John W. Clark, (1818-1850)

The name "Clark" is of English descent. John W. Clark was the son of Daniel Clark, whose father was William Clark, Jr.  William Clark, Sr., great-grandfather of John W. Clark, owned 600 acres in Bourbon County, Kentucky in 1787 and 1789. He was originally from Fayette County. By 1790, he owned land and was living in Washington, Mason County, Kentucky. Mason County was formed from Bourbon County in 1788.

William, Sr. may have been a relative of famous explorer George Rogers Clark for whom he acted as power of attorney in a land deal. William had a brother George who was in Fayette County and Mason County in as early as 1790 and died there in 1803. George had a son, Solomon (wife Sally), who lived in Mason County and later, in Davidson County, Tennessee in 1808. He also had a son, Robert (wife Priscilla), who lived in Bracken County in 1808. He also had a daughter, Ruth, wife of famous local historian William Perrin.

William, Sr. also had brothers John, who was in Mason 1795 through at least 1807, Samuel, who was in Fayette as early as 1790 and in Mason from 1800 through 1809, James B., who was in Fayette as early as 1790 and in Mason in 1795, and Thomas, who was in Fayette as early as 1790.

The Clarks were primarily mill rights and farmers. They owned much land in Mason County, Fleming County, Bourbon County, Campbell County, and Fayette County. Clark’s Run and Clark’s Pre-emption in Mason County were named after them.

The spouses of William, Sr.’s children, Eleanor and William Jr., were siblings. The Clark family’s land bordered on the Curtis family’s land.

According to Mason County historical records, Benjamin Clark, was present at the Boston Tea Party in 1773. This may have been William’s brother.

William Clark, Jr., son of William Sr., lived in Washington, Mason County, Kentucky. From 1820 on, William lived in Campbell County, which was formed from Mason in 1795. William’s wife, Mary, was probably the daughter of John Curtis, who died in Mason on 9-9-1813 and lived next to William Clark, Sr.

An interesting story was detailed in the Maysville newspaper about a dead traveller whose throat was cut being found near the mill of Daniel Clarke, son of William Clark, Jr. and father of John W. Clark, in 1824.

William Clark, Jr. (1770/1840-1850) m. Mary Curtis (~1770/1830-1840) on 6-5-1791.  The following are family members of William Clark, Jr: 

Daniel, son of William Jr. and father of John W. Clark (1791-1794/1830+) m. Nancy Walker on 11-13-1819

Reason (1798/1870s) m. Mary Walker on 7-3-1824

Mary (1810-1820/1840+)

Joseph (1791-1794/1840+) m. Nancy Parker on 6-4-1814

Ichabod (1791-1794/1820+)

Benjamin R. (1791-1794/1840+) m. ?

Jeremiah (1794-1804/1820+)

Joshua (1796/1820+) m. ?

Rachel (?/1826+) m. George Walker on 2-18-1826

Robert B. (1797/1850+) m. Nancy Bowles on 7-13-1826

Caleb (?/1816+) m. Elizabeth Griffith on 12-16-1816

Catharine (?/1823+) m. William Yates on 5-25-1823

Eliza (?/1834+) m. John Barlow on 10-4-1834

William (1806/1850+) m. Lavina Miller on 7-15-1826

James H. (~1791/1830+) m. ?

John (1800/1830+) m. ?

Letty C. (?/1825+) m. George Chandler on 7-14-1825.

Note that these dates are often approximations.