General George Rogers Clark by Linda Sparks Starr AUG 1996 Although I've long known of the supposed kinship between Capt. Xpher and Gen. George Rogers Clark, I never took it seriously. Members of both families owned land in Albemarle Co.; I figured later generations jumped to conclusions because of the same sur name. However, recent info from Patricia Stanley on Xpher's grandson "Jonathan" Clark b. 1759, son of Bowling made me rethink my position. The general's grandfather was a "Jonathan". Elizabeth Harris confirmed another "Gen Clark" name appears in the line of Francis Clark (thought to be brother of Xpher)-- "Benjamin". That was enough for me to pull together what info I had, plus send a query to the CLARK research group. For the record, none of this is my original research. Obviously some of this errs; I've included everything under the assumption some thing will eventually prove to be correct. A word of warning: the meaning of "cousin" is expansive, espe cially in VA. Recently Ida Lancaster posted this on va-roots, based on "Genealogical Pitfalls--Old Meanings of Words", an ar ticle she found in "Mayflower Descendant", AUG 1968, page 7: "...in the early days of our country, cousin often meant nephew, niece, or an even more distant relative ... survives today among persons who share the same remote immigrant ancestor..." A very good place to begin this discussion is with Virginia "Jennie" McNaught's book _James Clark, Mansfield, Christopher Clark and Allied Lines_ in which she discusses the possibility that the general and Capt. Xpher Clark are related. But first let me say a few words about this book. She began compiling family data and stories over 100 years ago. What I find amazing is, she managed to juggle and make sense from all this information without benefit of copy machines, "many" published abstracts of court records or electric typewriters, not to mention computers. She also carried on a correspondence with some of the leading genealogists of the time. McNaught is best when providing ex tracts from these letters. She's better than most researchers of that era at giving the name of the writer and usually the date letters were written. She also provides brief citations of the records researched and occasional asides of her thoughts about the accuracy of statements or logic behind various theories of Christopher's lineage. She died c1934 before her manuscript was complete. I've previously given "c1935" as the publication date; but, in reality I don't know just when her daughter published it. Now to several extractions from McNaught's book; as before, my initialed comments are within brackets when there might be doubt as to who said what. Page 125 "In one branch the tradition ex ists that Christopher and the father of George Rogers were half brothers. (Not possible. J.E. McN) Another line claims that Christopher was the son of Jonathan, grandfather of George Rogers Clark, but examination of dates makes this seem impossible." [Indeed this latter is impossible for Xpher b.c1680 is older than Jonathan b.c1695 or 1698. LSS] McNaught mentions the possible relationship between the families again on page 180 following her transcription of Jonathan Clark's will dated 9 APR 1734: "Quote 'John Clark was transported by Peter Massie of New Kent 7 NOV. 1660.' Some believe him to be the ancestor back of Christopher." Then page 183 gets into an area we haven't touched on, but will soon: "There is much to show the relationship between the line of George Rogers Clark and that of Christopher Clark and the con necting link may be John, brother of Christopher (son of Chris topher and Rebecca, who in 1679 lived near Jamestown) and this John may be the ancestor of James of Culpepper Co. "Is it not possible that this John (b. Dec. 1651, son of Christopher and Rebecca) could have been Father of the 'Jonathan of King and Queen' who took up land in Albemarle, died in 1734, deeding land to sons John (1725) and Benjamin. This is the John (1725) who married Ann Rogers in 1749 and they were parents of George Rogers Clark. "Switzer, a