My Sixteen No. 10: Sarah Jane Bellamy

My Sixteen refers to my great-great grandparents. Or, to put it another way, the sixteen grandparents of my four grandparents.

Sarah Jane Bellamy was born in 1837 in Cabell County, Virginia. She died on 22 May 1920 in Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. According to The Bellamys of Early Virginia, Sarah Jane was the daughter of Bennett Bellamy (1810-1867) and Jane West (1810–1858). They were married in Cabell County in about 1831, and Bennett appears as a head of household in that county on the 1840 U.S. Census. Bennett and Jane appear in the 1850 Census in Greenup County, with children Matthew (18), Nancy (16), Elizabeth (15), Sarah (13), Jesse (12), Thomas (10), Columbia (9), Joseph (7), Eliza (3), and "Claspa" (Cleopatra, age 1).

Cabell County was located on the western edge of Virginia, sitting just across the Ohio River from Lawrence County, Ohio. Boyd and Greenup Counties were located in Kentucky, on the other side of Lawrence County. By 1850, Bennett Bellamy's family was living in Greenup County.

Sarah married Joel Clark, a native of Lawrence County, in Greenup County on 17 October 1859, according to the Kentucky, Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900. They set up their home near Catlettsburg in Boyd County, just a couple of miles south of Ashland. This is where they were in 1860.

Kentucky was a key Union border state during the Civil War. Most of the fighting took place in the center of the state, far to the west of the Ashland area, but in the summer of 1861, Union troops under General George McClellan drove off Confederate troops, which essentially freed Unionists in the northwestern counties of Virginia to form a functioning government of their own. This rift led to the formation of a separate state, West Virginia, made up of 41 Virginia counties that had voted against secession--including Cabell County.

After the war, Joel and Sarah were living near Bellefonte Furnace in Greenup County in 1870, where they raised their family. In 1900 and 1910, Joel and Sarah were living in Oakview, Boyd County, and their eldest daughter, Hannah Fraley, lived with them in 1910. Joel died on 15 May 1915, and Sarah went to live with their son, Amos, and his wife, Effie, in Pollard, also in Boyd County. She died on 22 May 1920.

The Known Children of Joel and Sarah Clark

  The 1900 and 1910 Census collected information from women about the number of children they had given birth to, and how many of those children were still living. Sarah stated that she had given birth to 12 children, 11 of whom were still living in 1900; the same was true in 1910. The first four children below appeared in the 1870 Census; four others were identified in Kentucky and Ohio vital records which listed the names of the parents.

1. Hannah Elizabeth Clark Fraley (1860–1947) was born on 7 June 1860, probably near Catlettsburg, Boyd County, Kentucky. She married Samuel Rufus Fraley (1853–1940) on 8 May 1882 in Greenup County, Kentucky. They had two sons: Charles Monroe Fraley (1883–1967) and Isaac Joseph Fraley (1891–1968). Hannah died 30 April 1947 in Fayette County, Kentucky.

2. John Thomas Clark (1862–1954) was born 5 February 1862 in Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky. He married Temperance "Tempa" Lake (1871–1937) on 31 July 1890 in Lawrence County, Ohio. They had two sons: Luther George Clark (1891–1973) and Cecil A Clark (b. 1904). John died 1 April 1954 in Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky.

3. Julia Ann Clark Hughes (1863–1963) was born in Kentucky in February 1863. She married
John William Hughes (1852–1927) on 8 August 1883 in Greenup County, Kentucky. They had six children: Naaman Hughes (1884–1912), George Washington Hughes Sr (1886–1970), Sherman Hughes (1892–1970), Clara Ethel Hughes (1895–1958), Bessie Ann Hughes (1898–1996), and Theodore Roosevelt Hughes (1902–1988). Julia died 13 April 1963 in Athens, Ohio.

