Judge Lieutenant William CLARK was born in 1609 in
Dorset, England.
(79)(1636)
(1637) He emigrated on 30 May 1633 to Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay
Colony.(1638)
(1639)(1640)
(1641) Left Southampton on 24 March 1633/4 on the Mary and John.
After landing in Nantucket, they decided to settle in Dorchester (579). This
voyage is not to be confused with the well known voyage made by this ship in
1630. Trumbull, Cuttere (640) and Hull (580) claim he came on the William and
Mary in 1630, but there is less evidence of this (245). He became a member
Church of Dorchester between 23 Aug 1636 and 28 Feb 1661 in Dorchester,
Suffolk, MA.
(1642)(1643)
(1644) The dates reflect when he and his wife became members and when
he was dismissed to establish a church in Northampton. His wife and son
Nathaniel were dismissed somewhat later. He at least 6 acres of land at
Squantum Neck before 1638 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
(1645) He was Selectman between 1645 and 1650 in Dorchester,
Massachusetts Bay Colony.(1646)
He was elected in 1645, 1647 and 1650 He was a Rator (Assessor) between 1651
and 1657 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.(1647)
He was elected in 1651, 1652, 1655, and 1657. He was a Surveyor between 1652
and 1672 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.(1648)
William was one of four men hired to lay out the town. In 1654, William was
chosen one of a committee to lay out a way to the burial ground. In 1672,
William laid out the township of Squakheag (later Northfield). He was a
"Fence Viewer" between 1653 and 1658 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.(1649)
He was elected in 1653, 1656, 1657, and 1658. He One of 24 men to
petition General Court of Massachusetts to "plant, possess and inhabit
Nonotuck." in May 1653 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.
(1650)(1651)
(1652) The petition to the Massachusetts General Court to inhabit
land in Nonotuck (Northampton) was signed in May 1653 by 24 petitioners,
including Clarke, who was the only signer not from Connecticut. Although he was
therefore one of the original grantees, he did not move there for six years. As
he was elected to several local offices. Northampton is the seat of Hampshire
county, MA, and lies along the Connecticut River, 17 miles of Springfield. It
was originally known as Nonotuck, an Algonquian word meaning "middle of
the river." It was settled in Spring 1654 and named for Northampton,
England. It subsequently became a self-sufficient farming community. During
King Philip's War (1675-76) and Queen Anne's War (1702-13), the area was the
scene of brutal raids. In one such attack (May 1704), half the population of
the nearby village of Pascommuck (now in Easthampton) was slaughtered. He was a
Boundsman between 1654 and 1669 in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.(1653)
William was named Boundsman to determine the boundary between Dorchester and
Braintree (1654), Dedham (1655 and 1658) and Roxbury (1658). In 1658, he was
chosen to lay out land for Gamalee Beaman and in 1659 for a school, but did not
complete these tasks for he had left for Northampton. He was a Farmer after
1654 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.(1654)
One of the first 24 planters of Nonotuck (Northampton). He served as a
Lieutenant of Northampton company militia between 1658 and 1664 in Nonotuck
(later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.(1655)
(1656)
In 1658, Northampton formed its first train band of 60 men and William Clarke
was appointed Lieutenant and ranking officer (companies of less than 64 men had
no captains). Train bands (local militias) were formed to defend the town and
were confirmed by the General Court of Massachusetts, which confirmed Clarke
was as Lieutenant on 8 Oct 1662. He Amoung several individuals who financed the
building of (and therefore owned) a grsit mill in 1659 in Nonotuck (later
Northampton), Hampshire, MA.
(1657) Prior to building a mill in Northampton, grain had to be taken
to Springfield to be ground. The town provided the site for the mill. Robert
Hayward became the first miller and operator. He purchased the site in 1661. He
moved in 1659 to Northampton, Hampshire, MA.
(1658) During the journey to Northampton, his wife rode a hose with
two basket on either side, carrying a boy in each basket and one on her lap.
William walked behind them. He Awarded 12 acres of land on the west side of
what is now Elm Street and Smith College campus between 20 Oct 1659 and 30 Apr
1661 in Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.
(1659)(1660)
William's lot, and that of Henry Woodard, were the largest home lots awarded
and furthest west. He built a log house (a "block house") and lwhich
served as a place of refuge in times of Indian trouble. The lot, called
"Meeting House Hill," was the highway on the east and Mill River on
the west. It comprises what is today the northern half of the Smith College
campus. By 1661, William had been awarded four more lots such that he held 110
acres by the Town of Northampton. Between 1660 and 1674, William purchased
outright additional lots totalling another 90 acres. He resided on his original
12 acre lot on Meeting House Hill until 1681.
He was town Commissioner in 1660 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony. (1661)
He was Townsman (selectman) between 1660 and 1683 in Northampton, Hampshire,
MA.(1662)
During this period, William was elected 20 times. He was also chosen one
of the commissioners to end small causes. He moved between 10 Jul 1660 and 28
Feb 1661 to Nonotuck (later Northampton), Hampshire, MA.