historian of Mo. said that 'Mourning (Clark) Mansfield (dau. of Micajah Clark Jr.) and Capt. William Clark the explorer, were cousins.' "VA. Mag. of History, Vol. III page 95, states Micajah Clark, son of Christopher, was cousin to George Rogers Clark, and in the same book the relationship between Gen. George Rogers and Gov. James Clark of Kentucky is given as cousins. Gov. James Clark was son of Robert Clark, son of Micajah Sr., son of Chris topher I. The relationship, of course, is so elastic, yet tena cious among Southerners one can not tell the degree. "Memo of information from Kentucky State Library, Frankfort, Kentucky. George Rogers Clark was from Albemarle Co., Va. (and next door neighbor of Thomas Jefferson). He had five brothers, Jonathan, John, Richard, Edmund, William. I do not find the names of his four sisters. "Va. Mag. of History, Vol. III, page 95, says: 'Micajah, son of Christopher was cousin to George Rogers Clark. Wirt Johnson Carrington, genealogist, of South Boston, Va. wrote in 1917, that 'Wm. Hancock Clark, descendant of Gen. Wm. said the families were of the same original stock.' She also quoted from an old letter in which the writer, Judith Clark of the Christopher Clark line calls Geo. Rogers Clark 'cousin', also calls Capt. Lynch, 'cousin', and says further 'George Rogers went to the home of his cousin Elizabeth Anthony' the latter no doubt Elizabeth Clark (dau. of Micajah) who married Joseph Anthony. 'Colonial Families of Southern States' gives 'Benjamin and Susannah Clark of Al bemarle Co.,' and says 'Benjamin was cousin of Gen. Geo. Rogers Clark and Gov. James Clark.' [Who is this Benjamin? The general's uncle? From Francis Clark's line? LSS] Jonathan Clark of King and Queen Co., patented with Hickman, Graves, and Smith in 1734, 3000 acres in Albemarle Co. north of the Rivanna River. In the division of the land, the upper portion of the land fell to Clark. On this land John (son of Jonathan) lived and this is where George Rogers Clark was born in 1752. This land adjoined that of Capt. Christopher in the 'Clark Colony' as it was called. It is said, 'the older generations of the 'Albemarle Clarks' spoke of the kinship with the 'Caroline Co. Clarks,' as John Clark's family was called, he in consequence of a legacy of land from a kinsman (uncle I believe) having moved to Caroline Co. when George Rogers was five years old. "It is said that 'George Rogers made but one visit to the place of his birth, and that was in 1777 when he went back to Richmond to procure means for the expedition to Illinois, which he carried out the next year.' (Wood's History of Albemarle) This must have been when he visited the 'cousins.' ..." [Some of this is, no doubt, from Wirt Johnson Carrington whose signature appears at the bottom of the page. LSS] Page 188 within letter dated St. Louis, Mo. June 1, 1906, written by Pinckney French: "Col. Switzer wrote me that 'Robert Mansfield married Mourning Clark, a distant relative of Wm. Clark, and others of the clark family'. In conversation subse quent to this, he stated to me that Mourning Clark and Capt. Wm Clark were third cousins." [I believe third cousins (without once-removed situations) goes back to a common great-grandparent. For William, that would be the father of Jonathan b. 1695, but for this Mourning Clark, it would be Capt. Xpher & Penelope since she's the dau of a grandson of Xpher. IF Switzer is correct on the degree, and taking in account the generational difference be tween Mourning and William, Xpher and Jonathan were brothers. WARNING: I'm not saying they WERE brothers; I'm just observing that IF Switzer is correct, the first common ancestor is Xpher's father and Jonathan's father (or perhaps grandfather) since there is a 15 to 18 year difference in their ages. LSS] One last thing I wasn't able to locate, but think it's somewhere in McNaught -- perhaps Kay can locate it, for it's mentioned in the letter dated 8-9-94 to her from Ms. Galt Schweig: "the wife of Dr. Micajah Clark died in the Louisville home of the explorer and younger brother of the general, William