ALTLNAGE Alternate Lineage for Capt. Christopher and Francis CLARK Condensed by Linda Sparks Starr SEP 1996 [First I should explain the term I chose to use with my name. No single person can do ALL the research necessary to prove these Tidewater Virginia lines and this file is a direct result of the efforts of several researchers. I merely "condensed" the almost 100 pages of data. On behalf of the entire group, which is "up to" 25 and growing, I want to THANK the various contributors for their generosity. This especially goes to Patricia Stanley and Robert Clark who have been at this for more than 30 years; they each have a CLARK database of over 5,000 individuals. I'm humbled they are so willing to share so much of their efforts with us. Patricia corresponded directly with some of the researchers we now cite; Robert is currently working on a CLARK genealogy. Others also deserve credit for forwarding their own data, double-checking sources at my request, offering professional level comments, and last, but not least, providing a sounding board as I've worked with sometimes conflicting data. These in clude: David Goodwin, Elizabeth Harris, Mary Stewart, Paul Phelps and Richard Hopper. This file is presented as a POSSIBLE alternative to what I call "the Moorman legend". I realize some of you are quite con tent with Micajah Sr. and Sallie Ann as the parents of Capt. Christopher. Please don't look at this personally; the rest of us need more evidence before we can accept them as the parents. Incidentally they are connected to the navigator in at least one descendancy chart received. Who knows? Maybe we'll find documenta- tion FOR Micajah/Sallie Ann while investigating these alterna tives. I believe in giving full credit where credit is due; but I also want to take the stress off myself for keeping track of "who said what" when moving data around in the text. Therefore, I've decided to present the information without identifying the specific individual(s) who sent it to me. This doesn't mean I'm ignoring documentation -- my mantra is still "primary and 'good' secondary sources"; I will list these where they are provided. Finally, this file is not intended as a definitive sketch on any ONE individual or even ONE LINE. I've chosen to present only what is necessary to identify the line(s) most likely to get us back to Capt. Christopher, Francis and/or the General. I'm hoping each of you will find something which interests you enough to pursue; or better yet, will recognize something already in your files, to pass along. I welcome and encourage your opinions and input; working together, we may actually make progress! After several weeks of "mulling" how to do this, I've decided to begin with John Clark "the navigator" and then present his "said to be sons". Two of these "sons" -- William and Edward -- struck me as worthy of more study and will be presented in an "alternate lineage part II" file. John is a "bigger than life" character straight out of the pages of a novel--one of the reasons "skeptical bells" are going off in my head. Because of this, I want to "gloss over" his deeds right now and concentrate only on the genealogical points needed to "prove" his wife/wives, children and ultimately, grandchildren. My viewpoint is, IF and only WHEN we make that determination, should we spend time in "fleshing out" the man. His exploits SHOULD BE easy to document; it's his genealogy which may prove troublesome. This extends to the "sons" too. LSS] John CLARK "the Navigator" Briefly, according to Dr. Lorand Johnson and others, John was a pilot of several ships sailing between England and the colonies. In 1611 he was captured by a group of Spaniards off the VA coast and questioned about the defenses of Jamestown. Some think he single-handedly saved the vulnerable settlement. Taken to Madrid, he was "exchanged" in 1615 or thereabouts. He is also "said to be" the pilot of the Mayflower whose destination was VA, not MA. Apparently there are at least two depositions in the Archives of Seville and Simancas, Spain which give his stated age. In 1611 he gave his age as 35 (b. 1576) and in 1613 as 40 (b. 1573); addi- tionally he gave his birthplace or residence as London. The average of the two years comes to an approximate birthyear of 1574/5. A baptism record was located for _a_ John Clarke on 26 MAR 1575 in the Parish of St. Mary, Rotherhithe. Although