(1663)(1664)
(1665) The later date is when he joined the church at Northampton.
According to Nyman, Clarke and five other men were persuaded to come to
Northampton at the suggestion of Northampton's new minister, Reverend Eleazar
Mather. According to Cutter, to the "New Country" of the Connecticut
Valley. There was but one solitarily trail through the woods. "His wife
rode horseback with two baskets or panniers slung across the horse, carrying a
boy in each basket and one on her lap, her husband, fifty years old, preceding
on foot." Nyman reports that this was at the time "a customary mode
of travel, with furniture and possessions going by boat." According to
Trumbull, he arrived with five other men and "their coming was like the
infusion of new blood into the veins of an exhausted patient. From the day of
their arrival, these men took a leading part in the management of town affairs.
Their energy, independence and public spirit soon wrought a marked improvement.
All of them were at once put into harness, and from this date the advance of
the settlement was steady and vigorous. Other settlers arrived during the year,
most of them were from Dorchester." According to Nyman, Northampton was
then "a frontier outpost of about 200 inhabitants with two horse paths
goring from it - one to Springfield and one to Hadley. Worcester County was
still a wilderness so the settlement was surrounded by Indians, except for the
group at Springfield to the south. No church organization existed: a plain,
thatched structure with one door and two windows served as the house of
worship."
He served as a lieutenant of fitst military company in Dorchester in 1661 in
Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony.(1666)
He became a member First Church of Christ in Northampton on 28 Apr 1661
in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1667)
On that day, he signed the book as did his wife and children. Clarke became one
of four founding members of the first church in Northampton. He is remembered
as one of the seven pillars of the church. The population of Northampton was
then about 300. He was authorized to perform marriages in 1662 in Northampton,
Hampshire, MA.(1668)
As Lieutenant of the Northampton company, Clarke became the first person in
Northampton authorized to perform marriages ceremonies by the General Court of
Massachusetts. He was Associate Justice of the Hampshire County Court between
1662 and 1688 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1669)
The county which would be called Hampshire was formed 7 May 1662. William
Clarke and Ens Wilton were chosen to confer with Springfield and Hadley to name
the new county. He was thereafter Associate Justice of the county for 26 years.
Clarke heard the trial of Mary Bliss Parsons. In 1672, witch hysteria swept
through the western outpost of Northampton (20 years prior to the famed
hangings in Salem). There was a Mary Bartlett, who died only two years after
her marriage. Her husband and father claimed she died of "unnatural
means" and witchcraft was suspected. Mary Parsons was widely believed to
have been reasonable. She was indicted for witchcraft twice and twice tried but
acquitted by the Court of Assistants. He was elected Representative at the
General Court between 1663 and 1677 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1670)
During this time he served in 1663 and from 1668 to 1677. He was Deputy of the
General Court (of Massachusetts) between 1663 and 1682 in Northampton,
Hampshire, MA. (1671)(1672)
(1673)
Nine years after the formation of Northampton, Clarke became Northampton's the
Deputy of the General Court. He was elected 14 times to that office. He was
frequently appointed by the Court to settle grievances with Indians. In 1671,
Clarke and two other men were appointed to grant lands to the 33 petitioners
who wished to settle the township of Squakheag (later Northfield), which was
abandoned during the King Phillip's War in 1675. He was a Tavern owner in 1671
in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.
(1674) He Own lot 38 between 1673 and 1683 in Deerfield, Franklin,
MA.(1675)
He owned property and, according to Cutter (637), he resided there as well, but
it does not appear that he ever lived there. He served as a Garrison commander
in 1675 in King Philip's War (1675-1676).(1676)
Actively served at age 50. Commanded a garrison of 26 men. Part of the
three-man Northampton Committee on Military Affairs. He Slave or indentured
servant owner Owned an indentued servant name Benoni Jones from age 12 to 21
between Mar 1678 and 1687 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1677)
His father, Griffith Jones of Springfield, arranged that he be indentured to
William until he was age 21. William was to "learn him to read and write
and give him 5 £ at the end of his term with sufficient clothing as servants
usually have." His mother was Ester Jones. Benoni was born May 13 1665.
Benoni was freed but died in a massacre at age 39. At 23 he married the widow
Ester Ingersoll Gurly. They had four children. The family lived in a community
of just a few houses (in what is now Easthampton, MA). On 13 May 1704, Indians
attacked the Jones house where all 33 of the community's residents had
assembled being that the Benoni Jones house was the only fortified house in the
area. There 19 were killed, 3 escaped, 8 were rescued later and 3 were carried
off. Benoni Jones and sons Ebenezer and Jonathan were killed. Benjamin Jones (8
years old) was scalped but escaped. Ester was kidnapped and taken to Canada
where she died after being tormented by priests trying to convert her.
"And Then There Was You" by Marjorie E. Cook. 1979
He appeared in court in 1681 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.