Clark." Were the Dr. and Mrs. Clark visiting relatives or "just" friends? Did the two have a chance to become good friends? After all, they were raised in different VA counties? The following from Patricia Stanley strongly suggests a kinship between the two lines. These are not the same letters discussed by Doug Tucker in DOUGCAND.asc file; McNaught doesn't offer enough info to determine if one is the same letter she cites from VA Mag of History [see above]. Both letters were written by Lucy Clark Moorman to her cousin Thomas Moorman; the first was written c1788. The last known "owner" was James Moorman of Winona, MS: "Colony of Quakers from Pittsylvania and Albemarle counties to Lynch's crossing -- a place where Charles Lynch made a cross ing on the James River, about 1756, and settled in the Yadkin Val- ley. Among those fast bucks was our cousin, Micajah Clark, Zach Moorman and some cousins about six times removed, Zed and Henry Candler, and a half brother Zack Candler. Two years afterwards your cousin George Rogers Clark got together some Indian fighters --adventuresome, daredevil fellows like himself--and concluded to follow this colony across the border. In less than a year some of them had returned and reported that the Yadkin Valley colony had removed some to Western N.C., Georgia and Ohio Valleys. [Is it significant that she refers to the general as "your cousin" rather than "our cousin"? LSS] "Finally Zed Candler came back [this Zed Candler married Ann Moorman, daughter of Zachariah Moorman and Elizabeth Terrell PLS] Tradition says that Zed Candler's father settled the part of Pit tsylvania County which he called 'Calland's Castle." [Note by K. B. Lawrence: Samuel Calland and Sr. b. 1750 in Scotland, estab lished a store at what was then Chathan, VA, later to become known as Callands, and had a thriving business by 1774. His granddaughter, Eliza Calland, married Achilles Herndon Moorman. PLS] The Candler boys are distant relatives and I have often heard from old members of the family way back in England. They report that Zachariah Moorman of Cromwell's Army married a Miss Candler, and that Miss Lucy Moorman married a Candler also. Miss Lucy was the daughter of Zachariah Moorman. [Which Zachariah? LSS] The mother of the Virginia Candler boys has a fine estate near Lynchburg. She is a remarkable woman for good sense, is well read, a fine talker and devoted mother. With an old Scotch teacher named McBridge she undertook to teach her children at home. She made a pretty good job of it." "Moorman Hill, Albemarle Co., VA., 1786. We have seen Rogers Clark but once in 10 years, he migrated from about Lynch's Crossing, I think about 1775 to Fincastle on the Ohio River, but he was back to see us a year afterwards when he came to see the Governor of Virginia about defense of that part of the state. Rogers made several trips back into the state since then and it is not always to see how the Indians were doing. He always came unexpectedly and since he needed no daylight to see where he was going, he always moved at night. Sister Mary says George often visits them, but since he is an owl and disdains even moonlight, he travels on dark nights. When he comes home he stretches his long legs on the settee and entertains the boys with his histories of savagery in the country. Rogers has sifted the ways and doings of most folk in this part of the dominion and knows every oaf who favors the King's party. We were always afraid that no good would come of his talking before the boys. Zachariah and Bolling always had a spell of tinkering with old saw blades to make a cutlass after he was gone. We often kept a dip burning in the window and some soup on the stove to cheer the poor fellows that were prowling about at night. I am glad to help them but when our boys go with them on some desperate foray, I am always afraid of trouble. Charles Lynch and his Vigilance committee keep everything stirred up. They have made a secret court and I would be afraid to be suspect and fall into their hands. But the Lynch Law goes. Bob Adams sung the