not as yet "proven" to be the same John Clark as the later "navigator", Dr. Johnson and others feel circumstantial evidence highly suggests it is the same person. Page 264 of Dr. Johnson's _...Caskieben, Crimond and Cayesmill_ says John Clark is mentioned several times in the VA Company papers: awarded shares of "old stock" based on his capture by the Spanish; made "free brother" of the VA Company; the mariner died "in this country leaving a poor widow behind him, having a great charge of poor children"; his sister, Katherine, was the widow of Sir Francis Harber Esq; and his children--Mr. William, Edward, George "Butler" and son-in-law Thomas Wilson who had married Catherine Clark as his second wife--received "his" shares. Luckily one researcher found time to look at the transcription of the Virginia Company Records, by Susan Myra Kingsbury, editor, _Records of the VA Co. of London_, (Washington: Gov Printing Off, 1906). One of her sources is the *Ferrar Papers* at Oxford. I un derstand the FERRARs were brothers and treasurers of the VA Com pany who kept every piece of paper associated with it. I believe the Oxford records are specifically located at Magdelene Col lege; but the Library of Congress has the manuscripts of the Court Books Kingsbury used for her transcription. (At least that's what the library card catalog entry says.) The only reference found to a "mariner" John CLARK is in the peti- tion presented by John Barnett in early February 1623/4. He asked that the back wages of John Clark be paid to his widow left with "a great charge of poore Children"; the children were un named and whether the widow was in England or VA is not stated. Other petitions were presented in this same timeframe for other mariners leaving widows in similar straits. They all appear to be connected with the ship "Guidance" of Bristol. A Spanish caravel is mentioned, but this is several years after the navigator was captured by the Spanish and taken to Madrid. Now to the other persons named as "kin" to John the navigator by Dr. Johnson. According to Kingsbury these all appear on lists of Shareholders of the VA Co. compiled between March 1615 and June 1623. The transactions APPEAR to be the buying and selling of shares in the company; the cash value of one share was 12 pounds 10 shillings. 15 DEC 1619 -- the widow Katherine CLARKE sold one share TO Edward Harber Esq. 11 MAY 1620 -- Sir Thomas Gates to Edward CLARK 1 share 23 JUN 1620 -- Sir Thomas Gates to George CLARK 1 share 14 NOV 1621 -- Francis Carter to George Butler CLARKE, 1 share 13 JAN 1621/22 -- Mr. John CLARKE "admitted & given him" 1 share Dr. Johnson says this "Mr. John Clarke" was admitted as a "free brother" and given shares, but doesn't explain the term. Again, whether this Mr. John Clarke is the same person as the one cap tured and inprisoned by the Spanish cannot be determined from the VA Co. records. I seriously doubt he is the same person as the 1623/4 entry whose poor widow and children needed support. "Mister" was a title reserved for special people based on their wealth, their integrity, their deeds, whatever; once attained, the title wasn't dropped. Although a bit out of context here, the pilot for the Mayflower was called "Mr. Clark". [See below.] I personally am more inclined to THINK this 13 JAN 1621/22 entry COULD BE the navigator, but am inclined to believe the 1623/4 entry to a deceased mariner is not the navigator. Dr. Johnson says the navigator died in England based on his inter- pretation of the 1623/4 VA Company record of the widow left with a "great charge of poor children". The navigator's death in Jamestown, VA 1623 is reported by "The American Genealogist" [see below] Other researchers say he died in the north of England while conducting business/selling tobacco. Has anyone located a will for the navigator or the one who died in Jamestown 1623? This latter could be passenger #55 John CLARKE, age 33, butcher from Oxfordshire who arrived with Thomas MOREMAN on the Bona Nova in 1619. [After some thought, I've moved further discussion of the Bona Nova passengers to a future file called "grocer.asc".] Based on dates, I FEEL sure it's a "third" or even fourth John Clark who left a widow Hannah. She received help administering his estate in 1652 by a Mr. WYATT. This family was very well placed for it appears to be connected to _a_ Sir William Clarke per information