 1720. This John is able to write, but his wife,
Sarah, signs with a mark. In December, 1743, he gives
portions of his farm lying on the east side of the Connecti-
cut River to each of his five sons. It will thus be seen
that with the homestead worth ^600 or more, this farm
on the east side large enough to divide among five, and
the 161 acres at Haddam, besides other property both in
Middletown and in Haddam, he must have been a man of
property. These records show that the Clarks in this line
were at least thrifty.

Up to 1 73 1 this John was John Clark, Junior. Where
or when he died is not known. After 1743 no mention is

made on the Middletown records of him or of any of the
children except Ebenezer. Possibly they removed to
another town.

From 1690 to 1700 there was in Middletown another
John Clark, who married Abigail, the daughter of Ensign
William Cheny, of Middletown, and they had a son John,
born in 1693 ; but the father of this family had died prior
to 1705, and in all probability the son also ; there were,
however, many descendants from other children of this
family born in Middletown from 171 5 to 1750.

In 1 73 1 still another John Clark, called "Captain" and
coming from Milford, Conn., settled in Middletown. Thus
care must be taken to distinguish these three families.

IV.

Ebenezer Clark (i).

Ebenezer, the son of John, married, June 21, 1733,
Abigail, the daughter of Joseph (Sr.) and Hannah Whit-
more, of Middletown. His wife Abigail died April
9, 1738, aged 26. The widower married, Sept. 20,
1739, Ann Warner, probably of Middletown. About
1753 he removed with his young family from Middletown
to Washington (then a part of Woodbury), Litchfield
County, Conn., and there remained until his death, April
5, 1800, at the green age of 89. Thus the family was in
Middletown for about seventy-five years.

His gravestone, now standing in the Washington Ceme-
tery, states that he was a deacon in the church at Wash-
ington for forty-four years. He also had the title " Cap-
tain." His wife Ann died March 3, 1795, aged 79.

The homestead occupied by the family was situated at
what was called " Upper End " (of Washington), on a spot
where a house stands now occupied by Mrs. Bloss.

lO

The children of Ebenezer and Abigail were :
Abigail, born April i, 1734.
Jedediah, " Jan. 16, 1736.

The children of Ebenezer and iVnn were :
Tabitha, b. June 18, 1740, mar. in 1768 Dr. John Cal-

houn of Washington, d. Nov. 23, 1796.
Ebenezer (2) b. Feb. 28, 1742, vide post.
Ann, b. Mar. i, 1744, married a Moseley, d. Nov.

16, 1839.
Rebecca, b. Dec. 28, 1745, d. Nov. 11, 1755.
Susannah, b. x-lpril 23, 1748.
Joseph, b. May 30, 1750, married and had children in

Washington, d. Feb. 24, 1832.
Jerushe, b. April 24, 1752, mar. a Parker, d. July, 1808.

Sarah, b. Mar. 3, 1755, unmarried, d. June 30, 1776.

Moses, b. Mar. 4, 1757, d. Mar. 4, 1757.

V.

Ebenezer Clark (2).

Ebenezer, the son of Deacon Ebenezer, married, Sept.
15, 1762, Hannah Tenney, of Norwich, Conn. She was
one of three sisters, all of whom, visiting Washington,
found husbands there, the other two marrying, one a Mit-
chell and the other a Hazen. This Ebenezer was, like
nearly all the race, a farmer, and lived all his life in Wash-
ington. It is surmised that at his marriage his father set
off for him a farm of about seventy acres, the northern
portion of the homestead, the remainder descending to
the other son, Joseph. Of the house built upon the north-
ern portion, where Ebenezer lived, nothing is now left but
a portion of the chimney. He died in .1813.

The children of Ebenezer and Hannah were :
Erastus, b. May 26, 1766, married, d. April 8, 1813.
Jehu, b. Dec. 8, 1767, a clergyman, d. Mar. 22, 1839.

Anne, b. Mar. 18, 1770, married Joseph Calhoun ol

Woodbury, d. May i, 1852.

1 1

Cyrus, b. Feb. 22, 1772, married, lived at Waterbury,

Conn., d. Feb. 8, 1828.

Moses, b. April 16, 1774, married, lived at Wood-

bury, Conn., d. May 3, 1831.

Eunice, b. Jan. 14, 1776, married Amos Smith of

Washington, d. Feb. 14, 1854.

John, b. Jan. i, 1778, married, lived at Waterbury,

d. April 25, 1854.

Sarah, b. Feb. 23, 1780, married Patron M. Blackman,

d. June 19, 1845.

Rebekah, b. Dec. 14, 1781, married Anthony Smith of

Washington, d. about 1866.

Ebenezer(3),b. Dec. 4, 1786, vide post.

VI.

Ebenezer Clark (3).

Ebenezer, the grandson of Deacon Ebenezer, married,
May 25, 181 3, Sally Sanford. He passed the first half of his
life where he was born, on his father's farm in Washing-
ton, and on the latter's death took the farm, buying out
the interests of his brothers and sisters. Besides sturdy
Puritan piety, he had one other prominent trait, musical
taste and ability, being for many years leader of the choir
in Washington church. In 1832 he sold his farm in
Washington, and in 1837 settled with his family at Medina,
Ohio, in the Western Reserve. He died April 5, 1867.
Sally, his wife, died Jan. 31, 1861, aged 68 years.

The children of Ebenezer and Sally were :

Lucius Ebenezer, b. July 4, 1814, now lives at Yonkers, N.Y.
Emily, b. May 17, 1817, married Nelson T.

Burnham, and lives at Medina, O.
Cyrus, b. Feb. 20, 18 19, now lives at Medina, O.

Laura Elizabeth, b. Sept. 7, 1822, married Herman L.

Loomis, lives at Medina, O.
Frankhn b. Sept. 8, 1825, lives at Hartford, Conn.

Watson Daniel, b. Nov. 4, 1832, lives at Medina, O.

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

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