Lynch Doxology at Peyton Bexton's. The associate judges of the court, Bob says, are Charles Lynch, him self and Tom Galloway. You remember Bob Adams, brother of Charles Moorman's wife [thus son of Robert and Mourning Adams and also brother of wife of Micajah Clark Sr. and wife of Achilles Moorman--the two Moormans being sons of Charles & Elizabeth; Micajah is son of Xpher & Penelope LSS] Tom Galloway is a funny man, but cruelly severe in his judgement of other people. How do you think this would sound at an Episcopal service: Hurrah for Judge Lynch, Captain Bob and Galloway They never turn a Tory loose Until he sings out Liberty." Now the fun begins. Chuck Johnson of va-roots sent me his file on the general's line; he says he is quite comfortable with it. I'm glad because it differs considerably from others. However, he is the only one who provided specific birthdates for the general's siblings. The line as Chuck has it begins with Richard CLARKE b. 1613 England d. 1697 in New Jersey. Richard had sons Thomas and Richard b. 1661 NJ d. 1742. Richard b. 1661 married Hannah NORRIS. They had Jonathan b. 1695 in NJ d. 1734 King & Queen Co. VA (grandfather of the general). Jonathan married Elizabeth WILSON b. 1700 d. 1785 in Lunenburg Co. VA. They had the following children: [King & Queen Co. was created from New Kent in 1691. LSS] (1) John b. 9 OCT 1726 d. 1799; (2) Ann b. c1728 K&Q Co. VA d. 1748 married Torquil McLeod of Scotland. He d. 1752; (3) Benjamin b. 1730 in K&Q Co. d. 1806 Lunenburg Co. VA married Elizabeth LEA, dau of William; (4) Elizabeth b. 1732 K&Q Co. Va. John Clark b. 9 OCT 1726 married Anne ROGERS, dau of John and Rachel EASTHAM 1749 in VA. Anne was born 1728 d. 1798. They had: Jonathan b. 1 AUG 1750; George Rogers b. 19 NOV 1752; Ann b. 14 JUL 1755; John b. 15 SEP 1757; Richard b. 6 JUL 1760; Edmund b. 25 SEP 1762; Lucy b. 15 SEP 1765; Elizabeth b. 11 FEB 1768; William b. 1 AUG 1770; Frances Eleanor b. 20 JAN 1773. Patricia Stanley provides an alternate version which she obtained from Mrs. Charlotte Kozinski of Milwaukee, WI. The uncited research was done by Robert Arthur of Boston's Institute of Tech nology & Studies in Atheneum's "Genealogy" Library: [I ex tracted and paraphrased LSS] (1) John CLARK (b. Eng d. c1651 for will probated 25 APR 1651 in VA) married c.1620 Hannah WYATT, dau of Sir Dudley Wyatt. They had: John Clark d. unmarried and (2) Jonathan b. c1625 who married Mary BYRD. John Clark arrived in Jamestown c1620, but was in K&Q by 1630. His will, recorded in James City Co., left a legacy to Mrs. Hannah Clark, who as exec of her husband's est was represented by Mr. WYATT in 1652. (2) Jonathan b. 1625 d. aft 1683 is sometimes called John; he lived in Middlesex Co. He married Mary BYRD and had son (3) John b. c1660 who married Eliza LUMPKIN. (2) Jonathan patented land in K&Q Co. VA in 1662, but he and son (3) John were listed in Middlesex Co. in the 1683 census. One acct says the father, called "John" here, as a young man met a shipload of girls at Yorktown where he was attracted to the red-headed Scotch beauty whom he married. [Personally I'm very uncomfortable with all this back and forth movement between non-contiguous counties, especially with the changing of given names. LSS] (3) John b. c1660 d. aft 1735 "of K&Q Co" married c1695 Eliza LUMPKIN, dau of Jacob, a Capt in the Indian Wars. They had: John d. unmarried; (4) Jonathan b. 1698 married Elizabeth Ann WILSON; James d. 1778 married Elizabeth and settled in Augusta Co. VA. (3) John was a Burgess and Justice for K&Q Co.; in the census of 1683, he and his father were listed in Middlesex Co; OCT 1691 he was granted land in Drysdale Parish K&Q Co. on north side of Mattapony River where he established his home near Bresso, called "Clarkson". He was granted land in Hanover and Caroline counties. (4) Jonathan b. 1698 d. 1734 "of Drysdale Parish", K&Q Co. married Elizabeth Ann "Nancy" WILSON (1701-aft 1759), dau of Wil liam WILSON of K&Q Co. and Lucy ROGERS, dau of Giles and Rachel (Eastham). They had (5) John b. 1724 married Anne ROGERS; Ben