Re: clark clarke st ann jamaica

Christine:Hopefully you are still checking this site.Sarah Jane Clarke (Jane Love), your grandfathers sister, is my great-grandmother.She is also the grandmother of Harry Belafonte.My Dad (a grandson of Sarah Jane Clarke)worked on our "family tree" when I was a kid.Much of his knowledge came from his Aunt Clare, one of Sarah Jane's daughters, as well as from his Uncle Lenny.Here is what my Dad told me and what is documented on the family tree he made for me:

Henry Clarke is of Irish decent.His is a descendant of a Reverend Carr from County Clare, Ireland and a woman with the surname of Clarke -- a housekeeper from County Clare, Ireland.They were either his parents or grandparents.Not sure why he was given (or took his maternal precedents' surname).

Henry Clarke was an overseer of a plantation.He married Elsie Allen.Elsie Allen is of Scottish decent.Her father was purportedly a plantation/slave owner in Jamaica.No information about Elsie's mother.

So, our family is of Scotch/Irish decent.

My father believed that Henry Clarke's siblings (or cousins depending on Henry's relationship to Reverend Carr and the Irish housekeeper) were Robert Clarke (grandparent of Alexander Bustamante) and Elsie Clark (grandmother of Norman Manley and Hugh Shearer).

Elsie and Henry Clark had the following children: (a) Richard (Dick); (b) Joseph; (c) Fanny; (d) William (your grandfather); (e) Emma; and (f) Sarah Jane.

Richard had 12 children: (i) Harold; (ii) Webster; (iii) Daughter (name unknown); (iv) Norma; (v) Inez; (vi) Darling; (vii) Sydney; (viii) William; (ix) Lenny; (x) Dansey; (xi) Uriel; (xii) Gurtie.My chart doesn't indicate the name of his wife (wives) or "baby mamas", soI don't know if the same woman bore all 12 kids.

Joseph had 11 kids: (i) Ethal; (ii) John; (iii) Alice; (iv) Leslie; (v) Caudy; (vi) George; (vii) Amy Rose; (viii) Florence; (ix) Adella; (x) Anita; (xi) another child (name/gender unknown).

According to the chart, William (your grandfather) had 4 children: (i) Arthur; (ii) Harry; (iii) Grace; and (iv) Fanny.It would be great if you could confirm/add to this.

Emma apparently had one child (at least as set forth on my Dad's chart).Her name was Hilda.

Sarah Jane (Jane Love) married William Love.William Love is the great-grandson of an African slave. William had 6 other siblings.Sarah Jane and William had 10 children (unsure of dates/order of birth):(i) Samuel (he died at age 4); (ii) Henry (drowned at sea serving for the English Merchant Navy); (iii) Melvine (my Dad referred to her as Aunt Melly or Aunt Mel); (iv) Elizabeth (my Dad referred to her as Aunt Liz); (v) Geraldine (my Dad referred to her as Aunt Gerry); (vi) Clare (she was my Dad's favorite Aunt. She gave him much of this information); (vii) Lendon (Uncle Lenny); (viii) Castel (Uncle Cas); (ix) Phillip (Uncle Phil); and (x) Colbeck.Colbeck is my grandfather.

I was told that once Sarah Jane married William Love, she was somewhat ostracized by her parents/siblings.I was also told that Sarah Jane did not care about race/color and was an incredibly loving person.Harry Belafonte describes her as such in his recent autobiography.My Dad and his siblings called her "Mum" (pronounced "moom").My Dad was very close to Sarah Jane.My Dad and his brothers were pall-bearers at her funeral.

Melvine Love is the mother of Harry Belafonte, Dennis Belafonte, Shirley Wright and Raymond Wright.Shirley lives in DC.I no longer have her contact information, but she may have additional information.The rest of the chart pertains to the Clarke/Love children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I hope that this was helpful to you and anyone else interested in the Clarkes of Jamaica.