4. Joseph Bennett Clark (1867–1953) was born 15 September 1867 in Greenup County, Kentucky. He married Caroline Stanley (1876–1935) 21 February 1892 in Greenup County, Kentucky. Their children were Edgar James Clark (1893–1957), Kelly Clark (b. 1896), Earl D Clark (b. 1899), Tempa Clark (1902–1995), Stanley Albert Clark (1904–1950), Virginia Gross Clark (1909–1913), Hortense C Clark (1912–2001), and Lucille Clark (1914–2005). Joseph died on 20 June 1953 in Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky.

5. James Sylvester Clark (1868–1960) was born 27 December 1868 in Greenup County, Kentucky. He married Mary Ann Arthur (1876–1954) in 1897. They had two sons: Chester Leon Clark (1901–1983) and Arthur Harold Clark (1905–1981). James died 6 January 1960 in Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio.

6. David Ulysses Clark Sr (1873–1948) was born in Greenup county, Kentucky, in 1873 (probably in June). He married Mary Ann Viceroy "Vicie" Reynolds (1879–1957) on 4 September 1898 "at the home of John Clark in Oakview" in Boyd County, Kentucky. The marriage was witnessed by John and Joel Clark. David and Vicie had many children: Opal Clark (1899–1932), Traxel Clark (1901–1961), Alma Clark (1903–1988), David Clark, Jr. (1905–1966), Sallie Clark (1908–1932), Thomas Ray Clark (1910–1933), Jennie May Clark (1911–1975), Jerry M Clark (1913–1996), Floyd Morris Clark (1915–1916), Victor F Clark (1918–1995), and my grandfather, Russell Hudson Clark (1920–2002). David died 9 January 1948 in Pulaski County, Arkansas; he was my great-grandfather.

7. Bertha Clark May (1875–1952) was born in June 1875 in Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky. She married Francis Marion May (1870–1946) 4 June 1892 in Boyd County, Kentucky. They had five children: Leonard Victor May (1894–1942), Joel DeWitt May (1897–1986), Verna May (b. 1901), Julia May (b. 1903), and Bettie M May (b. 1915). Bertha died 4 June 1952 in Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio.

8. Amos Clark (1877–1962) was born 19 February 1877 in Greenup County, Kentucky. He married Letitia Effie May (1880–1924) on 6 August 1899 in Lawrence County, Ohio. They had eight children: Rusie Clark (b. 1900), Nannie Ethel Clark (1901–1993), Charles Warren Clark (1905–1969), Golden Cecil Clark (1907–1929), Amos J Clark Jr. (1909–1981), Addie May Clark (b. 1911), Eugene Vernon Clark (1913–1985), and Doris Clark (1916–1999). Amos died 25 February 1962 in Pierce County, Washington.

9. Jennie Clark Smith (1878–1975) was born 29 September 1878 in Chinnville, Greenup, Kentucky. On 26 March 1899, she married William Thomas Smith (1876–1953) in Lawrence County, Ohio. They had seven children: Goldie A Smith (1900–1989), Myrl Raymond Smith (1901–1978), Roy Clark Smith (1904–1984), Dwight Avery Smith (1908–1978), Xelia Smith (1911–2000), Orville Edwin Smith (1912–2000), and Rebecca Jane Smith (1916–1995). Jennie died 15 December 1975 in Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky.

My Sixteen No. 9: Joel Clark

My Sixteen refers to my great-great grandparents. Or, to put it another way, the sixteen grandparents of my four grandparents.

Joel Clark was born on 13 December 1828 in Ohio and died in Oakview, Boyd County, Kentucky, on 8 May 1915 at the age of 86 years, 4 months, and 25 days. His parents were named on his death certificate in the Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1965 database as Amos Clark (place of birth unknown) and Sarah Stumbo (born in Virginia).

According to this record in Ohio, County Marriages, (1789-2013), Amos Clark and Sally (which is a common nickname for Sarah) Stumbough were married on 8 April 1824 in Lawrence County, Ohio. Amos appears as head of his household on the U.S. Census, recorded in Perry Township in 1830 and 1840.

This map shows modern day Perry Township—one of twenty-six townships of that name in Ohio!—which lies in the central point at the bottom of Ohio.





As you can see, Perry Township sits across the Ohio River from Ashland, Kentucky.