jamin married Elizabeth LEE; Ann (1727-1744) married Torquil McLeod of Scotland; Elizabeth. (5) John b. 1724 d. 1799 married his first cousin once removed Ann ROGERS d. 1799, dau of John ROGERS (1680-1762), son of Giles by his wife Mary BYRD, dau of William of Westover, Charles City Co. and Mary HOESEMAN. They had Jonathan b. 1750; George Rogers b 19 NOV 1752 d. 13 FEB 1818 KY; Ann b. 1755; John b. 1757; Richard b. 1760; Edmond b. 25 SEP 1762; Lucy b. 1765; Elizabeth; William b. 1770; Frances b. 1773. Mr. Arthur provides more information on all these siblings, but I've chosen to skip to Patricia's supporting evidence: _VA Colonial Abstracts_, vol. 4-5, page 46 (5-K2) by Beverley Fleet: Jonathan CLARK of Drysdale Parish, K&Q Co, VA APR 9, 1734, probated June 24, 1734. Wife Elizabeth, children: John, Ann, Ben- jamin, Elizabeth. To sons John and Benjamin "Land whereon my mother now liveth." Patricia is bothered by the lack of Will Book # and page # in this citation; McNaught page 180 says her copy for the transcription of his will came from the Draper Papers, the original having been destroyed with other K&Q Co. records. She doesn't provide book and page numbers either. Diane Smith offers a similar, but slightly different "version" which she took from two biographies, but only named one: _Life of George Rogers Clark_, by James Alton James. (1) John CLARK b. c1759 (sic ?1679) married Hannah WYATT b. c1603. (2) John b. 1625 Jamestown VA married Mary BYRD b. 1629 Jamestown VA. (3) John b. 1657 K&Q Co. married Elizabeth Ann LUMPKIN b. c1667. (4) Jonathan b. 1695 Albemarle Co. VA married Elizabeth Ann WILSON. They had Nancy Ann b. 1723 Caroline Co.; (5) John b. 9 OCT 1725 K&Q Co. married Ann ROGERS b. 21 OCT 1728; Ann b. 1728 Albemarle Co.; Benjamin b. 1730 Albemarle Co. VA married Elizabeth LEE. Diane also offers the interesting sidelight that LDS has both the above lineage as well as Xpher and Penelope as parents of John who married Ann ROGERS. Diane is trying to connect her John Clark b. 1740-50 and Robert Clark b. 1780-1790 to any CLARK family in VA. One last thing before moving on -- other books recommended by people who answered my query: _Sea to Shining Sea_ by James Alex. Thom and _Long Knife_, also by Thom. _Sea_ is about William and Long_, the general; I've requested the latter. Yet another source for the general's lineage was mentioned by Kay Baganoff JAN 1996 while commenting upon Doug's remarks about pos sibility that Xpher had something to do with Jonathan's land while his sons were minors: "I see that Jonathan CLARK was only 36 when he died in 1734. Born 1698. So Christopher was about 17 when Jonathan was born. What bothers me is that anytime I have heard anything about a father of Jonathan, it was a John or William John. You know, in _Background to Glory_ it is stated 'George Rogers was descended from an immigrating pair from Scotland called 'Clark and wife'. They reached Jamestown near end of 1600s. One child, 'son Clark,' went to Georgia in early 1700s. Another son, William John, said to have been born in 1680, perhaps aboard the ship that brought his parents, became the father of Jonathan Clark who begat John.' And in McNaught page 180, 'John Clark transported by Peter MASSIE.' One Peter Massie of New Kent County arrived sometime before 1677 with a wife and possibly some children and in better financial circumstances than most Massey/Massie im migrants. A report notice was that this Peter was born in 1640 at Liverpool. This is quoted from a quote in Judge Frank Massey's 'book ?' on _The Early Massie Family_." [Kay inherited this "book" of xeroxed papers from her uncle who corresponded directly with Judge Massey; she has no further publication data. LSS] Continuing in Kay's letter: "I have wondered where the name Mildred came from. Ann (Rogers) Clark, wife of John, had a sister named Mildred and one named Rachel, according to the chart from the book (I believe it came from this book) _Background to Glory_. The same ROGERS CLARK chart appears in _Genealogies of KY Families_, page 274, (Filson Club, vol.