Genealogy Report: Descendants of Thomas Clark
Descendants of Thomas Clark
1.THOMAS2 CLARK(JOHN1CLARKE)1 was born 1599 in in St. Dunstan's Church, Stepney England, and died March 24, 1696/97 in Plymouth Colony, MA2.He married (1) ELIZABETH CROW3.She died Unknown.He married (2) SUSANNAH RING3 1634 in Ipswich, MA4, daughter of ELIEZER RING and MARY DURRANT.She was born Abt. 1604, and died Bet. 1645 - 16465.He married (3) ALICE HALLETT NICHOLS6 1664 in ?Boston / Plymouth Massachusetts7,8, daughter of RICHARD HALLET.She was born WFT Est. 1597-1646 in Boston, and died WFT Est. 1667-1735.
Notes for THOMAS CLARK:
THE CLARK FAMILY (copied from "Clark Geneology" showing the line of descent from Thomas Clark, the first mate of "THE MAYFLOWER", 1620.In 1621, he came back to America and stayed.
1.Thomas Clark married first Susannah, daughter of Mary Ring, in 1634. His second wife was widow Alice Nichols of Boston, daughter of Richard Hallet, 1664. He must have been at the time of is death the patriarch of the Colony.Born in 1599, the same year with Cromwell, and four years before Queen Elizabeth, he lived through the reigns of James I, Charles I, the Commonwealth, the Protectorate of Cromwell, the reigns of James II, and Charles II, William and Mary, and a great part of the reign of William III.He died three days before the decease of Governor Simon Bradstreet at Salem, who was called the patriarch of that Colony, though he was four years younger than Thomas Clark, having been born in 1603. *
*Direct quote from Samuel C. Clarke's "Some of the Records of the Descendants of Thomas Clarke, Plymouth, 1623-1697".
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He had for his garden plot in 1623, one acre on the south side of the brook.In 1637, he was one of the first to volunteer to go against the Pequot Indians.
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From Some of the Descendants of Thomas Clarke, Plymouth 1623-1697 by Samuel C Clarke
Page 4:
Came to Plymouth in 1623 on the Anne,of 140 tons, the Master was William Pierce, among a company of 42 Adult passengers, besides children. He brought with him considerable property, especially cattle and had land allotted to him near Eel river, now Chiltonville, where he lived for a time.
In 1627, Thomas Clarke was the only person of that name in Plymouth Colony. - Baylies' Hist., Vol. 1., page 309.
More About THOMAS CLARK:
AKA (Facts Pg): Known also as Thomas Clarke in records
Baptism: Bet. 1599 - 1600, St. Dunstan's Church, StepneyParish, England
Burial: Unknown, Plymouth Colony, MA - On the summit of Burying Hill9
Elected 1: 1655, Elected as one of the deputies of Plymouth10
Elected 2: 1651, One of the Plymouth Committee11,12
Elected 3: 1656, Elected as one of the deputies of Plymouth again13
Epitaph: March 24, 1696/97, "Here lies buried ye body of Mr. Thomas Clark, aged 98 years. Departed this life March 24th 1697.14
Fined: 1639, T. Clarke is fined 30s. for selling a pair of boots and spurs for 15s. which he bought for 10s.15
Immigration: 1623, Came toPlymouth in the "Ann" @ 23yrs old16
Occupation 1: 1620, First Mate "Mayflower"?