I have also found 1850 and 1860 Census records for an Amos Clark from Perry Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, but Montgomery and Lawrence Counties are about 160 miles apart, and this Amos's wife's name is given as "Mary," so I am reasonably sure these records do not match our Amos. (I've marked those Ancestry hints as "Maybe" for now.)

There is also evidence of more than one Amos Clark living in the Boyd County/Lawrence County area: the local newspaper in Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio, ran several notices in the spring of 1853 advising potential heirs and creditors of the death of Amos Clark, and later had to run an additional notice reassuring everyone of the vitality of Amos B. Clark:

Amos Clark - still alive and kicking. Tue, May 31, 1853 – Page 2 · Spirit of the Times (Ironton, Ohio) · Newspapers.com

Unfortunately, I do not have enough definite information about Amos and Sally/Sarah to figure out where they were born or what happened to them after 1840. There is a Joel Clark listed in the 1850 Census; he and three others are listed as living in Upper Township, Lawrence County, Ohio. The head of the household is a Sarah Clark (age 28), and two other boys, Jackson (age 12) and George W. (age 4) are there--all born in Ohio. It's possible that this is our Joel and three of his siblings, but I don't say that with high confidence.

[Update: after a close examination of the image of the census record, and comparing notes with other researchers, I think that this 1850 record does show our Joel, two brothers, and his mother, Sarah; I think the first digit in her age was too faded for the transcriber to read correctly; she might have been "38" and not "28".]

Joel Clark married Penina E. Baywell on 14 April 1853 in Lawrence County, Ohio (see this record). Other than this marriage, I have not found any other records that name her. My assumption, for now, is that she died not long after their son (Jackson, named for his brother) was born.

Joel then married Sarah Jane Bellamy (1836–1920) on 17 October 1859 in Greenup County, Kentucky. Joel and Sarah appear in the 1860 Census living in Boyd County, Kentucky, near the Catlettsburg post office. The record includes two children, Jackson S. (age 6, born in Ohio) and Hannah E. (age 4/12, born in Kentucky).

On 14 July 1863 Joel enlisted for twelve months in the Union Army at Ashland. He served as a private in the 45th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry. First organized as a Battalion for service in the Eastern Counties of Kentucky and on the Virginia border, the 45th served until October 1863. They went to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and covered the front from Cumberland Gap to Louisa until March 1864. They saw action at Salyersville, Kentucky. They moved to Flemmingsburg in March 1864, and then to Irvine, Kentucky, operating south of that point until July. Joel seems to have re-enlisted at some point, as he was discharged in December 1865, after 2 1/2 years.

The 1870 Census showed the Clark family living near the Bellefonte (written on the census as "Belle Fonte") Furnace post office in Greenup County. Joel's occupation was listed as teamster; he and Sarah had four more children: John (8), Julia (6), Joseph (4), and James (2). There is a big gap in our story where the 1880 Census should be; I don't know why the family doesn't show up in any of the searches I've done, but we don't see them in online records for thirty years. In 1890, Joel appears on the Census Veterans' schedules, listed in Cannonsburg, Princess Township, Boyd County, but that database only lists the head of household.

In 1900, Joel and Sarah were living in Oakview, and operating a grocery. Their eldest daughter, Hannah (Fraley), was living with them in 1910; Joel was working as a real estate broker. He died on 8 May 1915 in Ashland and was buried in Ashland Cemetery. In 1920, Sarah was living in the Ashland, Kentucky, home of her son, Amos, with his wife, Effie, and their children; she died on 22 May 1920.

According to the 1910 Census, Sarah had a total of 12 children, 11 of whom were still living in 1910. I've only identified nine of them in the records mentioned here. One of those 12 children was very likely David Ulysses Clark Sr (1873–1948). Because I haven't been able to find the Clark family in the 1880 Census, I don't have any direct evidence confirming that he was the son of Joel and Sarah; I do have some indirect clues, though.