__ ). I wonder if these two names Rachel and Mildred could mean anything, though I believe the first Mildred I know of was Thomas and Ann (Moorman) Martin's daughter. But Christopher Clark didn't name a son John... "Then there is Benjamin CLARK who McNaught (page 184) says married Mary MARTIN (who is she?), and had no issue but was uncle of John CLARK, father of George Rogers Clark... "Another place ... says this Benjamin's wife's name was Susan MARTIN and that she was a sister of our Thomas MARTIN (b. 1714) who married Ann MOORMAN. Susan (b. 1710/11) married Ben jamin C. Clark ... I can't remember whether I have seen another wife for this Benjamin, brother of Jonathan, or not." Linda here: McNaught, bless her soul, extracted the CLARK/MARTIN marriage info from a letter written by Jane E. Martin 28 MAR 1908. McNaught provided Ms. Martin's signature, but nothing from Ms. Martin about where she got the information. Could this be the same Benjamin Clark who signed the McKinney/Tandy deed Hen rico Co. 1690s? (more below) I realize I'm venturing off the topic by turning to the ROGERS family history, but I want to make a point, so bear with me. Chuck Johnson's version differs from another I found. I have no idea which, if either, is correct. But Chuck's version provides a very good "what if" example for the point I'm trying to make. Working his EASTHAM line, Chuck came up with: Ann ROGERS who married John CLARK c1749 [mother of the general] as the daughter of John ROGERS and Rachel EASTHAM. Rachel was the daughter of Edward Eastham and Anne TAYLOR. Edward's brother, George Eas tham, married Mary BIRD, daughter of Robert BIRD and Susannah CLARK. Let's backtrack to McNaught's Benjamin Clark, "uncle of John Clark, the general's father". The father, John, was born c1725. Therefore, subtracting 25 years for a generation, HIS uncle would not be signing deeds in 1693. But, is the Henrico deed Benjamin the right generation to be a brother of Robert Byrd's wife, Susan- nah Clark? Remember we're dealing with Virginians here -- am I way off base to think a tenuous CLARK connection through the ROGERS line would be the basis for all this claim of kinship be tween Capt. Xpher's and the general's line? My point is: has anyone looked into the possibility the kinship between the two CLARK lines comes through a maternal line? ANY maternal line? Furthermore, searching for the connection between the paternal CLARK lines may be fruitless. Mary Stewart writes: "One of my aunts lived in Caroline Co. a few miles from the Clark 'homeplace' and worked for years with several others to connect him and his family to Christopher. No luck. Lots of speculation but none of it has ever been proved." As I see it: We have excerpts from several letters written by Capt. Xpher's grandchildren repeating the family history TOLD to them. On the one hand they speak of direct kinship with the general; on the other they recite what I call "the MOORMAN legend" of Micajah and Sallie Ann (Moorman) as parents of Xpher and Michael as his grandfather. The two stories aren't com patible, at least when dealing with PATERNAL CLARK lines. Com ments and a "solid" family tree for ROGERS / BYRD / WILLSON are most welcome. For those interested, here is the "other" ROGERS lineage I lo cated: from _Rogers Family History_, by Jerry J. Rogers, Stock ton Trade Press, Inc: Norwalk CA, 1980, page 37 as reprinted page 48, _Climbing Will Rogers Family Tree_, vol. 1, by Dr. Reba Neigh- bors Collins, director of Will Rogers Museum, Claremore, OK, 1982 (paraphrasing): John ROGERS 1611-1680, three children, but only one named- Giles--came from England to America 1680 in his own ship. Giles (1643-1730) had several children, but only three are known- Giles, Peter and John (1680-1768). John (1680-1768) was born on board the ship. He married c1716 Mary BYRD; they had several children, but the only known ones were: John, Giles, George, Byrd and Ann who married John CLARK (parents of the general). And "no", they haven't connected Will Rogers' line to the general's -- at least by the time this book went to press.