found in _The Wm & Mary College Quarterly_, series I, vol. XII, pages 36-38 (no author given). The article goes into detail connecting this man's family to the Wrotham, Kent Co. CLARKs. This MAY be the "Mr. John Clark" of VA Co. records 1621/2. In other words, there was more than one John Clark in early VA records. Turning now to the children of "the navigator" as presented by Dr. Johnson--do we have ANYTHING outside of Dr. Johnson that ac tually names "all" of them? Besides William, Edward, George and dau Catherine, wife of Thomas Wilson, I have the Thomas below, plus Francis and Robert on which I have nothing. Biology would dictate more daughters. But a mariner by nature of his job, was away from home more than he was present; if the Spanish deposi tions hold up under scrutiny, then "the navigator" could not have sired children for a five-year period. Therefore, I'm bothered by so many children attributed to him. Daughter Catherine Wilson She is specifically said to be the second wife of Thomas WILSON who Dr. Johnson positions as PARENTS of the Robert Wilson "citizen and draper" of London whose transcribed will appears page 830-1, _Genealogical Gleanings in England_, vol. 1, by Henry F. Waters, Gen Pub Co., 1961. I offer a long summary for he specifically identifies relatives, one of whom is Christopher CLARKE. Personally I don't believe the case is made that there is a connection, but -- Are any of these surnames associated with any CLARK family in Wrotham, Devon, Ratcliffe etc.? The will of this Robert Wilson is dated 2 JAN 1639 and was proved 18 JAN 1639. He requested burial in the parish church of St. Ben- nett Sherhogg in Cheap Ward, London or "no further out" than Stoke Newington, Midd. He names his wife CATHERINE, son THOMAS under 21, and son RICHARD under 21. He requests Edward JOHNSON to pay his sister, MARGARET VERNEY, an annuity; bequeaths to his sister-in-law, wife of brother SAMUEL dec'd and their six chn; requests brother Richard in VA to come after his legacy or send an authority to pick it up; bequeaths to his godson Robert Wil son, son of sd brother Richard, as well as "the first child of my sd bro Richard which was born in VA, begotten of the body of Katherine, now or late his wife" when 21; sister Margaret Verney and her chn receive bequests as does several of his "in-laws"- bro-in-law Edward LYCORIS and MARY his wife, my sister; bro-in law Edward BROWNINGE, his wife my sister, to Sarah WATSON my sd sister's dau by a former husband...Mary WATSON her sister... Anne SMITH, dau of dec'd sister ANNE. [He didn't forget his wife's side: his mother-in-law is] Mrs RUDD; sisters-in-law Margaret Rudd, Anne Rudd, bro-in-law Wm Williams and Elizabeth his wife; wife's "own" brother Thomas Rudd. He then gives "sundry bequests to friends" before turning to cousins -- "John AWBREY the elder; Mr. Gilbert HARRISON, alderman and my loving kinswoman, his wife; to "my own cousin Christopher CLARKE four pounds to make him a ring"; cousin Mary MORGAN; to "Magdalen Burnett widow, my wife's aunt; to Elizabeth BURTON, dau of Elizabeth Burton; to my aunt FERRIS and her dau; to my cousin LEDINGHAM and his wife; to my son ROBERT Wilson, with remainder to sons Richard and Thomas and next to my two eldest daus ANNE and KATHERINE Wilson. In a footnote page 831, Waters says Hotton page 105 under date 6 JUL 1635 says "in the Paul of London bound for VA, Katherine Wilson aged 28 yrs and two chn Robert and Richard Wil son, age 6 and 5 yrs. On page 94, under date 20 JUN 1635, in the Philip for VA was Richard Wilson, aged 19 years "which may be in error and the above Wilson family of VA alluded to in the above will." One researcher re-checked Hotton; page 94 says Richard Wilson was aged 49. This makes him (b.1586) only ten years younger than the navigator IF we are speaking of the same Richard Wilson. Addition- ally, I believe Robert the draper is too old to be a _grandson_ of the navigator although it's not inconceivable if both he and his mother married as teen-agers. Back to the reason for this lengthy digression on WILSONs: Who is this "cousin" Christopher Clark? Is he important to our study? The Sons Interestingly, I don't have anything more on the "son" George Clark; Francis is mentioned by Dr. Johnson or Schaaf only as a witness to will of Silverstaer Allin 23 MAR 1635 and was claimed as a headright 1650; Richard was claimed as a headright