(1678)(1679)
(1680) On the night of 14 Jul 1681, the log house of William Clarke
was set afire while Clarke and his wife slept inside. It was set by a Negro
salve named Jack, who had escaped from Samuel Wolcott of Whethersfield. Jack
had been to court previously for several misdemeanors. He was found in
Brookfield, Springfield or New Haven and identified by a jackknife in his
possession that belonged to William Clarke. He was arrested and confessed that
he lit the fire but claimed it was an accident that occurred while he searched
for food using a brand of fire he took from the hearth. He was brought to court
in Boston where he pled not guilty, but he admitted to it after his confession
was read back to him. Clarke testified that the Negro fastened the doors on the
outside so that no one could escape, then set the house afire. In his escape,
Clarke injured his hands in his escape and his wife was slightly burned. Their
grandson, John Clarke, was taken out and laid beside a fence. Clarke had kept
gunpowder inside the house and when it exploded, the ridge pole blew across the
road and stuck into the ground. The jury found Jack guilty. Jack was sentenced
to be "hanged by the neck till he be dead and then taken down and burnt to
ashes in the fire with Maria, the Negro." Marie had also been found guilty
of burning down the houses of her master but for whatever reason, she was
burned alive. Trumbull notes that may slaves were burned alive in New York, New
Jersey and the southern colonies, but not in Massachusetts. Cutter (637) says
his new house stood until 1826. He Clarke was among several men granted land in
Northfield for services rendered in its settlement. between 1683 and 1688 in
Northfield, Hampshire, MA. (1681)
He received over 50 acres but never resided in Northfield although his son
William did. He was Justice to County Court in 1687 in Northampton, Hampshire,
MA.(1682)
Served as one of five Justices to the Hampshire County Court held at
Northampton. He signed a will on 10 Jul 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.
(1683)(1684)
(1685)
He died on 18 Jul 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1686)
(1687)
(1688) Died in an epidemic which started in 1689 and worked its way
up the Connecticut River to Northampton. In 1690, 25 residents had died
including Clarke and 10 other original settler of the town. Cutter (637) says
he died one day earlier. He left, according to his inventory, £131 (reserved 24
for self) & 8 acres (disposed of nearly 200 acres prior to death) between
18 Jul 1690 and 30 Sep 1690 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.
(1689) He was buried after 18 Jul 1690 in Bridge Street Cemetery,
Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1690)
(1691)
In 1884 or 1888, his descendants erected a memorial to his memory in the Bridge
Street Cemetery. He had an estate probated on 30 Sep 1690 in Northampton,
Hampshire, MA.
(1692) He A monument was erected by his descendants near his grave in
1880 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA.(1693)
The old grave stone is still preserved. He was Puritan.
(1694) He was a mariner.(1695)
Clark was " a man of great public spirit, resolute and capable"
according to ______ (590) who was quoting from something said at the time.
He married to Sarah
HOWARD before 1636.
(1696)(1697)
(1698) According to Richardson (448), her name was Sarah HOWARD.
According to Trumbull, "William Clarke may be considered the father of
[Northampton]. He was a Town officer and was among the first recorded jurors of
the court. The court heard cases regarding slander, personal debts of
residents, duties of "watchinge," liquor licenses, effluent from the
mill, the choosing of residents for militia duty, appointment of county
treasurer, recording of wills, and construction of a bridge over Mill River.
Trumbull called Clarke, "One of the 'Dorchester men' who arrived here soon
after the settlement of Mr. Mather, he remained, to the end, the firm and
faithful friend of his pastor. A man of quiet dignity, self-contained, and
ready of resource, he bore a more conspicuous part in the early history of the
town, than any others who lived here during the first twenty years of its
existence." Clarke was "one of the most influential among the
founders of the town. His reputation as a man of business preceded him, and he
was at once put forward in many affairs of public importance, and so continued,
a leader, till old age compelled him to give place to younger but scarcely
better men. A man of great public spirit, resolute and capable, he was sure to
be employed by the town in conducting any of its businesses requiring skill,
knowledge, tact, and determination. He was a hard worker, a pioneer in the best
sense of the term. Enduring hardship with cheerfulness, meeting difficulty half
way, conquering oftener that conquered, he stands one of the most prominent
among the promoters of the plantation. Founder of a numerous family that has
had worthy representatives during the entire history of the town, and whose
descendants are scattered throughout the land, his name I honored and respected
wherever it is found."
In 1668, William was chosen to deal with local Indian insurgences. In 1670, he
was chosen to select a new minister. In 1672, he contributed to Harvard College
(10 bushels of wheat).
His wife's surname may have been QUICK. Children were: Sarah
CLARK, Deacon
Jonathan CLARK, Nathaniel
CLARK, Experience
CLARK, Increase
CLARK, Rebecca
CLARK, John
CLARK, Samuel
CLARK, Captain
William CLARK, Sarah
CLARK.
He married to Sarah
(second wife) on 15 Nov 1676 in Springfield, Hampden, MA.(79)
(1699)(1700)
(1701) (Sarah was also the name of his first wife).