Occupation 2: 1623, Carpenter
Occupation 3: 1641, Constable and surveyor of highways for the years 1642, 3, 4, 5, 6, 717
Occupation 4: 1642, Surveyor of Plymouth18
Other 1: 1633, Took the Freeman's oath19,20
Other 2: 1620, Abraham Pierce sould to Thomas Clarke 21
Other 3: 1634, Took Wm. Shuttle as apprentice for 11 years. At end of time T.C. was to give him 2 suits of clothes and 8 bushels of corn.22,23
Other 4: 1638, A tract of land called Slowly Field is granted to T.C.. He is presented to the court for stopping the highway to Eel River.24
Other 5: 1638, Presented to the Court for stopping the highway to Eel River25
Other 6: 1639, Simeon Trott agrees to serve Thomas Clarke for 7 years, he to receive a calf and 12 bushels of corn at end of time.26
Other 7: 1640, Put on a list of "Old Comers" ; which included all those who came to Plymouth in the first 3 ships ,the " Mayflower"," Fortune"," Anne"27
Other 8: 1643, His name was on the list of those able to bear arms.27,28
Other 9: 1644, Had suits with Matthew Fuller and William Powell; won both29
Other 10: 1652, Was presented for staying and drinking at James Cole's; acquitted29
Religion: Bet. 1654 - 1697, Deacon of the Plymouth Church30
Volunteer: 1637, Heads the list of volunteers to act against the Pequin Indians. Is mentioned as Thomas Clarke, yeoman, of Eel River.30,31
Notes for SUSANNAH RING:
The Ring Family was in Leiden Holland by 1614 - Notes from WFT pedigree3543
More About SUSANNAH RING:
Name 2: Susan Ring- Can be found as
Marriage Notes for THOMAS CLARK and SUSANNAH RING:
From the Record of Some of the Descendants of Thomas Clarke, Plymouth 1623-1697 by Samuel C. Clarke:
"He married for his first wife, Susan, daughter of widow Mary Ring, of Plymouth, somewhere about 1634 since her will dated Oct 1633, Mrs. Ring mentions her daughter Susan as being unmarried (From N.E. Hist. and Gen. Register, Jan.,1850] All of Thomas Clarke's children were probably of this marriage.
More About THOMAS CLARK and SUSANNAH RING:
Marriage: 1634, Ipswich, MA32
Marriage Notes for THOMAS CLARK and ALICE NICHOLS:
Between 1655 and 1660, he removed to Boston, where he lived in the vicinity of Scottow's Lane (from Ann St. NW to Creek lane), and when his son Andrew married Mehitable, daughter of Thomas Scotto, Thomas Clarke gave him a house in that region. Thomas Clarke married, for second wife, Mrs. Alice Nichols, daughter Richard Hallett in Boston, 1664.
More About THOMAS CLARK and ALICE NICHOLS:
Marriage: 1664, ?Boston / Plymouth Massachusetts33,34
Children of THOMAS CLARK and SUSANNAH RING are:
| 2. | i. | ANDREW3 CLARKE, b. 1635, Plymouth, MA; d. 1706, Harwich Barnstable, MA. | |
| 3. | ii. | JAMES CLARK, b. 1636, Plymouth,Plymouth MA; d. WFT Est. 1638-1727. | |
| 4. | iii. | WILLIAM CLARKE, b. Abt. 1634, Duxbury MA; d. Bef. March 28, 1720. | |
| 5. | iv. | SUSANNA CLARK, b. 1642, Plymouth, MA; d. September 28, 1697, Ae 55. | |
| v. | NATHANIEL CLARKE35,36, b. 164337; d. January 31, 1716/17, At about age 7438,39; m. DOROTHY LETTICE GRAY, WFT Est. 1674-1706; b. 1648; d. 1728, Ae 8040. |
| Notes for NATHANIEL CLARKE: From Samuel C. Clarke's "Some of the Records of the Descendants of Thomas Clarke..." pg. 13/14: "He was educated in the law office of Secretary Morton, and was known as Counsellor Clarke.He was appointed Secretary of the colony by Sir E. Andros in 1686, and shared in the unpopularity of that officer so much so, that when Sir Edmund was sent to England as a prisoner, N.C. was sent with him. He soon, however, returned to Plymouth, a favorite with the Court of England, and continued the practice of law.His house was on the main street, the same afterwards occupied by Judge Thomas.Andros made him a grant of Clark's Island, which the people refused to confirm, and he failed securing the property."