David married Mary Ann Viceroy "Vicie" Reynolds (1879–1957) on 4 September 1898 in Boyd County. According to their marriage record, their wedding took place "at the home of John Clark in Oakview" and was witnessed by John and Joel Clark. This John Clark appeared in Oakview in the 1900 Census and has a Kentucky death record which names his parents as Joel Clark and Sarah Bellomy.

David, Vicie, and Opal (their eldest child) appeared in the 1900 Census living in Oakview—and on the same page as an Amos Clark (age 23; wife, Effie, and daughter) and James Clark (age 30; wife, Mary). Amos and Effie May were married in 1899 in Lawrence County, Ohio, and their marriage record names his parents: Joel Clark and Sarah Bellamy.

None of this is concrete proof, but that much evidence is very persuasive. Unless I find some reason not to, I will conclude that David is the son of Joel, and grandson of Amos. My grandfather, Russell Hudson Clark (1920-2002), was the youngest son of David and Vicie.

Those Darned Clarks

I've written a little bit about my maternal grandfather, and his father, David Ulysses Clark, but sadly, there is a lot I don't know about that part of my family. Unlike the Callin Family, there isn't a Clark Family History for me to build on - yet.

While visiting in Arizona, I talked to my uncle Russ about his dad and grandfather, and some of the other Clark relatives he knew personally. There are a few distant cousins out there who might be able to help me get past the "brick walls" I'm facing, but between the busy-ness of life and the tasks I need to get done to finish the Callin book, I never seem to get around to pursuing those leads.

But while I'm working on "unrelated" things, Clark folks keep popping up.

On 8 August 1889, a Charles Lincoln Clark married Lydia Minerva Callin. Per the Callin Family History: "Lydia Callin Clark...was the 3rd daughter of William Callin, who was the 2nd son of George Callin, who was the 2nd son of John Callin, who was the 2nd son of James 1st."

Charles was the son of Alexander W. (1827 – 1889) and Almira A. (1837 – 1913) Clark; Alexander was born in Pennsylvania, and married Almira in Richland county, Ohio, before relocating to Huron county.

More recently, on 12 February 1919, Howard George Clark (1888 – 1923) married Madeline L. Callin (1896 – 1942). She was the daughter of Fred A. Callin: "Fred A. Callin, Mansfield, O., 2nd son of Thomas Jefferson, 2nd son of Thomas, eldest son of James 2nd, eldest son of James 1st."

I don't know, yet, who Howard's parents were, but he was a World War I soldier, and his enlistment documents identified his birthplace as Ashland, Boyd county, Kentucky. Howard seems to have moved to Ohio early on, but apparently on his own; he married after serving in the war, and sadly took his own life in 1923.

And, of course, much later, in 1968, my dad (a Callin) married my mom (a Clark), tying the two surnames together yet again. Considering that at best, the Clarks I've listed above are distant cousins, and the Callins are similarly well separated from each other, there isn't any reason to raise the specter of inbreeding - but it is a tantalizing puzzle to figure out.

One of my goals for the revision of the Callin Family History is to include the parents of every spouse; in some cases, that may not be possible, but that means that I might find something more out about Howard that can shed more light on the mystery. But in the meantime, all of these Clark folks will continue to peer at me from behind their metaphorical brick wall, keeping me digging.

Photo Feature: Joel Monroe Clark

[Update: I originally misidentified this photo as my great-grandfather, David Ulysses Clark. I've updated the post so the information is correct.]

This week's photo is especially exciting for me because:

1. this is my great-great-grandfather - Joel Clark, and
2. this beard is AMAZING! What a way to end Movember!

Joel Monroe Clark (1828-1915) 

My grandfather didn't have much to say about his side of the family. I don't know much about what they were like, but in most of the census records his father David's occupation is listed as some kind of woodworker or laborer in a furniture factory, or as a sawyer. He was born in Kentucky, and moved a few times, showing up in Ohio, Kentucky, and Arkansas over the years.

In 1947, he died in Pulaski, Arkansas at the age of 74, and was buried in Benton.

Here is a more complete post about the man in the picture, David's father: My Sixteen No. 9: Joel Clark