in 1635 and the will of a Richard Clark was probated 1686. There's noth ing to tie any of these to John the navigator. I want to reserve comments about William and Edward Clark for an "alternate Lineage II" file; I believe they MAY tie into the CLARKs of our study. But before we leave the navigator, let's turn northward to New England where John de Clark's (the navigator) son Thomas is sup posedly documented. This mainly comes from _The American Genealogist_, editors--John Insley Coddington, John G. Hunt and Donald Lines Jacobus, late editor-in-chief. In an article titled "The Widow Mary Ring of Plymouth, MA and her Children" by Cod dington (No. 168, vol. 42, #4, page 201) we find her first hus band was Thomas CLARK of Plymouth, Boston and later Plymouth who the editor BELIEVES is the Thomas Clark, son of John Clark, bap tized at St. Dunstan's Church, Stepney, Co. Middlesex 8 MAR 1599/1600 in the district of Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe is a large parish within Stepney, located on the north bank of the Thames (directly opposite Rotherhithe where the navigator is thought to have been born in 1575). More importantly, the inhabitants of Ratcliffe are almost "exclusively seafaring" families. Going further: Thomas' parents were John Clark of Stepny and Mary MORTON of St. Ellins, London who were married at St. Dunstan's, Stepney 19 FEB 1598/9. According to Coddington "We believe ... that Thomas's father John Clark or Clarke, was the Mate and Pilot of the Mayflower on her immortal voyage in 1620, who after an ex citing and spectacular life which included several passages across the Atlantic and a period of captivity in Havana and Madrid (1611-1616), died at Jamestown VA in 1623. An extended article on John and Thomas Clark or Clarke and their descendants is planned for future publications." A later article, published No. 185, JAN 1971, vol. 47, #1 said little about Thomas Clark's forebears; Jacobus died before he could give specific reasons why he BELIEVED this John was the pilot of the Mayflower. For what it's worth, a little booklet gives only "Mr. Clark and Mr. Coppin" for the Ship's Mates of the Mayflower--even when credit for the name of Clark Island is attributed to one: the footnote page 35 reads: "Clark's Island, probably named after Mr. Clark of the Mayflower." ( _The Pilgrim Story_, compiled by Wil liam Franklin Atwood, published by The Memorial Press, Plymouth, MA, original copyright 1940, this one is the 9th ed. 1968) Let me state again: This is only the beginning of an alternative study for the ancestors of Capt. Christopher and Francis Clark. I'm personally not sure if John the navigator belongs. I hope those who believe he does do not take my critical comments per sonally; it all comes from my natural skeptism and is heightened because he is such a "bigger than life" character. In my view, the bad news is only that we have a long way to go; the very good news is that a lot more material is available NOW than 100 years ago when Bryan, Carrington, Brown, McNaught etc. were beginning their research. For you experts at surfing the net, the VA Colonial Records (located through the VA Library Home Page) has some of the VA Com- pany records on-line and a link to Magdelene College. Personally I haven't yet figured out the "key" to getting into the Magdelene records; perhaps others will have better luck. Specifically I'm looking for three letters, Sir George Yeardly to Sir Edwin San dys, in which the name "John Clark" supposedly appears in one. Two are dated 16 MAY 1621 and the other 23 MAY (I think). I got this from researching "John Clark"--of the 80+ "hits", these were the only ones early enough to be the navigator. For those like me who prefer books --besides Kingsbury, here's some other book SUGGESTIONS for further reading. Most of these were found in the CA Library system; I'm sure other states have similar resources. I'm also sure this is just the tip of the iceburg: _Dissolution of the VA Co: The Failure of a Colonial Ex periment_ by Wesley F. Craven, 1932; _Pilgrimes_ by Samuel Pur chas, London 1625 which includes long excerpts from Thomas W. De La Warr talking about the VA Co.; _History of the VA Co. of London_, with Letters never published ... by Edward D. Neill, Al bany NY by J. Munsell 1869; _Narratives of Early VA 1606-1625_, edited by Lyon Gardiner Tyler 1930; also by him 1906 _The Cradle