** **Also cited in "The Thomas Clark Family..." by Radasch & Radasch p. 11: "Nathaniel Clark made his will 23 Jan 1715/16 leaving everything to Ephraim Little and the latter's wife, Mrs. Sarah Little, Nathaniel's "kinswoman".The will was probated 2 May 1718.Nathaniel styled himself a mariner in his will, and he was called a mariner in several deeds. Nathaniel Clark was Secretary of the Colony for several years under Governor Andros. As a reward for his services, the governor, in 1687, granted Nathaniel the island in the Plymouth Bay known as Clark's Island.The people refused to confirm this act, as the land had been set aside for the support of Plymouth's pastor and the poor of the town.The matter was taken to court and Nathaniel Clark and the governor were sent back to England in 1689 to answer for "high crimes and misdemeanors".Nathaniel later returned to Plymouth where he later died (George F. Willison, Saints & Strangers, pgs 404-5, and 456-7." Footnote to Plymouth Church Records, Vol I p265: "Acting under a warrantfrom Andros dated February 23, 1688, on March 3, Phillip Wells surveyed and laid out Clark's island for Nathaniel Clark. On June 22, 1689, the sale of the island was authorized by the town of Plymouth, and in 1690 was sold to Samuel Lucas, Elkanah Watson, and George Morton." "July 7, 1689: Nathaniel Clarke made it manifest his Rejection of the church, in that he did not come to publick worship, nor did attend on the church, wherefore after many bretheren had particularly exprest themselves as Judging him worthy to be rejected for his not hearing the church, there was then a vote called for & universally consented to, that he should be disowned; the Elder did then declare that whereas Nathaniel Clarke like Esau despised his birthright, by many words & carriag[es] contemned the church, they therefore disowned him & cutt him off fro[m] his relation to the church as an unprofitable branch; the Elder praye[d] after & the Pastour addeda word of counsell & Admonition to all church child[ren]. |
| More About NATHANIEL CLARKE: Occupation: "Counsellor Clarke"41 |
| Notes for DOROTHY LETTICE GRAY: From "The Thomas Clarke Family..." by Radasch p.10: "The divorce was not granted and a settlement was arranged. However, the record of her death in Plympton, 30 May 1728, age above 80, calls her the 'divorced wife' of Nathaniel Clark, Esq, and the second wife of Edward Gray of Plymouth. From "Plymouth Church Records: Vol I, Part V p. 258": "July 25: The same day, inasmuch as there had bin a great fame, as if Mris Dorothy Clarke, (formerly Grey) a sister of the Church, had bin guilty of some breach of the Rule in the management of the differences, betwixt her and her now Husband, Nathaniel Clarke, the Elders having spoken with her & found her willing to attend the Rule, she then presenting us with a confession of her failing in words & then in writing, the Elders [t]hen brought the matter publickly before the Church, & read her confession, which she publickly owned to be hers, with which the church declared themselves to be well satisfyed: The Elder then speaking a few serious words to Nath: Clarke as a child of the church, he brake forth into a wicked passion & spake vile words, intimating , as if the church would cleare the guilty & condemne the innoent, abusing also Pauls words to the mariners, as if it were better & nearer to salvation to be out of such a church then in it etc which carriage & words of hiswere highly offensive, & soe declared by the Pastour to be, but at the present it was thought meete not further proceed upon." Offences of Dorothy Clark, 1689: "July, 3: the church met after Lecture at the Pastors house, & after Prayer, the Elder propounded, that there were offences committed by Mris Dorothy Clarke, in full communion with us as also by Nathaniel Clarke & William Clarke, children of the church, which should be looked after; the church sent Deacon Faunce & Bro. Ephraim Morton Junior to call on Mris Clarke to come before us; before she came, the Pastor read a letter from Deborah Fish (whom the church [h]ad sent letters of Admonition unto the last yeare for her fornication) wherein she manifested her Repentance for her sin etc. Mris Clarke being come, the Elder declared her offences, 1: In particular her violent carriage to a child of the Pastors, full evidences of which was presented to the church: 2:her Joyning with & encouraging her husband to get Clarks Island from the towne & at last setting her hand to the sale of it: she was called to speake, & a Narrative of her carriage to the child, & in divers words & carriages showed an evill frame of spirit; the issue was, many bretheren exprest their dissatisfaction at her, & the Elder summed up her offence, in these things, viz that she was in a passion, when [s]he pulled the lad out of the tree with her hand, & then threw him over the fence; that she ought first to have told the mother of her childs fault in getting up the tree & not have toucht him herselfe; that there was violence appeared in her carriage to the child; these things she ought to confesse her evill in, to which was added by some of the Church, too much appearence of untruths in the words in that she said "she tooke the lad gently downe from the tree & he came downe upon his feete", whereas the evidence did positively assert, the child fell flat upon the ground by her pulling him by the leg: another was that she told Mr. Arnold that Mris Cotton had by putting a key into Josiah's mouth caused his bleeding, whereas she used noe such meanes; Mris Clarke also in her speech before the church did say, she had heard Mris Cotton did put a key into the childs mouth, by a credible person, but would not, though much urged by divers bretheren to it, mention her Author, but presently said she must study who it was & would speake with them first to see if they woule owne it, which gave vehement ground of suspition she therein spake untruly; for these things & her offensive carriage about the Island, it was solemnly declared to her, that the church was offended with her & she should prepare by Repentance to give them satisfaction, & was then ordered to withdraw: the church then sent Bro: Jos: Dunhan & Bro: Ele. Churchel to call Nathaniel Clarke to come to them, the bretheren returned with this answer from him namely, "that he would not come, he had nothing to say to us, nor would have any thing to doe with us": upon which the Pastor declaring to the church sundry of his scandalous wicked words & practises, & that now he had practically disowned his relation to the church, the church then unanimously agreed in choosing Bro: Harlow and Bro: Bonum to goe to Nath: Clarke & tell him, that the church did require him in the Name of Christ to attend them in the publick assembly by the next Sabbath in the afternoone, his answer to them was "he should not come, for he could not speake, because he was under bonds". this meeting was with much peace & comfortable unity in the whole church & was concluded with Prayer." --Plymouth Church Records, Vol I pp265-266. "May 25 (1690): After the blessing the Elders stayed the church, & called forth sister Dorothy Clarke to give publick satisfaction to the church for which she was left under Admonition, she then manifested her Repentence, in confession of sin, selfe-Judging, desiring Pardon of God, his church, the Pastor & his wife; the Bretheren generally exprest their acceptance & pardon of her; & that being alleadged, that she acted irregularly in offering last sacrament day to speake to the church, the Elders knowing nothing of it before, this also she confest her fault in, & the church formgave her & were dismissed with prayer by the Elder." -- Plymouth Church Records, Vol. I p. 269. |
| More About DOROTHY LETTICE GRAY: Religion: 1724, Member of Plymouth Church42 |
| Marriage Notes for NATHANIEL CLARKE and DOROTHY GRAY: From Samuel Clarke's "Some of the Records of the Descendants of Thomas Clarke...."pg 13: "He married Dorothy Lettice Gray, widow of Edward Gray, a rich merchant of Plymouth, but they did not live together comfortably, and after much scandel she left him, but afterwards, says James Thacher, returned to live with him.He died without issue, Jan 31, 1717, aged 74." |
| More About NATHANIEL CLARKE and DOROTHY GRAY: Divorce Filed: 1686, Applied to the Court for a divorce "on the grounds of his impotency"43 Marriage: WFT Est. 1674-1706 |
| 6. | vi. | JOHN CLARK, b. 1637, Plymouth MA; d. March 1718/19, Lyme, New London, CT at age 82. |